The Legend of Futian - Chapter 500

Chapter 500: Shooting Off One’s Mouth

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

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The people of Starry School all had their eyes fixed on the figures emerging from the void. Two sages that stood guard by Ye Futian’s side quipped, “So it seems like Yang Ding of the Blazing Sun School has resorted to such methods?”

Yang Ding was the headmaster of the Blazing Sun School.

Although they were still figures of Sage level staying behind the school to hold down the fort while mighty ones of Starry School went bargaining with Nine Cloud Palace, the intruders from Blazing Sun School made it clear that they would leave with what they came for, and they came prepared.

“Ye Futian of Starry School killed a student of Blazing Sun School. There should be no problem of us taking him into custody. If all of you have no intention to cooperate, we will be forced to make a statement,” one of the intruders said.

“I will leave with you,” Ye Futian said, looking calm as he did so. If Blazing Sun School wanted to take him away, there was simply no way that they would leave empty-handed. He had to leave with them even if he did not want to. There was no use fighting in right there and then as there was no stopping these intruders.

“No.” Yu Sheng clenched his fists, looking at the figure in the void with angry eyes.

“Just wait for me here,” Ye Futian lowered his voice and said. He leaped into the void as soon as he was done.

The intruders from Blazing Sun School left with him without causing any further ruckus, seeing as how he was willing to cooperate.

Many within Starry School looked up at the void, seeing the intruders from Blazing Sun School as a bunch of bullies.

Blazing Sun School, like Starry School, was one of the three great schools in the Divine Sky City. It was built on the eastside of the city close to the mountains. The entire school seemed to emanate a Scorching Intent. Blazing Sun School was most abundant in fire elemental Spiritual Qi. It was like the place had actually inherited the fires of the sun.

Ye Futian was brought straight to a tall temple within Blazing Sun School. The rays of the sun shone on the old temple, making it seemed like the entire place was surrounded by fire. A figure was seen sitting on a sun chair in front of the temple—the headmaster of Blazing Sun School, Yang Ding. Mighty ones were seen at his flank, and both were important figures of the school.

“Greetings to you, seniors,” Ye Futian said as he bowed.

“Ye Futian, you killed Shang Yunfeng, a student of Blazing Sun School. What do you propose we do with you?” someone from the side asked.

Ye Futian turned his eyes to look at the one who asked, then answered, “When misfortune befalls any students of the three great schools out on pilgrimage, would any of the schools make such a fuss?”

“We naturally wouldn’t, but you are the Son of Starry School. Thus we can’t just treat this like some mishap.”

“Shang Yunfeng wasn’t strong enough to keep himself alive, and he ended up dead by my hands when out training and fighting for resources. If things like that needed figures like headmasters to get involved, the three schools would be at each other’s throats all the time. Why do you think you need to ask about this? Please just be forthright with your intentions of bringing me here,” Ye Futian said.

Both sides were clear that the death of Shang Yunfeng was but an excuse to get Ye Futian to Blazing Sun School.

“The martial arts battlefield was the sacred ground of the three great schools, run under the authority of the three great schools. How were you able to bring down the place? What did you find in the Divine Palace of the martial arts battlefield?” Yang Ding’s eyes fell onto Ye Futian, and he asked without bothering for context.

The very reason why Chen Yuan would confer the title of the Son onto Ye Futian and go to lengths to protect him, even waging a war against Nine Cloud Palace, was all because of what took place in the martial arts battlefield. It was only natural for him to want to find out what happened.

“I dare not speak lightly on the matter.” Ye Futian bowed.

“You think you are allowed to keep it to yourself?” Yang Ding shot back in a very direct manner, causing Ye Futian to wear a bitter smile on his face.

“If my words proved offensive to any of you, my seniors, please do forgive me.” Ye Futian cupped his hands slightly. “Madame Long looked for me and told me someone was investigating me after the incident on the martial arts battlefield. I knew I wasn’t able to keep things under wraps, and the truth would have been exposed. I wanted to bail, yet she gave me a choice after finding out the truth. She claimed the sages of the three schools were all important figures of impressive bearings and would have had immense tolerance for faults of others. As her clan, the West Mountain Dragon Clan, shares a very good working relationship with Starry School, she recommended me to Headmaster Chen.”

Those who were present heard his words seriously and thought his cunning to be something to be reckoned with. He had, after all, showered immense praise on the sages of all three schools, and they could not help but wonder if it was simply a ploy to make it difficult for them to move against him? Regardless, the sage level figures were immensely interested as to what kind of surreal encounters happened to him.

“I went through one obstacle after another in the martial arts battlefield, and finally stepped foot onto the ninth floor, taking out many martial arts spirits as I went. When I made it to the divine temple, I saw the founding saint of the three schools.” Ye Futian’s tone turned serious, and everyone who heard him wore exceptionally solemn expressions. They had not expected the Son to have such heaven-shaking luck to be able to meet the ancient saint.

“The saints left an undying will which was sealed within the battlefield. The very reason he left a divine path was to find one who would inherit his will. He bestowed his lineage to me after hearing about the schools of today, and ordered me to walk the divine path and leave the lineage behind for the three schools. Should it be possible, I was also to reunite the three schools as one, to serve as the master of all three schools, and reclaim the glory of day’s past.”

Ye Futian elaborated as he fixed his eyes on Yang Ding. Everyone present was shaken to the core of their being. Some even stood up to gaze at Ye Futian.

The saint passed down his lineage to him, Ye Futian? And he made him the master of all three schools?

Wasn’t that the same as having all of them call him ‘master’?

“That is ridiculous,” someone retorted in a cold manner, suspecting that Ye Futian was deliberately bluffing.

“I dare not lie to all of you.” Ye Futian continued, “If I hadn’t acquired the recommendation from Madame Long, I would not dare step foot into Starry School. If what I just said was a lie, Headmaster Chen would not have conferred me the title of the Son and held a grand ceremony to do so. I’m certain all seniors here realize that the Son was a hallowed disciple of the Divine Path, a student of the ancient Saint.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up, and they began to find what Ye Futian said to be true. The young man had calm eyes, looked at ease, not perturbed in the slightest as he spoke.

“What kind of lineage are we talking about here?” Yang Ding asked. Ye Futian had claimed that if he were to walk the Divine Path, he would leave his lineage behind to the three schools.

“Please see for yourselves,” Ye Futian answered. His surroundings shone with intense brilliance as he finished speaking as if he was showered in divine light. Beams of light lit up and illuminated the entire ancient temple. Three beams of divine light appeared and celestial bodies hung up high above their heads. The light of the saint rained down upon them. All eyes were dazzled as they fixed their gaze on Ye Futian.

Three beams of divine light and the silhouette of the saint was shown. The three beams represented the sun, the moon, and the stars respectively, which in turn represented the three schools of today.

“The three divine lights were left behind by the founding saint of the three schools himself, and he ordered me to inherit the three schools. When I walk the Divine Path, I will inherit the three lineages of the contemporary Divine Path. If I become a saint in the future, there will be no need for me to leave the three divine lights behind. I will simply follow the words of the saint and pass them down to the three schools respectively. As to whether the three schools would be reunited as one, I will leave that to all of you; I will not force my opinion on anyone.

“However, as I was bestowed with the task by the ancient saint, it is only natural for me to do my best and have all three lineages represented by the three divine lights left behind in Divine Sky City,” Ye Futian said plainly as if he was telling the truth.

In actuality, while he did inherit the three beams of divine light, there were no words left behind by the saint. That part was all made-up: leaving behind the lineages in the three schools and all. The part where he was to be made the master of the schools was especially so.

However, it was apparent that Blazing Sun School had taken out of jealousy for Starry School taking him, and did not want to see him grow. It was only natural for him to tell them that despite his status as the Son of Starry School, he was noted by the saint to belong to all three schools, and he would also take care of Blazing Sun School and Bright Moon School equally as well.

Doing so would not only alleviate the tensions and grievances between the schools but would also make it seem like they were interconnected.

Everyone present pondered what they had just heard. While Ye Futian had pretty much bluffed his way through the whole ordeal, what happened at the Divine Palace— the three beams of divine light and his status as the Son conferred by Chen Yuan himself—made it all seem irrefutably sound. It was as if every word he spoke was the truth and nothing else.

“If that was the case, why did you not make it clear before? On the day of Conferring of the Son, you rampaged and injured students from both Blazing Sun School and Bright Moon School,” Yang Ding said, refusing to simply buy Ye Futian’s story at face value.

“Even if I had made myself clear about such things, I had no certainty of how everyone would have dealt with me. It was a grave matter concerning the lineage of the Divine Path. I dared not simply utter such things everywhere I went. If I had not been brought here today, I would have chosen to wait until I was capable enough to ensure my own safety before making such statements.” Ye Futian smiled bitterly before continuing, “As to what happened that day, it was a test Headmaster Chen gave me to measure my talents. If I did not display talent strong enough to overwhelm all present, there would not have been a day where I was conferred the Son of Starry School, as I was certain that I would have simply ended up dead at the hands of the students of all three schools.”

Yang Ding nodded, finding no fault in the words of Ye Futian.

“Sir, the Divine Lights marked the lineage of the Saint. Ye Futian is of Arcana Plane, and having someone in such a plane being enlightened in the will of the Saint is an utter waste. If the one to be enlightened in the will of the Saint was you instead, sir, the breakthroughs achieved would have been unimaginable,” someone suggested.

Ye Futian’s eyes jumped. It was the lineage of the Saint after all, and that meant it was something very tempting. Not many would have behaved like Headmaster Chen regarding something like that. Furthermore, what happened right at that moment was different from the day when he met Headmaster Chen. He was brought before the headmaster by recommendations from Madame Long and the Gu Clan. Today, he was instead brought there by force, and it was only natural for them to be on guard.

“The three Divine Lights were meant to be passed down to three respective schools by the saint. I was simply a caretaker for the moment. If you, sir, wish to be enlightened in the Divine Light of the Sun, it would be natural for me to keep it for you at the moment. However, the divine light is directly concerned with the lineage of the Divine Path. When you are done being enlightened with it, may I ask that you hand it back to me until the day I finally walk the Divine Path? Before it stays with Blazing Sun School permanently?” Ye Futian asked in a sensible manner.

He would have handed it all the same if they tried to take it by force. It was a wiser choice to willingly hand it over himself. He was careful with his words, proposing that both parties getting enlightened together and mentioning the Divine Light of the Sun only, deflecting any suspicion they might have had of him.

However, everyone present was aware of what Ye Futian was trying to pull, and they were able to see that he was a sensible one. He was also one who was careful enough with his words to avoid sounding deceitful in any way.

“The saint has bestowed his lineage on you. Wouldn’t what you propose now be an affront to his will?” Yang Ding asked while looking at him.

“I was simply proposing that we share this enlightenment together. How would that be an affront to anything? Besides, if it is convenient for you, I’m willing to reside within Blazing Sun School for the time being and study the intricacies with you. Your cultivation is strong and I would gain a lot studying under you. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Ye Futian said as he cupped his hands.

“What if Chen Yuan shows up wanting to take you back?” someone asked.

“I would then advise Headmaster Chen to return. Headmaster Chen knows of the lineage and will understand,” Ye Futian said.

“Well then, let’s have it your way.” Yang Ding nodded. “I will train with you. Should you run into any problem, I would be there to guide you.”

Everyone present gazed at Ye Futian with dazzled eyes as they heard their headmaster’s words. What a cunning fellow indeed!

Chapter 501: A Sudden Deadly Attack

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

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Ye Futian had been forcefully taken to the Blazing Sun School, though he had not put up a fight. His cooperation made him seem sincere and genuine, and there was a chance that everything he had said about the inheritance was true. But the human heart was complicated, and it was implausible that Ye Futian would willingly give up the divine light.

It was obvious that Ye Futian was aware of his circumstances and adapting to it in a bid to save his own life. Yang Ding, the college chief of the Blazing Sun School, could tell this as well. But in truth, he wasn’t intending to kill Ye Futian. Doing that would be as good as declaring war.

“Let me feel the divine light of the sun that the saint passed down.” Yang Ding’s face was radiant as the sun, and a hush fell over the place. All eyes were on Ye Futian.

“Yes, senior,” Ye Futian nodded, and a streak of the sun’s dazzling divine light was sent towards Yang Ding.

“I have already severed my ties to this divine light, you may…” The words had barely left Ye Futian’s mouth before Yang Ding had already integrated his own will into the divine light. The dazzling radiance of the sun shone above him, seeming to bathe him in the very light of the saint himself. Furthermore, with Yang Ding’s immense will, the divine light shone even brighter than it had with Ye Futian. The blazing rays of the sun that were shining down from above were like divine flames.

“The Divine Path,” Yang Ding declared, his gaze sharp. He then retracted his will from the divine light. Smiling at Ye Futian, he said, “You’ll train with me from now on.”

Yang Ding did not force Ye Futian to give up the other two streaks of divine light he had. Those did not belong to the Blazing Sun School. He knew very well that if he were to take them by force, the other two schools would not leave it at that.

“Yang Ding,” a frosty voice called out from the sky above the Blazing Sun School. Following after, a line of figures descended from the misty sky. At the front of the party was Chen Yuan.

They had been confronting those from the Nine Cloud Palace when they had gotten the news. Upon hearing that Ye Futian had been taken away by the Blazing Sun School, they had abandoned the confrontation and rushed over immediately.

Yang Ding looked towards the sky. The flames of the chair behind him shone brighter than ever. He said calmly, “Chen Yuan, what brings you to the Blazing Sun School?”

“Yang Ding, you’re the college chief of the Blazing Sun School. Don’t you feel that it’s beneath someone of your status to be taking advantage of the situation and bringing Ye Futian to your school?” Chen Yuan’s tone was chilly, and frightening energy pressed down from the sky as he spoke.

“Chen Yuan, Ye Futian possesses the divine teachings of the saint of the Top Three Schools. What’s wrong with me inviting him over to experience the Divine Path left behind by the ancient saint?” Yang Ding gazed at the figure in the sky as he spoke.

“Let him go,” Chen Yuan demanded coldly.

Yang Ding turned his gaze towards Ye Futian, and Ye Futian bowed in Chen Yuan’s direction as he said, “College Chief Chen, the Blazing Sun School really just invited me over to demonstrate the divine teachings of the ancient saint.” He turned to bow at Yang Ding as well, “Senior, let me explain to the college chief.”

After he spoke, Ye Futian moved towards the sky. In that instant, all eyes were on him. Ye Futian had spoken pleasant words just now, but those were only niceties. Going up to Chen Yuan now would put him on a path of no return depending on what he did.

“Stop.” Mighty energy landed on Ye Futian. It was Sage Intent which could kill him in a heartbeat. Chen Yuan may have arrived here, but he dared not to make any hasty moves. This was also why he had not brought Ye Futian to the Nine Cloud Palace. If Jin Chengfeng were to begin attacking in a surge of savagery, things would get troublesome.

Ye Futian stopped mid-air and chuckled. “What do you ask of me, senior?”

Many gazes turned towards Yang Ding, as though waiting for him to indicate something.

Before capturing Ye Futian, the Blazing Sun School’s aim was the divine teachings that Ye Futian had obtained in the martial arts battlefield. Ye Futian had been very cooperative in handing it over, all the while stalling for time. By the time Chen Yuan arrived, the Blazing Sun School had yet to decide what they were going to do with Ye Futian. Ye Futian had promised to stay here and train, but looking at things now, it didn’t seem like things were going to turn out that way.

If they were to let Ye Futian go, he would not pose a threat to the Blazing Sun School for now. This was because they had already taken away one of the divine teachings he possessed. But Ye Futian would still be like a ticking time bomb to them.

The atmosphere turned tense almost immediately. The disciples of the Blazing Sun School lifted their heads to look at the sight before them. They felt the immense pressure and tense atmosphere even from afar.

“Yang Ding,” Chen Yuan’s gaze landed on Yang Ding. An immense pressure emanated from the heavens and a starry dimension appeared in the sky. The skies above the Blazing Sun School turned dark as night.

It was as if Chen Yuan would launch an attack immediately if Yang Ding were to do anything to Ye Futian.

Yang Ding glanced at Ye Futian before laughing. “What are you doing, Chen Yuan? We were having a good chat. I’d like for him to stay at the Blazing Sun School and train with me, I could instruct him. But of course, all this is up to Ye Futian to decide himself.”

Chen Yuan’s expression relaxed a little. He had predicted that Yang Ding would not do anything to Ye Futian. His aim was probably to obtain the divine teachings, so he would not be as bold as to just kill Ye Futian just yet.

Ye Futian had made the same judgment as Chen Yuan, which was why he had resorted to remaining civil and saying niceties. He had done his best to avoid a verbal conflict and create an illusion of harmony. Both parties were aware of each other’s underlying intentions, but in this situation, Yang Ding had a way out without embarrassing himself.

At this moment, Ye Futian’s top priority was to get out of this place. Upon hearing Yang Ding’s words, Ye Futian mentally heaved a sigh of relief.

“Futian, come here,” Chen Yuan ordered. At the same time, a streak of energy headed straight for Ye Futian.

Ye Futian began to move forward. However, the instant he took a step, he suddenly felt an immense threat and his expression changed. Then, a frightening light of intent pierced through Ye Futian’s body like a sharp blade.

A grunt was heard, then Ye Futian’s body shuddered in the sky before he felt a sharp blade rip through his insides, shredding his veins and breaking his bones. Ye Futian’s face turned deathly pale, and despair flooded his mind.

He had been on guard the moment he was taken to the Blazing Sun School, saying niceties and trying to talk his way out of danger by lying. His only aim was to stall for time and make it out alive.

While he had anticipated that the college chief of the Blazing Sun School would not kill him, he had not dared to relax. Even then, he had not expected that someone would launch a sudden attack on him all of a sudden in a bid to take his life.

Chen Yuan’s expression changed. Darkness spread all across the sky and an immense pressure emanated from it. Everyone in the party he brought along with him wore incredibly chilly expressions as well. Madame Long and Gu Hanshan were shocked as well. They had not the Blazing Sun School to actually take action.

Even people from the Blazing Sun School—Yang Ding the college chief and many other sages who were present—were taken aback as well. It was apparent that the current situation had occurred outside of their control.

Chen Yuan clenched a fist in the sky. Since the other party had made a move, he had no more reservations left. In an instant, Ye Futian’s body was surrounded by the glow of starlight and was brought to Chen Yuan’s side in the sky.

Ye Futian was pale as a sheet and in immense pain. His veins and bones seem to have all been destroyed, and he had sustained immense internal injuries.

Chen Yuan’s expression was dark. In the starry night sky, countless meteorites appeared out of nowhere and hung over the Blazing Sun School. The disciples of the Blazing Sun School were stunned at the sight. Should those meteorites be sent plummeting down, it would surely be a disaster.

“Chen Yuan,” Yang Ding’s expression changed as well. Looking at the person who had attacked Ye Futian, he demanded, “Who told you to take action?”

“Shang Yunfeng was a disciple of our school,” the person coldly responded. “Is Ye Futian to be let off for killing a disciple of the Blazing Sun School just because he is the Son of the Starry School? He should pay for his crimes and be deposed of his cultivations.” He then exhorted, “College chief, this child is crafty and talented. If we don’t get rid of him now, he’ll definitely cause us a lot of trouble in the future.”

Chen Yuan stuck out his palm at the direction of that person. In an instant, a frightening rumble sounded and a wind storm emerged from the broken earth, taking on the dazzling light of the stars. The endless wind storm rushed towards the person and surrounded him, and as Chen Yuan clenched his first, the person was buried within the meteorites with a loud crash, no longer able to move.

They were both sages, but their exact planes were different, and the disparity in their abilities was great as well.

“Chen Yuan, don’t be rash.” Long Ding appeared before that person in an instant and lay a hand on him. Instantly, flames appeared and seeped into the meteorite formation. With a bang, the meteorites that covered the sage were burned to ashes, and the space was transformed into a flaming hell.

A scary rumbling rang out and meteorites began to plummet towards the Blazing Sun School from the starry dimension like shooting stars.

The Blazing Sun School was in chaos. Everyone was trying to escape, their faces deathly pale.

This was crazy; an elder of their school had dared to launch a deadly attack on Ye Futian and triggered a battle of this immensity. This was all so crazy.

The rumbling noise continued endlessly as the buildings of the Blazing Sun School were destroyed and turned into giant debris floating in the sky. The earth was cracking open as well at an incredible rate, with lines spreading across the ground. It was as if the entire world was going to be destroyed. It really seemed like the apocalypse.

“Chen Yuan, the Top Three Schools may be in contention with each other, but all three schools share the same origins. You’ve gone mad!” Long Ding roared upon seeing the destruction before him. Chen Yuan was trained in the Starry Divine Path. It was based upon the earth-elemental power of the earth itself and could turn apocalyptically destructive in an instant. It had the power to turn the vast Blazing Sun School into a pile of rubble in no time.

“So, you’re still aware that the Top Three Schools share the same origins.” Chen Yuan’s face was contorted in anger. He had pinned great hopes upon Ye Futian, who had inherited the divine teachings. He could understand if the Blazing Sun School sought Ye Futian out for the divine teachings he possessed. But to make an attempt on Ye Futian’s life was unforgivable.

Madame Long was taken aback by the scene of destruction before her eyes. College Chief Chen had not been moved to this level of anger in many years. It seemed that the peace in Divine Sky City was no more. She looked at the person who had attacked Ye Futian. This person probably had ulterior motives in provoking this fight.

Indeed, there was someone behind this entire fiasco fanning the flames. Though Jin Yunxiao had carried out the assassination attempt, there was someone backing him who wanted the see the world burn. It seemed as though something larger was about to happen.

“The Top Three Schools share the same origins,” Yang Ding told Chen Yuan gravely. “Now that things have come to this and his cultivations have been destroyed, the Divine Path has lost its hope. He had taken the divine teachings of the Top Three Schools away from the martial arts battlefield after all. Take the divine light with the power of the stars with you and let this incident come to an end. If not, the consequences will be too much for you and me to bear.”

Chapter 502: Recovery

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

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Yang Ding’s words only served to anger Chen Yuan further. It seemed as though an entire night sky was contained within his eyes. With an outstretched palm, the meteorite storm in the sky howled wildly.

“Let this incident come to an end?” Chen Yuan’s voice was icy cold. “Then why did you not consider the consequences before making a move?”

“You’ve really gone mad.” Yang Ding let out a shout, and he leaped into the sky, his body emanating an endless fiery glow. His body was like a giant sun, incinerating everything that came into contact with his light. He rushed towards the attacking meteorites, intending to reduce the resulting damage and casualties as much as possible.

The sages of the Blazing Sun School stood facing all directions, covering all sides of the school. They released their own energies in a bid to deflect College Chief Chen’s destructive attack.

Chen Yuan took a step forward. Starlight dazzled endlessly around him, and he brought Ye Futian with him as he walked towards the sage who had attacked him.

Around Chen Yuan, the sages cast protective spells all around. The pressure was so immense it was shocking. The expression of the sage Chen Yuan was approaching changed. He thought that Chen Yuan had gone stark mad.

The earth shattered with a rumble as Chen Yuan walked, and the sky itself seemed to be brought down by the pressure. He shot out like a streak of starlight, and at the same time, a Divine Sun Furnace appeared behind Yang Ding, its flames headed straight for Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan was undeterred, and he continued advancing forward. The flames of the Divine Sun Furnace rained upon his body and clung to it, making the starlight even more dazzling.

Flaming golden runes appeared from within the Divine Sun Furnace and shot towards Chen Yuan, as though to destroy him. But Chen Yuan did not stop. With a loud crash, the two collided into each other, and Yang Ding was sent flying.

Chen Yuan specialized in the Divine Starry Path and possessed immense power. On the other hand, Yang Ding specialized in the flames of the sun. In close combat, it was natural that Yang Ding would lose out.

But the flames had begun to seep into Chen Yuan’s body. His expression unchanging, Chen Yuan swung his palm at the sages below him from the sky. It was as though a large heavenly hand that could cover the skies bore down upon them. The sages were pressed down by the gravity of the stars. The ground caved in below them and swallowed them into the earth with a frightening rumble. Chen Yuan had the ability to directly control the power of the earth.

With a loud bang, the large hand began to slam down. The sage that had attacked Ye Futian’s expression changed from shock to despair. Though he was a sage like the college chief of the Starry School, there was a disparity in their individual planes. He was far from a match for Chen Yuan. The sage was unable to handle the immense pressure that Chen Yuan was sending out, and his movements were restricted.

“Chen Yuan!” Yang Ding shouted, but he was too late. The large hand slammed down with a loud crash and killed the sage immediately upon impact. A handprint hundreds of meters wide appeared on the ground, leaving a deep crater where it had landed. It was a magnificent sight. A figure lay within the handprint. He had been crushed flat.

Yang Ding stopped to look at the dead body. His expression was ugly. People of the Sage plane were incredibly precious to the school. As such, Yang Ding was going to defend the errant sage even if he had disobeyed orders and attacked Ye Futian. Furthermore, that had been no ordinary sage. He was an outstanding sage of the Blazing Sun School. He could have grown even more powerful in the future and was in the running to be a protégé of Yang Ding’s as a very young sage.

The Blazing Sun School would not have let someone like him die. But Chen Yuan had ignored all consequences and crushed him to death in a fit of savage rage.

Chen Yuan looked at Ye Futian. His injuries were incredibly severe and could invalidate him for life.

“Let’s go,” Chen Yuan ordered. He moved towards the sky, and his followers from the Starry School followed him as well, soaring into the sky in preparation to leave.

Yang Ding glared at him in rage. How badly he wanted to battle right here right now. But this was his Blazing Sun School, and any battle he started now would only be a disaster upon his disciples. Even the short skirmish just now had been incredibly costly.

Looking at the leaving figures, someone walked to Yang Ding and asked, “Chen Yuan has gone too far with his bullying. College chief, do we attack?”

Yang Ding looked at the person, then glanced at the body of the fallen sage. They may have lost a sage, but they were indeed in the wrong here. Ye Futian had been gravely injured, and Chen Yuan was in a wild rage. Yang Ding was aware of the consequences of attacking the Starry School now. The resulting destruction would be indiscriminate, and two of the schools in Divine Sky City would probably become history.

The disciples of the Blazing Sun School rose into the sky, quivering slightly. Below them, their once vast and magnificent school grounds had been reduced into a pile of rubble. The wreckage was painful to see. They had never thought that a battle of this level would break out within the Top Three Schools of Divine Sky City. This was definitely a disaster.

Ye Futian was only a junior of the Arcana plane, but he was the reason behind the death of a sage and the destruction of the Blazing Sun School. An incident like this would have been completely unimaginable in the past.

When Chen Yuan and his party arrived back in the Starry School, many powerful individuals gathered at the Son’s Palace. Ye Futian’s injuries were stabilized with the help of the best doctor available.

At this moment, Yu Sheng, Ye Wuchen and Loulan Xue were outside the room. They were beside themselves with rage. The Blazing Sun School was one of the Top Three Schools and considered divine grounds for training in the eastern region of the Barren State. For them to have attacked a junior of the Arcana plane was unthinkable.

“College Chief, how is he?” the group rushed to ask Chen Yuan upon seeing him exit the room.

Chen Yuan’s expression was grim, and he did not speak. Madame Long, who was next to him, spoke up instead, “The attack was incredibly vicious, and Ye Futian’s powers were destroyed. It’ll be hard for him to recover.”

With a crack, something broke. Yu Sheng’s eyes turned red, as though blood would begin dripping from it. “I don’t believe it,” he said. He then rushed into the room before Chen Yuan or anyone else could stop him.

“This may not have been part of Yang Ding’s original plan. I don’t think he’ll be this audacious,” Gu Hanshan speculated.

“Perhaps,” Chen Yuan replied, “but it doesn’t matter whether or not this was his original intention. He’s the college chief of the Blazing Sun School, and Ye Futian was captured under his command. He should take responsibility for this incident.”

“Yeah.” Gu Hanshan nodded in agreement.

“There seems to have been someone orchestrating things from behind the scenes ever since Jin Yunxiao was exposed, trying to create conflict.” A thoughtful gleam appeared in Madame Long’s eyes as she spoke.

“I know someone is trying to sow discord in secret. But it is true that Jin Yunxiao tried to assassinate Ye Futian. I’ve asked Futian, and he agreed that Jin Yunxiao has to die, so I considered the consequences. But I never thought that Yang Ding would be such an *sshole.” Chen Yuan’s voice was shaking with rage. Without an order from Yang Ding, no one would have dared to make a move like this.

Just then, an immense pressure came from the faraway skies. It seemed that the Starry School were to face yet another mighty foe. Chen Yuan looked up to see a group of people heading towards the school.

“Looks like another bunch of *ssholes are here,” Gu Hanshan commented. In no time, the group of people arrived at the Starry School. They were from the Bright Moon School, and leading the group was the school’s college chief Gong Kui.

“Chen Yuan, I’ve heard that the Son of the Starry School has had his powers destroyed by the Blazing Sun School. How is he now?” Gong Kui asked.

“Don’t beat about the bush.” Chen Yuan shot him a cold glare. There was no way Gong Kui had come all the way just to show concern for Ye Futian.

Gong Kui laughed. “I’ve heard that the divine teachings that Ye Futian obtained were three streaks of divine light. Since his powers have been destroyed, the divine light should naturally be returned to the Top Three Schools. Yang Ding had already gotten one streak of divine light. You can have one streak for yourself. Now, shouldn’t the divine light that rightfully belongs to the Bright Moon School be returned to me?”

“Get out,” Chen Yuan spat at him.

Everyone was staring at Gong Kui coldly. Trust him to take advantage of someone else’s misfortune to come here and ask for the divine light.

Gong Kui laughed, paying no heed to the glares he was receiving. The Blazing Sun School had taken back their share of the three streaks of divine light. How could the Bright Moon School miss out on this opportunity? He wanted to get a taste of the saint’s divine teachings as well.

“The Top Three Schools share the same origins,” Gong Kui replied. “That was originally an heirloom of our ancestors. Now that the heir to the Divine Path has had his powers destroyed, he has lost his right to the inheritance. I say that the divine light should be returned to its rightful owners. I want to bring it back to the Bright Moon School.”

“Attack us if you will,” Chen Yuan responded coldly.

“I’m not going to risk mass destruction unlike you. It’s not as if you don’t understand the current situation. The Starry School is at odds with the Jin Clan and at war with the Blazing Sun School too. Are you going to turn the Bright Moon School into your enemies as well? Have you truly thought this through?” Gong Kui’s tone was equally frosty.

“I told you to get out, did you not hear me?” Chen Yuan shot the other man a cold glare.

However, a dazzling streak of light exited the room where Ye Futian was and floated towards Gong Kui. Gong Kui was taken aback at first. Then he attached his will to the light and claimed it for himself. Chen Yuan and everyone else in the room was shocked as well, and they turned to look into the room.

“Chen Yuan, you’ve been outdone by your own disciple. At least he knows what’s best for the Starry School in this situation. I’ll take my leave now.” Gong Kui knew what he had just received upon sensing it, and he left smiling.

In the room, Ye Wuchen and everyone else was enraged.

“Why did you give it to him?” Yu Sheng was grabbing onto Ye Futian’s hand.

A forlorn smile came over Ye Futian’s pale face. “I have my own plans,” he replied softly. “Please leave, all of you. Tell the college chief and the rest to leave too. I would like to be undisturbed.”

Yu Sheng looked at Ye Futian. He was concerned for the other man.

“Let the college chief and the rest come up with a plan,” Ye Wuchen advised.

“I want to try something out myself,” Ye Futian replied. Give me some time, and help me guard the door.”

Yu Sheng nodded, and the group left the room.

After they had left, Ye Futian’s fists clenched. Desolation crept into his heart. A group of mighty sages had come for him. He had tried to talk his way out of danger, but they had still attacked him. Now, the Bright Moon school had come to demand their share of the divine light too. Since things had come to this, he had obliged as well.

A green light danced around Ye Futian’s body. Then, branches of green leaves began to appear, slowly snaking their way upwards. Soon, an ancient tree with emerald green leaves appeared above Ye Futian’s head. This was his Life Spirit.

His eyes closed, and the branches of the ancient tree continued to grow. Eventually, the entire room was covered by the gigantic tree, which entwined itself around his body in a way that allowed him to sit on it. An emerald green glow surrounded him and covered him completely, bit by bit.

Chapter 503: Learning in Secret

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

---

The ancient tree shook slightly, shedding its sacred green light on every corner of the room. Enveloped in the tree, Ye Futian’s body was like a jade. Endless verdant glow poured into his body. It seemed to transform into life aura and spread through his veins to rejuvenate his badly hurt insides.

Ye Futian closed his eyes and felt everything happening in his body. His organs were hurt badly. Veins were severed and bones fractured. He had become a totally disabled man who was at his last gasp. His enemy didn’t want him to die directly in the Blazing Sun School but chose to mutilate him. Otherwise, demolishing his spirit with Sage Intent was the most straightforward way. It could eliminate a person more effectively than simply attacking the flesh. Perhaps his enemy had some qualms, so Ye Futian could still be alive. But for many people, it would be better to die than to live with such a body.

At this moment, however, Ye Futian’s heavily injured body was recovering little by little. The ancient tree, as his natal spirit, possessed strong power to embrace and restore everything in the world.

As the verdant light reached every part of the body, some color returned to Ye Futian’s pale face. After suffering all these fractures, being simply restored was not enough for him to alleviate all the pain. When the insides were recovered, those green lights further permeated in those broken veins to help them grow.

At the same time, other life spirits like Ape, Dragon and Golden Roc appeared in the tree one by one. The dragon coiled around the tree. The ape stood in and the roc perched on the tree. Then they entered into his body with that verdant glow.

He thought and a beam of blazing light appeared around him. The sacred light flowed around his body like a sea of stars. It followed the green light through his body. Every inch it flowed by, broken veins were restored and new bones grew.

It was said that once one cultivated to a certain high level, he could be immortal. In that case, fractured bones being repaired was a small matter. But Ye Futian was just in Arcana Plane. What was happening was totally a miracle.

His veins and bones were restored gradually. That green light together with other magical powers of different attributes entered into his body, giving him dragon-like veins and a golden roc’s hard bones. His body glowed with starry lights and became invincible.

“I really did it.” Ye Futian was shocked. He just wanted to have a try. Thinking that the natal spirit had the power to embrace everything, he released his own spirit into it to restore his injured body. He succeeded. His new veins and bones were very difficult to hurt now.

Knowing that he wouldn’t die anymore, Ye Futian closed his eyes and immersed himself into the restoration totally.

…

It caused a sensation in the Starry School.

People constantly came to visit the Son’s Palace. Gu Yunxi came too. She looked very anxious, but Yu Sheng stopped her at the door. Yu Sheng was worried too, but Ye Futian had told him to guard the door.

Yu Sheng knew Ye Futian. Ye Futian may be doing something extremely important. He must be trying to recover his body; he couldn’t be interrupted no matter who came.

Long Ling’er also came after hearing the news, but she was stopped outside of the door too. Gu Yunxi and Long Ling’er came because they worried about Ye Futian while many other people came to see how Ye Futian would die.

Ye Futian was so outstanding that there were many people jealous of him. As long as Ye Futian was in the Starry School, others couldn’t have the chance to be favored by the chief. Even those very talented would not have the chance.

No one expected that the peerless talent who had been canonized as the Son a few months ago suddenly became so pathetic. And the fact that the big figures from the Blazing Sun School were the ones responsible made Ye Futian seem more tragic The stronger one was, the easier it was for him to be hated. Moreover, he had the heritage that both colleges longed for.

Very soon, the news broke throughout the whole Divine Sky City, causing an uproar.

When the Starry School’s strong cultivators headed for the Nine Cloud Palace, the Blazing Sun School took the opportunity to take the Son away. It wasn’t glamorous, but it ended with Ye Futian close to death. The Blazing Sun School lost a powerful sage and the entire college was turned into ruins.

Besides, the Bright Moon School also forced Ye Futian to hand out the beam of holy light inherited from the Saints. Many people sighed for Ye Futian’s miserable fate.

After what had happened, the Top Three Schools would not be as harmonious as before. A war could possibly break out. If Yang Ding didn’t hold back, he might have already declared war on the Starry School.

Half a month later in the palace, Ye Futian’s veins and bones had recovered a lot, but he still didn’t walk out of his room. Everyone was waiting for him and Yu Sheng was extremely worried. He could sense the strong spirit in the room. Apparently, Ye Futian was fine, so Yu Sheng could only keep waiting.

Chen Yuan came asking frequently, but no one knew the specifics. Gu Yunxi and Long Ling’er came most frequently. Wang Yurou and Shen Yu also came here often.

A month later, Ye Futian’s body generally recovered. He stretched his arms and heard the bones crack, but he still didn’t walk out.

The entire Divine Sky City, including the two major schools, was also waiting.

Time continued to pass. The relationship of the three Major Colleges kept fraying. Conflicts among their disciples broke out often. Many other events happened too, which made people gradually forget Ye Futian’s name. Fewer and fewer people mentioned him.

News was heard from the Starry School that Ye Futian’s cultivation was totally demolished. Even Chen Yuan the chief couldn’t save him. It was also said that the Son’s Palace was sealed. Ye Futian the Son might have already died or would be disabled forever. Some guessed that the Starry School might have taken Ye Futian’s Starry Holy Light away and imprisoned Ye Futian in the palace for the rest of his life.

The Starry School’s Son was once so brilliant but dimmed so quickly like a shooting star.

People lamented and sighed. They were amazed by the Blazing Sun School’s acuteness and cruelty.

…

After getting the holy light, Yang Ding, the chief of the Blazing Sun School, and Gong Kui, the chief of the Bright Moon School, often released the light and tried to understand the Saints’ methods contained in the light whenever they were cultivating.

By now, the Blazing Sun School had been built again. Yang Ding crossed his legs and sat in the Sun Palace, bathing in the sunlight falling from the sky. The beams of lights seemed to be substantial. Frightening flame Spiritual Qi gathered around him, making him look like a Fire God.

The holy light boomed over his head again and looked extremely brilliant under the sun. Behind him condensed a divine sun furnace which could absorb all flame power in the world and burn everything. This power was recorded in the Sun Scripture which was passed down from the ancient times. There were many other strong methods and powers in the Scripture. People with the sun as the life spirit could cultivate it the best.

Even people like Yang Ding mainly cultivated with it. With the help of the power of the light, he made some progress in comprehending the abilities in the Scripture.

Yang Ding didn’t know that in a palace of the Starry School far from the Blazing Sun School, there was a figure who was sitting like him. The sun hung high above the figure and the sun’s flames kept descending behind him, gradually gathered into a dreadful divine sun furnace. It gathered endless flames from the world like the sun.

This handsome figure with long hair closed his eyes and cultivated silently. After a long while, he managed to condense three furnaces. He stopped. When he opened his eyes, the sun’s light disappeared all of a sudden.

That youth was Ye Futian.

“How many furnaces can be condensed?” asked Yu Sheng after Ye Futian stopped.

“According to the Sun Scripture, once nine furnaces are condensed, everything can be refined,” replied Ye Futian.

“You really could see the Blazing Sun School’s chief cultivating?” Ye Wuchen doubted. Ye Futian said that once Yang Ding opened the Sun Scriptures, he could see what he was doing.

“Sure, I could even see how he cultivates. But it’s a pity that I can’t get his comprehension.” Ye Futian looked a little disappointed. Hearing Ye Futian’s complaint, Ye Wuchen and Yu Sheng were totally speechless.

If Yang Ding of the Blazing Sun School and Gong Kui of the Bright Moon School knew that Ye Futian could secretly learn their ways when they were cultivating through the holy light, they might come to kill Ye Futian at any cost.

“Futian.” At this time, Chen Yuan appeared. Besides Yu Sheng’s group, Chen Yuan was the only one that could enter the Son’s Palace. This place was sealed. Besides Chen Yuan, no one could enter without permission.

“When will you finish your cultivation?” asked Chen Yuan.

“Chief Chen, once I learn all the means of Yang Ding and Gong Kui, I will destroy the two beams of holy light and tell you their abilities. In the future, the Starry School will make the heritage of the Top Three Schools into one and own the complete Saint’s methods,” said Ye Futian. Chen Yuan looked at Ye Futian meaningfully. This guy must be very revengeful!

Chapter 504: News of Death

 

**Translator: **Nyoi-Bo Studio **Editor: **Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Sage figure had attacked Ye Futian and disabled his cultivation. How could he not be furious? But Yang Ding and Gong Kui seemed to have been tricked by Ye Futian too.

“Chief Chen, how are the investigations about the person who leaked Jin Yunxiao’s news?” Ye Futian asked. They all knew that someone must be behind all this. He guessed that it would have something to do with the Blazing Sun School. Otherwise, they wouldn’t come to catch him in the Starry School.

“The one who told Wang Yuqing was a student of the Starry School. He has a simple background and only said it after being bribed. We can’t find the source,” the chief said. “However, it must have been the two major clans of the Blazing Sun School.”

“Clans?” Ye Futian’s eyes flashed.

“Yes.” Chen Yuan nodded. “The Top Three Schools are competitors, but Yang Ding shouldn’t attack you so cruelly. He would never wish to declare war. It’s catastrophic for the Blazing Sun School too. Just like the Starry School, they have two main clans—the Chen Clan and the Liu Clan. If the Divine Sky City turns to chaos, the Top Three Schools are at war, and the Nine Cloud Palace is thrown in as well, who will benefit the most?”

“The clans,” Ye Futian said.

“Yes. Each clan wants to increase their influence and has a strong voice in each school. But the Top Three Schools are still the most important in the eastern Barren State. Some people aren’t satisfied and want to replace them. They want to rule the Top Three Schools. Each clan only has some power in the schools.

“Once there’s war, the schools would be the most involved and be hurt the worst. The people within the schools would also fight, but they would have their clans behind them. When the schools are weakened, the clans could enter the Top Three Schools and get more power or even control them directly.”

Chen Yuan continued, “That day, the Blazing Sun School had come to arrest someone. Thus, the mastermind must be from that school. Yang Ding wanted the inheritance you have, so he was used. Of course, he must have guessed this, but he was willing because of the inheritance. He has it now, doesn’t he?”

Ye Futian nodded. To figure out the mastermind, one must see who benefited the most from the chaos. Chief Chen must be right.

“The Chen Clan’s leader is more ambitious and intense. The Liu Clan is calmer in comparison. Thus, it’s more possible that the Chen Clan is responsible.” Chen Yuan’s expression was cold. Ye Futian thought of the martial arts battlefield. Chen Wang and Long Mu had reached the end, but he’d beaten them both. Chen Wang must be angry.

“Chief, since I’m alright, you can move on. Don’t fall into their trap. We can settle this in the future,” Ye Futian urged. He wanted to get them to pay, but he would bear it for the big picture.

Chen Yuan looked to Ye Futian and said, “But our relationship has already worsened and the Nine Cloud Palace is thrown into the mix too. Since you’re okay and their plan had failed, they would try again.”

Some things would have a sequel after the first time.

“Chief, you can announce that I’m dead,” Ye Futian said.

Chen Yuan looked surprised. “You prepare to leave?”

“Yes.” Ye Futian nodded. “I’d planned to challenge myself outside the Divine Sky City after I reach the Noble Plane. But since there are these changes, I want to go earlier. I have the Polearm of Divine Destruction now and can protect myself. You can protect me here, but I’m afraid there will be many restrictions. It’s not suitable for cultivation.”

“Exploring is indeed a better choice. I’d planned on arranging it for you, but I didn’t think it would be like this,” Chen Yuan said. “Are you sure you want to be announced dead?”

“I want to extinguish their divine light. Yang Ding and Gong Kui will suspect me. Announcing my death now would be a good explanation. Of course, I still need a few days. I want to see more of their cultivation. I want to cultivate in isolation for a while too.”

“Alright.” Chen Yuan nodded. “Since you decided, let’s do it.”

…

Months passed. There was less and less news about him. Gradually, no one mentioned him. One day, Yang Ding, chief of the Blazing Sun School, was cultivating in the yard. He cast the divine light he’d comprehended. The solar divine light was extremely brilliant. It seemed to contain a Holy Road. But the divine light quickly dimmed.

Yang Ding’s eyes flew open. Looking up at the sky, he saw the Saint’s image darken and disappear. At the same time, the sunlight that filled the sky also disappeared, extinguishing completely.

“What’s going on?” Yang Ding’s expression changed. His spiritual mind filled the space but couldn’t find any bit of abnormality in the sky. However, the divine light just disappeared like that.

He furrowed his brows, expression turning cold. Did Ye Futian do something when giving him the divine light? But if that was true, why did Ye Futian let him comprehend for so long instead of extinguishing his divine light earlier? That didn’t make sense.

A similar scene happened at the Bright Moon School. Gong Kui was furious. He’d just gotten a deep understanding of the divine light, but then it extinguished just like that. It was as if it never existed. He also suspected Ye Futian, but like Yang Ding, it didn’t make sense to him.

After their divine lights extinguished, Chen Yuan from the Starry School announced Ye Futian’s death. Many students were floored at the news.

The pride that could defeat the entire generation had died?

The Son’s pavilion had been locked all these days. Before, people had been curious, but they gradually forgot as time passed. Few mentioned the locked Son’s pavilion. People would mention it very occasionally, but no one thought that this brilliant figure would die like this.

Gu Yunxi was walking in the Starry School. When she heard the news, she completely blanked. Her face turned white as paper and she tumbled. Her body trembled; her mind was blank.

“Yunxi.” Her good friend supported her from the side.

A clear tear rolled down from her eyes as she mumbled, “Impossible. I don’t believe it.”

“Yunxi, the chief announced it himself,” the girl murmured. She was Gu Yunxi’s best friend and naturally knew about her thoughts. The princess of the Gu Clan had always looked up to Ye Futian. She used to visit the Celestial Pavilion a lot and often played Ye Futian’s songs while cultivating.

Gu Yunxi bit her lips hard, making it bleed. She thought of how amazing Ye Futian had been when she first Ye Futian play in the music workshop. She’d thought that Ye Futian would be a master at musical sorcery. But when she met him at the West Court, she saw that he was so young and handsome. She became interested in him then.

Afterward, Ye Futian became more and more extraordinary. Finally, he became the Son of the Starry School. He walked out from the crowd in the divine robe, attracting everyone’s gazes. He was so brilliant and stood atop everyone.

That figure was ingrained in her heart. The more she thought of him, the deeper he sank.

Of course, she knew that Ye Futian had a girlfriend, so she didn’t have any wishes. She was happy just to see him sometimes. She never thought that he would die one day.

“Yunxi, don’t be so sad,” her friend soothed.

“I want to go see.” Gu Yunxi suddenly started running towards the Son’s pavilion.

“Yunxi.” The girl followed, also running in that direction.

Also in the Starry School, Wang Yuqing trembled as well when she received the news. She lowered her head, speechless and feeling extremely sad.

Long Mu froze in his spot when he found out. How could Ye Futian die like this?

Everyone in the Starry School had many thoughts. The one who’d been expected to surpass Long Yitian had died halfway through. He’d been attacked by someone in the Sage Plane.

A figure shot into the sky at that time, going into the distance.

“It’s Chief Chen. Where’s he going?” Many people looked up. Chen Yuan charged into the distance in anger.

After some time, news arrived that Chen Yuan had landed in the Blazing Sun School and fought intensely with Yang Ding. The sky and ground had cracked. The repaired Blazing Sun School collapsed once again, reduced to rubble.

The battle had been shocking. Both chiefs were hurt before Chen Yuan left in anger.

Yang Ding was furious. He wanted to rush to the Starry School, but he’d felt Chen Yuan’s anger. He knew that if he really went, no one would be able to bear the consequences, so he just let that bastard vent.

The news shocked everyone when it spread through the city.

In the West Court, Long Ling’er cried when she heard that Ye Futian had died. She rushed to her mother to go visit the school. She didn’t want to believe it.

Madame Long brought her because she was also doubtful. Had Ye Futian really died?

During this time, only Chen Yuan had entered the Son’s pavilion. Only he knew about Ye Futian’s situation. Did he want to fool everyone to protect Ye Futian?

After Madame Long arrived, she learned that Chen Yuan had cremated Ye Futian. His ashes were put in a box and given to Ye Futian’s friends. People saw it with their own eyes.

The Blazing Sun School and Bright Moon School also sent people over. Clearly, they were doubtful too, especially Yang Ding and Gong Kui. Why did the divine light disappear when he died? Had the Saint tied the divine lights to Ye Futian’s life so that they extinguished when he died? If not, there would be no other explanation. It seemed that they could only believe this.

Many people sighed in lamentation. Never in this main city of the eastern Barren City had the death of an Arcana Plane figure caused such a commotion!

Chapter 505: Holy Road

 

**Translator: **Nyoi-Bo Studio **Editor: **Nyoi-Bo Studio

There were still two more months before the end of year 10005 of the Divine Prefecture Calendar. Much time had passed after the news of Ye Futian’s death. After causing an uproar, the Divine Sky City finally forgot about it.

Time could bury everything. No matter how excellent someone was, once fallen, they would still be forgotten in the river of time. Long Yitian had caused such a commotion with his death, but he was also buried in history. Ye Futian wasn’t an exception. Fewer and fewer people mentioned him in the city.

Many things had happened recently too. The Top Three Schools’ relationship worsened and they often had conflicts. Some students even died in the fights. After the Jin Clan separated from the Divine Sky City, they started arranging things. They sent their best disciples to the other forces of the Barren State.

The Barren State was too big. The clans of the Divine Sky City could control the east, but they weren’t the top forces in the vast Barren State. Not even the Top Three Schools could be counted as the top. Places like the Holy Zhi Palace were the forces truly at the peak of the Barren State and were holy lands of cultivation.

And those in the Barren Sky Ranking were those who could truly influence the entire Barren State. Long Yitian was the only one from the Divine Sky City to have entered that ranking. Even then, he’d been at the bottom. Evidently, the ranking was very powerful. Other than abilities, it also looked at one’s combat ability, talent, potential, and more.

Recently, two pieces of news reached the Divine Sky City. The first was that someone had challenged the young city lord of White Cloud City who was in top ten of the ranking. It seemed to have been a scholar with amazing talent and combat ability. He had just entered the Sage Plane.

The result wasn’t unexpected. How could the young city lord at the top ten of the ranking lose? But this kind of challenge was still interesting for people. People gossiped that the man had challenged the young city lord because of the Zhuge Clan’s daughter.

Speaking of the Zhuge Clan’s daughter, there was news that she’d entered the Sage Plane. Apparently, she had accepted a sister who was even prettier than herself. She was also a Divine Spiritual Sorcerer with the title of Ultimate Sorcerer. Countless people were won over by her, including many top talents from top forces. However, the news wasn’t very detailed when it reached the Divine Sky City. The Barren State was huge and the Zhuge Clan was too far away from the city. The news could reach them because it involved a top figure and clan of the Barren State, namely the young city lord of the White Cloud City and the Zhuge Clan.

Of course, the most exciting news was that the Holy Road to the Holy Zhi Palace would be opened next year.

The Holy Zhi Palace was the most brilliant place of cultivation in the entire Barren State. They only accepted disciples once every three years. The trial was very simple; it was known as the Holy Road.

Each time they accepted disciples, they would attract the attention of the entire Barren State. The vast land would practically shake. This kind of force naturally wouldn’t accept disciples like the other forces. It was extremely largescale.

The nine Holy Roads spread throughout every region of the Barren State. At the beginning of the next year, a big show would be unveiled.

Outside the Starry Pavilion in the Starry School, Gu Hanshan found Chen Yuan. “Chief Chen,” he said, “did Ye Futian really die?”

“Why are you asking?” Chen Yuan asked. Countless months had passed. He didn’t know why Gu Hanshan had run over to bring this up.

“People are discussing the Holy Road recently. I suddenly wondered if the school was trying to fool people and have Ye Futian go through the Holy Road to cultivate at the Holy Zhi Palace?” Gu Hanshan asked.

After news of Ye Futian’s death, his friends had disappeared too. It was completely logical to suspect Chen Yuan. Did he worry that Ye Futian would be in danger so he was sent away in this manner?

“You started doubting because of this?” Chen Yuan asked.

“There’s a personal matter. My daughter is very depressed these days. When she protected Ye Futian from the Noble’s assassination in the Celestial Pavilion, I realized that the girl likes him. She stopped being happy after news of Ye Futian’s death. Thus, I hope that he’s still alive and came just to ask you.”

“Actually, I don’t wish he goes on the Holy Road. I hope that he would inherit the Top Three Schools.” Chen Yuan gazed towards the Starry School with dazed eyes. He seemed to mumble to himself, “But I knew that as long as somewhere like the Holy Zhi Palace existed, the Top Three Schools would only be a temporary stay. Once the Holy Road opened, many disciples would want to try. I wouldn’t be able to stop them. This is the tragedy of the Top Three Schools. It’s also something I’ve been trying to change.”

Gu Hanshan understood. When somewhere like the Holy Zhi Palace existed, even if there was someone brilliant in the Top Three Schools, they would still leave. The Top Three Schools couldn’t even protest. They needed to support their students in their endeavors because the Holy Zhi Palace was a more advanced place. How could one stop them?

If they supported the students, they could still maintain a friendly relationship after the students entered the Holy Zhi Palace. They’d come from the Top Three Schools, after all. Could they oppose their students from trying it out? And so what if they succeeded? Could the Top Three Schools kill a disciple of the Holy Zhi Palace?

The Sage figures of the Top Three Schools wanted their juniors to be more accomplished, but this method was a bit sad.

Chen Yuan wanted to change this, so he made Ye Futian into a Son. He wanted to create a Saint.

“I understand. Thank you, Chief Chen.” Gu Hanshan smiled and bid farewell. Chen Yuan hadn’t said it aloud, but he knew the answer.

Long robe flapping in the wind, Chen Yuan gazed at the glamorous Starry School, his eyes a bit lost. At the beginning of the new year, another batch of talents would leave to challenge themselves on the Holy Road.

At the Nine Cloud Palace, Jin Chengfeng stood before the splendid palace. There was a group of youths standing below the steps. They were the best of Nine Cloud Palace.

“This year, we suffered unprecedented humiliation. We’ve also sent many people during these months to challenge themselves in other places. But you were all kept here. Do you know why?” Jin Chengfeng asked.

“For the Holy Road.” Jin Yunlang’s eyes were sharp. He’d entered the Noble Plane recently. The people here were all in the lower-Noble Plane. The lower three levels of the Noble Plane were the lower-Noble Plane.

“Correct. For the Holy Road.” Jin Chengfeng’s eyes were sharper. “The Holy Road opens once every three years. Only those in the lower-Noble Plane and lower have the chance to try it and succeed. Your plane is the most suitable.”

Those in the Arcana Plane basically wouldn’t have the chance to succeed. It was only an exercise for them.

One could also see that the Holy Zhi Palace took in disciples at the beginning of the Noble Plane. They wouldn’t have to worry about the foundation, because those who could succeed were all the stars of the Barren State. They would all have good foundations and know their talents. The Holy Zhi Palace wouldn’t have to teach them from nothing.

Of course, only the Holy Zhi Palace had this capital.

“The masters of the Holy Zhi Palace are all Sages. There is no exception. There are countless Noble prides. Many of the best figures of the younger generation all have divine path inheritances. Now that the Nine Cloud Palace was humiliated by the Starry School, I hope that one of you will be able to cultivate at the Holy Zhi Palace. For these last two months, cultivate in isolation. Prepare for the Holy Road at the beginning of the next year.”

Jin Chengfeng felt urgent. As a top clan in the Divine Sky City, nothing would change in the short term, but if there were no strong descendants, they would still fall.

“Yes.” Everyone nodded, eyes sharp. They were descendants of a top clan in the Divine Sky City, but they weren’t significant in the entire Barren State. They had no special rights and the Holy Zhi Palace wouldn’t make exceptions for them. The only option was to step onto the Holy Road.

West Court, Dragon Clan Long Mu seemed to have something on his mind. Instead of cultivating at school, he came to the West Court.

“Is Ling’er still not feeling better?” he asked a servant.

“She’s the same as before. She often loses her temper,” the servant replied wryly. When she first arrived at the West Court, the miss would often throw tantrums. Later, Ye Futian changed her. After he died, she went back to normal.

“Mu’er, ignore that girl.” A beautiful woman walked over. It was Madame Long.

“Auntie,” Long Mu greeted her.

“I heard that you wanted to try the Holy Road to prepare for three years later?” Madame Long asked.

“Yes.” Long Mu nodded. He knew that there would be no hope this time. But three years later, he would be at the most advantageous plane.

“The Holy Road is dangerous. There may be chances, but it’s the most dangerous trial path in the Barren State. Many people die. Everyone on the road is of the same generation. There are no rules or seniors, so killing is common. It will be very dangerous for you to enter with your current plane.”

Madame Long was clear that all the geniuses of the Barren State would be gathered on the Holy Road. It would be a huge event. Long Mu wasn’t even at the pinnacle of the Arcana Plane. He could face great risks.

“I’ll have weapons with me and I’ll be careful. I won’t let myself be in too much danger,” Long Mu said. “After all, my goal isn’t the Holy Zhi Palace. I’m just going to get a feeling and challenge myself.”

“Since you’ve decided, I won’t say anything else. Cultivate well.” Madame Long nodded. Trying out the Holy Road was probably the dream of everyone in Long Mu’s generation!

Chapter 506: Mount Jiuxian

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

There were too many cities and forces in the vast Barren State. Apart from the capitals which ruled their own regions, there were also many places that were filled with countless clans.

The people of the Barren State mostly divided the state according to the four cardinal directions. Apart from the four obvious regions, the largest area at the center of the Barren State was called the Zhongzhou City Region. However, in reality, apart from the capital at the heart of the region, there were also many pieces of lands, mountains, oceans, and demon forests spread out across the place.

At the moment, somewhere in the boundless region, a group of cultivators was traveling in the sky. All the members of the group looked extraordinary. The male members were either handsome or burly-looking, while the lady in the team was charming and had snow-like silver hair. It was precisely Ye Futian and his friends. They had already left Divine Sky City for quite a long time. Along the tiring journey, they had also experienced many things.

At the moment, there was a flying boat beneath their feet, around which there was a mighty wind-elemental force. This was a sage-level traveling ritual implement and did not have any offensive powers, but its speed was extremely fast. Of course, their levels were not actually high enough to unleash the full power of the sage ritual implement, even if it was only used for traveling. Nevertheless, this flying boat was somewhat special and it was still incredibly fast. Otherwise, even though the Black Wind Condor was fast, it was still insufficient for them to travel in the huge Barren State.

After traveling for a few months, they also realized that the Barren State was way too enormous. Given that they were only in the Upper Arcana Plane, it was literally boundless.

In the Barren State, cultivators in the Arcana Plane would ordinarily not attempt to cross over to another region, unless they were brought along by their seniors. Nobles were strong enough to travel to another region, but just barely. Only sages could go to whatever places they wished freely.

“Loulan, where are we?” On the flying boat, Ye Futian looked below him. They were surrounded by clouds, and vaguely, he could see a chain of mountains below them.

Loulan Xue took out the detailed map which they received from Chen Yuan. The map turned directly into a beam of light that floated before them. It was densely packed with information, such as the topography of the Barren State, as well as its regions and those clans with sages.

In the world of cultivation, one’s power was of utmost importance. Therefore, even in the division of regions, it depended on whether a place had sages. If a place did not have a glorious history or a sage, it would only remain unknown.

“Mount Jiuxian,” Loulan Xue replied. “The most famous place in this region is Mount Jiuxian, so the map refers to the region as the Mount Jiuxian Region directly. Here, there are five major cities and numerous smaller cities. There are sages in all of the five major cities who are the city lords. They have the most powerful influences in this region. Mount Jiuxian is like the holy place of this area.”

Ye Futian nodded gently. The closer they got to the Central Region, the stronger the clans would become. When he first came to the Barren State, the first major city he went to was Yunyue City. In the four main factions of Yunyue City, the most powerful people were only at the peak of the Noble Plane. However, when they stepped into the Zhongzhou City Region, the most powerful people from major forces were no longer nobles, but sages. Of course, they might be ordinary sages instead of those at the peak of the plane.

Among the clouds, purple lightning was glittering and appeared once in a while. Ye Futian frowned and said, “This is not caused by the weather. I think it’s from a cultivator.”

“Should we make a detour?” Loulan Xue asked.

Ye Futian lowered his head and glanced below him. Beneath the clouds, there was a vast range of mountains, and he could faintly see many palaces.

“Yup.” Ye Futian suddenly had an ominous feeling. It seemed as if they were in the sky right above some clan, which was a taboo for many powerful forces even if they were really high up. However, they would not be able to remain so cautious all the time during the journey. They clearly would not stare below them all the time just to see if there was a clan. Furthermore, even with the map, they would only know roughly where they were and not their exact location, especially when they were flying in the sky.

The flying boat was extremely quick. Immediately, it turned around and was ready to leave the place.

Sizzle… Purple lightning flashed and penetrated across the clouds. They increased in number and quickly enveloped every corner of the place.

‘Sh*t!” Feeling the power of the bolts of lightning, Ye Futian shouted, “It looks like a matrix.”

The purple bolts of lightning came with the clouds. Slowly, many bolts of lightning charged towards them and there was no place to dodge at all. Ye Futian controlled the boat himself, attempting to avoid the lightning, but it seemed as though they were able to sense the flying boat. At once, a huge wave of lightning which blotted out the sky blasted onto the flying boat.

Although the flying boat did not have any offensive abilities, its defense was impressive. A wind-elemental radiance appeared around it. However, after being hit by the lightning, it still trembled and started to fall down. Ye Futian and his friends also rocked with the boat.

“Be careful! I will descend and withdraw the ritual implement,” Ye Futian said. He had already experienced in Divine Sky City how wealth alone could get him into serious trouble. Therefore, it was better for them not to display the ritual implement, especially when they were only in the Arcana Plane. Otherwise, it would clearly ignite the greed of some other people.

Boom! Accompanied by another loud bang, a bolt of lightning dropped from the sky and landed onto the flying boat. With the help of this force, Ye Futian descended from the sky rapidly like a straight sword.

“So this is Mount Jiuxian.” Loulan Xue scanned below her and her expression also changed. None of them expected themselves to pass right above Mount Jiuxian. If they had known this earlier, they would have made a detour.

Boom! Another bolt of lightning landed. Ye Futian and his friends turned into several beams of light and descended quickly. The flying boat disappeared, but the group dived down at the same speed as if they were meteors. Mountains and palaces flashed rapidly before their eyes, and they could even see many people in the clan. Moreover, the image before them was getting clearer and clearer.

Thud, thud… Following several sounds, the group landed on the ground and dust was thrown up into the air. The lightning in the sky was already gone as if they had never appeared. However, Ye Futian and his friends remained cautious. After standing still and noticing the situation around them, their faces turned extremely awkward.

At the moment, Mount Jiuxian was filled with countless people.

At the top the mountain, there was a group of people staring at them from above. The cultivators below the mountain were clearly divided into many factions. Similarly, everyone was staring at them.

The group of people closest to Ye Futian and his friends looked extraordinary, especially the few people at the front of the group. They looked gentlemanly and were dressed in elegant-looking clothes. In addition, there were also noble-level generals wearing armors. Everyone gazed coldly at Ye Futian and his team, and the entire atmosphere seemed to be very tense.

At the moment, the whole place was exceptionally quiet because of the unique way in which Ye Futian and his friends appeared.

Did they do so deliberately? everyone thought. They fell down from the sky with the help of the lightning, as if they were heavenly gods… Were they deliberately trying to attract the attention of the people on Mount Jiuxian?

If they really did so on purpose, they would really be too arrogant.

After all, the people before them at the moment we’re under the young city lord of Longyuan City, one of the five major cities. It was, therefore, one of the top five teams present this time. These people actually chose Longyuan City to be their opponent. Were they really that strong or just ignorant?

Today, a few sages of Mount Jiuxian would choose their personal disciples. More importantly, the beloved daughter of Wind Sage had grown up and was extremely stunning. She might choose her partner using this opportunity. Therefore, the vast region was astonished and everyone gathered here for this grand occasion. However, there were some restrictions this time; Mount Jiuxian would not choose anyone whose level was higher than the Lower Noble Plane. Everyone knew well why this was the case.

Mount Jiuxian was preparing for the opening of the Holy Road. They wanted to gather the most outstanding people in these few levels here in advance, after which they would head for the Holy Road.

Hence, owing to such a background, the brightest young cultivators of the Mount Jiuxian Region were all present at the moment. The foot of the mountain was jam-packed with people and there were countless factions.

Among them, the young city lords of the five major cities had attracted the most attention as their teams were the most powerful.

All the cultivators were divided into various groups for combat.

Initially, nobody dared to challenge any of the teams from the five major cities.

Ye Futian and his friends descended from the sky, causing the young lord of Longyuan City to be the first one to be challenged in the five cities. In addition, they had appeared in such a unique way. How could they not be in the spotlight?

At the moment, Ye Futian and his friends were totally clueless about what was happening, and they could only see everyone staring at them. They scanned around them to observe the situation and realized that there were many cultivators present. The people on the mountain were extremely powerful and hence they did not act rashly.

“Your levels.” The young city lord of Longyuan City was called Qi Yuan. A superior aura was spreading out from his body, along with some noble will. He stared coldly at Ye Futian and his friends. He was a grade eight noble. Being the first team among the five cities to be challenged, he felt that he had been humiliated. However, he still maintained his elegance and asked Ye Futian and his friends calmly.

Ye Futian frowned, feeling the noble will from Qi Yuan. At the same time, he also noticed the coldness in Qi Yuan’s eyes.

“Upper Arcana Plane,” Ye Futian replied. At the moment, they had all already entered the Upper Arcana Plane.

Qi Yuan’s eyes sparkled, and everyone around also seemed to be interested. Why did these Upper Arcana Plane cultivators dare to descend from the sky like this and challenge the young city lord of Longyuan City?

Qi Yuan smiled, after which he waved his hands. Immediately, four people walked out behind him. They were also in the Upper Arcana Plane. With his level and status, Qi Yuan would not think about bullying Ye Futian and his friends.

“Let’s begin,” Qi Yuan said emotionlessly.

“Begin?” Ye Futian stared at Qi Yuan. At the moment, he had also realized that a challenge seemed to be ongoing. They were standing on an array which was in the same region as Qi Yuan but in the direct opposite corner. Were the people present here to fight each other?

Noticing Ye Futian’s silence, Qi Yuan frowned and was somewhat impatient.

“Can we admit defeat?” Ye Futian suddenly said. These abrupt words caused everyone to freeze and stare blankly at them, stunned.

What was happening?

Chapter 507: Enticement

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Ye Futian’s group landed from the sky, appearing before Longyuan City’s crowd in a shocking manner. The battle had not even begun and they were already conceding? What were they here for then? To make fun of them?

On Mount Jiuxian, there were experts who stared at Ye Futian’s group ruthlessly. One of the experts asked, “You landed on Mount Jiuxian, how can you admit defeat without even battling? What do you treat Mount Jiuxian as?” His expression was icy, thinking about the bolt of thunder in the sky. In this region, nobody dared to as arrogant as to walk right above Mount Jiuxian. Was this the reason these people had fallen from the sky?

If that was so, it would not be that easy for them to sneak off. Since they had landed here, they would have to abide by the will of the heavens.

Qi Yuan waved his hand and the four Arcane Plane experts surrounding Ye Futian’s group released their Arcana aura, they were all cultivators at the pinnacle of the Arcana Plane. In an instant, the Spiritual Qi around them started rampaging and the air started to roar.

“If you’re injured and concede, I will naturally order them to leave you alive,” Qi Yuan said. Ye Futian stood there with a glint in his eyes, as though thinking of a solution.

There were numerous experts on Mount Jiuxian. Evidently, there was an event going on, likely to be an entrance examination of sorts. Under such circumstances, what should they do?

After considering for a moment, Ye Futian saw that the other party was already preparing to strike, and so he decisively said, “Spread out.” After saying so, the four of them took one direction each, with the Black Wind Condor at the rear.

The four of them released their auras and the crowd had strange expressions. Ye Futian and his friends were indeed in the Upper Arcana Plane, moreover, Ye Futian and Yu Sheng were only in the seventh level of the Arcana Plane, meaning that they were in the lowest level of the Upper Arcana Plane. Ye Wuchen was also only in the eighth level of the Arcana Plane. Conversely, Loulan Xue’s cultivation level was the highest at the ninth level of the Arcana Plane. However, much of the difference in the cultivation level between herself and the rest had been shortened and they were catching up soon.

However, at their cultivation level, how could they defeat Qi Yuan’s four experts? The four experts were not ordinary people. Among them was this person named Bai Yan, an extremely famous genius in Longyuan City. The Longyuan City Lord had the intention of betrothing his daughter to him to take him in as a son-in-law. If the Longyuan City was not the first to be challenged, causing them to lose face, Qi Yuan would not have sent him to battle.

With Bai Yan’s strength, he could probably defeat all four of them by himself. They had no idea of Ye Futian and his friends’ origin. Furthermore, the other three experts were also exceptional cultivators from Longyuan City, that was why they were following beside Qi Yuan, to prepare themselves to step onto the Holy Road with him. They were all geniuses in their own right.

“Do it,” Bai Yan’s voice sounded out emotionlessly, and a figure flew into the air and a huge gravity field descended, its weight crushing down onto Ye Futian’s group. At the same time, rocks started to surround Ye Futian and his friends, attempting to petrify them and restrict their movements.

The person who had flown into the air released his Life Spirit Dharma, a giant stone golem with horrifying strength. The Spiritual Qi in the air roared, and he landed from the sky, the shadow of the golem’s foot trampling down, attempting to squash the four of them.

The two on the left and right moved simultaneously. The person on the left had a demonic beast as his Life Spirit. He stepped forward, his body covered in a golden glow. A humming sound could be heard from the earth, resounding under his dreadful strength.

The person on the right fired a spell which caused dancing lightning snakes to appear and fly towards Ye Futian’s group. The only person who did not move was Bai Yan, who stood there, staring ahead. With Ye Futian’s group at the center, the Spiritual Qi exploded and the air flow became extremely unstable, as though trying to devour them.

Just as the attacks were about to reach them, Loulan Xue released a wintry aura and it felt as though there were snowflakes falling from the sky. Her silver eyes swept across the attackers, and the three experts felt as though they were covered by a layer of ice and were about to turn into ice statues, their actions slowing down.

At the same time, the stones on Yu Sheng and Ye Wuchen’s bodies shattered. Yu Sheng launched off the ground, his muscular body flying into the air. He raised his arm and shattered the giant foot, and with a crash, the expert stomped onto Yu Sheng’s arm like his stone golem. However, Yu Sheng’s body did not fall as a dark golden light flowed around his body. He grabbed the other party’s foot with his hand and tossed him towards the ground.

At that moment, the stone golem that had fearsome strength actually lost its balance and the expert was flung down.

At the same time, Ye Wuchen’s lone arm stretched out and his finger pointed into the air. In an instant, countless Sword Qi stormed and tens of thousands of sword wills formed. Following his finger, the sword wills plunged towards the left and right. The expert with the demonic beast could only feel overrun by the countless razor-sharp sword wills, and he growled angrily and struck out, only to be pierced by the tens of thousands of sword wills that descended upon him. The sound of metal piercing flesh sounded went on endlessly, and the expert was covered in blood, standing still on the spot.

The other expert’s lightning snakes were decimated and he was overwhelmed by the sword wills, ending up equally as wretched as the other two.

Bang! The expert in the air was smashed into the ground by Yu Sheng and everyone’s hearts trembled as they heard the loud voice.

This… The crowd was astounded. How strong were these people? There was no trace of their cultivation level disadvantage. Instead, they crushed their opponents.

Could it be that Ye Futian’s surrender was done on purpose to trick them into thinking that they were pushovers, only to shock the crowd when they revealed their true strength?

What a scheme to show weakness. Indeed, their actions attracted a lot of attention from the crowd and left them awestruck. Since their flashy entrance, everything had been within their calculations, to use the Longyuan City faction as a backdrop to show off their prowess. What an elaborate scheme.

Now, there was only Bai Yan left. All of a sudden, his body was surrounded by golden Spiritual Qi and a fearsome golden emblem appeared within the golden light. A myriad of golden arrows appeared around his body, each with a stinging aura.

Bai Yan took a step forward and his body moved like the wind, and crackling sounds started to sound from the arrows, as though they were being fired from their bowstrings. The arrows followed him forward, attempting to erase everything in their path.

The crowd was stupefied and looked towards Ye Futian’s group. Bai Yan’s strength was much stronger than the other three experts, could he deal with them? They saw Ye Futian move, thunder under his feet. He moved like lightning, descending before Bai Yan and slamming him with a giant golden palm print, crushing him under it. The brilliant arrows were shadowed by the palm print and the crowd saw Bai Yan being clapped into the ground by the palm print, vomiting copious amounts of blood.

The crowd was flabbergasted. A seventh level Arcana Plane had dominated Bai Yan, who was a ninth level Arcana Plane cultivator. Such battle ability could only be described as terrifying. There was probably only going to be one such battle. In the Arcana Plane, there were definitely not many people who could defeat this group.

On Mount Jiuxian, everyone’s gazes landed on Ye Futian’s group. The person in the middle of the spectators had radiant beauty, she was Qin Yin, the beloved daughter of the Wind Sage.

“Who are they?” Qin Yin asked quietly. The surrounding people all shook their heads, and someone at the side replied, “No idea.”

“Does nobody know them?” Qin Yin looked towards the rest and asked. Although this group of people was only in the Arcana Plane, they had a terrifying battle ability. They should have had some fame.

“The region around Mount Jiuxian is so huge. This time, experts from all areas are gathered here, it’s normal that nobody knows them.” someone explained, and Qin Yin nodded her head gently in acknowledgment.

What a pity. If these people were grade seven nobles, they could be of assistance to her on the Holy Road. However, no matter how strong an Arcana Plane cultivator was, there was a limit to their strength and would not be able to obtain too much on the Holy Road.

Perhaps they might have a chance three years later, but she was already a grade eight noble and could not wait three years. By that time, she would definitely have surpassed the Lower Noble Plane and be unable to step foot onto the Holy Road.

Qi Yuan’s expression was cold as he stared at Ye Futian’s group. He then looked at the people beside him and a figure stepped out with a noble aura around him.

“Although it might be unfair to battle a Noble Plane cultivator, but to be standing here, I believe you have made preparations,” said Qi Yuan.

Ye Futian looked at the Noble Plane cultivator standing before him, with his current cultivation level, he was not afraid of a grade nine noble, but he had just arrived here and had not understood what was going on until now. If he insisted on being high-profile, things might blow out of control. In the previous battle, he had already offended the person in front of him.

“We acknowledge that we are not a match for a Noble Plane cultivator and are willing to step out,” Ye Futian replied.

“Since you’re already here, how can you not battle and retreat?” As Qi Yuan finished his sentence, the Noble Plane cultivator released an alarming aura, the air resounding with it. Ye Futian’s group frowned as they felt the noble might, and they all got into their positions.

“Wait a minute.” At that moment, a voice sounded out, and the crowd’s gazes turned towards the person speaking. It was Li Xun, the Young City Lord of one of the Five Major cities, the White Sovereign City. Li Xun had a refined aura, although he was a grade seven noble with incredible strength, he was humble, amiable and approachable. There were many exceptional talents following beside him as he could win the hearts of many.

Li Xun’s gaze turned towards Ye Futian, nodding to him as he introduced himself, “Li Xun of the White Sovereign City.”

“Ye Mo,” Ye Futian replied. He used his younger brother’s name as an alias. Although this place was extremely far from the Divine Sky City and no one would know the name Ye Futian, he did not use his real name as a security measure. Otherwise, if he attracted his enemies from the Divine Sky City, he would be in a very passive situation.

“Where you have stepped up is tantamount to declaring war on the Longyuan City’s faction. Qi Yuan can dispatch Noble Plane cultivators to deal with you, and you can only accept it. Ye Mo, would you be willing to enter my White Sovereign City’s faction? If you do so, the White Sovereign City can also send out Noble Plane cultivators to battle them,” Li Xun explained.

A glint appeared in Ye Futian’s eyes. Indeed, he did not want to be too outstanding, but he was also unwilling to follow under Li Xun.

“The reason you are here must be for the Holy Road. Your battle ability is exceptional, but your cultivation level is low. You will need help to clear the Holy Road,” Li Xun continued his persuasion.

“For the Holy Road?” Up until now, Ye Futian still had no understanding about the Holy Road, so he nodded and agreed, “Okay.”

Now was not the time to battle. He had to understand the upcoming sequence of events first!

 

---

Chapter 508: Intentional Recruitment

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

---

The crowd saw Ye Futian agree and was perplexed. They could not understand what the appearance of this group of people was for.

Could it be that they wanted to use Longyuan City as a springboard to show off their ability and attract the attention of others to find support to enter the Divine Path?

The Young City Lord of the White Sovereign City, Li Xun had a reputation for being admirable, so it was no surprise to everyone that he would recruit Ye Futian. It was as though it was natural for him to do so. Among the Five Major Cities, the White Sovereign City could be ranked in the top three, even going as far as one of the strongest two cities. It would be extremely beneficial for Ye Futian to enter the White Sovereign City’s faction.

Once he entered the White Sovereign City, he would have the chance to enter the Holy Road with the people from Mount Jiuxian. This time, the White Sovereign City would definitely be selected by Mount Jiuxian. If that was the case, Ye Futian’s group would not have to worry about struggling in the Holy Road due to their low cultivation level.

Otherwise, no matter how strong they were, with only their Upper Arcana Plane cultivation level, they would be unable to hold their ground. In a place like the Holy Road where geniuses from the entire Barren State gathered, even the Noble Plane prodigies from Mount Jiuxian would appear ordinary.

“Qi Yuan, Ye Mo’s group has already joined my White Sovereign City’s faction. If you want to continue the challenge, the White Sovereign City will naturally send out Noble Plane cultivators into battle,” Li Xun said, looking towards Qi Yuan. Beside him, a girl clad in body-hugging green clothes stepped forward. She was stunningly beautiful, yet gave off a resolute aura, she was Li Xun’s younger sister Li Qingyi, who had just stepped into the Noble Plane as a grade nine noble. Her battle ability was also quite strong.

Qi Yuan frowned and his gaze swept cruelly across Ye Futian’s group and ordered, “Step down.”

The crowd broke into mumbles. As expected, the Longyuan City did not want to clash with the White Sovereign City that early.

Ye Futian saw the Noble Plane cultivator retreating and they started to walk towards the White Sovereign City’s faction. Li Xun saw Ye Futian’s group coming towards him, smiled and said, “With your inclusion, our White Sovereign City’s faction will be undefeated in the Arcana Plane.”

The people surrounding him who heard his words looked towards the White Sovereign City’s faction, and their gazes landed on a few other teens.

Zhuo Jun, the strongest Arcana Plane cultivator in the White Sovereign City’s City Lord Office, an individual that was heavily groomed by the White Sovereign City. He would be Li Xun’s strongest supporter in the future, and another burly teen clad in heavy armor stood beside him. The teen’s name was Zhan Long and he was always with Zhuo Jun. Similarly, he also had remarkable battle ability.

Apart from those two, there was also one other person dressed in plain clothes, giving people a simple and clear-cut feeling. That person was Lin Feibai, the person with a reputation in the White Sovereign City as the strongest person under the Noble Plane. The City Lord’s Office had been trying to recruit him under their charge, but he had only just joined because of the Holy Road. Many people wanted to know who was stronger between Zhuo Jun and Lin Feibai.

With the three of them, and now the inclusion of Ye Futian’s group, the White Sovereign City’s Arcana Plane force would be like a fish in water. It would be extremely difficult to deal with them, but the focus this time was still on the Noble Plane cultivators.

“My name is Li Qingyi,” Li Qingyi introduced herself to them.

“Ye Mo, Yu Sheng, Ye Wuchen and Loulan Xue,” Ye Futian replied.

Li Qingyi introduced the rest of them to Ye Futian. Zhuo Jun had his arms crossed and nodded lightly at Ye Futian while Lin Feibai was emotionless. Ye Futian did not care and just smiled.

“Miss Qingyi, are the people today all here for the Holy Road?” Ye Futian asked.

“Mount Jiuxian is taking in disciples. Even if it wasn’t for the Holy Road, it would still be a spectacular event. Moreover, there are rumors that the daughter of the Wind Sage, Qin Yin, will be picking her husband. What do you think?” Li Qingyi replied to Ye Futian. Qin Yin was reputed to be a spectacular beauty and the beloved daughter of the Wind Sage. The Five Major Cities had sent out their most talented offspring to try and win her hand in marriage.

Ye Futian raised his head and looked at the top of the mountain. Among the crowd, there was indeed a girl with exceptional looks and a graceful aura, that must be the Qin Yin that she was mentioning.

“Of course, if we are able to join forces with Mount Jiuxian and enter the Holy Road, that is also a great option,” Li Qingyi continued and Ye Futian nodded. From Li Qingyi’s words, he had a general understanding of what was happening today.

When he left the Starry School, Chief Chen had reminded him that the Holy Road was opening up and countless talents would all head towards the Barren State’s nine Holy Roads to attempt to clear it. Chief Chen had also asked him to consider it.

Now that he had coincidentally arrived at Mount Jiuxian, he could feel that the entire Barren State was probably making preparations to enter the Holy Road. Currently, in the space at the foot of Mount Jiuxian, there were battles erupting in all directions, the Spiritual Qi in the air rampaging and Life Spirit Dharmas exuding their brilliance. It seemed like everyone wanted to display their strength to the Mount Jiuxian experts.

There was only a minority of people who did not start battling. Of course, there were a few factions that were extremely salient. They were the Five Major Cities’ factions, each taking up a different direction and watching each other.

The Five Major Cities, apart from Longyuan City and the White Sovereign City, also included Xuanyuan City, the Heavenly City, and the Frost City. Among the five cities, the White Sovereign City, Xuanyuan City, and the Heavenly City were the strongest three cities. That was why the Xuanyuan City and Heavenly City’s factions were treated as the strongest opponents by the White Sovereign City this time.

At that moment, Qi Yuan stepped forward, his gaze on the White Sovereign City’s Li Xun. The crowd was startled, was Qi Yuan going to challenge Li Xun?

His gaze sweeping across Li Xun, Qi Yuan’s body flew into the air. Li Xun understood his intention and stepped into the air. Immediately, there was a Noble Will spreading from above the crowd.

Seeing the scene, three figures stepped out from the Xuanyuan City’s faction. They were in the Arcana Plane and not Noble Plane cultivators.

“Xuanyuan Pojun.” Li Qingyi’s expression changed. Xuanyuan Pojun was the son of the Xuanyuan City Lord and had phenomenal strength. He held golden axes in both hands, a stinging aura exuding from the axes.

Zhuo Jun and Zhan Long both stepped forward. Li Qingyi looked towards Ye Futian’s group and said, “Can you send out one person to join Zhuo Jun in battle? Zhuo Jun will deal with Xuanyuan Pojun.”

“Yu Sheng, you go then,” Ye Futian looked towards Yu Sheng and said. Yu Sheng nodded and stepped out.

At the same time, from another faction, three Arcana Plane experts stepped out. They were from the Heavenly City. Presently, the White Sovereign City’s Arcana Plane force was the strongest. If that was so, they would team up to crush the White Sovereign City’s Arcana Plane cultivators. The three Heavenly City experts all wielded swords. Their Sword Qi roared and transformed into a horrifying current, flowing in the air.

Lin Feibai stepped forward; he was also a swordsman in training.

“Ye Mo, can you send two people to support Lin Feibai?” Li Qingyi asked. Ye Futian nodded and looked at Ye Wuchen. The two of them stepped forward together, standing behind Lin Feibai.

The two battles erupted at the same time. Xuanyuan Pojun’s strength was indeed domineering, his twin axes slicing down from the air, the golden glow severing everything. Adding on his extraordinary strength, he had the aura of total annihilation. The two people behind him were sorcerers who specialized in crowd control abilities, supporting him during the fight.

At Ye Futian’s side of the battlefield, the three swordsmen in training from the Heavenly City struck out with their swords at the same time, the attacks seemingly merging into one, the Sword Qi lingering in the air. An imposing sword veil appeared in the air, forming lethal sword auroras with the three experts’ movements.

The sword in Lin Feibai’s hand started to wave, and in an instant, his body was covered in a sword veil, rendering him immune to the other party’s Sword Qi. Ye Wuchen’s lone arm wielded his sword, similarly forming a protective sword veil. Starlight started to gather around Ye Futian’s body, flowing around him like meteorites, keeping the Sword Qi out.

The three experts’ bodies flew around, their actions perfectly synchronized. The three swords danced in unison and became one, sweeping forward. Even the air appeared to be cut in half, and the sword veil was split open. Lin Feibai retreated and said in a hushed voice, “Go forward and create an opening for me.”

Ye Futian stepped forward and Ye Wuchen, understanding his intentions from his actions, stepped forward together with him.

The meteorites started to revolve in the air, transforming into a horrifying gravity, crushing down on the other party. Ye Futian gripped his palm and numerous meteorites slammed towards the three experts. At the same time, Ye Wuchen’s fingers pointed into the air and tens of thousands of sword wills flew towards the three experts.

The three of them retaliated by waving their swords, forming a brilliant protective sword veil. The falling meteorites shattered unceasingly, yet it managed to cause a crack to appear in the sword veil. At the same time, Ye Wuchen’s Sword Qi slashed through and created an opening.

At that moment, Lin Feibai appeared to transform into a sword, reaching incredible speeds. The crowd could only see a flash of a sword and the Sword Veil disappeared. Lin Feibai’s body suddenly appeared behind the three of them.

The three swordsmen in training from the Heavenly City all had blood spurting from their throats and fell to the ground.

What a fast blade. The crowd was astounded. It was as expected of the title of the strongest person under the Noble Plane in the White Sovereign City.

The sword will on his body vanished and he turned around, walking back. When he passed by Ye Futian and Ye Wuchen, he said in a soft voice, “The two of you are quite strong.”

Ye Futian smiled and replied, “Your sword is very quick.”

Indeed, Lin Feibai’s sword was fast. Although he and Ye Wuchen had restricted the opponent’s movements, Lin Feibai’s sword was like lightning and took the opponents’ lives in an instant. He could be considered a prodigy in the Arcana Plane.

“Thank you for your hard work.” Lin Qingyi smiled, nodding towards Lin Feibai. Ye Futian and Ye Wuchen walked back and Lin Qingyi nodded towards them as well. At that moment, the other battle had also concluded with a victory. Zhuo Jun claimed the most credit, it was him who had given Xuanyuan Pojun the lethal strike and injured him while Yu Sheng was attacking.

Lin Qingyi looked at them. With Zhuo Jun and Lin Feibai, now that Ye Futian’s group had joined them, they were invincible in the Arcana Plane.

Just then, Li Xun had also returned from defeating Qi Yuan. The two of them landed back in their own factions, Qi Yuan’s expression especially distressed. However, to the White Sovereign City, it was a complete victory.

Ye Futian’s gaze looked towards the surroundings. From now on, there would probably not be much for them to do. They did not stand in the limelight, and he even transmitted a message to Yu Sheng to not be too outstanding. Otherwise, Yu Sheng would have used his true strength and crushed everyone else. Who knows if he would have been scouted by a Sage Plane expert from Mount Jiuxian then? If the Sage Plane expert wanted to take him as a disciple, would he agree or not? If that happened, they would become extremely passive. That was why he intentionally supported Zhuo Jun and Lin Feibai and let them deal the critical strike.

“Qin Yin, what do you think?” at that moment, an elderly person on Mount Jiuxian asked her.

“Zhuo Jun is from the City Lord’s Office, but Lin Feibai has yet to enter. If there is the opportunity, we should recruit him. Also, we can consider letting that group become disciples of Mount Jiuxian. If they continue their exceptional performance in the future, we can further consider if we want to take them in as personal disciples,” Qin Yin replied.

“You mean that we will recruit the people from the White Sovereign City this time?” The elderly person tried to confirm her intentions.

“Yes.” Qin Yin nodded.

“What about Li Xun?” the elderly person asked, smiling.

“I’m not in a hurry.” Qin Yin naturally understood that he was asking about her choice of husband.

“Alright. There is no shortage of outstanding people this time around, take your time to decide,” the elder smiled and said.

Chapter 509: Zhongzhou Lands

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The fighting raged on under Mount Jiuxian. But as Ye Futian predicted, after defeating Arcana Planes of Heavenly City and Yellow City, no one at this level proved capable of posing a threat to White Sovereign City, and no one challenged them anymore.

He silently watched the fight taking place there. Li Xun and the Young City Lord of Heavenly City, Xie Wuji, and then the Young City Lord of Yellow City, Xuanyuan Bashan, fought their respective fights, and the fights looked extremely interesting. Xie Wuji was a powerful swordsman and Xuanyuan Bashan possessed horrifying power. The power of the Heaven-splitting Ax Techniques was impressive. The three were well-matched against each other, and it was hard to tell who reigned superior. None of them was able to overwhelm one another, and if things were to proceed as such, it was only a matter of time before they all ended up losers of the fight and sustained heavy injuries.

Other than that, there was also a noble level figure who displayed immense talent and ferocious combat capacity named Zui Qianchou. From the words of Li Qingyi, he was a genius drunkard known in the regions of Mount Jiuxian. His name might have been fake as well, taken to mean “getting drunk solves all worries”. The man loved liquor more than anything and was known to be a loner. City lord offices of five cities tried roping him to their respective sides, and he never said yes to any of them. Even looking for him proved a daunting task in itself.

He was, however, very famous, and was a swordsman himself. His way with a sword was eerie and tricky, and he took on Xie Wuji, Young City Lord of Heavenly City. Xie Wuji’s way of the sword was sharp due to it being true, and Zui Qianchou’s proved tricky and unpredictable. Before a clear victor was determined between the two of them, someone from Mount Jiuxian ordered the fight to cease, fearing that one of them would end up dead, or at least both suffering grave injuries if they were to continue to fight each other.

“Li Xun, would you be my disciple?”A fleeting voice came from a far corner of Mount Jiuxian, and it was apparent that the voice came from a sage.

Li Xun smiled and stepped forward, bowing before he spoke. “It is my honor to learn under you.”

“Xuanyuan Bashan, will you be my disciple?” Yet another voice was heard from another sage, and Xuanyuan Bashan agreed. While it was said that Mount Jiuxian was the area’s sacred region and it was all done for the Holy Road, being able to have sages of Mount Jiuxian as mentors was one thing that proved to be of no harm.

“Xie Wuji, Zui Qianchou, will you be my disciple?” A sharp voice was heard and everyone’s mind shook. It was the voice of a sword sage.

“It would be my honor.” Xie Wuji bowed.

“Thank you for your generous offer, but I’m a stubborn one and love to be free from restraints. I’m afraid I will end up offending you, and as such, I would rather not dirty Mount Jiuxian further with my presence,” Zui Qianchou said. Everyone was rendered speechless. Someone had actually refused the sages! Furthermore, Zui Qianchou sounded lazy as he said what he said, appearing to care for nothing. His reputation preceded him and it proved true indeed.

“Have it your way then,” the sage said plainly. While he was slightly unhappy about being refused, he was a sage after all, and he would have not done anything else.

Elders of Mount Jiuxian spoke shortly after. “Mount Jiuxian will continue accepting students as we have during the start of all years past. We will leave what happened today as it is. Everyone else, please return.”

Many were speechless. Many mighty ones came, and Mount Jiuxian chose only four to stay. Three of the four chosen have had the honored to study under sages prior and they were young city lords. Only Zui Qianchou trained on his own, and many thought it to be a pity. Furthermore, Longyuan City and Frost City were not chosen. On this trip on the Holy Road, only the finest were retained by Mount Jiuxian.

“What about Ms. Qin Yin’s Path Companion then? Who was chosen?” someone asked loudly, and everyone halted their steps. The elder of Mount Jiuxian took one look at Qin Yin and said, “A Path Companion has an incredible bearing in the life of Ms. Qin Yin. If everything goes smoothly, this figure will be chosen among the ones selected earlier. Of course, this will require a period of time for them to get to know each other. It would be announced after the trip on the Holy Road.”

Everyone nodded, seeing it within reason to do so.

Ye Futian’s eyes sparkled. Mount Jiuxian’s act of taking in disciples and Path Companions was simply and apparently a front of selecting helpers for the Holy Road. The position of being a disciple and the possibility of becoming Qin Yin’s Path Companion, drove the few to be willing to help her out.

The others left gradually and only the ones selected prior remained.

The elder looked at Zhuo Jun, Lin Feibai, Ye Futian and the others and said, “Do you wish to be disciples of Mount Jiuxian and remain here for your cultivations?”

“It would be my honor.” Zhuo Jun cupped his hands.

“Yes indeed.” Lin Feibai nodded plainly.

Ye Futian rose and bowed. “I’m a student of other schools and therefore, it would be inconvenient for me to cultivate in Mount Jiuxian. For that, I would ask for your understanding.”

“No problem.” The elder nodded and turned to look at Zui Qianchou. “Are you getting ready to enter the Holy Road?”

“Of course, why would I be here otherwise?” Zui Qianchou smiled.

“Alright, Mount Jiuxian will also send out excellent students to embark on the journey. Please rendezvous here at Mount Jiuxian a month from now, and embark on the journey to the Holy Road together,” the elder said.

“Acknowledged.” Everyone bowed.

“Will you, Sir Ye, accompany us to the White Sovereign City?” Li Xun asked Ye Futian and his group.

“We will.” Ye Futian nodded.

“Would Sir Qianchou be willing to share drinks with us at White Sovereign City?” Li Xun asked Zui Qianchou.

“Good wine?” Zui Qianchou’s eyes narrowed to a slit.

“Help yourself.” Li Xun smiled and nodded.

“Alright then.” Zui Qianchou smiled from ear to ear and departed with the rest of them.

Li Xun asked within the void, “Why didn’t you, Sir Qianchou, enter Mount Jiuxian? The sword sage has a great mastery of the art, so why would you refuse?”

“We are to enter the Holy Zhi Palace anyway. Why the detour?” Zui Qianchou sounded lazy as ever.

“Indeed.” Li Xun smiled and said nothing further.

“How about you, Sir Ye? Have you really studied under a school?” Li Qingyi looked at Ye Futian and the rest. Everyone in the group possessed immense combat capacity. They were at the seventh level of the Arcana Plane. If they had reached the ninth level, Zhuo Jun and Li Feibai probably would not have been their match.

“Yes indeed.” Ye Futian smiled and nodded. Li Qingyi did not pursue this line of thought any further.

White Sovereign City was quite a distance from Mount Jiuxian, and the journey would take some time. Li Xun and the rest returned to the city lord office. Ye Futian and his group were reluctant to enter the city lord office, and they arranged to stay in a pavilion right outside the city lord office.

Ye Futian and his group had been on the road for quite some time, and it was time to take a break in White Sovereign City. They had planned during their time on the road that they would enter the Holy Road. The trip on the Holy Road was a grand event of Barren State. Regardless if they ended up being able to cultivate in the Holy Zhi Palace, the trip was one worth making in itself, and a precious chance to accumulate experience as they were able to encounter all sorts of geniuses in the trip.

“Are we really going to go with them?” Loulan Xue asked Ye Futian. She understood that since it was an invitation from Mount Jiuxian, it was definitely Mount Jiuxian being the one to hog all the attention.

“Yes.” Ye Futian nodded. He knew what was going inside Lou Lanxue’s head, and smiled, “Headmaster Chen only briefed us on the Holy Road for a bit. We knew next to nothing of the details. Now that we have someone else to make the journey with us, it would be convenient for us as we will able to look out for each other, and learn more about the trip.”

Loulan Xue nodded slightly. She saw it unnecessary to say anything more seeing how Ye Futian had made his decision.

“Since it’s a grand event of Barren State, I think students of the three schools will make it there too,” Ye Futian said while smiling. “Jieyu is still with the Zhuge family. I wonder if she will make it on the Holy Road this time.”

It had been two years since they parted ways. It seemed like ages had passed, come to think of it. He wondered if his eldest senior brother and his teacher were doing well.

He lifted his head to look at the sky. What happened in Eastern Barren seemed to be just right in front of his eyes. The time spent in the cottage was a happy one, yet the brothers eventually parted ways. Forces like the Qin dynasty and the Donghua clan held great ambition, and they ended up being scattered to the winds all the same. The Qin dynasty perished, and the Donghua clan was not all that better off. Even a beauty such as Hua Qingqing chose to become a nun.

Now that he headed to Barren State, he would have been closer to Jieyu and his brothers and sisters in study. He wondered if he would have had the opportunity to break through Noble Plane on the Holy Road.

Reminiscing about old times, Ye Futian sat with his legs crossed and took out the guqin. A slow melody was played, and an incredibly serene air was emanated throughout the pavilion. The sound of the instrument was plain, serene and free from troubles; capable of cleansing one’s mind and washing off all muddled thoughts.

At a pavilion not far from Ye Futian was, Zui Qianchou drank silent leaning on a stone pillar. It was just as quiet over there. A silhouette walked by before stopping to hear the sound of the guqin. A pair of beautiful eyes watched Ye Futian silently, opting to quietly listen from the sides instead of interrupting the sound.

The sound of the guqin subsided after a while, and Ye Futian smiled. “Here you are, Ms. Qinyi.”

Li Qinyi walked up and said, “My brother is preparing a banquet within the City Lord office. Many geniuses from White Sovereign City will come. I’m here to invite you. Would you care to join us, Mr. Ye?”

“I’m not good with bustling, lively places. Thank you, but I’ll pass.” Ye Futian smiled.

“I can hear that from the sound of the guqin.” Li Qingyi smiled and continued, “Your mind must be incredibly calm and serene for you to be able to play such a tune.”

“I’m flattered, Ms. Qingyi, but I’m filled with muddled thoughts myself. Words like ‘calm’ and ‘serene’ hardly fit someone like me.” Ye Futian shook his head. “I was simply cleansing my mind with the sound of the guqin.”

“Cleansing your mind with the instrument,” Li Qingyi mumbled to herself. “Would you mind if I came to listen to you play often from here on out, Mr. Ye?”

“You are welcome to do so.” Ye Futian smiled and nodded. Li Qingyi was the daughter of the city lord, and a Noble figure herself. She looked pretty, and yet he was very polite in front of her, which reminded him of Gu Yunxi.

“Thank you.” Li Qingyi smiled and shifted her eyes to Zui Qianchou. Seeing how Zui Qianchou took one look with smiling eyes at her, she seemed to have understood something, and said, “My brother had me bring you some wine.” She went up and left the wine behind, before taking her leave.

“A banquet, and that means booze. You sure you are not going?” Ye Futian spared a look at Zui Qianchou.

“People are in places like that to act. And I wouldn’t call that a place for drinking.” Zui Qianchou opened the wine jar sent over to him and took a big gulp out of it. “Good stuff indeed. Li Xun didn’t lie. But when it comes to drinking, who you drink with matters a lot.”

Ye Futian was stunned for a bit before smiling and nodding. “Indeed.”

In the month that followed, Li Qingyi often took time to listen to Ye Futian play his guqin in the pavilion. Zui Qianchou would have also been there every time a tune was played. When the playing was over, he was nowhere to be seen. Both men seldom talked to each other, but Ye Futian knew well that his playing had a great effect on calming one’s mind, and it was incredibly normal for cultivators to like hearing him play.

Li Xun came to visit as well, and brought several jars of good wine with him, sitting around and chatting for a bit.

Ye Futian was able to earn himself some quiet time to train at his art for the past month.

They gathered around Mount Jiuxian on that day.

White Sovereign City, Yellow City, and Heavenly City.

All three cities sported impressive lineups.

Other than leaders like Li Xun, Xie Wuji and Xuanyuan Bashan, the others brought tens of men with them as well, and most were of Noble level. Few at the pinnacle of Arcana Plane also came to test themselves out.

It was obvious that everyone made ample preparations, but everyone was aware that only a handful would have been able to make something out on the Holy Road. Most were simply there as foils of sorts.

The lineup of Mount Jiuxian was just as impressive. Other than Qin Yin, there were also two other personal disciples of sages who were of lower Noble Plane levels. The vast and mighty group departed soon after, making for the nearest Holy Road.

Other than them, there were also others who made their journeys in the vast Barren State during this period nearing the end of the year, leaving their homes and making for the nine Holy Roads.

Massive exodus seemed to be taking place across the entire Barren State. Countless mighty ones flew and set out with great vigor, and many bumped into each other in the void. Ye Futian and his group went east, crossing mountains and cities, meeting a lot of people.

22 days later, an ocean appeared before them. It was the Border Sea. Crossing the other side of the sea would have taken them to the core regions of Zhongzhou.

Ye Futian and his group took to the sky above the Border Sea.

“We are almost near the lands of Zhongzhou.” Qin Yin’s beautiful eyes looked out far away. There was nothing in the way above the sea, making it easy for them to see many demonic beasts and ritual implements making their way in the air. People were everywhere, and it was obvious that they were all from Barren State making their way to Zhongzhou.

“The Zhuge family lies within the lands of Zhongzhou.” Ye Futian’s eyes turned flighty. Second elder sister and Jieyu were both in the northern regions of Zhongzhou lands, and he was getting closer and closer to them!

---

Chapter 510: Together on the Holy Road

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio | Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Mighty ones gathered like clouds above the Border Sea. Countless discussed feverishly the opening of the Holy Road this time.

Mount Duantian lay right beyond the Border Sea, which was shaped like protruding blades stabbing into the skies. Qin Yin gazed at the peaks of the mountains and took a detour around it before asking, “So Sage Duantian lived in the mountain then?”

“So said the rumors.” Li Xun nodded. The clouds above the mountain made the place look bleak and difficult to see with the naked eye. It was, however, obvious that the height of the mountain reached into the clouds. Only mighty ones of Noble level were able to vaguely make out the shape of the palace on the peak, but none dared to venture into the place itself.

Sage Duantian was one of the mighty ones listed in the Barren Sky Rankings, and his mastery of the arts was said to be boundless. Few in the vast lands of Barren State dared challenge the sage himself.

“It as said that there were disciples of Sage Duantian venturing down the mountain to go on a pilgrimage on the Holy Road, and the nearest Holy Road nearby is the Dawn Road. So we should be on the same road with them,” someone near them said.

Disciples of Sage Duantian could not enter the Holy Zhi Palace to further their studies, but they were welcomed to go on a pilgrimage on the Holy Road all the same. The Holy Zhi Palace had not stated explicitly that only those who wished to study in the Holy Zhi Palace were permitted to embark on the Holy Road.

“Someone is coming down from the mountain.” A huge warship appeared in the direction of the peak of Mount Duantian, passing right above the heads of everyone. A group exceptional figures were vaguely seen on the warship itself, like the Jiutian Gods and Goddesses looming over the mortals themselves.

“A warship of the Mortal World,” someone shouted as they took note of the mark on the ship. Mortal World, the greatest force within the area. Even when compared with the rest of the Barren State, they were still among the top class.

“This should be the Disciples of Mortal World passing through Mount Duantian and go paying their respects to Sage Duantian then.”

“Rumor has it that several figures of extremely notable talents were on their way to the Holy Road, and they too took the path of Dawn Road.” Many within the surrounding void began discussing what just took place as the warship passed by right above their heads. A beautiful girl was seen standing on the warship. Her clothes and hair waved gracefully with the wind.

Her name was Chu Shang, a figure at the lower level of the Noble Plane.

Ye Futian, who was right below the ship, would have recognized her if he had seen her onboard. She was that Mortal World disciple who had been to the Eastern Barren Territory and had even invited him to join the Mortal World.

“So even the top notable forces have made their move then,” Qin Yin murmured as she lifted her head to gaze upon the ship that had just passed right above her head. Despite being the daughter of the sage of Mount Jiuxian and possessing incredible talent, she knew well that the trip on the Holy Road would have proven difficult even for someone like her. The event gathered all the geniuses from all corners of Barren State. Despite Dawn Road only being one of the nine Holy Roads, the figures who showed up there were terrifyingly impressive nonetheless. As such, she needed to join forces with people of the five cities just for her to stand a chance at it.

“I suppose the Nantian House would choose the Dawn Road as well,” Xie Wuji quipped.

“There are many from great clans and powerful schools alike.” Qin Yin’s eyes looked into the distance. Ye Futian’s eyes sparkled hearing her words. He looked at the map before and was able to confirm that both the Mortal World and the Nantian House were in the same direction. Now that they are in the Zhongzhou Lands, would the two top-class forces which had been to the Eastern Barren Territory choose to embark on the same Holy Road?

An old city stood at the edge of the Dawn Road: Ruin City. Legend had it that the city fell many times before, and was rebuilt each time. It was a place anyone on the Dawn Road would have definitely passed by. As such, the city was an incredibly bustling one despite its name, especially when the Holy Road was opened once every three years. The city was packed like sardines during such times. People from various corners of the region would flood into the city and make their way to the Sea of Ruins at the west side of the city.

The Sea of Ruins was a place leading towards the Holy Road. Countless mighty ones gathered at the shores of the Sea of Ruins. One gaze would have been more than enough to note the presence of all proud sons and daughters of the heavens from all over Barren State.

The opening of the Holy Road had always been the grandest of all events to take place in the Barren State. It was a given that such an event would cause quite a stir.

Ye Futian was able to see the sea of people before his eyes as soon as he got there, and he felt rather shocked. The number of people gathered there easily exceeded 100 thousand. Furthermore, given that the Dawn Road had yet to be opened, there were definitely more who were still on their way there.

“Dawn Road lies right beyond the Sea of Ruins. Once we journey through Dawn Road, we will have reached the Holy Zhi Palace.” Someone peered at the Sea of Ruins with heated eyes. All nine Holy Roads led right to the Holy Zhi Palace. So long as they were able to make it through, they would arrive on the very sacred grounds of the contemporary Barren State.

Other than them, geniuses from all nine Holy Roads, the best of the best generation of youths Barren State had to offer, would have gathered before the Holy Zhi Palace. The imagination of such a scene would have made the heart of anyone dance.

All hoped that they would have become one of those who stood among these geniuses, appearing on the most brilliant stage to be found in the world.

“There are no rules on the trip to the Holy Road, and the harshest rule of it all lies precisely in the fact that there are no rules.”

Some among them sighed. It was known to all that the trip to the Holy Road yielded the highest number of brutal casualties among all the pilgrimages one could have taken. Many aforementioned proud sons and daughters perished on the Holy Roads.

There was to be no acknowledgment of generations on the Holy Roads, and it was an ‘anything goes’ type of game for everybody. All kinds of demons and monsters would have appeared, and there was simply no telling what one would encounter on their journey next.

Groowwwlll! A dragon howl was heard in the heavens, and the Responding Dragon was seen descending from above. Its impressive bearing overpowered all below.

“Mighty ones from Nantian House are here.” Countless pairs of eyes gazed upon the dragon descending from the heavens. Nantian House was the top force to be found within the region of Zhongzhou City, and one with powers shadowing all.

A terrifying force beyond measure indeed.

Many leaped forward to bow and pay their respects. All of whom who did so were younger generations of the Nantian House’s forces.

Ye Futian took a look at the Responding Dragon in the void and found it to be the same dragon encountered in the Eastern Barren Territory. He also saw the carriage being pulled behind the dragon, and a silhouette emerged from within. It was a familiar face—Nan Feng. Nan Feng was of Upper Arcana Plane back then. Two years had since passed, and he was a Noble Plane figure now.

Futian was reminded of the words Nan Feng and Nan Yu spoke to him about. He was back in the Eastern Barren Territory back then, and he was utterly incapable of imagining what Nantian House was like. Now that he was in Barren State, he finally got to know what kind of a force the Nantian House was.

In the void faraway, a lineup of mighty ones appeared shining ever so brightly. They flew past right above the heads of the crowd below, paying no heed to anything.

Everyone present knew that only members of the topmost forces dared pull a stunt like that as it was an act that would easily offend many otherwise. Those who were of the likes of Nantian House needed not to fear over offending anyone. They were capable and powerful enough to disregard such notions of respect.

“People of the Xia Clan are here.” Many leaped into the air again to go pay their respects. The Xia Clan, the largest clan within the Ruin City. They were a fearsome bunch, and the master of the clan was known to be of an imperceptible plane. Furthermore, an exceptionally talented younger generation appeared among the clan. A man named Xia Hou was of level seven Noble Plane. He could end up becoming the brightest star of all venturing on Dawn Road.

Lingtian Sword Will descended from the skies far away after a while. A row of figures was seen descending onto the crowd riding on their swords, glittering with great brilliance. Many in the crowd cheered for the members of the Sword Saint Villa.

A sword saint appeared in the Sword Saint Villa a few years ago. While the villa had its less than glorious days, an incredibly fearsome old man appeared within their ranks in this generation; a super mighty one who was listed on the Barren Sky Rankings.

Many exceptional figures among the younger generations appeared as well, including Yan Jiu [1]. The reason why he was called this was because he was ranked the ninth among his peers. No one dared look down on such a name, as Yan Jiu was noted to be the heir to the sword saint, and one could take command of the Sword Saint Villa in days to come.

The Mortal World warship appeared within the void shortly after. Top notch, mighty ones appeared one after another. It was to be another three days before Dawn Road was opened. Most arrived more than three days prior.

Countless murmured amongst themselves. There were simply too many mighty ones, including those renowned ones. Many came with an air of confidence and assurance, but it was quickly diminished seeing their competitors.

Ye Futian was there with the people of Mount Jiuxian. They mingled with those in the crowd and hardly anyone took any notice of them.

Despite being descendants of sages themselves, there were simply too many of such background and caliber within the vast Barren State region. Many who just showed up were probably of a more impressive background than they were. Some even quipped that being showered with the presence of so many great ones and having their eyes opened was a reward in itself.

People from the three schools and all clans of Divine Sky City had also arrived and ended up buried unceremoniously in the massive crowd.

Long Mu saw such a scene from the void and felt stunned to the core of his being, feeling like he had been a frog at the bottom of the well for his entire life. But of course, his will grew strong. The days when Long Mu’s father’s name was known throughout Barren State and made it to the Barren Sky Rankings was simply glorious. He was but a child back then and was unable to witness the moment himself. He yearned to accomplish everything his father had ever done before. He also knew well, however, that his path was a difficult one.

Long Mu came with people from the Starry School. Members of the Dragon clan and the Gu clan were there as well. Gu Yunxi was, of course, present. She heard from her father that Ye Futian was alive, and it was very possible that Headmaster Chen sent him on the journey to the Holy Road. As such, she wanted to see for herself if the peerless young man had indeed lived.

People of the Jin clan were there, as well as those from Blazing Sun School and Bright Moon School. The lineup emanated an impressive air.

A girl of unparalleled beauty stood by the beach among the masses, gazing upon the sea before her eyes. She emanated an air that nobody could touch. She was the proud daughter of the Zhaixing House, Mu Zhiqiu. She would have been allowed entrance into the Holy Zhi Palace solely by recommendation from her brother, yet she chose to embark on her own journey instead. It had been a while since she lost to Ye Futian, and it was only recently that she had broken through the Noble Plane.

There was a Holy Road among the nine located north of the Zhongzhou city area, a Holy Road named the Nether Road. The road was filled with mighty ones as well, even more so than the Dawn Road.

Many, including people of the Zhuge family and Taixuan Mountain, as well as the ones of demon gods, appeared before the road. The road was known to be the three strongest roads among the nine.

A row of figures stood quietly on the hill before the Holy Road. Two of which were ladies of extreme beauty, and one of them was especially beautiful.

Many pairs of eyes turned to look at her. One look at her beautiful face was enough to have them feel as if they had fallen in love. If they were able to marry such a girl, it would have been of the highest honor. Yet, they knew that they would have never had a chance with such a girl. Only top geniuses from the most powerful clans would be capable of such a feat.

She was named Hua Jieyu, who was said to be called a sister from a different mother by Zhuge Mingyue. She was studying in the Zhuge family at the moment. She was a Divine Spiritual Sorcerer out to test herself in the Holy Road!

—

[1]: The ‘jiu’ in Yan Jiu is written as the Chinese word for the number nine（九）