ă€ŠRebirth Of The Villainous Crown Princeă€‹


 Chapter 1 - Prologue: Before The Beginning (1)

    The Wang Couple of the Moon Lake Estate was proud to say that they were perfectly normal. They were thest people, in the whole Crimson City, you''d expect to be involved in anything rted to cultivation.

    Master Wang was a merchant who had many ships under his helm, controlling almost half of the import and export at Crimson Bay. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he was very proud of his huge moustache. Lady Wang was thin with natural reddish hair and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck. They had a small son, Wang Yao, and in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere.

    The Wangs had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret. While anyone else on the entire continent would be proud of it, they were not. They were somehow rted to the Ye''s but couldn''t bear it if someone were to rte them to the Ye family.

    Empress Ye and Madam Wang were blood sisters, but they hadn''t met for several years. They lived so far away from each other, that even if someone were to know about their rtion, he wouldugh it off.

    The Wangs knew, somehow, that the Ye''s had a small son too, but they had never seen him. Truthfully, they didn''t even wish to see him, just the fact that he was the Crown Prince of the arrogant Ye Empire, made them feel they should never let their son mix with that child.

    In the Wang family, on a dull grey morning, is where our story starts. Master Wang hummed as he got ready to head out for the port, while Madam Wang gossiped away while feeding little Wang his breakfast. There was nothing strange outside that indicated something big was about to happen in this mortal city.

    After finishing his te, Master Wang suddenly froze while getting up. He looked up. Madam Wang had also stopped speaking and staring at him, she asked, "Is it him?"

    Master Wang finally stood up with a solemn face and said, "The aura is just too simr, but Why here of all ces? We have left behind everything and settled here, among the mortals."

    Madam Wang was also stumped at this question since they had told no one, not even their most close confidants about the ce they had settled. Well, let alone their location, they were in disguise, so how were they found out?

    After a while, Master Wang said, "Maybe we are overthinking? He is just passing by?"

    Madam Wang sighed, "Let''s hope this is the case, no matter how close we used to be, now it''s all in the past."

    Just as those words came out of her mouth, a guard came in running, "Master, Madam; apologies for the disturbances, but there''s a huge carriage outside the mansion with the word ''Ling'' on it." He said in a panicked voice.

    Master Wang sighed and said, "Yes, I know". He turned towards his wife and said, "Let''s head out, bring Little Wang too. We should wee our guests."

    He got up and headed towards the main entrance. Madam Wang carrying her son, followed him outside. The couple had a solemn face, sensing the weird atmosphere, the child was also silent, which was a bit unreal.

    Outside the mansion stood a majestic horse-drawn carriage decorated with gold and sapphires. On its sides were huge silk banners with the word ''Ling'' on them. Two rows of guards stood straight on both sides of the carriage. They were already people starting to gather around, poking their heads out of the windows of their home and inns to admire the carriage while also curious about its owner.

    While most of them were unaware, some people had their guesses about the owner''s identity.

    "It looks like the Ling family from the capital."

    "But why would theye here? That too, to meet a mortals'' family?"

    "Even I am stumped at this. They are one of the four great families of the kingdom after all."

    While people gossiped, the curtains of the carriage opened, and a middle-aged man came out, with his simple smile and extravagant clothes, everyone around had guessed his identity. He looked around for a moment and finally, his eyesnded on the Wang couple, with no change in his expression, he said, "Good day to you, Master Wang. I am Ling Xianchun, the n head of the Ling Family from the Capital." He got down from the carriage as he finished greeting the Wangs.

    "Ha-ha, wee Patriarch Ling, this Wang is humbled at your presence," Master Wang greeted back, trying his best to sound as much courteous and respectful as he could.

    However, to the crowd around them, this simple exchange of words was quite shocking, not only because of the difference in the status of the two parties but the fact that these two were people of totally different worlds, one was a renowned cultivator and n head of the biggest ns of the whole kingdom, at the same time, the other was just a mortal merchant from a small city.

    "You don''t have to lower yourself, Master Wang." n head Ling tried to butter up the conversation from his side and said, "It''s an honour for me to meet you."

    ''He knows too?'' shed in the Wang couple''s mind before Master Wang said, "Ah! You don''t have to be courteous. Pleasee to my humble abode, let''s discuss things over some golden leaf tea."

    "Indeed, let''s head in." n head Ling replied instantly as if he was waiting for Master Wang to invite him all this time. He turned to the side and ordered his guard, "Bring the carriage inside."

    As they went inside the mansion, the bewildered crowd dispersed, though soon enough there would certainly be rumours of a connection between the Wangs and the Lings, giving some kind of hidden protection to the Wangs, though, if Master Wang were to know of this ''protection'' he would, for sure, justugh it off.

    Soon, the group was inside the Moon Lake Estate, which was not known for its expensive decorations, but its serenity.

 Chapter 2 - Prologue: Before The Beginning - The Throne (2)

    As they were about to enter the main hall, the carriage came to a halt, and the curtains were lifted for the second time, this time came out a healthy middle-aged man, his robust and strong aura would make others around him have a sense of inferiority.

    When the Wangs saw this man, even though they were aware of his presence, a surprised expression formed on their face unknowingly.

    As if he got the reaction he was expecting, he moved ahead with a cheerful smile on his face andughed as he said, "Ha-Ha! Brother Wang, to think we would be able to meet again, it must be fate."

    Master Wang''s lips curved in a smile, unknowingly, as he said, "Oh, its brother Ling! It indeed has been a long time." And he moved forward to greet the guests as he reminisced his younger days, the man in front of him was his sworn brother, Ling Xiao.

    Together they had roamed the world and made a name for themselves, the Wang-Ling Duo, tied for second ce on the Middle Heaven Ranking Stele, they were two of the four Kings of the previous younger generation.

    "Come in Junior brother; we have a lot to catch up," Gestured Master Wang to Ling Xiao.

    "Yes, yes, indeed we have a lot to talk about. Oh! And is this my new nephew? Ha-ha! Cute guy, what''s your name?" Laughed Ling Xiao as he came towards little Wang.

    "Wang Yao!" shouted little Wang in a cheerful voice.

    "Good child,e here!"

    ...

    A few minutester, in the banquet hall of the Moon Lake Estate, two men were seated, while one was big and beefy, the other looked more fit. Beside the beefy man was his wife, seated with a serene smile and looking at these men who were chatting as if there was no tomorrow.

    And behind them was the n head of one of the strongest ns in the kingdom, standing like a servant. This simple sight, if seen by others, would create waves of exmations. However, to the people here, it felt like it was the norm.

    "Sigh! Senior Brother, it was very hard to find you. You left without informing anyone to settle here in the Lower Heavens," sighed Ling Xiao, he seemed really tired and relieved at the same time.

    Master Wang turned his head to the other side, "Hmm... Junior brother, you know what happened that year. We had no choice, not informing anyone and settling here was one of the terms we had to agree upon. Though I am still surprised by how you managed to find us?"

    "Coincidence senior brother, pure coincidence" Ling Xiao perked up as he said, "Out of hundreds of mortal kingdoms, the ce where you chose to settle is also home to one of our outer branch ns, the Ling n from the capital of this Kingdom."

    "Ah, to think it would be such a coincidence." Master Wang was looked surprised, ''Coincidence my a** I already knew about that n or else why would I settle here.''

    "Junior Brother, is everything alright? For you toe all the way here, I hope everything''s alright."

    Ling Xiao suddenly sighed and turned a bit solemn, "Senior brother, your junior brother did not wish to disturb you but even after many days of thoughts, I couldn''t find a solution for my problem and could onlye here to request you something."

    "Hm? What happened? We can share your burden, speak your mind" Master Wang said as he looked at him.

    "Well... I won''t beat around the bush, while you were away, my wife gave birth to twin daughters."

    "Haan! Congrattions brother!"

    "Thank you, but the problem I am facing is also rted to them, one of them has the Heavenly Yin Constitution, meaning she is not allowed to cultivate until she turns sixteen. And the secret of the constitution should also remain a secret until then; we can''t let the Devil Sect get wind of this."

    "Hmm, indeed, the Devil Sect is troublesome, how can I help you in this matter?" inquired Master Wang.

    "Well, I want my daughter to stay with you. Mortal World is best for her constitution to awaken when she turns sixteen, but I can''t trust anyone else with this, in fact, Ling Xiaochun here is also trustworthy, but I won''t be relieved. This was giving me a headache until I came to know about your ce." Ling Xiao put forward his request.

    "No problem, you can have her stay here as long as you want. But where is she?" Master Wang asked in confusion since there was no one else in the carriage except for these two men.

    "I can''t let anyone know about her stay here, or else others will also know about your stay, and you will have to go in hiding again. So, I prepared another route for her. She will arrive here after I have left" answered Ling Xiao.

    "Yes, you did the right thing."

    "Senior Brother, what about you? Were you nning to return any time soon?"

    "No, now my heart isn''t put in that ce, I don''t think I will be going back anytime soon if not never."

    "Senior brother, if you hadn''t fallen for that bastard''s schemes, we would now be enjoying wine at the Imperial Pce." Ling Xiao grumbled.

    "Ha-Ha Junior brother, fate had different ns for us."

    As the sun set down in the west, Ling Xiao got up, "Well, Senior brother, unfortunately, I can''t stay here for long. Please take care of my daughter."

    "Don''t worry. You should know this ce is the safest in the whole Mortal Realm."

    "Ha-ha! That''s true after all it''s the home of the Heavenly King"ughed Ling Xiao. Then he made a solemn face and said, "Brother, I hope this generation can achieve what we couldn''t. The Heaven Oracle Sect has prophesied the rise of the Emperor in this generation."

    "Well, may the best talent rise. Our time is over now.. It''s for them to decide who will summon the Throne."

 Chapter 3 - Thirteen Years Later : The Rebirth

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly woke up.

    His right hand instinctively pped the ground, intending to jump up even before his eyes were open.

    This was a dangerous ce where life and death were but a hair''s breadth away. He must leave immediately!

    This was the first thought that came to his mind upon waking up, a state of mind that has be part of his instincts as one of the most renowned battle maniacs.

    As his body began to rise into the air, suddenly, his arm felt weak and was no longer able to support his body''s weight. Peng! He fell back down to the ground.

    Ye Tian Yun fell into a state of extreme shock for a moment. What is going on? He then realized that his body was actually lying on a soft bed. Observing his surroundings, he found himself within a magnificently decorated room. However, except for a set of square tables, the room was empty. The only other item in the room was the giant bed that he fell onto. This giant bed was truly enormous as it could support at least seven or eight people on it without the feeling of being cramped for space. This whole room gave him an unknown sense of familiarity.

    ''What happened? Shouldn''t I be in the middle of an intense battle against that bastard? How did I end up in bed?'' Ye Tian Yun''s mind ran back to his memories before he went to bed, or more preciselyˇ­ falling back on the bed, recalling thest memories.

    ...

    Ye Tian Yun was a cultivator, a peak Half Saint Realm cultivator, standing alongside the Middle Heavens'' peak existences at a mere age of 22.

    Ever since his debut in this cruel cultivation world at the age of fourteen, he never had any downs, he was already renowned as Heaven''s Child for his lightning-fast cultivation and background, and soon his reputation also became legit as the cultivators came to know him more of a battle maniac than a cultivation one.

    Thus, he became the number one talent at the age of 16. Simultaneously, the name ''Crown Prince Ye'' rose to the first spot of the Middle Heaven Ranking Stele. Besides, he also upied the honourable number one spot for the bounty offered for his head in the Devil Sect''s younger generation. Indeed, his bounty was number one amongst the younger generation''s bounty ranking for a good 3 years.

    That was not to say that no one was willing to take on this request; rather, no one was capable of taking it! No one possessed the capacity to go toe to toe against this near-legendary Crown Prince, much less kill him.

    Blood Pavilion, the number one assassination organization under the heavens, had its best assassins after him, all Half Saints, to ambush him when he broke through the Nascent Soul Realm; however, more than half of them were dead as soon as he broke through, killed mercilessly.

    Heaven Oracle Sect prophesied the birth of the Heavenly Emperor, who will hold the twelve Tokens and summon the legendary Emblem of Authority, all cultivators under the heavens believed that Crown Prince Ye would be the so-called Heavenly Emperor, ruling over the heavens,manding winds, and clouds as he wished.

    However, all of it changed with the emergence of the mysterious and powerful God''s Legion.

    God''s Legion came swiftly in the scene, and its rise was unstoppable. Before their real identities could be revealed, they already had control over half of the Middle Heavens.

    When the world came to know that they were just a bunch of youngsters, it sent huge waves of shock through the Middle Heavens. These nine youngsters were led by Wang Yao, the son of the previous generations Heavenly King and, in fact, a cousin of Ye Tian Yun. He controlled the Emblem Of Time, giving him power over time; by the time he reached Half Saint, he could already turn back time to a few seconds, which itself made him a great threat.

    Though Ye Tian Yun and Wang Yao were brothers in name, they were, in fact, mortal enemies. Like every other weak to strong cultivation story, this enmity began at a young age of 16 when Ye Tian Yun went to Lower Heavens with an elder to bring back a Ling Qing''er, the princess of the Great Ling n, who was with the Wangs forst 15 years and had just woken her constitution, alerting the top sects, righteous or evil. A simple confrontation between the two brothers brought the thirst for revenge in Wang Yao, who then received Emblem Of Time, an ancient artefact, through an unknown encounter.

    Emblem Of Time was one of the five legendary emblems sought after by all the cultivators who know of their existence. In fact, Heavenly Kings are crowned to their titles because they wielded an emblem in their journey and put it on the Hundred Realm Refinement Stage to ascend to Sainthood.

    Ye Tian Yun and Wang Yao had there final confrontation on the Hundred Realm Refinement Stage, both at Half Saint Realm, they fought a long battle for three days and two nights, finally leading to Wang Yao''s victory when the God''s Legion ambushed the fight and Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes for the final time.

    The greatest talent under the heavens, the future Heavenly Emperor, was now dead.

    ----

    Ye Tian Yun finally regained his focus.

    His entire body was screaming in agony. But while he was focusing on the pain, his mind fell into endless confusion!

    "What is going on? Wasn''t I fighting against the God''s Legion? Didn''t I die? My body was destroyed, and my spirit extinguished. My soul was gone. How could I still survive after facing that destructive attackˇ­" He opened his eyes, and a luxurious room entered his vision, and he felt like he was lying on a soft bedˇ­

    "I didn''t die?"

    He had suffered such potent attacks while having absolutely no power to fight back or even resist.. He was surely smashed to pieces. How could he not be dead? And where was he?

 Chapter 4 - Emblem Of Luck; Whats A System?

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but scratch his head, "Oh right, my bodyˇ­ Wait a second!"

    His eyes almost fell out of their sockets as he stared in shock at his stretched-out arms.

    Hands with white skin, long bony fingers, even lovelier than those beautiful hands a girl possessesˇ­

    "WTF!ˇ­ since when have I ever had such hands!" Ye Tian Yun was in a daze while staring at his hands.

    The next moment, he quickly sat up and grabbed the mirror beside the bed and lifted it up to his face, then cried out.

    In the mirror, he saw a familiar yet unknown youth who was about 14 years old, with white skin and sharp eyebrows. It was a handsome guy with red lips that looked as pretty as ady''s.

    "Beautifulˇ­"

    He stopped with a click of his tongue. Realizing it was not the right word to describe a guy and decided to correct himself.

    "Very handsomeˇ­" He nodded, "That''s betterˇ­ But what the hell''s going on?"

    "Isn''t this my own room? Did I possiblye back? But how is it even possible? I am not the possessor of Emblem Of Time, so how could this happen to meˇ­ The Emblem that I possessed was.." Ye Tian Yun mumbled in confusion as he out of reflex tried to summon his emblem, The Emblem Of Luck.

    And then, he heard the sound which was soon going to turn his life upside down.

    "Ding!"

    [Initiating System]

    [Loading 0%.... 10%... 37%... 75%..100%]

    [Initiation Sess]

    [Dear Host, you have unlocked the Emblem System]

    "Who!?" Ye Tian Yun reflexively went into a fighting pose. He was shocked to hear this clear voice even though he sensed no one around him, "Who is it? Which senior is ying a prank on this child?"

    [Host, please do not be surprised. This is the Emblem System. You have unlocked afterpleting the requirement of possessing the Token of Life and Emblem of Luck]

    "Token of Life?" Crown prince Yun was surprised, "Since when did I possess anything like that? It was rumored that Jiang Chen of the God''s Legion had this token, but when I killed him, he turned out to be a pauper, except for his swords and cloths, with some low tier spiritual stones in his spatial ring, there was nothing else."

    [Host, at that time, you did not possess the Emblem Of Luck, you did not see the token even though it was right in front of you.]

    "Then, do you mean to say that Jiang Chen already possessed the Token Of Life when I killed him?"

    But this time, no reply came back.

    "Hey, answer me!"

    Still, silence.

    "Alright, then tell me, What are you? What is a ''system''?"

    [Host doesn''t have enough authority to know about system]

    "Authority? How am I supposed to have that?"

    [Simplest answer would be, cultivate]

    "Cultivate? Cultivation will give me the authority to ask you anything?"

    [Not anything, to truly make the system do your bidding, you must sit on the Throne]

    "Well, throne? Hnˇ­ for that, I will have to survive." Ye Tian Yun clenched his fist as he remembered the battle on the Hundred Realm Refinement Stage, which will happen in the future.

    "I will definitely be prepared this time. Last time my arrogance cost me my life, but this time, with my knowledge of the future, I will just go and kill that bastard Wang!"

    [Warning!]

    [Host is not allowed to kill Wang Yao]

    "Huh!? Why? I should nip the bud before it blooms!"

    [Host, for you to sit on the throne, he is important. Even though he doesn''t possess Emblem of Time yet, but he will have it one day; it is preordained. If you were to go against the Heaven''s Will this early, with almost negligible cultivation, you would face the heavenly wrath]

    "Heavenly wrath? Why is that?" Ye Tian Yun continued asking his questions.

    However, this time the system did not reply.

    "Alright, don''t tell me about it. At Least let me know how you will help me?"

    [You can check the system interface by just thinking about it]

    ''System Interface?'' As soon as he said these two words in his mind, a transparent screen appeared in front of him.

    [Status]

    [Quest]

    [Shop]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    When he focused on [Status],

    A new set of options appeared in front of him,

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 0/1000]

    [Cultivation: 9th Level of Qi Condensation]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword for all (Initial Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Initial Phase)]

    He then moved his focus to [Quest] and a new screen appeared in front of him.

    [Main Quest: Gather all four Emblems, Summon the God Emblem, Emblem Of Authority. (0/4)]

    [Side Quest: Survive against the God''s Legion]

    [Side Quest: Be disciple of Gracious Sword Sect]

    [Side Quest: Number one position in the Gracious Sword Sect Inner Court Entrance Hunt]

    ˇ­

    As he went through the never-ending barrage of quests, he knew the system already knew of his thoughts. The Gracious Sword Sect, an insignificant sect in the Lower Realm, was home to one the God''s Chosen, that is what the arrogant members of God''s Legion called themselves, and it was his first target.

    Ye Tian Yun wanted God''s Legion to never appear in front of him. He wanted to kill each and every one of them so they wouldn''t be troublesometer. If not for the tokens they possessed or will possess, he would have ordered his servants at his instant to bring him their heads, and he would have them before the next sunrise.

    Since he also wanted those Tokens from them to create the Emblems, he would have to go himself and not even let his close confidantes know about his goals, for greed can make sons murder their father and mother''s strangle their daughter in this cruel world.

    He got up, getting himself ready to head to the Imperial Pce and meet his father, the Emperor of the Great Ye Empire, and get his permission to roam the mortal world.

    Even though his father was the most powerful man in the whole Middle Heavens and can even contest against the top tier of the Upper Heavens, he had a weird temperament; he seemed not to care about this son of his.. And he himself had many unanswered questions, which made him very anxious.

 Chapter 5 - Father And Son

    Ye Tian Yun came out of his room and headed towards the Imperial Pce.

    At a very young age, he had started living in a different mansion outside the Imperial Pce. Though the Imperial Pce was very decorated and extravagant, it never gave him a feeling of being at home.

    If his dates were correct, he should be fourteen years and five months old today. It''s been ages since hest saw his parents. His mother, Empress Ye, was a well-known cultivator of the Great Wang n, another strong n from the Ye Empire alongside the Ling and Ye ns. She was world-renowned for her beauty and cultivation talent. In her younger days, she was ranked 5th on the Middle Heavens Ranking Stele, just behind the Heavenly Kings. However, her cultivation had always been very mysterious because she never battled against any of the Heavenly Kings; her true extent of power was unknown to the public. Although it was rumored that she once battled Heavenly King Ling Xiao and beat him with no problem, though neither she nor Heavenly King Ling Xiao corrected or verified this rumor.

    Even though it was just a rumor, it still instilled her position on the Ranking Stele.

    And, Ye Tian Yun''s father was Ye Tian Xuan, strongest of all four Heavenly King, possessor of the Emblem Of Chaos, the number one on the Middle Heavens Ranking Stele, and the closest person ever to reach the point of bing the Heavenly Emperor in thest ten generations.

    When Ye Tian Xuan was the Crown Prince, he shot to fame when he defeated a Saint Realm powerhouse as soon as he broke through Half Saint Realm.

    However, his cold and aloof demeanor also made him look arrogant. Still, over the corpses of ten of thousands of cultivators, at the mere age of 26, he rose to be the youngest Heavenly King ever to exist.

    Emblem Of Chaos, the third emblem introduced so far, made him invincible, boosting his cultivation talent to a whole new level, effortlessly making him the Heavenly King. However, the drawback was, he slowly lost his emotions, became merciless and cold-blooded.

    While thinking of the achievements of his parents, Ye Tian Yun suddenly came to a halt, the question he was dreading to even think about kept popping in his mind, ''Why did his father not save him at the battle on the Hundred Realm Refinement Stage against the God''s Legion?'' and ''Where were his parents when their son was forced to concede his life with no way of survival?''

    He stood there in the hallway as the guards passed by, greeting and bowing towards him as they went to do their work, though all of this was ignored by him. He was only focused on the weird questions popping up in his head. What he really was afraid of was ''what if his father thought of him as a threat since he was the most nominal cultivator to get the Throne?'' or ''What if they didn''t really care about him?''

    Finally, he took a deep breath and resolved his will as he stepped forward, towards the Emperor''s courtyard; this was the ce where his father''s true self was mostly at, if not in the Upper Heavens. The courtyard was simple and serene, with no special decoration; however, it had a majestic aura around it, making anyone around bow down to its glory.

    Ye Tian Yun took another deep breath before stepping inside. Everything around still looked exactly the same he had seen every single time whenever he came here. He went to the central hall, the ce where he would most likely meet his father.

    "You''vee?"

    A majestic voice echoed all through the courtyard. It was his father, Ye Tian Xuan.

    "Yes, Imperial Father"

    "Speak, what do you want? I will soon be returning to my closed door cultivation, so be quick!"

    "Father, I wish to head to the Lower Realm."

    "Huh? Lower Realm? Why would you even bother about such a godforsaken ce?"

    "I wish to join a sect."

    "A sect? Which sect is so special that you yourself want to be a part of? You can join a better sect anytime here, like the Immortal Pavilion. It is the best ce to cultivate in the whole Middle Heavens. And you want to waste such a chance by joining a puny sect? Did you suffer from Qi Deviationst night?"

    "No, Imperial Father, I am serious about this; I really wish to head outside and cultivate in the mortal environment."

    "Well, I have no problem with that. Fate has its own ns for you, and I don''t wish to intervene. I only have one thing to say, don''te crying to me if you face any setbacks; life isn''t always a walk in the park."

    "Yes, Imperial Father. I will keep this in my mind." Ye Tian Yun bowed and headed back.

    He had aplicated expression on his face while returning, this was the longest conversation he had had in such a long time, and he didn''t even get the chance to see his father''s face.

    Looking at his son''s disappearing back, Emperor Ye felt a bit empty from inside. Even though he wanted to talk more to his son, he didn''t know how to. Heavens have granted him the immense talent, but he didn''t even know how to hold on to a conversation. He sighed and called, "Eunuch Li, have someone follow the Crown Prince secretly and protect him."

    There was no movement, but only a reply echoed, "As youmand your majesty."

    And then, the courtyard returned to its serenity.

    Ye Tian Yun was feeling depressed. It wasn''t even an hour since he had his rebirth, and he was already depressed about his life. Much less seeing his father''s face, he didn''t even hear his mother''s voice.

    When he was about to enter his mansion, he heard the system''s prompt.

    [Two Half Saints are following host]

 Chapter 6 - Breakthrough

    ''Being followed?''

    ''System, can you assess if they have any hostile intentions?'' Ye Tian Yun asked.

    [No hostile intent observed]

    ''Then they must be here under my father''s orders. Why doesn''t he allow me to do whatever I wish, always trying to pry out my secrets.'' Ye Tian Yun grumbled for a moment before heading inside his mansion

    ''System, do you have any way to get out of here safely and secretly?'' Ye Tian Yun asked when he saw no other way to head out, ''Open Status.''

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 0/1000]

    [Cultivation: 9th Level of Qi Condensation Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword for all (Initial Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Initial Phase)]

    ''Hmmˇ­ I didn''t ask earlier, how to increase Kill Points?'' He asked the system.

    [Kill Points are rewarded when a spiritual loss happens in the surrounding due to host. It can be by killing or by absorbing spiritual herbs and pills.]

    ''Oh, and I can upgrade my cultivation with them?''

    [Not only cultivation but the skill level of cultivation techniques too]

    When he heard cultivation techniques, his focus immediately shifted to the two techniques present in front of him on the screen.

    ''Show me the cultivation techniques''

    [One Sword For All] (Initial Phase) (0/100)

    [One Sword resonates in the Heavens. One Sword to devour the Heavens. One Sword to create the realms. One Sword to ascend. One Sword For All]

    [Thousand Faced Death] (Initial Phase) (0/100)

    [One life, thousand deaths. One cultivation, thousand realms. One person, thousand faces.]

    A smile appeared as he remembered these two cultivation techniques. These two techniques had helped him a lot in many of his previous lives near-death encounters. One Sword For All gave him a great advantage in direct confrontation while the Thousand Faced Death was a disguise technique best for ambush and assassinations.

    ''So, the techniques need 100 Kill Points to break through?''

    [Yes, to upgrade to Middle Phase, each would need a hundred Kill Point]

    Looking at these two cultivation techniques, Ye Tian Yun started assessing his situation. His future ns would take a long time to finish, and sometimes there may be some unpredictable situation.

    ''Alright, I will go into seclusion for some time before heading out.'' Ye Tian Yun thought and concluded after some time. He wanted to go at his best state and be at least at the level of Core Disciple by the time he set foot into the Sect.

    "Butler, bring all the Seven Treasures Qi Tempering Liquid we have right now!" He called out to his Butler, ordering him to bring all the resources for him.

    This spiritual liquid had the ability to increase the strength of the physical constitution and increase the speed at which a Qi Condensation Realm cultivators cultivated.

    To refine Qi pills, one would first require the formation of the Pill Fire, an ability that was only achievable by Ranked alchemists.

    However, concocting spiritual liquids only required a form. With the knowledge of the herbs and spiritual materials required and the order in which the spiritual materials were to be prepared, anyone was capable of concocting spiritual liquids.

    Ye Tian Yun poured the Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid into the barrel, mixed everything thoroughly. After some time, he took off his clothes before jumping in.

    Sitting cross-legged inside the barrel, Ye Tian Yun felt a numbing sensation flow through his body.

    He knew it was due to the Seven Treasures Qi Tempering Liquid fusing into his body and increasing the Qi flow throughout his body.

    As he started absorbing the liquid, the System started making prompts,

    [Host has absorbed Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid, gained 1 Kill Point]

    [Host has absorbed Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid, gained 1 Kill Point]

    [Host has absorbed Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid, gained 1 Kill Point]

    [Host has absorbed Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid, gained 1 Kill Point]

    ˇ­.

    Under the greedy absorption of Ye Tian Yun''s body, a barrel of the medicinal bath was swiftly consumed.

    The foundations of cultivation was Qi absorption, where the body tempering process, the strengthening of vitality and blood, and the changes of the fleshly body took ce.

    Three dayster, after absorbing the third barrel of medicinal liquid, Ye Tian Yun finally stepped into the realm of the first level of the Qi Stabilization Realm as soon as system prompted him,

    [Host has umted over 1000 Kill Points, would you like to break through?]

    Ye Tian Yun got out of the barrel and stood in front of a mirror. He looked at the able-bodied figure that waspletely different from the figure from three days ago and startedughing, happy for his breakthrough.

    ''Status''

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 12/10000]

    [Cultivation: 1st Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword for all (Initial Phase) (0/100), Thousand Faced Death (Initial Phase) (0/100)]

    ---

    When the Butler saw Ye Tian Yun three dayster, he had an expression of disbelief on his face.

    "Crown Prince, youˇ­"

    After a brief moment, he cupped his fists and said, "Crown Prince really is a once in an era genius, to be able to reach Qi Stabilization Realm before turning fifteen is unheard of even in the Upper Heavens, since the first three stages are the most important."

    "Alright, stop bootlicking. Go and prepare Qi Strengthening pills, I am not done with cultivation yet."

    "Yes, Master." The Butler went to prepare the herbs with a swift reply.

    Very soon, he returned and handed over the Qi Strengthening Pills to Ye Tian Yun.

    Qi Strengthening pills gave best effects when consumed within a day of the breakthrough in the Tri-Qi Stages, Qi Refining, Qi Condensation and finally, the Qi Stabilization Stage.

    These three were the foundational stages in all the cultivation realms.. After these came the Foundational Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul and so on.

 Chapter 7 - Preparing For The Lower Heavens!

    Ye Tian Yun returned to his cultivation chambers and put the Qi Strengthening pills in front of him, and one by one started to take them, taking his time in absorbing the pills.

    To create a Qi Strengthening pill, a High-Grade Level 1 Alchemist is needed, who has established his Pill Fire to a very stable level and has a cultivation level of Peak Qi Condensation Realm.

    Qi Strengthening pills are one of the lower grades of pills, easily avable in the Middle Heavens. However, these pills should be taken with care, and no more than two should be absorbed when a cultivator breaks through, or else there is a high chance of Qi deviation. These pills are very potent against Qi and increase the Qi flow intensity throughout the body.

    However, Ye Tian Yun had already taken four pills by now and was excitedly absorbing more pills, not caring about any Qi Deviation. Every prompt of the System made him excited about this situation.

    [Host has absorbed Qi Strengthening pills, received 2 Kill Points]

    [Host has absorbed Qi Strengthening pills, received 1 Kill Points]

    [Host has absorbed Qi Strengthening pills, received 2 Kill Points]

    [Host has absorbed Qi Strengthening pills, received 3 Kill Points]

    ˇ­

    ˇ­

    ''System, why is it that the Kill Points I am receiving uneven this time? Last time I was constantly receiving only 1 Kill point.''

    [Host, Kill Points received depends on your absorption rate, the harder you work, the luckier you get]

    ''I am absorbing at a constant rate. I am not cking at all.''

    [Host, please focus on cultivation, doing the best at this moment puts you in the best ce for the next moment]

    ''Uhˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun returned back to his absorption. After absorbing about three dozens of Qi Strengthening pills, he finally for the prompt he was waiting for.

    [Host has umted 100 Kill Points, would you like to break through any cultivation techniques?]

    ''Status''

    [Status]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 109/10000]

    [Cultivation: 1st Level of Qi Stabilization]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword for all (Initial Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Initial Phase)]

    ''Show me the cultivation techniques.''

    [Techniques]

    [One Sword For All (Initial Phase) (0/100)]

    [One Sword resonates in the Heavens. One Sword to devour the Heavens. One Sword to create the realms. One Sword to ascend. One Sword For All]

    [Thousand Faced Death] (Initial Phase) (0/100)

    [ One life, thousand deaths. One cultivation, thousand realms. One person, thousand faces.]

    As the new screen appeared in front of him, he knew what he had to choose. Currently, he was levelling himself up and cultivating so he could safely dupe the hidden guards outside. With a smirk, he said, "Level up Thousand Faced Death!"

    [Congrattions, Host! Your cultivation technique, Thousand Faced Death has reached the Middle Phase.]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 9]

    ''Hash.. finally, everything is set. Let''s absorb the remaining pills and get ready for the Lower Heavens.''

    He went on to absorb all the pills. If anyone else were to see this scene, he would have fainted just with a single nce. No one dared to take more than two Qi Strengthening pills, and here, Ye Tian Yun had gobbled dozens of pills in mere hours.

    "I have finally finished them. And also reached the Middle Phase in Thousand Faced Death." Ye Tian Yun felt quite pleased. He jumped down from his bed, and as he walked around, he sized up his body.

    Previously, it took him two years to get to the Middle Phase; however, with the help of the System, he broke through earlier, and this will help him a lot in his uing journey.

    "This is a powerful feeling. Endless amounts of Qi is surging into my body, as though it was going to break through my body."

    Ye Tian Yun tightly clenched his fist, and he felt that the explosive power in his body was worth the suffering he hadst night, absorbing the tasteless pills over and over dozens of times.

    He then looked up and thought, ''Status.''

    [Status]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 72/10000]

    [Cultivation: 1st Level of Qi Stabilization]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword for all (Initial Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    ''Hmmˇ­ I thought if I neared the100 Kill Point mark, I would make Butler Liu bring some more Qi Strengthening pills, but 38 Kill Pointsˇ­ that would mean at least one more day. And I also need thatˇ­ System, can I ess the shop?''

    [Shop]

    [Medicinal Pills]

    [Cultivation Techniques]

    [Weapons]

    [Fate]

    ''Hmm? Fate? I can buy fate!?''

    [Host, you can not buy fate. System''s Shop has a part of Heaven''s Will. It can prophecize your Fate]

    ''Oh? And how much Kill Points do I need for that?''

    [100K Kill Points for Prophecy on next 24 hours]

    ''Uh.. nevermind. Do you have any pill which can copy someone''s aura?''

    [Aura Replication Pill: 30 Kill Points]

    [Touch this pill on the forehead of the target and then on your forehead, for the next 24 hours, you will have exact same aura as the target]

    ''24 hours hmm?... That should be enoughˇ­ and do you have any sleeping pill?''

    [Dreamscape pill: 10 Kill Points]

    [Makes the target fall in deep slumber for seven days, and when he wakes up, he has no memories of thest day. It can be used as smoke. Users are strictly cautioned to use them carefully. One breath and it''s a week-long bedtime]

    ''Yeahˇ­ I should be careful with this thing. System, buy these two pills for me.''

    [Purchase Sessful. No Inventory avable. Would Host like to buy an inventory to keep everything safe?]

    ''...Why don''t you just give it to me? I have a spatial ring.''

    [Request denied]

    ''...You shouldn''t loot from a poor Prince.''

    [...]

    ''Alright, how much does it cost.''

    [Only 25 Kill Points for one month Hundred Space Inventory]

    ''Onlyˇ­? AH! Buy it! I don''t even have any other choice.''

    [You have made the right choice, Host]

    Ye Tian Yun ignored thest line, walked out of his room, and shouted, "Butler Liu! Come here, fast!"

 Chapter 8 - Abracadabra Pill

    Ye Tian Yun''s shout echoed through the mansion as Butler Liu came running.

    "Yes, Master. Your servant is here." Butler Liu said, with no change in his breathing. Perks of high cultivation.

    "Butler Liu, what do you think of my talent?" Ye Tian Yun asked with a smug look on his face.

    "Master, I don''t think I believe in you. You are the most talented person I have ever known about. With your unmatched cultivation talent and demeanor, you will, no doubt, one day rule this realm. Your birth signified a rise of a new era, your own era." Butler Liu tried his best in bootlicking, with the best mesmerizing expression he could make.

    "Indeed, you know your words. Here, eat this. I have tried my hands on alchemy. Have this as your reward for your answer." Ye Tian Yun took out the Dreamscape pill and moved his hands ahead, gesturing to Butler Liu to take it.

    "Uhˇ­ Masterˇ­ you may not know, but today is my fast." Butler Liu stammered even took two steps back, getting away from the pill.

    "Fast? Since when you started fasting? With your boggling tummy, I can''t help but doubt your words, or is it that you don''t like my rewards and it''s too low for you? Do you even know what I am giving you?" Ye Tian Yun remarked back, trying to sound as if he was angered at his servant''s insolence.

    "No, Master. It''s nothing like that. It''s an honor for me two have your gifts. But, I don''t know what these pills are; I may waste this precious gift." Butler Liu reasoned himself with an innocent-sounding voice.

    "You don''t have to worry about anything. I personally made this pill from an Ancient Alchemy Manual I received in myst visit to Grand Alchemy Hall Library. This pill is the Abracadabra Pill. It will make your uing breakthroughs much easier." Ye Tian Yun said whatever bullshit came into his mind.

    "An easier breakthrough!?" Butler Liu couldn''t help but shout in shock. One must know that the higher your cultivation, the more difficult it is to breakthrough. And for an old Half Saint powerhouse like Butler Liu here, there is no more hope to break through to the Saint Realm. Just the thought of a breakthrough could make an old foggy like Butler Liu excited.

    He moved ahead and, in an instant, grabbed the pills from Ye Tian Yun''s hand and bowed in front of him, "Thank you, Master. This old servant will forever remember this grace. You have given more than just a pill. You have given me hope to live longer."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and replied, "Oh, you don''t have to say such things. You are my most trusted confidante. And you have helped me a lot and have taken care of me all these years. It''s just a small gift from me. Come on now, eat the pill."

    "Eat? Now? But Master, this is such a precious pill, I should prepare a good ce for cultivation." Butler Liu was bewildered. How could he eat this pill? Isn''t this supposed to be very precious? Such a precious thing, and to eat it like candy, he couldn''t bear it. It was sphemy.

    "No, eat it now, here, in front of me. By the time you prepare everything, its effect will be lost. Hurry up! Eat it." Ye Tian Yun literally wanted to take the pill from Butler Liu''s hands and force it in Liu''s mouth.

    "Butˇ­"

    "No buts!" Ye Tian Yun forced him once again, "You have the pill right now, or I will give it to someone else..!"

    Before Ye Tian Yun could finish his sentence, Butler Liu moved his hands and put the pill in his mouth. He couldn''t let this once in a lifetime opportunity to break through the Saint Realm go away just because of some etiquette.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and said, "Great job! Nowe in fast, enter this cultivation chamber and absorb and digest the pill." He moved aside and gestured to Butler Liu to enter the cultivation chamber.

    "Yes, Master. I won''t let this go to waste." Butler Liu entered the room without hesitation.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled as he thought how easily his first step to escape was now a sess. He asked, ''System, how long do you think Butler Liu will be under the effects of the Dreamscape Pill?''

    [Host doesn''t need to worry. The victim is very excited to sleep, and for the few weeks, not even an Immortal can wake him up]

    ''Ha-ha, good to hear. Sigh, rebirth has indeed made me clever.''

    [Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity]

    ''...Can you, for once, praise me?''

    [Host, intelligence is like underwear. It is important that you have it, but not necessary that you show it off]

    ''...''

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and looked around. After observing that no one was present, he turned around and entered the cultivation chamber, closing the gates soon after.

    When he came in and looked at the scene, he was astonished. Not even a minute has passed as Butler Liu ate the ''Abracadabra pill,'' and now, a Half Saint Realm powerhouse like him was now lying on the floor headfirst.

    This really showed the pill''s power and its huge effect even on cultivators with high cultivation.

    "Tsk-tsk, I am really sorry, Butler Liu, but this is for the greater good. Generations toe will remember your sacrifice." Ye Tian Yun nodded his head as he finished his sentence.

    "Now, let''s turn him around. System, bring out the Aura Replication Pill, time to go to the next stage." He bent down and cut Butler Liu''s palm, preparing to use his Thousand Faced Death skill. He collected some blood and took the Aura Replication Pill, and touched Butler Liu''s forehead with it.

    "Time to be my own Butler."

 Chapter 9 - Lower Heavens (1)

    After about an hour, the cultivation chamber opened, and ''Butler Liu'' came out. He looked around, assessing the surroundings.

    Closing the cultivation chamber, he started moving towards the nearby guard and said, "Gather everyone. I have something important to announce."

    "Yes, Butler Liu."

    Being greeted in such an informal way gave the Crown Prince a weird feeling, ''Well, this sure was weird. I should get used to this feeling.''

    Within a few minutes, everyone from the mansion was gathered in the courtyard.

    Ye Tian Yun looked around and cleared his throat before saying, "Well, everyone, I have something important to announce. The Crown Prince is going through critical close cultivation. No one is to go with ten steps of the cultivation chamber. Trust me; you won''t survive his anger if you disturb his cultivation. And I will also be heading out for this time being. The Crown Prince has given me some instructions which I need to follow. I will repeat my words again. Do not go near the cultivation chamber even if the heavens fell.

    "Noted, Butler Liu"

    "Alright"

    "I have never gone near that ce ever."

    "Yeah, and here I thought there was an important announcement."

    "Same. I was even expecting a pay raise."

    "In your dreams. I don''t even remember thest time it happened."

    "I want to talk about this to the Crown Prince, but even though the heavens gave me cultivation, it didn''t give me enough guts."

    "Yeah, even I don''t dare to do that. I understand you, brother Ming."

    "Same"

    Ye Tian Yun could only stare at them as they went on talking among each other. He really wanted to remove his disguise and shout at them that he was their god damned crown prince, but he controlled his emotions and said, "Shut up now, I am serious about this. Now go back to your work!"

    "Yeah, sure."

    "See you around, Butler Liu."

    "Have a good day, Butler Liu."

    Soon, everyone dispersed and went back to their duties. Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and started heading towards the main gates.

    Ye Tian Yun headed towards the Heavenly Stairs. The only known way to traverse between the Upper, Middle, and Lower heavens. This ce wasn''t literally any stair, but a mysterious mountain pass.

    It was situated just outside the Imperial City. Even the guards there were Saint Level powerhouses.

    As the Butler of the Crown Prince, Butler Liu had his own reputation. Even though he was Half Saint, even the Venerable Saints didn''t dare to look down on him. As he headed towards the Heavenly Stairs, he was greeted by many cultivators. Ye Tian Yun felt kind of smug as he thought that even his butler is not treated less than a celebrity, ''Butler Liu is fortunate to have me as his master.''

    Even System felt speechless when it heard his thoughts.

    Soon they had reached their destination. The mountain pass was filled with clouds and mist. Butler Liu''s ck robe fluttered as he burst into the dense fog.

    The entrance to the Lower Heavens was located at this ce!

    Ye Tian Yun rushed into this channel without any hesitation. He had passed through it once before. His body was engulfed in dazzling seven-colored rays of light. It was genuinely fantastical. He arrived at a tform after he had crossed this very long channel.

    Ye Tian Yun''s expression was gentle as he set foot on the stone tform. The sky over the stone tform was misty. Suddenly, a gorgeous white light came from this dark and cloudy sky and enveloped Ye Tian Yun''s body in its entirety.

    The light shed once. And, Ye Tian Yun''s body disappeared.

    Ye Tian Yun had kept his eyes closed until nowˇ­

    He then opened his eyes, and he discovered that he was in midair. But, he was slowly going downwards. There was a vast green-field on the tnd below. There were undting mountains in the distance. There was diluted Qi in the air. It was obviously far thinner inparison to the Middle Heavens.

    Ye Tian Yun hovered down and gentlynded on the ground.

    The circr door ¨C that was hanging in midair ¨C closed quietly.

    This was the Barren in!

    Ye Tian Yun''s eyes revealed a thoughtful look as electricity rushed throughout his body. The ce he wanted to visit the most was Crimson City!

    He would have to go west from the Barren in. He would then have to circle around and take a long detour to reach the crimson City!

    The journey would be a lot shorter if he would go north from here. However, he would have to pass through the Xin-Wu Battlefront! It would be very dangerous. But, he couldn''t possibly be afraid of any danger when he knew that there was a war going-on at the Xin-Wu Battlefront, and the sect that he wanted to join, the Gracious Sword Sect, was also situated there.

    Ye Tian started flying towards its direction.

    -----

    After a few days of traveling, he neared the Xin-Wu Battlefront.

    Here used to be a lone restaurant here. It stood here alone, but it still provided a resting ce for the pedestrians on the journey.

    Moreover, it was located at the entrance of the Xin-Wu Battlefront. So, it was always bustling with people. And, those who arrived here weren''t ordinary people. The ordinary people were unable toe here. It wasn''t like each of the visitors were very wealthy individuals, but that also didn''t mean that they didn''t have family fortunes...

    This ce only used to have a restaurant in the past.. But, it had slowly turned into an inn. This was eventually followed by a gambling house, a brothel, and so onˇ­

 Chapter 10 - Lower Heavens (2)

    All sorts of businesses began to flourish here over time. And, this ce gradually developed into a marketce. As long as one could think of somethingˇ­ one could find it here. Even those things one couldn''t think ofˇ­ could be found here!

    One could buy and sell; one could trade, pawn stuff, and choose a variety of ways to rx in this ce...

    These business ces had ced their own gs at their entrances, without exception. This was done to indicate the ce of origin of these ''businessmen.'' This would also tell which forces they were affiliated to.

    For example, an inn was named ˇŞ Xin Royal Inn... just these three words. There was also an Eastern Tavernˇ­ a Ling n restaurant, and so onˇ­

    There were obviously two rows of green and juicy bamboo nted in front of most ces'' entrances. And, these ces often had the most flourishing business too. There wouldn''t be any safety without them!

    Who didn''t know that the Crimson Pavilion was the most prominent hidden organization in the Lower Heavens? It was an open secret, but the depth of their power was unknown.

    There were several markets like this one in the vicinity of the Xin-Wu Battlefront. And, the businesses owned by the Crimson Pavilion organization in those markets were the most thriving and prosperous.

    For example, the most luxurious restaurant in this marketce had a green dragon carved before its entrance. It gave off a very majestic aura.

    Ye Tian Yun''s ck robes fluttered as he strolled into the restaurant. He was still in Butler Liu''s disguise. There was still an hour to go before lunchtime. Yet, the restaurant was already overflowing with people.

    Most people were savoring fragrant tea and were engaged in loud discussions. The teahouses and wine-shops are the ces where the news spreads the fastest.

    Yang Tian Yun had walked up to the front door, and the people in the restaurant had suddenly felt a surge of chilling aura. Moreover, this chill aura gradually permeated in the air and shrouded the entire ce.

    ''Has an expert arrived here?''

    These people were the frequent visitors of the Xin-Wu Battlefront. So, they all had sharp visions. They felt cold in their hearts. So, they turned their heads to look.

    They saw a middle-aged man emerging from the stairway. He was d in a ck robe. There was a cold and detached expression on his face. He slowly strode forward and looked around. His malicious eyes nced around and seemed to be looking for a seat.

    A waiter then approached to wee him, "Dear customer, pleasee in. Would you like to drink tea or have a meal?"

    "Wine. Food." Ye Tian Yun coldly replied and casually gave a mid-tier spiritual stone to the waiter. Then, he added, "I want a seat in the middle." The middle seat was a table ced at the center of the entire restaurant. The one who would sit there basically wouldn''t need to use their martial power. But, they would still be able to hear the sounds from all four directions with ease. In short, this was the best seat to gather information.

    The general requirements for requesting this spot were ¨C if the person needed informationˇ­ or the person was some detective. This was also a usual practice of the Crimson Pavilion.

    Therefore, the waiter immediately understood this when Ye Tian Yun made this request.

    "This..." The waiter was clutching the gold in his hand. He somewhat awkwardly turned his head to look at the table in the middle. Two people had already upied that spotˇ­ A troubled look appeared on the waiter''s face.

    "Don''t worry. You fetch food and wine. I will take care of this. No harmˇ­ you get food and wine; I get this!" Ye Tian Yun solemnly spoke-up. The waiter nodded promptly. Then, a gentle look appeared on his face. This was a look one would only give to ''an old and regr customer''. He seemed quite relieved as he left.

    This was also the convention of this restaurant. After all, it was the restaurant of the Crimson Pavilion. Ye Tian Yun put forward the request and handed over the spiritual stone. This was like giving respect to the Crimson Pavilion. And this was also equivalent to using a spiritual stone to buy a pass ˇŞ No one will interfere as long as he does not cross the line since the Crimson Pavilion has received the spiritual stone.

    Ye Tian Yun''s body seemingly drifted over to that table and carried his strong and chilling aura along. He arrived next to that table and insipidly spoke, "Hello, you two. Have you eaten your fill? Had enough to drink?"

    It seemed like his strong and chilling aura had found its target. So, it surged forth like a massive wave and pressed upon those two men!

    Thew of the jungle was followed in the Lower Heavens! Strength was the ultimate reason. And, Ye Tian Yun had known this point all along.

    Any attempt to reason with people would instead make them believe that one was ''actually'' terrified to take action...

    So, he wasn''t nning to use any reason in the Lower Heavens this time around.

    "We are the people of Xin Royal n!" These two people were Qi Condensation Realm cultivators. They had noticed Ye Tian Yun''s strong aura. So, they weren''t daring to be rash. They neatly revealed their origin to him instead.

    "Um, ok. People of Xin Royal n ˇŞ leave!" Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes as he thought, ''I wouldn''t have bothered to teach you two a lesson even if you weren''t the people of the Xin Royal nˇ­''

    This n''s princess was one of the harem members of that Wang bastard Yao. She would soon possess one of the twelve tokens. And would be a member of the God''s Legion in the future.

    He unleashed his sharp and murderous aura. Theplexions of the two scouts of Xin Royal n turned pale. So, they immediately stood up and said, "We present this seat to Your Excellency. But, we''re leaving behind a few words for you ¨C we hope to develop a cordial and warm rtionship thatsts forever."

    "Cut the crap! You die if you don''t go!" Ye Tian Yun coldly snorted.

    The two men in ck clothes looked at him with bitter resentment in their eyes. Then, they went downstairs and left. The waiter swiftly came over and cleaned the table. Then, Ye Tian Yun sat down in a leisurely manner.

    ''I must say that this feeling of using power to bully people is really awesome. Especially... while bullying the future God''s Legion''s peopleˇ­''

    A moment of silence spread in the restaurant.

    Ye Tian Yun stood up and smiled gently. He cupped one fist in the other hand, as a sign of respect and showed the gesture to everyone present in front of him. Then, he solemnly spoke-up, "I suppose that everyone clearly understands my purpose of upying this table. I merely wish to learn some recent newsˇ­ such as the current situation of the Lower Heavensˇ­ the status of the major kingdomsˇ­ ha-ha. No need to hold back.. Just carry on with your dealings."

 Chapter 11 - Chaotic Times!

    Everyone let out an ''oh'' at once. There had been a gloating look in their eyes a moment agoˇ­ as if they were taking pleasure in others'' misfortune. However, that look had vanished by now.

    ''This guy arrived and offended the Xin Royal n right away. He looks like an ordinary middle-aged guy, but the words he spoke make him seem like an old traveller.''

    ''Moreover, his words also illustrate that the amount of information he needs is huge. And, he''s clearly finding it difficult to put emphasis on any one topic. That''s why he chose this approach in which we just discussˇ­ and he merely gets to listen to everyone.''

    ''Fu*k, what kind of an old foxes up with such a terrific wayˇ­''

    ''However, this person''s cultivation obviously isn''t low. I can''t feel his cultivation, but the amount of pressure I am feeling right now is just too huge.''

    "Hey, have you heard? The Ling n have shed with the Gao n in the Xin Kingdom? I heard that the Gao n''s Second Young Master Gao Xuan and Ling n''s Eldest Young Master Ling Yun are rivals in love. These two are engaged in a terrible struggleˇ­" a man seated at a nearby table suddenly changed the subject of their previous conversation and began to talk about the recent anecdotes of the Lower Heavens.

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrow, ''Gao Xuan and Ling Yun are rivals in love?''

    This caught his interest. He flipped his palm over. ''Chink'' sounds were heard, and glistening spiritual stones fell on the table where those two men were seated. A total of twelve spiritual stones!

    Those two were pleasantly surprised. They turned their heads to look at Ye Tian Yun. Ye Tian Yun smiled and nodded his head. His indication was obvious ˇŞ ''Keep talking.''

    They were overjoyed at this. They put the spiritual stones in their pockets and began to talk loudly about the history of Young Master Gao Xuan and Young Master Ling Yun as love rivals...

    The other people saw this, and their eyes emitted a golden light, ''For god''s sake! Did they earn spiritual stones just for saying a few words? What sort of charity is this?''

    The atmosphere in the restaurant immediately turned lively.

    "Het, do you know which sects are currently at the top in the Xin-Wu Battlefront right now?" the person who said this winked at Ye Tian Yun. He was obviously speaking to Ye Tian Yun.

    ''The Big Sects are here already?'' Ye Tian Yun flipped over his hand, and a spiritual stone went flying...''

    "Yeah, let''s talk about the current situation in the Xin-Wu Battlefront..."

    Chink! Another spiritual stone dropped.

    "Have you heard about the talented Core disciple of the zing Dragon Sect ¨C Ye Mo?"

    Chink! Another spiritual stone.

    "Do you know the Ten Great Experts of the uing young generation?"

    Chink!...

    "Did you hear that the Gracious Sword Sect is engaged in a terrible internal power struggle?"

    Chink!

    ˇ­.

    ''Damn! Where is this guy taking out so many spiritual stones from? He keeps throwing spiritual stones as if they are mud balls or something.'' He had ignited the atmosphere of the entire restaurant!

    The extraordinary might of spiritual stones had urged everyone to talk about stuff while they tried their best to outdo one another. However, they were still being very discreet. Sometimes, the people ¨C who had raised a topic in advance ¨C waited for the others to finish their talk before resuming their topic. Such patient people received an apuding look from Ye Tian Yun, and also got many more spiritual stones as rewardˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun had a huge stock of spiritual stones; as the Crown Prince of the Great Ye Empire, thest thing he was worried about was spending all of his spirit stones. All though most of the rewards he gave away were low-tier spiritual stones, in the Lower Heavens, it was already a fortune. Even the Core Disciples of major sects only received about a dozen low-tier spiritual stones every month.

    Besides, there was no other way but to spend lots of money if he wanted to get information on so many sects and ns in the Lower Heavens in one stroke. After all, all of these sects and ns were noteworthy. Therefore, Ye Tian Yun didn''t mind spending the spiritual stones.

    The people realized that this gentleman would enthusiastically throw a spiritual stone over even when some old rumour or anecdote was mentioned. This discovery made everyone ecstatic.

    Some people had already earned their second spiritual stoneˇ­ or even their third.

    This restaurant had been turned into a news conference!

    The people who cameter to have a meal couldn''t go inside. Ye Tian Yun continued to throw spiritual stones left-and-right like some rich and overbearing person. This had wrapped the entire restaurant in a golden coverˇ­

    Everyone was full of excitement. And, they were trying their best toe up with the most interesting talks. Meanwhile, Ye Tian Yun gradually organized his thoughts.

    ''So, the situation of the Lower Heavens is like this ah.''

    The beast tide had wreaked havoc for some time but hadter encountered the united resistance of the forces of the Lower Heavens. So, it was somewhat restrained by now, and it had been curtailed within the region of the Cyan Forest Mountain Range. It looked like the situation had been restored to how it used to be when everyone minded their own business.

    However, the major powers had already tasted the sweetness of power and resources. The sheer amount of spirit beast cores they had gained this time ¨C irrespective of the quality and quantity of the cores ¨C was several times more than what they had been able to obtain in the past.

    This was indeed an enormous wealth!

    So, who wouldn''t wish to get some more?

    The beast tide had already retreated. So, internal strife began between the major sects and ns.. They began topete over the resources they had obtained. These were indeed chaotic times!

 Chapter 12 - Understanding The Situation

    The zing Dragon Sect, Sighing Cult, Supreme Poison Sect, Gracious Sword Sect, Ling n, Gao n, Xin Royal n, Alchemy Sect, Devil Sect, Xie n, Dong n, Mo nˇ­.

    This stretch of the region had turned into a chaotic battlefield for dozens of major aristocratic ns and hundreds of smaller ones that spread across the Lower Heavens!

    Several young experts had risen to fame, and had revealed their outstanding talent amidst this endless fighting over resources!

    Sighing Cult''s Eldest Young Master Wang Ming had triumphantly advanced to the Eighth Level of Qi Condensation Realm. He had be the undisputed number one expert in the younger generation of the Lower Heavens! Moreover, he had done it in secrecy. He was said to have taken some unusual path, and this path had been very effective.

    Gao n''s Young n Lord ¨C Gao Xuan ¨C had led his n''s forces to fight in one ce after anotherˇ­ everywhere from north to south. He himself had smoothly broken through to the Sixth Level of Qi Condensation Realm. He possessed sword cultivation. This also proved that his strength ought to be above everyone else. Therefore, he shared the number one spot with Wang Ming.

    Xin Royal n''s First Prince Xin Xue Feng and Fourth Prince Xin Xue Ming had stepped into the Qi Condensation Realm as well; that too at the same time. Xin Xue Ming had be extremely clever with his schemes. His ns were foolproof, and he knew innumerable variations of every stratagem. His schemes gave him fame and acknowledgement of the crowd.

    Though not confirmed, there were rumours that these four have already gotten hold of a Token. Hence, their sects and ns gave them the highest possible security. Ye Tian Yun thought of all the major and minor characters who would soon y a huge part in the uing future and the formation of God''s Legion.

    Thenterns had already been lit by the time this entire ''newsgathering stunt'' ended. A huge influx of information had flooded Ye Tian Yun''s brain. His brain was temporarily in such a state that it seemed as if it had been abruptly filled to the brim. In fact, his mind had gone nk for a moment.

    After organizing his thoughts, he raised his head and asked, "What''s with the Gracious Sword Sect? I heard they would take in new disciples."

    "Well, actually you''re not up to date regarding this matter too, Gracious Sword Sect''s entrance exam is already over for about two months now. You will have to wait for two more years to have your kids participate in it." A man sitting in the corner replied to him, he had assumed that Ye Tian Yun most likely asked about this because he wanted his son or daughter to be a part of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    "To be frank, if you visit the Gracious Sword Sect yourself, they won''t hesitate to take your children in. Considering your aura, you are at least a Peak Qi Condensation Realm cultivator." Another man continued soon after.

    ''The hell? This idiot can''t even distinguish between Half Saint and Qi Condensation!'' Ye Tian Yun wanted to ask where did this idiote from? But he somehow managed to get hold of himself and got up, and walked outside as he said, "Well, you have said it right. Friends, thank you for your time, this Liu Ming shall take his leave."

    It was already dark outside. And, there was nock of safe lodging ces here. However, he unexpectedly didn''t wish to stay here.

    He chose the mountain forest instead!

    The spirit energy was at its peak in the mountain forest during the night time. Hence, this was the most suitable time and ce for cultivation. On the contrary, it was obviously somewhat noisy inside the inn, and he couldn''t cultivate.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to waste his precious cultivation time. And how was he going to cultivate? Of Course by hunting spirit beasts!

    He had juste out of the restaurant when he discovered that someone was tailing him. Ye Tian Yun curled his lip and sneered. He swaggered away from the intersection and confidently walked along the main road.

    Rustle Rustle Rustleˇ­

    Suddenly, the sound of fluttering sleeves reverberated along with an entric voice, "Hey, you over there! God of Wealth! Where are you heading to? Please don''t go ha ha haˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun halted his footsteps. He was then surrounded by 7 or 8 people in the blink of an eye. These people were led by the two individuals whom Ye Tian Yun had driven out of the restaurant earlier in the day.

    "Old bastard, you seem to have a lot of spiritual stones. You are quite extravagant ah." A slim guy looked at Ye Tian Yun with a sinister expression in his eyes, "You''ve dared to mess with us brothers. You seem like you''re quite eager to die!"

    Ye Tian Yun gave him a cold nce, "Cut the crap. What do you want? Say it at once. This Young Master''s time is precious. I don''t have time for your pointless chit-chat."

    The crowd separated at this time, and a big guy came out, "Young Master? Ha-ha, an old foggy dares to call himself crown prince and dares to be so rude and unreasonable in front of my Xin Royal n? Which Lower Heaven''s power do youe from?"

    Ye Tian Yun''s pupils contracted as he slowly asked, "A Qi Stabilization Realm Expert?"

    That big fellow coldly snorted. His imposing aura made him seem like an insufferably arrogant person. He shouted, "What''s wrong? Are you scared? Old dog, hand over your belongings. Then, grovel before me, and beg for mercy. I might leave your corpse intact if you do that!"

    His body shook a little and released a sharp and eerie aura that filled the air. His dense aura began to condense and slowly formed a crown above his head.

    "You''re nning to kill me, aren''t you?" Ye Tian Yun asked in the most modest manner possible.

    "Why? Do you wish to live?" The Qi Stabilization Realm Expert of the Xin Royal n was clearly at the Second of Qi Stabilization Level. So, he was obviously giving some ridiculing looks to the middle-aged man who stood in front of him. The man before him was already in his grasp as far as he was concerned. So, why not tease him a little and have some fun?

    "That''s good." Ye Tian Yun smiled a little, "I was worryingˇ­ that there''s no reason to kill you guys." He raised his head, "It takes a lot of time and effort for parents to raise their children. It''s not an easy task, you know.. So, I first look for a valid reason every time I am about to kill someone! Congrattions to you guysˇ­ for giving me a reason to kill."

 Chapter 13 - First Kill And Practicing.

    The big guy looked at Ye Tian Yun with calm eyes. However, a strong chill arose in his heart out of nowhere. He couldn''t help but have a feeling of regret for the first time ever, ''this man seems very uncanny. He doesn''t seem like some ordinary and easy target.''

    ''I should''ve investigated before messing with him.''

    However, it was already toote for him to repent because Ye Tian Yun had moved into action.

    His hands moved, and unleashed a killer move!

    "One Ray of Cold Light..." Ye Tian Yun let out a long drawn-out chant as he unsheathed his sword with a loud ''ng''. The look in his eyes instantly became sharper than the sword light, "One Sword For All!"

    A loud ''bang'' was heard as the sword light spread around. It carried a fierce and murderous intention and exploded like gorgeous fireworks in this dark and gloomy nighttime sky.

    That swift and fierce aura specific to a swordsman suddenly filled the air!

    That Qi Stabilisation Realm Expert was shocked. He was frightened out of his wits. He drew his saber in defense as he rapidly stepped back. His opponent was only a First Level of Qi Stabilization Realm, but he knew that an ordinary Second Level of Qi Stabilization Realm cultivator like himself didn''t stand a chance!

    He was so overwhelmed with fear that he had even forgotten about his regret. And, only one word was revolving in his mind ˇŞ''Escape''!

    But before he could even move, a thin sword pierced through his chest and Ye Tian Yun heard the System''s prompt.

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a Second Level Qi Stabilization, and gained 22 Kill Points!]

    ''Great, now more Abracadabra Pills in my pocket hehehe'' Ye Tian Yun smirked inwardly. He really wanted to get so many pills that he could make his enemies fall in deep slumber before he cut their smooth necks.

    The others around were actually frozen right now. Not a single breath had passed after their leader shouted arrogantly that he would kill the man in front of them, and now he was lying, dead, into a puddle of blood.

    "Your Excellencyˇ­ I have something to sayˇ­ please hear me out! Let''s settle this with a talk." One of the two guys from before had his forehead covered in beads of cold sweat. He spoke up in a trembling voice as the viper-like long sword appeared in his sight.

    ''Thud'' sounds echoed one after another at this time. Then, blood sprayed out of their throats with a strong force.

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed an Eighth Level Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, and gained 18 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed an Eighth Level Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, and gained 18 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a Seventh Level Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, and gained 17 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a Seventh Level Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, and gained 17 Kill Points!]

    ˇ­.

    ˇ­.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t waste any of his time, and soon faded into the forestˇ­

    He wanted to umte enough Kill Points to have a smoother journey through his first stage, the Gracious Sword Sect.

    He went into the forest and started his killing spree. The only thing he heard was continuous system prompts.

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a Low-tier spiritual beast, and gained 8 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a Low-tier spiritual beast, and gained 7 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a Low-tier spiritual beast, and gained 9 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a Low-tier spiritual beast, and gained 9 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a Low-tier spiritual beast, and gained 6 Kill Points!]

    ˇ­.

    ˇ­.

    As he saw the sunrise behind the Gracious Mountain Range, Ye Tian Yun knew he was close to his destination.

    Time passed quickly, and soon two months flew by.

    Having persevered through a harsh period of training, his mental energy had undergone an obvious improvement, and a solid foundation had beenid.

    Now he could also discharge Qi from his fingers, palms, shoulders, and so forth. At times, when he hadpletely lost himself in training, he even vaguely felt that he was nearing the threshold to the Second Level of Qi Stabilization. This caused him to realize that his cultivation as ofte had been progressing rapidly.

    Ye Tian Yun looked up as his thoughts moved towards his gains, ''Status.''

    [Status]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 13567/10000]

    [Cultivation: 1st Level of Qi Stabilization]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword for all (Initial Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    He smiled when he thought that he had even crossed the threshold for the next cultivation level and didn''t even know when.

    "System, I think this should be enough to level up!"

    [Host, would you like to upgrade your cultivation?]

    "Yes, please."

    [10000 Kill Points Consumed!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully advanced to Second Level Qi Stabilization!]

    He felt a relieving sensation and soon resumed his journey. Now he was only waiting for prey.

    ˇ­.

    From a distance, the gracious Mountain Range looked like two enormous wolves crouching and facing one another. Moreover, both wolves seemed to be howling towards the sky.

    Between these two mountain peaks was arge, steep canyon. Embedded within the two cliffs of the canyon were fire crystals, and to mine them, one had to first scale those steep cliffs.

    For an ordinary person to be able to go up and mine upon those cliffs was clearly rather unrealistic. Only martial practitioners who had spent long years bitterly training were able to take on the great responsibility of mining due to their physiques which were of much higher quality than the masses.

    Ye Tian Yun had arrived here right before dusk.

    The setting sun''s light shined down, causing a faint, fiery crimson glow to flicker periodically along the canyon''s cliffs.. And soon he heard footsteps approaching him from the opposite direction.

 Chapter 14 - The Encounter.

    Ye Tian Yun was contemting his ns when faint footsteps were suddenly heard from the front.

    He had now returned to his original face since the effects of the Thousand Faced Death have now worn off long ago.

    Now that he had noticed that his vision, hearing, along with other things, had significantly improved, even more so after the recent breakthrough. Essentially, any movement within the circumference of one hundred meters could be easily detected by Ye Tian Yun.

    ''A chance! System, do you have any way of hiding my cultivation?'' Ye Tian Yun eximed since this encounter could very well be his way into the Gracious Sword Sect.

    As soon as he finished his thoughts, a system prompt appeared in front of him.

    [Aura Suppressing Pill: 32 Kill Points]

    [Useful in hiding cultivation. Can hide cultivation for twenty eight days. The user can show and hide his cultivation at will, however, this is only for once. After the user has revealed his cultivation once, he can only hide it once more before the effectiveness of the pill runs out.]

    ''32 Kill Points!? Isn''t that too much?''

    [Host is in the Lower Heavens, he shouldn''t expect the same price due to the low density of Qi.]

    ''F**k- Alright! Buy it for me!,'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but curse at this greedy system.

    [Congrattions Host, you have bought the pill. Would you like to experience the effects of the pill?]

    ''Of course, let''s not waste time, give me the pill.'' Ye Tian Yun grew impatient as the sound of approaching footsteps became clear in his ears.

    [Host doesn''t need to manually eat the pill. System will take care of it. Host up to which cultivation level would you like to suppress your cultivation?]

    ''Hmm, make it 9th Realm of Qi Refining, this should be optimal level, not too low and not too high.'' Ye Tian Yun made up his mind.

    [Aura suppressing Pill is now under effect.]

    He suddenly had a weird feeling within his body and felt like vomiting. However, he somehow managed to control himself before copsing on one knee as he suddenly felt weak.

    Regaining hisposure, he thought, ''System! Couldn''t you warn me that something like this would happen? What if I messed up my n!?''

    [Host should be ready for all circumstances.]

    ''Damn you!''

    ''Status,'' He then moved his eyes in front of him.

    [Status]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 3567/20000]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 9th Level of Qi Refining Realm]

    [Cultivation (Original): 2nd Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword for all (Initial Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    "Let''s check them out," decided Ye Tian Yun as he retracted his aura. His figure was like a demon as he quietly followed the voice.

    Not long after, a group of people appeared before Ye Tian Yun. Within the group of people were three middle aged burly men, they gave off the aura of the 6th Level of Qi Refining Realm cultivator. Furthermore, the opposite party''s expression revealed a certain corruptness, it was evident that they have been killing people for over a long period of time.

    Between the three middle aged burly men was a young boy.

    Draped over the body of the young boy were a white fur cape and an indigo colored long robe. This revealed the details of his handsome and refined figure.

    However, the young boy''s face was filled with impatience and arrogance.

    Ye Tian Yun was shocked as he saw this young boy, "It''s him?"

    Ye Tian Yun recognized this boy and was more than just familiar with him. The name of this young boy was ''Fang Chen'' and he was the bastard son of the Sect Master of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    The Sect Master of the Gracious Sword Sect was a lustful and horny man in his younger days, and he bore many children, though only two were recognized in the public that too only because of their potential, as for the rest of the children, they were just called bastards and were abandoned, killed or sent to Outer Court of the Gracious Sword Sect as servants. Even they themselves were unaware of their identity.

    However, there were a few lucky ones, particrly Fang Chen. He was adopted into one of the four big ns of the Xin Kingdom, the Fang n. Though he was born and bred as a true young master, he actually didn''t grow to be arrogant and conceited, however, his luck didn''t work for long, and as he grew, his cultivation faced problems, he suffered Qi Deviation when he broke through the 3rd Level of Qi Refining, his next breakthroughs became harder and suffered a lot of humiliation. But he countered the reaction of the crowd by acting like an arrogant prick.

    Even after his bad luck and arrogance, his adopted father, the n Head of the Fang n, doted on him and spent a lot of resources.

    Later, he was sent to the Gracious Sword Sect, where he learned the true nature of the cruel world, with low cultivation, however, he didn''t change his acting but also secretly worked hard and schemed to rise among the ranks.

    At age seventeen, he entered the Inner Court and participated in the Grand Spirit Hunt, organized by many different powers of the Lower Heavens to train the younger generation. This was an important turn in his life because he met the rising star of their sect, Xiao Ming, in the Grand Spirit Hunt. Xiao Ming saved his life that day, and from then on, Fang Chen and Xiao Ming became brothers. Their friendship between them was deep and they were inseparable. Fought many battles and hunted many treasures together.

    Xiao Mingter grew at an unprecedented rate and soon became Number One Disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect. However he didn''t be the Sect Leader, but in God''s Wrath, an event which shook the Lower Heavens and changed its whole power structure, it was also the day when God''s Legion made its first public appearance, he made Fang Chen the Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect. Though many sects and power ns perished, this sect still lived on because of the friendship between these two young people.

    Xiao Ming had be the core member of God''s Legion, possessing the Token Of Fate, he upgraded his cultivation at a swift pace, and Fang Chen became a Peak Core Formation Realm cultivator with the help of God''s Legions resources and had the power to back up his position as the sect master.

    However, when the God''s Legion charged into the Middle Heavens, Fang Chen soon joined in the battle against the Great Ye Empire, though he had low cultivation, however, his strategies and schemes were more than just good enough to get recognition of the members of God''s Legion. In fact, even Ye Tian Yun also suffered at his hands and was more than once ambushed by the God''s Legion.

    Ye Tian Yun lost many of his close friends and confidantes, including his butler, Old Liu, who sacrificed himself to save his life. This created a great enmity between Ye Tian Yun and Fang Chen, two men of totally different worlds and status.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t back down and after many failed attempts and big sacrifices, finally killed Fang Chen.

    But, this also led to him and Xiao Ming bing mortal enemies, though he didn''t really care about other members since, in his eyes, even Wang Yao, the Leader of the God''s Legion was an unworthy opponent.

    In his final battle against the God''s Legion, on the Hundred Realm Refining Stage, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t really kill many members of God''s Legion due to the power in Wang Yao''s possession, more precisely, the Emblem Of Time. To be able to turn back time allowed Wang Yao to revive or save his brothers.

    Xiao Ming was the one the first members of the God''s Legion who pierced his sword through Ye Tian Yun''s heart before Wang Yao beheaded him.

    ˇ­

    However, this is the supposed future that would havee true if not for Ye Tian Yun''s rebirth. Now, with his knowledge of the future, he had made his ns straight and knew his objectives. This time it won''t be him who would be unaware and unprepared, but his enemies.

    This was also another reason why Ye Tian Yun came for Xiao Ming from the start. This time his main objectives were to get the Token Of Fate and kill these two friends.

    ''Last time you gave me so many problems, let''s see how many of your schemes work this time.'' Ye Tian Yun smirked as he hid behind the curtain of the forest.

    As Ye Tian Yun hid, Fang Chen suddenly questioned in a sharp tone, "Are we still not there? Did you three idiots properly check the map? If you were to bring me to the wrong ce, this young master will not forgive you!"

    "Master, we didn''t go to the wrong ce. Other than the shabby cavern that we came across, there really are no other caverns. It''s possible...it''s possible because this map is fakeˇ­" One of the middle-aged burly men reasoned with his face filled with bitterness.

    "What?" Fang Chen''splexion turned cold, "How could the map I brought with me be fake? You better properly look, and if you don''t find it, then at that time, this young master will properly teach you a lesson!"

    The three middle-aged burly men wiped the sweat off their foreheads as they promptly nodded, scattering off into different directions in order to search for it. They hade with their young master in full-greed, but now even after hours of searching and hard work, they didn''t reach their destination.

    ''Hopefully, we find this ce, or our malignant Young Master would only me us,'' One of the middle-aged men was walking towards the direction of Ye Tian Yun with his mind full of thoughts on their current predicament.

    Ye Tian Yun remained as still as ever while concealing his figure. To find Ye Tian Yun with the current cultivation of the middle-aged man was practically impossible. There was a qualitative difference between the 9th Level of Qi Refining Realm cultivator and the 6th Level of Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

    Additionally, from the brief conversation between the Fang n''s servants, Ye Tian Yun was able to determine that the opposite party''s objective was to search for treasures within the Gracious Mountain Range.

    Ye Tian Yun was slightly curious, he wanted to see what kind of treasure they would find.

    At this moment, the middle-aged man who was walking toward the direction of Ye Tian Yun suddenly stopped in his tracks. He gazed toward Ye Tian Yun''s location and said with a voice filled with a killing intent, "Who is it? Show yourself immediately!"

    Ye Tian Yun''s face slightly changed. They had actually discovered him?

 Chapter 15 - Fang Chen

    Even though Ye Tian Yun suppressed his cultivation to only the 9th Level Of Qi Refining, he had been very confident in concealing himself. After one has tempered their Qi, they would be able topletely control their aura. If they stopped emitting their aura, it''d be very hard for people to sense them.

    At the very least, it should be impossible for a cultivator at the 6th Level Of Qi Refining Realm to discover Ye Tian Yun.

    Seeing that he had been discovered, Ye Tian Yun felt a slight headache. However, he didn''t continue to stay silent, or did he decide to escape. Instead, he chose to walk out in an open manner as he asked indifferently, "How did you discover me?"

    The middle-aged man seemed slightly dumbstruck. Usually, these who had been discovered tend to seem flustered or bear killing intent. However, the expression of the young man before him was exceedingly calm. This caused him to feel amazed.

    Soon after, the middle-aged man came to his senses. His face subconsciously disyed a sense of pride, "I am one of the best scouts out there in the Fang n, although my skill''s rank isn''t very high, it has the ability to sense everything within the circumference of ten meters. Your method of concealing yourself is fascinating and if you weren''t within the range of my ability, then it''d definitely be impossible for me to discover you."

    Ye Tian Yun felt surprised. He hadn''t foreseen this.

    There were many different kinds of cultivation techniques and an infinite number of them. Although there is clear segregation between these skills, their abilities are different.

    ''It seems like I will need to be more cautious in the future. I definitely can''t underestimate everyone because of my cultivation,'' thought Ye Tian Yun to himself. This matter could be considered as a warning.

    At this moment, Fang Chen''s angry voice resounded, "Who!? Who was following this young master!?"

    Under the escort of the other two middle-aged burly men, Fang Chen promptly rushed over. After seeing Ye Tian Yun''s figure, Fang Chen''s originally angry expression immediately changed into one of surprise and then back to the angry face. This was due to the fact that he hadn''t expected to really meet someone here. He may now have to change his objectives and steps he had thought of when he started his journey.

    At this moment, the three burly men swiftly surrounded Ye Tian Yun with brimming killing intent. If Ye Tian Yun were to make the slightest movement, the trio wouldunch a devastating attack in a blink of an eye.

    "Who are you? And why are you following us?" Fang Chen thought he could use this opportunity for his gains. However, he was also filled with suspicion as he enquired, "You don''t seem to be a disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect, why are you here in the Gracious Mountain Range? The sect isn''t admitting any new disciples now, you could very well be a spy."

    ''What the hell is this guy thinking?'' Ye Tian Yun was annoyed, however, he controlled his emotions and replied, "Senior Brother, I am Yun Tian, I am a son of a merchant from the Crimson Bay City of the Xin Kingdom. I came here with our caravan which was supposed to deliver some supplies to the sect however we were ambushed by bandits just before we could even enter the Gracious Mountain Range, I somehow survived the ughter and escaped for my life. However, I got lost in here and it has been about a month since the incident and I could only survive because of decent cultivation and hunting spirit beasts."

    The expressions of the three middle-aged burly men gradually turned into a bit of surprise. Not because of Ye Tian Yun''s story but for other reasons, the bandits. One must know that within the hundred miles of the Gracious Sword Sect, the sect had absolute hegemony. From resources, trades to assassinations and ambushes, everything was under the control of the sect.

    "Young master, I think it is most probably one of the opposing sects or someone from the inner circle of the sect who did this. Normal bandits wouldn''t dare to touch the sect''s supplies." One of the middle-aged men put forward his opinion.

    "Maybe you''re right but we can''t remove the possibility of this guy lying to get into the sect. What if he turned out to be a spy? In fact, what I really think is he is indeed a spy." Fang Chen said with his eyes closed and chin raised. He had already started brewing the trap.

    "Hm, I agree with the young master''s thoughts." Thest of the three men chimed in.

    "I am no spy, young master. And I only wish to get out of this mountain range." Ye Tian Yun yed along with their antics.

    "Well, that is what any spy would say. Ah Wan, sever his limbs, let''s bring him to the sect." Fang Chen replied with no change in his tone as if he controlled the life and death of everyone present at the scene.

    "Yes, Young Master." Ah Wan, the man who earlier agreed with Fang Chen''s thoughts moved ahead and took hold of his sword.

    With the 6th Level Of Qi Refining Realm cultivation, he had his own conviction. And the fact that he didn''t even feel an ounce of Qi from his opponent, he felt even more confident.

    Ye Tian Yun''s smirked lightly. He had quite expected that this Fang Chen would actually be arrogant to this degree. If he felt that someone is a threat to his ns, he will do his best to eliminate that person as soon as possible. Or how else will he survive as the bastard son of the Gracious Sword Sect''s Sect Leader

    Ah Wan showed no hesitation, he only felt pity for him. He charged toward Ye Tian Yun and simultaneously unleashed a sword attack. He was already ustomed to this kind of order from Fang Chen. The three men had no idea how many limbs they had already severed, and the Dantians they had destroyed under Fang Chen''smand.

    Fang Chen watched this scene in a mocking manner.. Everything had worked ording to his n, and now he was going to get rid of some pests, the real spies who have been monitoring him.

 Chapter 16 - Fang Clans Scheme

    Presently, Fang Chen could almost visualize his ning to fold.

    "Good! I''ll y along with your nonsense. The moment you see me, you want to sever my limbs? Then let me see how exactly you''re going to do so!" Ye Tian Yun smirked as he immediately took arge stride and the aura of the 9th Level Qi Refining Realm immediately surged!

    Buzz!

    In this instant, Fang Chen''s arrogant smile froze. He could only feel immense pressure confining him, causing him to feel suffocated. In a split second, his former disdain and ridicule hadpletely dispersed, and in its ce was fear which had brewed within him.

    He really didn''t consider a kid of fourteen something age could have such cultivation. Even if it did came to his mind, he would haveughed it off, since sending a spy with such talent in enemy''s territory would be a stupid thing to do. And if he wasn''t a spy, but really a son of a merchant, then there was no chance he would have had such high cultivation.

    Ah Wan''s burly figure suddenly stopped in their tracks, he waspletely stunned.

    How could a random kid he met in this forest have such high cultivation? Even more than his thirty-five years of hard work? How was this possible?

    "Kill him! Kill him immediately!" In this split second, Fang Chen seemed as though he had be insane as his sharp voice resounded, "All of you go at once."

    The faces of the three burly men turned solemn as they promptly recovered from their shock. Their cultivation aura emerged as they charged together this time in some kind of a formation.

    All three of these men possessed a cultivation of the 6th Level Of Qi Refining.

    Following this, the three middle-aged men charged over synchronously. They gave off an ambiance that seemed as though their aura and skill had merged together.

    "Kill!"

    The three burly men immediately struck out at the same time. They all utilized the exact same technique which gradually merged together, forming a formidable Martial Skill. Its power was boundless and caused one to be unable to move, simply unable to escape or avoid.

    ''To think I would one day go against Qi Refining trash, hmph!'' Ye Tian Yun''s eyes revealed a trace of ruthlessness; he was not afraid. The sword in his hands swung down along with a thunderous sound, turning into a slice of cold light.

    "One Ray of Cold Light..." Ye Tian Yun let out a long drawn-out chant as he unsheathed his sword with a loud ''ng''. The look in his eyes instantly became sharper than the sword light, "One sword for all!"

    "AhˇŞˇŞ" Three frigid shrieks resounded but was cut short. It was as if their throats were suddenly ripped off, causing them to be unable to let out any sounds.

    Blood wafted into the surroundings as the three middle-aged men werepletely annihted by Ye Tian Yun''s single strike.

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a 6th Level Qi Refining cultivator, and gained 6 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a 6th Level Qi Refining cultivator,, and gained 6 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a 6th Level Qi Refining cultivator,, and gained 6 Kill Points!]

    Ye Tian Yun felt a sense of satisfaction as he heard three continuous prompts from the system.

    Fang Chen widened his eyes and his delicate face turned into one of fear in a blink of an eye. The bloody scene before him was like a gigantic w thattched onto his body, causing him to stop breathing. However, he tried to straighten his thoughts, ''This could also work out well enough for me if I can survive this encounter.''

    Right now, Fang Chen''s cultivation wasn''t very high. He was a new Outer Court disciple and had entered the sect a few months back in the Sect Entrance Exam. Even though he failed it, through Fang ns connections, he had made it in. After suffering from Qi Deviation about a year ago, his cultivation had slowed down and he only had the cultivation of 5th Level Of Qi Refining.

    His arrogance earlier was all an act, to cover up his faults. Earlier he thought of staying low profile after that incident, however, low profile people get bullied around more. Hence, he decided to create an arrogant personality shell over his real personality.

    Truthfully, he only wanted to cultivate in peace and slowly reach higher cultivation and then have his revenge on his real and adoptive father.

    One might think that the n Head of the Fang n was really generous and took pity on young Fang Chen when he adopted him as his son and even gave him the resources. However, all of this was a big scheme Fang n had slowly nned.

    Their main aim of nurturing Fang Chen was to one day reveal his true identity and create even more chaos in the Gracious Sword Sect. The current Sect Leader though full of lust in his younger days was now getting older and rumors of a new Sect Leader had already started to flow throughout the Lower Heaven.

    Fang Chen knew all of this. He knew who his real father is, how his adopted father had made use of him, and the schemes that had been in motion right now. It wasn''t that someone told him, it was only through a lucky encounter did he get this information from.

    One day when his three burly guards had gotten themselves drunk, one of them blurted about how the Gracious Sword Sect won''tst for long and Fang n would reap all the benefits of this chaos.

    Even though he didn''t get much information from this incident, however, a seed of doubt had been nted in his mind and it was enough for him to slowly figure out everything in thest few months.

    Later he came to know that these guards who were actually doing whatever he said were in fact also reporting all his deeds to the Fang n and even offended the number one disciple of the Outer Court, Hu Xing.

    About a week ago, after some thinking, he had made a n to take out these nuisances in the Gracious Mountain Range, and when he encountered Ye Tian Yun, he made changes in his ns and decided to make four people kill each other.

    "Young master Fang, why aren''t you saying anything?" At this moment, Ye Tian Yun''s voice echoed in Fang Chen''s ears, "Didn''t you just say that you were going to sever my four limbs? Excuse me for identally killing your guards, they are no longer able toplete their mission to sever my limbs. In that case, are you nning to personally do the honors?"

 Chapter 17 - Changing His Fate And The Fate Points

    Ye Tian Yun expected Fang Chen to beg for his life. He wanted to see the exact terror in Fang Chen''s eyes, like the one he had seen before his rebirth when he finally killed him after many futile efforts.

    However, the reaction from Fang Chen turned out to be the opposite. Except for the initial fear in his eyes, now he wasn''t showing any emotions.

    Ye Tian Yun smirked as he felt how ridiculous his fake disguise is, "Haash, Young Master Fang Chen is indeed a young man of talent, to be able to control your emotions even after such a bloody scene, I am really surprised."

    Fang Chen raised his eyes and stared directly into Ye Tian Yun''s face and said, "To be honest, I am not really feeling bad. In fact, I can say that I have gotten what I came for."

    "You have gotten what you came for? I don''t see any treasure with you, moreover, you have also lost your loyal guards." Ye Tian Yun felt Fang Chen''s reply was ridiculous. However, what Fang Chen said next made him understand exactly what was going on, and how wrong he had been.

    "Young Master Yun Tian, I won''t beat the bush, My main aim toe here was actually to take out these three bast*rds. I may sound ridiculous, but I am actually just a pawn in a big scheme against the Gracious Sword Sect. This time I had nned out this trip and managed to hoodwink my guards into greed and make theme so deep into the Gracious Mountain Range. North from here is their of a Middle Tier spirit beast, ck Horned Python. I wanted to take them there and create a situation of a fight and reap all the benefits.''

    "You could have just been on your way, whye after me?" Ye Tian Yun asked though he had a hunch of the answer he was gonna get.

    "Well, I can''t let any witnesses away. And you even reasoned that you were somehow part of the sect. No way I was gonna let you go." Fang Chen replied as if it was a matter of fact.

    "However, you missed the mark and underestimated my cultivation?" Ye Tian Yun smirked again. He wanted to take out as much as information possible from him because Fang Chen was going to be more useful after his death.

    "Yeah, not just that, but I wanted both sides to get injured. I sent Ah Wan as a scout and then the other two. Everything would have worked right if you had cultivation one or two stages lower." Fang Chen replied casually. He knew his life was in danger but he still wanted to keep himselfposed in front of his enemy.

    "Well, what you said may hold some truth but it actually doesn''t matter anymore. You should understand your situation better than me. Maybe I could, say, spare you if you can prove your worth" Ye Tian Yun replied, still trying to get some more information from him.

    "I will only say this, I know all the ins and outs of the Sect in the Outer Court and the Head Elder of the Outer Court knows my true identity. And is in fact, no less than my master. Both of them know of my trip here, and they will definitely investigate everything." Fang Chen started to think of a way out of his current predicament.

    "True identity? The fact that you''re the bastard son of the Sect Leader?" This time it was Fang Chen''s turn to get surprised by Ye Tian Yun''s reply.

    "Impossible! How do you know!? No more than a dozen people know of this secret and even I had to take so many risks to get to hold of this information." Fang Chen literally shouted in shock, "Who are you!?"

    "Your death." Ye Tian Yun shed his sword and the sword aura flickered.

    Fang Chen''s life was immediately severed. His eyes were wide open with a hint of disbelief even at death''s door.

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a 5th Level Qi Refining cultivator, and gained 5 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions to Host for changing his fate by killing ''Fang Chen''. 20 Fate Points have been rewarded.]

    ''Fate Points? That''s new. What is the use of these Fate Points?'' Ye Tian Yun asked the system.

    [Fate Points are rewarded when you kill or befriend the cultivators who were instrumental to your death. You can use Fate Points to buy the power of Tokens.]

    "Well, this is great news. But wasn''t Fang Chen already dead for a year before that day."

    [Cultivator Fang Chen was the one who designed the ambush]

    ''Oh? Well, that came as a surprise, to think even after his death he was able to harm me. Deciding to join the Gracious Sword Sect really proved beneficial to me, if I were to meet Fang Chenter when he grew older, he would have really escaped from such a situation. It''s a good thing he didn''t get time to mature himself.'' Ye Tian Yun thought as he took out a small knife and collected fresh blood from Fang Chen''s palm. He needed enough blood for at least a year since he didn''t know how long he was gonna stay in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    After collecting enough blood he thought of checking his current status, ''Status''

    [Status]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 3597/20000]

    [Fate Points: 20]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation: 2nd Level of Qi Stabilization]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword for all (Initial Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    ''Hmm, new things are now added,'' Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrows a bit as he thought.

    [Host has unlocked Fate Points, hence the [Status] has updated.]

    ''System, upgrade ''One Sword For All'' to the Middle Phase. I want to be prepared for all cases.''

    [Congrattions Host! Your cultivation technique, One Sword For All has reached the Middle Phase.]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 3497]

    ''Oh, well now it''s time to get started. System, buy Aura Replication Pill.''

    [Aura Replication Pill: 300 Kill Points]

    [Touch this pill on the forehead of the target and then on your forehead, for the next 24 hours, you will have exact same aura as the target]

    ''Damn, you increased the price by ten times! Last time it was only 32 Kill Points. Now its 300!''

    [Host is in the Lower Heavens, he shouldn''t expect the same price due to the low density of Qi.]

    ''Same half-assed reason. Alright, buy it. I want a higher tier pill, so I can retain the aura for at least a year.''

    [High Tier Aura Replication Pill: 1890 Kill Points]

    With a feeling as if a knife was pierced through his heart, Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and said, "Buy it."

    [Purchase sessful. High Tier Aura Replication Pill added to inventory.]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 1607]

    ''I haven''t seen an emblem, I have only seen your greed since I met you. You should be called The Greedy System''

    Ye Tian Yun then took out the Aura Replication Pill, touched it to the forehead of Fang Chen, took out the blood he collected earlier, and started using his Thousand Faced Death skill.

    He was going to enter the sect as Fang Chen.

 Chapter 18 - Gracious Sword Sect

    The Gracious Sword Sect had nine peaks that stood perfectly straight.

    The nine peaks rose straight from level ground, like nine sharp swords that shot into the sky.

    These nine peaks were also called the Gracious Sword Sect''s nine great sword peaks.

    Among them, the First Peak was the main peak, and it was the most towering sword peak that had a grand imposing manner.

    The other eight sword peaks were spread around the First Peak, like a host of lesser stars around the leading star, surrounding First Peak in the middleˇ­.

    ''Only on this peak are the clouds so deep that one does not know where one isˇ­.'' Ye Tian Yun remembered the cultivator''s introduction of the Gracious Sword Sect at the Inn in Xin-Wu Battlefront, then he gazed from afar at the nine sword peaks that had clouds coiled around them. His heart was filled with excitement, as a Crown Prince of the Great Ye Empire, he didn''t even need to join any sect, even in his life before rebirth.

    This was the Gracious Sword Sect?

    "There seems to be something stopping the surrounding eight sword peak''s connection to the first Peakˇ­." Ye Tian Yun''s eyes were sharp and noticed the scene when the clouds and mist cleared away.

    When the clouds and mist cleared away, it could be seen that above the eight sword peaks surrounding First Peak was indeed a thing that was simr to a ck-colored chain that connected to First Peak.

    ''The First Peak is the main peak of Gracious Sword Sect and has a path to ascend the peak among the nine great sword peaks of Gracious Sword Sect. The other eight sword peaks didn''t possess a path to ascend the peak, so unless one is an existence at the Core Formation Stage, they can''t climb the other eight sword peaks.''

    Ye Tian Yun recalled everything he heard at the Inn, ''So if I want to ascend the other eight sword peaks, then I must pass through the First Peak and use the chain bridges to enter them."

    Ye Tian Yun came to a sudden understanding, ''So in this way, there''s only one path to ascend to the peak of this Gracious Sword Sect, and that is the path up the First Peakˇ­.The defense of this sect can be called really good.''

    With only one path, it waspletely possible for one man to hold the pass and hold back all the enemy forces!

    Coupled with the hidden forces of the Gracious Sword Sect, even if the Xin Kingdom''s Royal Army was to personallye here, they might not be able to obtain any benefit.

    In next to no time, Ye Tian Yun arrived at the foot of one of the sword peaks.

    The part of the sword peak that was immersed in the ground was iparably precipitous, and one couldn''t see the end of it with a nce.

    "Such a precipitous cliff; Even a Peak Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, probably wouldn''t be able to ascend it." Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but say his words out loud as he sighed with emotion.

    The closer he got to the main peak, the more people he could see.

    The young men and women, who included mostly Outer Court Disciples, and few Inner Court Disciples, were moving in and out of the First Peak, the only entrance to the Gracious Sword Sect.

    The Gracious Sword Sect''s entrance had a height of over ten meters, and on it were threerge words carved exquisitelyˇ­.

    Gracious Sword Sect!

    "Theseˇ­." With just a nce, Ye Tian Yun was attracted by these threerge words.

    Even though he didn''t study calligraphy, he was able to discern that these threerge words were carved by a sword cultivating expert with a single swing of his sword. They were like words of nature that didn''t have any ws.

    Among the sects in the Xin Kingdom, sects that could be called top sects ordinarily had five or more Peak Core Formation Realm cultivators within the sect, and there was nock of existences at Lower Levels of Core Formation Realm cultivators.

    Below the top sects were first-rate sects. There were ordinarily one or two Core Formation Realm cultivators within these sects, and the strongest would ordinarily be at the 3rd Level of the Core Formation Realm.

    Below that were the second-rate sects. They didn''t have Core Formation Realm, and the difference between them and third-rate sects was the quantity and quality of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

    Below the third-rate sects were some unrated sects.

    These unrated sects ordinarily only had one or two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, and in terms of strength, there was not much difference between them and the various ns of the Xin Kingdom. This did not include the Four Big ns and the Royal n.

    Though the First Peak was the entrance to the sect, it was also the most important peak in terms of status. The cultivation locations in the main peak belong to Gracious Sword Sect higher-ups and the inner court disciples.

    The Second Peak was the home to the Alchemists. There resided many of the finest alchemists of the Xin Kingdom.

    The Third and Fourth peaks were semi attached and this was where the female disciples resided.

    Thest five Peaks were where the male Outer Court Disciples resided.

    ...

    Fang Chen was an Outer Court Disciple of the Seventh Peak at Gracious Sword Sect.

    Outer court disciples. They were the ones that did the hard and thankless tasks. Not only were their positions lowest in the school, but they were also even looked down upon by outsiders.

    ---*---

    Mass release: chapter 1/3

 Chapter 19 - Entering The Sect

    "That''s Seventh Peak?" Ye Tian Yun looked at a precipitous mountain that was coiled by mist and clouds in the distance, and his gaze abruptly shone.

    This mountain stood there as if it had transformed into a sharp sword that pierced through the sky, giving one a peerlessly fierce and swift feeling, captivating one''s mind.

    "Let''s see!" He started to walk up the chain bridge. He alone wasn''t in it. With him, there was also a group of other disciples.

    In Gracious Sword Sect, the hierarchy was pretty simple, at the lowest came the servants, they mostly didn''t cultivate or even if did, weren''t higher than 3rd Level Of Qi Refining, then came the Outer Court Disciples, they could be easily distinguished by there brown robes, they also didn''t have much status. Except for a few disciples who were deemed to have potential, the rest were just there to do ordinary chores and simple tasks which the servants couldn''t.

    Above Outer Court disciples were the Inner Court Disciples, wearing silver robes, they could be easily distinguished and were treated preferentially whenever they went outside the sect. They were also higher in cultivation.

    And above them were the best disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect, the Core Disciples. They were the most talented and privileged disciples of the Sect and were treated no less than the next sessor. Quality of the Core Disciples also affected the future of the Sect. A Core Disciple''s status was no less than that of an Outer Court Elder.

    The Elders were the true managers of the sect who decided allocations of resources and moderated the disciples. Elders were also divided into three categories, Outer, Inner, and Core Elders. While the Outer Court Elders had a simr status as that of the Core Disciples, the Core Elders were the ones who made and decided the path of the future for the sect, which was then finalized by the Sect Leader.

    The Sect Leader held the true power in the sect and made decisions on all important matters regarding the future of the Sect with the Grand Elders, who were usually the previous Sect Leaders and Vice Sect Leaders.

    ˇ­

    The chain bridge started swaying once the group of people stood atop it.

    This chain bridge was at least three or four hundred meters long. Connecting Seventh Peak to the First Peak, and was undoubtedly an extremelyrge amount of work.

    ''This chain bridge ought to have been connected by cultivators at the Peak Foundation Establishment Realm or above.'' Ye Tian Yun thought in his heart, and the vision before his eyes swayed. It was as if he could see the time the Gracious Sword Sect was established and figures flew past in the sky carrying iron chains in their handsˇ­.

    Sure enough, the predecessors nted a tree, and their descendants enjoyed the shade.

    Other than Ye Tian Yun, there were a total of three more sect disciples on the chain bridge.

    One had silver robes and the other two, who were standing behind him, wore brown robes. This clearly indicated that these two Outer Court disciples were the silver robed Inner Court Disciple''s followers.

    However, the current mood around these three was quite weird. It was as if they had juste back after losing a fight.

    The Inner Court disciple''s face was grim as he said, in a low voice, "That kid should have been careful; Now he will know misfortunees from the mouth!"

    Right at this moment, the other two Outer Court disciples standing behind the Gracious Sword Sect Inner Court Disciple also had a fierce look in his eye, as one of them started, "That kid wasn''t sensible enough. Even after I told him that senior brother is someone you can''t afford to offend, he still didn''t back off."

    "Exactly, our Senior Brother is an outstanding Inner Court disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect, and he is an existence that will be a Gracious Sword Sect elder in the future. If he were sensible and gave that pill to our Senior Brother, he could have formed some good faith," the other Outer Court disciple didn''t back off in his bootlicking.

    "Senior Brother, could it be that there was really no other way? We should have taught him a lesson." One of the Outer Court disciples had a face full of unwillingness.

    "What else could you do? I never expected him to have Seventh Prince Xu Jin as a friend." The face of the Inner Court disciple sank. He originally thought that the pill could be easily obtained, but never had he expected that such an unforeseen event would ur.

    "Dammit! If it wasn''t for Seventh Prince Xu Jin being coincidently present at the scene, I''d surely make that outer disciple die." The Inner Court disciple''s face was gloomy as he said this in a deep voice.

    Suddenly, one of the Outer Court disciples'' eyes flickered as he guessed, "Senior Brother, the Inner Court Entrance Hunt is in two monthsˇ­ Do you think he will participate? From the arrogance he had, he really didn''t seem to put any Inner Court disciple in his eyes."

    "Right, Senior Brother, there really is such a possibility!" The other Outer Court disciple''s gaze lit up.

    "Now that you mention itˇ­.There really is this possibility. Hmph! If he really were to take part in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, then he is delivering himself to me, and I''ll surely make him die!" The eyes of the Inner Court disciple went cold. He seemed as if he wanted to catch and swallow that outer court disciple who had offended him, and his icy cold voice seemed toe from a thaw hole that was filled with piercingly cold winds. Within it was breathtaking killing intent.

    "If he were to take part in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, then that prince Xin Jun will be unable to protect him." The other two Outer Court disciples startedughing.

    "What did that guy call himself?" The Inner Court Disciple asked as if he had forgotten who the offender was.

    One of hisckeys replied, "Xin Jun called him Xiao Ming."

    ---*---

    A/n:

    Well, Xiao Ming is slowly entering the scene. Let''s see how Ye Tian Yun takes advantage of this incident in the uing future.

    Mass release: 2/3

 Chapter 20 - Law Of Jungle : Survival Of Fittest

    ''Xiao Ming?'' This name had taken all of Ye Tian Yun''s attention on the conversation between the disciples in the chain bridge.

    ''This Xiao Ming really is trouble attracting thing. How did he survive so long even after offending everyone around him? He didn''t have any big background. Does he already have the Token Of Luck? Or else I don''t think he can survive with this kind of temperament.'' Ye Tian Yun assessed the things he just overheard.

    Ye Tian Yun had guessed that most probably these three disciples had gotten into an argument over a pill with Xiao Ming. And since Xiao Ming being an Outer Court Disciple didn''t listen to the demands of the Inner Court disciple, he was now in trouble after offending him.

    After thinking some more, he thought of testing the waters against the trio in the chain bridge. He wanted to know if they really were expressing their true thoughts or not.

    He turned towards the Inner Court disciple, and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother. This junior brother is called Fang Chen. I couldn''t help but overhear your conversation, were you talking about Xiao Ming from the Ninth Peak?"

    "Hm? Why do you care?" The Inner Court disciple retorted with an arrogant face. In his eyes, Outer Court disciples weren''t worth his time.

    "It''s nothing, Senior Brother. But I have heard of Xiao Ming, that guy is arrogant as heavens and even thinks no one is better than him. At the Ninth Peak, after he arrived, many old disciples suffered. If not for Seventh Prince Xin Jun''s backing, somebody would have already finished him off. I hope Senior Brother can teach him a lesson and let him know his ce." Ye Tian Yun tried his best to make himself sound like a pleading poor man. Though he felt like vomiting from his act.

    "A lesson? Well, I can only say that he better pray that he doesn''t fall in my, Shao An''s, hands. He will learn the hard way why one shouldn''t mess with the Heavenly League." The Inner Court disciple smirked and moved and the chain bridge had brought them to the Seventh Peak. After getting off, he didn''t even look back at Ye Tian Yun and went on his way.

    ''Is this really the biggest arrogant idiot of the seventh Peak, Fang Chen? Since, when did he turn so respectful?'' The two Outer Court disciples gave Ye Tian Yun a weird look and thought.

    They were disciples of the Seventh Peak and had heard of an arrogant new disciple who only had a good background but his cultivation talent became mediocre after he suffered Qi deviation.

    Feeling the situation a bit iprehensible, they ignored it and ran back to follow their Senior Brother.

    After walking off the chain bridge, what entered his eyes was a spacious, stone tform, and a building stood atop the stone tform.

    After observing the hustle-bustle in front of him, Ye Tian Yun came to a sudden understanding, ''So it turned out that this was the location where the disciples of Seventh Peak ordinarily bought and exchanged both medicinal pills and spirit weapons.''

    Here, one was able to spend gold and silver to buy medicinal pills and spirit weapons, or they could use materials to exchange for medicinal pills and spirit weapons.

    On the northern part of the Gracious Sword Sect, there was the primeval forest, it was the real Gracious Mountain Range, it was inessible tomoners and low-level cultivators, and was vast without boundary, and within it were various medicinal materials and ore deposits that were inexhaustibleˇ­.

    Unless a Gracious Sword Sect disciple was born from a rich family, they would all enter the primeval forest to search for materials to exchange for medicinal materials and spirit weapons for cultivation and to increase their strengths.

    Of course, within this primeval forest was an exceedinglyrge amount of savage spirit beasts.

    Allegedly, there were even quite a few demon beasts deep within this forest.

    So this primeval forest had also be the ordinary location where many Gracious Sword Sect disciples gained experience and trained.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun roamed around the Seventh Peak. He didn''t know where Fang Chen cultivated, nor could he ask someone, this may raise suspicions. However, this situation would have made him worried if he was in any other sect.

    In the Gracious Sword Sect, all of the disciples had to fight for their own ces of cultivation around the entire Seventh Peak. Anyone could seize a location that was already taken by another, but they must not kill another!

    Even new Outer Court disciples had to fight for a ce to cultivate.

    The powerful disciples took over the best Qi gathering locations, while the low-level disciples had no choice but to cultivate in scarce Qi surroundings.

    This also included Fang Chen, who due to his scheming nature, didn''t show much of his cultivation. With the 5th Level of Qi Refining level, he could have easily taken over a cultivation area with average Qi density.

    Some might say it was stupid, however, his case was different. He was just a pawn in the big scheme of things, and he just didn''t want himself to get much attention in terms of talent and cultivation too early before he could find a safe way out of his predicament.

    "Looks like the Gracious Sword Sect tacitly consents to thepetition between sect disciplesˇ­." Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh emotionally in his heart. The environment within the Gracious Sword Sect was simr to thew of survival within nature, thew of the jungle!

    He could imagine how some of the good ces on Seventh Peak would have surely been already upied by another.

    So if he wanted to find a ce with a good environment, then he must use his cultivation prowess to seize it from the grasps of another.

    This was something that Yun Tian Yun didn''t feel averse to.

    This was a world where the strong were respected, and it ran on the basis of survival of the fittest!

    "My top priority right now is to find a good ce." Ye Tian Yun was clear in his heart that there was no point in thinking too much now, and he must first find a target before taking action.

    -------*------

    A/n:

    Mass Release: 3/3

 Chapter 21 - Meeting First Cannon Fodder

    "Seventh Peak is so big, I wonder where a good ce for cultivating is." Ye Tian Yun walked up the peak for some time, and all the way he saw many sunken gorges on the mountain, but he wasn''t really interested in these gorges.

    There was practically no light within these gorges, and they could be said to be iplete darkness withinˇ­.

    Unknowingly, Ye Tian Yun noticed that he''d already arrived at the peak of Seventh peak.

    There was no railing to hold on to at the peak, and with a single mistake, one might fall down the bottomless chasm and be shattered until nothing remains of one''s selfˇ­.

    Standing on the peak, what entered his eyes was boundless clouds and mist, and his line of sight waspletely obstructed.

    "Looks like it isn''t an easy matter to find a suitable ce of cultivationˇ­.So cold." Ye Tian Yun could feel the cold wind that came at him from the front. It blew on him to the point that his body felt slightly cold, and he couldn''t help but tighten his clothes.

    "I''ll go down and take a look. The ce that chain bridge connects to is already near the peak of the mountainˇ­.There should be more choices below." On his way up here, Ye Tian Yun had noticed some gorges that although were habitable, there were no people within. Obviously, those gorges were ces that were rejected by everyone.

    However, all his efforts turned futile. He had toe back down and now, his only choice was to snatch cultivation locations from others.

    He had stopped himself from earlier because he wanted to try other ways first. If he showed off his cultivation, he would attract unwanted attention. And his other choice was to find a location with lower Qi concentration, however, it won''t do him any good in his uing future ns.

    ''I should just move among the disciples for a bit. Fang Chen had always been an arrogant brat, he must have at least offended someone.'' Ye Tian Yun thought as he made his way down.

    What he wanted to find right now was cannon fodder. This will give him a chance to establish himself in the sect and all let him reveal himself a bit. Though this will indeed attract some unwanted eyes on him, he couldn''t think of anything else right now.

    The sun had begun to set on the western horizon.

    As Ye Tian Yun gazed at the glimmer of dusk on the horizon, he took a deep breath to get himself ready for the uing drama.

    As soon as he finished his thoughts, he walked quickly down the Seventh Peak.

    "Look! Isn''t that the most arrogant outer Court Disciple Fang Chen?"

    "So, it''s him. I really can''t think on what basis is he so arrogant? His family background? But I don''t think it would be helpful here, in the sect."

    "What a waste of such a handsome little fellow! He looks to be only around 15 or 16 years old now. Unfortunately, he turned out to be so arrogant. Even I am perplexed by his thoughts."

    "I heard that an Outer Court Elder recruited him a few years back as an Inner Court Disciple at Xin Royal Capital city, yet who would have known that he would suffer Qi deviationst year and Fang n would have to spend a lot of their resources just to get him in here.

    Supposedly, he''s one of the very few Outer Court Disciple in the history of the Gracious Sword Sect who was allowed to have a back entry. I wonder if his arrogancees from this fact?

    "Well, others call him Gracious Sword Sects greatest arrogant piece of trash. Tsk tsk, this reputation of his is truly resounding!"

    Ye Tian Yun''s footsteps stopped for a second before resuming on his way upon hearing the voice of discussion in the surroundings, he thought, ''Fang Chen guy was also a troublesome fellow. If only he had kept some low profile, I wouldn''t have to hear these idiots.''

    Halfway through, he met his first cannon fodder of the Gracious Sword Sect. He heard a shout from behind, "Oh, isn''t that our most arrogant piece of trash in history? Oh, right, it''s our Great Outer Court Disciple, Fang Chen."

    "Our Outer Court Disciple really found his way back to the sect huh? Have you had a breakthrough or something? And where are your guards? Not here to save your as* I see, Hahaˇ­." Right at this moment, a sound ofughter that carried ridicule sounded out from the side.

    When he heard this ridiculing voice, Ye Tian Yun turned around to look at the three people that stood at the right. These three people also had brown robes, indicating their status of Outer Court Disciple. Ye Tian Yun had an emotionless expression as he gazed at their teasing looks, and his emotions couldn''t be discerned.

    He stared at these three people who had now reached in front of him as if they were gonna perform a monkey show in front of him. He didn''t know who they were and what enmity they had with Fang Chen, however, now that chicken has presented itself in front of him, he wouldn''t let the meat go to waste.

    With an arrogant look on his face, he said, "Am I supposed to know you? Don''t you know one should mind his own matters? Stop creating a show and go back to whatever hole you popped up from!"

    "Hmph, don''t act as if you don''t know me! I am Du Xiu, and you should know who my uncle is. I am not afraid of your Fang n. My uncle is the Manager Xu of the Resource Hall. And his son, my cousin, is an Inner Court Disciple!"

    -

 Chapter 22 - Battle

    "Annoying." Ye Tian Yun replied in a tired voice, "Do you really think I would care less about who your uncle or who your cousin is? I have been really low profile all these times. Sigh."

    Low profile? Did he say he has been low profile? If you were low profile, then no one in the sect was high profile!

    Du Xiu and his twockey''s were looking as if they had taken a punch in their stomach and almost spit out blood.

    "By the way, where is your cultivation locations?" Ye Tian Yun ignored their reaction and asked them without beating around the bush.

    "Haha, so you have also heard of Jin Lei''s defeat by my hands?" Du Xiuughed and said, "That guy was really annoying, I defeated him as soon as I broke through and took over his ''setting sun'' cultivation cave."

    Du Xiu had a smug expression as he recounted his earlier fight with another Outer Court Disciple Jin Lei and how he defeated that guy and seized his cultivation cave.

    "Oh, you broke through?" Ye Tian Yun scrutinised the guy in front of him who was soon gonna have a surprise of his life.

    "What? Shocked? Ha-Ha, the feeling after a breakthrough is truly one of a kind. Oh wait, who am I telling this. I am sure you have almost forgotten this feeling, right, Young Master Fang Chen? HAhaha," Du Xiuughed aloud with hisckey''s who until now though hadn''t said a word but had a gloating expression as if making fun of someone else''s misfortune.

    "Do you know, right now, you sound more like a crow than a human?" Ye Tian Yun made his response with an annoyed expression on his face.

    Crow?

    "Youˇ­.You dare call me a crow?" Du Xia was stupefied, then he looked at Ye Tian Yun with a face full of disbelief. "Youˇ­.You called me a crow earlier?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, he''d never thought of giving any face to this Du Xiu. "Is there something wrong with your ears? But not only if your voice like a crow''s, your appearanceˇ­can''t evenpare to a crow!"

    Appearance can''t evenpare to a crow?

    "Didn''t I just tell you who I am? And you still dare to humiliate me?" Du Xia looked at Ye Tian Yun with a stupefied expression.

    "Humiliate you?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t refrain fromughing when he heard this, and after he finishedughing, his face sank and he said, in a cold voice, "I only said you''re a crow, and it''s humiliating you? You can''t take it? And earlier you were shouting names like arrogant trash, did you think I was enjoying it?"

    Du Xiu looked at Ye Tian Yun, and his eyes contained a piercing coldness as he said, in a low voice, "Are you really seeking death today? Did your trip outside the sect make you senile?"

    "So, what?" Ye Tian Yun replied in a calm voice, though from inside he was very excited because the real show was finally about to start.

    "Hahahahaˇ­." Du Xiu startedughing loudly, and his face with warped features seemed to be gloomy and terrifying. His triangr eyes even seemed as if they were telling the tale of his warped heart.

    Eventually, Du Xiu stoppedughing, and his pair of triangr eyes stared fixedly at Duan Ling Tian. He took a step forward. Traces of coldness were emitted from his body, and his cold, triangr eyes descended onto Ye Tian Yun, "I''m really curious when your cultivation is crippled, will you still have this arrogant smug look on your face?"

    Ye Tian Yun smirked when he heard Du Xiu''s threats. "You want to cripple my cultivation? I''m extremely curious, on what basis do you think you can do this?"

    "On the basis of my Uncle and my Cousin brother, hehe." Du Xiu got ready to teach him a lesson.

    "So my life is lowly like grass, huh?!" Ye Tian Yun looked at Du Xia and his face slightly sank, and his eyes flickered with a frightening cold light. "Do you really think your life is so valuable?"

    "It''s definitely more valuable than yours!" Du Xiu''s voice was cold and indifferent, and his triangr eyes were suffused with an icy-cold sheen as his body inclined forward and instantly moved.

    Instantly, Du Xiu seemed to have transformed into a gust of wind that shed straight towards Ye Tian Yun.

    The narrow sword in his hand whistled out, striking straight towards Ye Tian Yun''s dantian.

    The sword whistled down, enveloping down upon Ye Tian Yun.

    Instantly, the grass around the area of where he and Ye Tian Yun were was blown by a burst of strong wind and danced in the windˇ­.

    The strong wind spread out, blowing at Ye Tian Yun''s Gracious Sword Sect outer court disciple''s attire, causing it to whistle in the wind.

    "Hmph!" Ye Tian Yun''s face sank when faced with the sword images that filled the sky that Du Xiu executed, and a cold light shed within his eyes as a three-foot-long de appeared in his handˇ­.

    "Die!" Du Xiu''s voice tore through the sky, and the sword aimed right at Ye Tian Yun''s dantian as they whistled out, wanting to destroy Ye Tian Yun''s dantian in one go.

    The corners of Ye Tian Yun''s mouth curled into a cold smile.

    This Du Xiu was actually so atrocious!

    Ye Tian Yun made his move. His figure didn''t move, but his hand that held his sword shedˇ­.

    At the same time, his aura burst out, giving everyone at the scene a suffocating feeling.

    "9th Level of Qi Refining!" Du Xiu''s sharp voice sounded out once again, and terror that came from the depths of his heart was mixed within his voice.

    Never had he imagined that an outer court disciple that looked to be around 15 and maybe not even 15 actually had such terrifying cultivation.

    He wanted to withdraw his attack and dodge, but it was already toote.

    A trace of regret arose within his heart.

    "Digging your own grave!" Ye Tian Yun sneered, and the three-foot-long de that whistled out in his hand brought about a burst of ear-piercing whistling sounds and a piercingly cold strong wind.

    One Sword For All!

    With just a single sword strike, Ye Tian Yun found the location of his true sword strike and moved to intercept it.

    ng!

    The sound of the collision sounded.

 Chapter 23 - Seizing The Cultivation Abode

    Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation of 9th Level of Qi Refining Realmpletely suppressed Du Xiu''s 6th Level of Qi Refining Realm cultivation.

    Du Xiu''s hand trembled, his palm split open, and fresh blood dripped out from it, and the narrow sword in his hand flew out.

    "No!" Du Xiu''s pupils constricted when he saw Ye Tian Yun''s sword whistling at him, and he fiercely shouted with a voice that had terror mixed within.

    Whoosh!

    Ye Tian Yun''s hand shook, and the three-foot-long de moved away from Du Xiu''s body in the end, shing towards the side.

    Du Xiu heaved a sigh of relief and gave Ye Tian Yun a gaze that said ''You''re sensible''.

    But in the next moment, his face went pale!

    Because he noticed that although this outer court disciple had swung away from the sword strike that was piercing towards him, he swept his leg out that brought along a terrifying strength with it, shing straight towards his Dantian.

    At the same time that Ye Tian Yun attacked with his leg, his gaze went icy cold.

    "No! No!!" Du Xiu''s triangr eyes constricted. He was extremely frightened in his heart when he saw Ye Tian Yun''s kick shing over, and he didn''t even have the time to cry out when he''d already been kicked flying by Ye Tian Yun.

    Bang!

    Du Xiu''s body flew out like an arrow leaving the bowstring and fiercely fell onto the ground, then he spat out a mouthful of blood.

    "Ah!" Du Xiu''s crow-like, sharp voice emitted an ear-piercing shrill cry that was unpleasant to hear.

    Subsequently, he struggled to stand up, and his pair of triangr eyes stared at Ye Tian Yun. His eyes revealed a dense hatred and mncholy. "Youˇ­.You crippled my Dantianˇ­.You actually crippled my Dantian! I won''t let you off, I won''t let you off!" After leaving a few harsh words, Du Xiu held onto his Dantian as hisckeys swiftly took him away.

    Ye Tian Yun had a smug expression when he heard Du Xiu''s threats, however, killing intent arose in his heart. He wanted to kill this brat right now, however, he somehow calmed down his urges and let them go since he knew killing a sect disciple will only bring him more trouble right now.

    ''Damn, my kill points are gone just like that.'' Ye Tian Yun cared more about his kill points than the troublesome fellow he just let go. He knew, with his cultivation, he was soon gonna get promoted to Inner Court Disciple anyway.

    "Du Xiu, I''ll be taking your cultivation location." Ye Tian Yun looked at Du Xiu''s back, and his cold and indifferent voice sounded out as if giving the final judgement.

    Du Xiu''s figure stopped when he heard Ye Tian Yun, then he turned around to look at him. His triangr eyes emitted bloodthirsty hatred, a hatred that was irreconcble until the death of one partyˇ­.

    "You''ll regret it!" Du Xiu''s voice seemed as if it came from an icy-cold thaw hole and was filled with utmost icy-coldness.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled indifferently as a response. He wasn''t unfamiliar with such petty threats.

    He didn''t care about this anymore and moved on his way towards the cultivation abode.

    In his opinion, right now he didn''t need to do anything and just wait for more fish to get hooked. And Du Xiu was the bait in his ns. He had told him that his Uncle was some kind of manager in the Outer Court, and his cousin was an Inner Court disciple.

    For Ye Tian Yun, this was a heaven-sent opportunity to showcase increased cultivation and slowly let everyone know of his talent in cultivation.

    However, what he didn''t know of was that he was taking this matter too lightly. When the other Outer Court Disciples saw Du Xiu''s battered state and came to know who actually did it, it came as a big shock to them.

    Everyone knew that Fang Chen had yet to have a breakthrough for a long time now, ever since he suffered Qi Deviation. His cultivation had been stagnant at 3rd Level of Qi Refining Realm ever since the Qi Deviation incident and he had yet to regain his earlier talent.

    Hence, when they knew he had taught a lesson to Du Xiu, the 6th Level of Qi Refining Realm cultivator, it wasn''t a piece of small news for them.

    "Did all of you hear about something? That number one arrogant piece of trash in history, wait, no, Fang Chen. He bashed up Du Xiu and his twockeys!"

    "What? Really? That bastard, Du Xiu, was beaten up?"

    "You wouldn''t be lying, right? Du Xiu''s uncle is Manager Xu, and his cousin brother is an Inner Court Disciple. Though Fang Chen has the Fang n as background, would he really do it? And not to forget his cultivation, how is this even possible?"

    "Why would I lie to you? I saw it with my own two eyes. Du Xiu and those two bootlickers of his acted as they usually did. Bullying whoever came in their eyesight, and this time it was Fang Chen, who seemed to have just returned to the sect.

    "Yet who would have expected that they were bashed up by Fang Chen instead! Moreover, Du Xiu shouted about being crippled and dantian, I am pretty sure he is crippled after this incident and won''t be able to cultivate anymore!"

    "Haha! Nice! That bastard Du Xiu always relies on his uncle and cousin brother to bully many of the Outer Disciples here at the Seventh Peak. Now, he finally bit off more than he could chew. Come, let''s go tell the others about this and let them feel happy as wellˇ­."

    In next to no time, the matter of Ye Tian Yun furiously beating up Du Xiu spread throughout the entire Seventh Peak.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, had already arrived at the cultivation abode.

    "The environment here isn''t bad." Ye Tian Yun''s face emitted a trace of a smile.. That Du Xiu''s talent in cultivation was just so-so, but he knew how to live his life rather well.

 Chapter 24 - Investment For Future!

    Before Ye Tian Yun could even sit and rx, he suddenly felt some aura''s approaching, he frowned and thought out vigntly, ''Someone''sing!''

    Ye Tian Yun started moving towards the gate of ''his'' cultivation abode and gaze at the outside situation.

    A few figures walked in withrge strides.

    "Elder Mu, it''s him. He did a sneak attack on me and crippled my Dantian!" The ear-piercing, crow-like voice entered Ye Tian Yun''s ears.

    Hearing the signature voice, Ye Tian Yun didn''t have to look before he knew who it was.

    Even though he''d long since guessed that Du Xiu wouldn''t let it go, he never expected that he would return so quicklyˇ­.

    Ye Tian Yun''s brows knitted when he saw a middle-aged man in the lead of the three people that walked in withrge strides since he didn''t know who it was.

    Behind Elder Mu, Du Xiu had a face full of exasperation, and his hateful gaze gathered onto Ye Tian Yun''s figure as if wanting to swallow himˇ­.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t bother to pay attention to Du Xiu, and his gaze descended onto Elder Mu and the other person that followed behind her.

    This was a female disciple with a delicate and pretty appearance. She was about 23 or 24 years old, and the gaze that she asionally shot at Du Xiu seemed to contain a sense of disgust mixed withinˇ­.

    "Elder Mu." Ye Tian Yun looked at the middle-aged man and lightly nodded.

    "Are you the Fang Chen who took leave from the sect for about two weeks ago?" Elder Mu asked.

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    Elder Mu frowned, then he turned around to look at Du Xiu, who was behind him, and asked indifferently, "Du Xiu, what actually happened? You said that Disciple Fang Chen ambushed you when you were cultivating? You should know how big your usations are. To ambush a fellow sect disciple while he is cultivating is an unpardonable crime."

    As far as he was concerned, this matter was quite weird. First of all, he knew that Fang Chen was only at the 3rd Level of Qi Refining Realm, and even his guards, who had gotten special permission, were not around right now. So, how could he defeat Du Xiu, who was at least three levels higher than him, at the 6th Level of Qi Refining?

    And moreover, cripple Du Xiu''s Dantian? One should know that Dantian is where Qi is mainly stored in the body and to cripple someone''s Dantian, he or she needs to have a full advantage over his opponent, which was even more absurd in this scenario.

    He had a feeling that the matter was absolutely not as simple as Du Xiu said.

    "Yes, Elder Mu." Du Xiu hurriedly nodded, and his atrocious gaze stared fixedly at Ye Tian Yun, "He took advantage of me when I was cultivating to sneak into my cultivation location, then they heavily injured me before crippling my Dantian, after which they seized my cultivation location!"

    "Really?" Elder Mu''s gaze descended onto Ye Tian Yun.

    "Hmm?" Elder Mu noticed Ye Tian Yun''sposed expression and he asked. "What do you have to say about this incident?"

    Ye Tian Yun lightly smiled. "Elder Mu, what this Du Xiu said is only a one-sided statement, and he has no conclusive proofˇ­."

    Elder Mu hadn''t even opened his mouth before Du Xiu shouted out fiercely. "My Dantian that was crippled by all of you is the best proof!"

    "Your Dantian was crippled by me?" Ye Tian Yun startedughing. "Who knows, maybe you fell down while walking and broke your own Dantian from the fallˇ­. What? Seeing I''ve upied your cultivation location, so you want to frame me?"

    Elder Mu nced deeply at Ye Tian Yun, then he opened his mouth once again with a tone that had a sense of seriousness mixed within, "Du Xiu, think properly before you speakˇ­. If I find out you''re deceiving me, I''ll be forced to do Soul Search and expel you from Seventh Peak right away!"

    Du Xiu''s face went pale when he heard this. In the end, he gritted his teeth and eventually narrated the truth of the matter to Elder Mu. He may have a chance after he told them the truth, but if Soul Search was performed on him, there would be no way to survive and all his secrets will also be revealed.

    "Hmph!" In next to no time, Elder Mu''s gaze descended onto, and a strand of coldness shed within his eyes. "Du Xiu, you actually dared lie before me, desiring to frame anotherˇ­.You, what should be your punishment?"

    Du Xiu''s face was ghastly pale, and he gritted his teeth. "Elder Mu, Du Xiu acknowledges his sins. But he crippled my Dantian. Isn''t his offence muchrger? I hope Elder Mu can give Du Xiu justice and cripple his Dantian as well!"

    "Du Xiu, do you really think you are in a position to request anything? If not for my rtions with your uncle, I would have already kicked you out. Now get lost from here!" Elder Mu shouted in anger. It was like he was venting all his anger on Du Xiu.

    "You two! Come and take this trash away from here!" Elder Mu turned towards Du Xiu''sckeys who had also been present at the scene but were observing from far away.

    In no time they lifted Du Xiu and disappeared.

    "Thank you, Elder Mu." Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists and thanked the middle-aged man in front of him.

    "Hmph, You won''t be let off next time!" Elder Mu put on an arrogant expression and disregarding Ye Tian Yun''s greeting, turned away, going back towards the Elder Hall.

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged at his behaviour and returned to his cultivation abode.

    ˇ­

    On their way to the Elder Hall, the young disciple who hade with Elder Mu couldn''t hold back here questions and asked, "Master, may I ask a few questions?"

    "Yeah, go ahead."

    "Master, won''t Du Xiu''s uncle cause you troublete?"

    "His Uncle? Well, I never cared about him. He is just a manager at resource department hall. Except for distributing monthly pills, he is useless."

    "Then Master, why did you not punish Fang Chen? Though Du Xiu is a detestable guy, Fang Chen was also at fault for crippling him." the young disciple asked with a curious expression.

    "Hmm, you can call my actions investments."

    "Investments? Investments for what?"

    "For a better future of course."

 Chapter 25 - Breakthrough!

    Ye Tian Yun had now returned back to his cultivation abode and was thinking about Elder Mu''s actions from earlier.

    He had wild guesses regarding the turnout of events. In his opinion, he wasn''t someone who would repay kindness thousandfold, if this Elder Mu ever came in between his goals, he won''t hesitate to take him out.

    He sat down and thought of his uing ns. Two months from now would be the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    In his previous life, this was also the event where Fang Chen had revealed his cultivation at 6th Realm of Qi Refining and was promoted to the Inner Court Disciple rank, though his limelight was overshadowed by another person, who against all odds, had be the Number One Disciple Of Outer Court, Xiao Ming.

    In mere five months after entering the sect, he had reached the top of the Outer Court with the cultivation of 8th Level of Qi Refining.

    He would then make his name as the most talented disciple Gracious Sword Sect had ever produced.

    Suddenly, while Ye Tian Yun was lost in his thoughts, a sudden prompt focused his attention in front of him.

    *Ding*

    [Quest Complete!]

    [Congrattions Host, you havepleted Side Quest: Enter the Gracious Sword Sect]

    [Rewards: 600 Kill Points]

    [Host is in Lower Realm! All rewards will be increased ten fold]

    [Rewards: 6000 Kill Points]

    ''Damn! And here I was thinking about how I will be spending my next two months!''

    ''System, show me status!''

    [Status]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 7607/20000]

    [Fate Points: 20]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 9th Level of Qi Refining Realm]

    [Cultivation(Original): 2nd Level of Qi Stabilization]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Middle Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    ''System, buy high-tier Qi Gathering Pills!''

    [Qi Gathering Pill (High Tier): 75 Kill Points]

    [How many would the host like to purchase?]

    ''How much time will one Qi Gathering Pill take?''

    [2.5 Day to consume effects of one pill]

    ''Hmm, I have two months, buy me two dozen Qi Gathering pills''

    [Purchase Sess!]

    [You have received 24 Qi Gathering Pills]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 5807]

    ''Time to cultivate!''

    *bzz*

    At that time, the Qi Gathering Pills in Ye Tian Yun''s hands were being refined and absorbed by his dantian.

    His refining speed was extremely fast and it exceededmon sense. Normally, it would take at least one month to refine and absorb one high tier Qi Gathering Pill.

    However, looking at it now, it was already half-way refined just after just one day, and Ye Tian Yun''s dantian that felt like a never-ending cave also had a feeling of being full.

    And like this, Ye Tian Yun continued his cultivation for the next two months.

    *whoosh*

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully advanced to Third Level Qi Stabilization Realm!]

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly opened his eyes, an indescribable expression hung on his face.

    "I seeded. The feeling after breakthrough is the second-best in the world!" Ye Tian Yun was iparably joyful. He jumped down from the bed, and as he walked around, he sized up his body.

    "This is a really strong feeling. Endless amounts of Qi is surging into my body, as though it was going to break through my body."

    This feeling was really great to even a genius like Ye Tian Yun. The Qi in his Dantian was very dense and it was beyond imagination.

    ''It''s time for a good show!''

    ˇ­

    The Gracious Sword Sect''s disciple recruitment only happened once in three years and every time, itsted for about a month.

    After five months of this recruitment, the entrance exam for the inner court would start. It was called the Inner Court Entrance Hunt!

    The exam location was a huge underground pce below each peak. Within the main hall of the underground hall, the number of people went beyond four thousand. And this did not include even a single disciple from other Peaks!

    Most of the people there were at the 6th level of the Qi Refining realm because everyone knew that the inner disciple exam required one to be at least in the 6th level to pass.

    However, there was also a small portion of disciples at the 5th level and they wanted to try to pass it within the confusion. There were people like that every year, but most of them ended with failures.

    They were not mediocre people who trained slowly, and in fact, some of them were even geniuses.

    But they intentionally waited until they were at the 5th level of the Qi Refining realm before participating in the inner disciple exam. The reason? For the reward.

    When one reached the 5th level, they could start training cultivation manuals.

    Cultivation Manuals were very strong attacking methods. Not only could they thoroughly disy strength, they could also make people gain power that exceeded the limits of their body.

    Because of that, cultivation manuals were very precious, and even the rich and powerful families that had existed for generations didn''t have them. That was the reason why all sorts of families had to send their young generations into various sects for cultivation.

    In every sect, there were arge number of cultivation manuals, and within the Gracious Sword Sect, as long as you be an Inner Court disciple, you could start cultivating the cultivation manuals.

    They were also divided into ranks, and from the weakest to the strongest, there were nine ranks.

    Within the Inner court, the best martial skill book was only a rank 3 one.

    But, within the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, the top three person to pass it would get a rank 4 cultivation manual

    That was why those people would rather train in the outer court and not enter the inner court.. It was for the rank 4 martial skill book.

 Chapter 26 - Inner Court Entrance Hunt (1)

    Gracious Sword Sect, a top power that stood aloof and independent in the Xin Royal Kingdom.

    In the boundless years of the past, countless experts of the younger generation in the surrounding kingdoms had gathered here, and they revealed their outstanding and astounding natural talent. They experienced innumerable tempering before they finally grew to be the most dazzling young geniuses.

    On the surface, Gracious Sword Sect''s strength wasn''t really noteworthy, yet only some top existences were clearly aware of the true strength that Gracious Sword Sect possessed, and it wasn''t on the surface, but a type of hidden force.

    It was a sect that epassed the top disciples of the various kingdoms of the Lower Heavens. In the countless years of the past, innumerable top experts had emerged from Gracious Sword Sect, and there was nock of extraordinary figures that stood proudly in the Lower Heavens amongst them.

    These figures that could be called Kings of the younger generation might have left a long time ago, yet a bond of master and disciple that was impossible to eliminatey between them after all.

    Perhaps it wouldn''t be disyed at ordinary times, yet when Gracious Sword Sect truly encountered a threat to its continual existence, those great figures that had emerged from Gracious Sword Sect all those years ago would definitely surge over like the clouds in the sky!

    At that time, the people of the Lower Realm would understand how terrifying the forces that the Gracious Sword Sect concealed beneath the surface were!

    It was like a sleeping dragon that was normally inconspicuous. But when it truly started to awaken, it would probably shake the entire world.

    This was the resources and reserves of the Gracious Sword Sect, and it was the reason it was capable of bing the number one sect in all its surrounding kingdoms.

    ---

    Early in the morning, the sky had just lit up slightly when around four thousand youths were standing on the enormous underground area below the Seventh Peak. These youths were all around 17 years of age, and there were even some that were younger. Even though they were young, no one dared to look down upon them because they were the geniuses that came from kingdom''s in the Gracious Sword Sect''s surroundings.

    It wasn''t exaggerated to call them geniuses because it was extremely difficult to attain the 6th Level of Qi Refining Realm before the age of 17. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be only around four thousand people that hade to participate in the Outer Court Exam from amongst the poption of about thirty thousands disciples on the Seventh Peak alone.

    As he stood in the crowd, Ye Tian Yun gazed at the excited and happy expressions of those youths, and he couldn''t help but sigh with emotion in his heart. His upbringing had been different and this has also affected his outlook towards the world. He had never been a part of a Sect before and now that he was one, his cultivation was already very high. So, he didn''t share the mutual excitement like what other disciples around him were feeling.

    In his opinion, bing an inner court disciple wasn''t his true objective. His main aim toe here and live in disguise was for the Token of Fate and kill Xiao Ming once and for all. And for that he needs to be a part of Inner Court and join the Grand Spirit Hunt. Since he didn''t know if Xiao Ming already had the Token or not, he couldn''t just go and assassinate him right now. He needed to bide his time.

    He wasn''t reaching for something beyond his grasp, and it was instead because he was extremely confident of his own ability.

    While he was lost in his thoughts, sudden outbursts among disciples attracted his attention.

    "Look, isn''t that Hou Xing?"

    "Waa, it really is him. He''s already at the 6th level of Qi Refining by the age of thirteen. It seems like first ce in this exam will be him."

    In the ocean of people, one young man grabbed people''s attention. To be more precise it was a boy.

    There were dozens of hundreds of disciples in the outer court and most of them were unknown characters. However, the focal figures that people paid attention to were mostly geniuses, in which this Hou Xing was one of them.

    "That may not be so. No matter how much aptitude Hou Xing has, he is, at the end, a child. It would be very hard for him to get first."

    "There are many unknown talents in the Gracious Sword Sect, and sometimes geniuses may not be able to beat the mediocre. For example, that Kang Bai." Another outer court disciple pointed with his fingers at a cold young man.

    That person was called Kang Bai. He has been in the Gracious Sword Sect for 6 years and he was also originally an unknown character.

    But a few months ago, he unexpectedly defeated an inner disciple who was in the 9th level of the Qi Refining realm. Because of that, his name was widespread and he became the focal character of the outer court.

    ----

    When the sun gradually rose into the sky and sunlight shone down onto the horizon, three Outer Court Elders appeared on the tform at the underground area at the Seventh Peak. When they noticed the appearance of these three elders, all the youths beneath the tform instantly became restless. They hadn''t be restless because of these elders, and it was instead because the exam was about to begin.

    As he gazed at the four thousand youths beneath the tform, Lai Chang frowned lightly, and his gaze swept from left to right before he sighed in a low voice in the end. "There are only four thousand three hundred plus people this year, and it''s much fewer thanst year. If this continues, then our Seventh Peak would have no sessors!"

    Elder Mu nodded while standing at his side and said, "Yeah, I heard that there are around twenty thousand geniuses that participate during the Ninth Peak Entrance Exam Hunt. The other peaks have more than ten thousand as well, and even the other two sects have over ten thousand geniuses. If this continues, and if we don''t reduce the standards for recruitment, then our Seventh Peak''s outer court will probably be in an embarrassing state of having no one within it!"

    "Lowering the standards is only a temporary relief!" Elder Wu shook his head and said, "If the standards are lowered, then the Gracious Sword Sect would only deteriorate with every generation and would be unable to avoid bing a second-rate power in the end.. I think that we should strive to obtain resources, and if a disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect can kill his way through the uing Grand Spirit Hunt, then we''d be able to obtain a lot of resources. With that, this sort of situation would definitely be turned around!"

 Chapter 27 - Inner Court Entrance Hunt (2)

    When they heard him mention the Grand Spirit Hunt, Lei Mu and Lai Chang instantly sighed lightly, and Lai Chang said whileughing bitterly, "Brother Wu, how could the Sect Master and the others not be aware of this principle? However, how difficult is it to seed in the Grand Spirit Hunt? Are any one of those geniuses in the Grand Spirit Hunt not heaven defying fellows? Especially those geniuses from the Dao Immortal Sect and zing Sun Sect, even though we might not necessarily be able to obtain any advantages while going against them!"

    Elder Mu sighed and said, "To think that my Gracious Sword Sect was so prosperous a hundred years ago. At that time, even the zing Sun Sect had to avoid the edge of our swords. I never expected that it would decline to such a state after a hundred years."

    Elder Wu revealed a bitter smile as well when he heard this, and then he said, "Yeah. In thest ten plus years, since Jiang Yun''s performance in the Grand Spirit Hunt, there actually hasn''t been a single disciple that was able to survive long on that stage, causing our Sword Sect to face such a situation. At the bottom of it all, all of us failed all those years ago!"

    Lai Chang swept the people beneath the tform with his gaze, and then he said, "I heard that a 16 year old young man from Kang n that has attained the Eighth Level of the Qi Refining Realm will be participating in the exam. If he didn''t utilize any medicinal pills and other external forces to improve his cultivation, then attaining the Eighth Level of the Qi Refining Realm at the age of 16 would definitely allow him to be another monstrous genius of our Gracious Sword Sect!"

    Elder Wu nodded and said, "I''ve heard of him as well. That young man seems to be called Kang Bai. Supposedly, he''s known as the most outstanding genius from Kang n in thest 100 years. If the rumours are true, then after he enters the Inner Court, it would definitely encourage others to cultivate more, after all, not everyone would have the chance to participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    "Yet he still falls short against Hou Xing, the number one Outer Court Disciple of the Ninth Peak, if not all the Outer Court Peaks." Lai Chang couldn''t help but sigh at their current situation.

    "Indeed. His cultivation was already not less than that of an Inner Court Disciple six months ago!"

    Elder Mu smiled with ridicule at the side. Most outstanding genius in 100 years? Is it more monstrous than Fang Chen''s talent who has reached 9th Level of Qi Refining Realm at just fourteen years of age? If the others knew of Fang Chen''s cultivation talent, then those peak masters and all the elders of the Gracious Sword Sect would be shocked. However, he wouldn''t tell them about it because he had his own ns right now.

    The current Gracious Sword Sect though seemed calm, the real hidden situation was actually full of turmoil. With Sect Leader and Grand Elder against each other, many elders had already started picking up sides.

    After some time, Lai Chang raised his head to nce at the disciples below, and then he said, "Brother Mu, you preside over the first stage!"

    When he heard this, Elder Mu adjusted his mental state before taking a few steps forward. He gazed at the slightly immature youths below while a wisp of a gratified expression floated up into appearance within his eyes. He raised his hands, causing the originally slightly morous voices from below to instantly vanish, and everyone wentpletely quiet.

    Lei Mu said, "Everyone, I''m an Outer Court Elder, Lei Mu. All of you can call me Elder Mu. I''m one of the elders that will be presiding over the exam this time. Firstly, I represent the Gracious Sword Sect in weing all of you. Secondly, congrattions because being able to stand here proves that you''re extraordinary. Even if you''re unable to be an inner court disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect, your aplishments in the future will definitely be outstanding."

    After speaking for a long time, Elder Mu got to the point and said, "The exam is divided into three stages. The first stage will test the foundation of your cultivations. The objective of this stage is to eliminate those that improved their cultivations through the use of medicinal pills or those who possess unstable cultivations. Now, I''ll emanate the imposing might of my cultivation at the Qi Stabilization Realm, and those that are able to endure it until the end will be considered to have passed!"

    As soon as he finished speaking, Elder Mu''s figure shed, and he appeared above the youths. After that, the Qi within his body circted, and a strand of terrifying imposing aura surged out explosively from his body. In the end, it pressed down like a hill towards all the youths beneath him.

    AH!!!

    Some youths were caught off guard, and they directly copsed to the ground under the might of this pressure. In less than 15 minutes of time, almost seventy percent the participants had copsed to the ground, and people were still copsing.

    Elder Mu hadn''t even used his whole might, and for them to fail even the first round was quite shameful.

    When they saw half the youths had already copsed, Elder Wu and Elder Lai Chang''s brows furrowed because the quality of these participants was quite horrible!

    This was even below their lowest expectations.

 Chapter 28 - The Real Hunt

    On the square, Ye Tian Yun remainedposed and wasn''t affected by the pressure at all. His cultivation was extremely solid, and he''d even experienced life and death battles. Moreover, he''d experienced the pressure from Foundation establishment and Core Formation experts, so when facing the pressure emanated by an expert at the Peak Qi Stabilization Realm and under the condition that Elder Mu had held back, he wasn''t affected at all.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and looked to his right. At this moment, there was a young man around the age of 16 on his right, and the young man was looking at him. The young man wore a gorgeous white robe and had a handsome appearance. Even though the young man''s appearance was slightly immature, his entire body was covered in a wealthy disposition, and the arrogant expression on his face wasn''t really concealed.

    Of course, most importantly, the young man was just like Ye Tian Yun. He wasn''t affected by the pressure emanated by a Qi Stabilization expert at all, and this caused Ye Tian Yun to be slightly surprised in his heart.

    When he saw Ye Tian Yun look at him, Ling Yun instantly withdrew his gaze and said in a low voice, "It looks like not all the participants in this Inner Court Entrance Hunt are trash. It''s good that there is some slightly better grass to serve as contrast, otherwise, it would be too boring!"

    Ye Tian Yun withdrew his gaze as well, and then he closed his eyes and rested his mind once more. Perhaps the young man''s strength wasn''t bad, yet it was utterly meaningless to Ye Tian Yun.

    After an hour passed, Elder Mu restrained his imposing aura before turning around and shing onto the tform. When he noticed that an expanse of youths had copsed on the ground and only a few hundred youths remained, Elder Mu shook his head slightly and sighed lightly. He''d already held back, yet he''d never expected that so many would still be eliminated, so it was obvious how he felt at this moment.

    As soon as Lei Mu restrained his imposing aura, many people instantly heaved sighs of relief. Ye Tian Yun shook his head inwardly when he noticed this. If Elder Mu continued for a while longer or slightly strengthened the pressure he emanated, there would probably be even more people that copsed.

    As he gazed at those youths that had copsed around him, a wisp of a disdainful sneer appeared on the corners of Ling Yun''s mouth, and he said in a light voice, "Trash! All of you can''t even endure the mere imposing aura of a Qi Stabilization cultivator!" As soon as he finished, he turned around to look at Ye Tian Yun, and he revealed a teasing smile.

    Ye Tian Yun when he noticed the young man''s expression. There really are a lot of idiots that look for trouble!

    Meanwhile, Elder Wu took a few steps forward, and he gazed at the remaining six hundred youths as he said, "Those that have copsed, head to the side immediately, whereas those that are still standing should immediately meditate and rest. The second stage will begin in an hour!"

    "It will be the most important stage of this event and also the reason why this exam is conducted underground. You will be hunting a spirit beast, the Qi Stealing Mole for its beast core."

    The so-called beast core was used in creating a medicine that contained Qi. There were different types, and spiritual medicine was divided into low quality, medium quality, high quality, and top quality. The Qi Gathering Pill that Ye Tian Yun had was a high-quality spiritual medicine.

    The Inner Court Entrance Hunt was welfare for the outer court disciples by the Gracious Sword Sect.

    In a certain area on the Gracious Mountain Range, there wererge amounts of spirit beasts, and that area was also home to many, known as the Spiritual Medicine Mountain.

    Spiritual Medicine Mountain. It was originally one of the forbiddennds of the Gracious Sword Sect, but every year, the sect would suffer big losses due to the presence of Qi Stealing Moles.

    These spirit beasts ate the spiritual medicine and this created a lot of trouble for the sect. However, the beast core of these beasts turned out to be very useful. It wasparable to a low tier Qi Gathering Pill.

    This event was called the ''Hunt'' because the disciples had to hunt down these spirit beasts. They could hide in the ground, run away with extreme speed, and they even had strong attacks so it was quite difficult to pick them.

    The Spiritual Medicine Mountain was a forbiddennd. The entire mountain hadyers of seals.

    Unless one had flying abilities, they could only enter the Spiritual Medicine Mountain from the entrance.

    There were eight entrances in the Spiritual Medicine Mountain and all eight entrances had elders guarding there. Only at the time of the Inner Court Entrance Exam Hunt would they be opened.

    And all these gates were underground, which made trespassing very difficult.

    After an hour, all eight entrances opened. The outer court disciples who had passed the first stage could now enter and almost four hundred disciples came in from all directions.

    "This Spiritual Medicine Mountain is quite a mysterious ce."

    Ye Tian Yun wandered around in the Spiritual Medicine Mountain. His gaze was attracted to the huge, sky covering trees and the dense bushes.

    It was the first time that he saw such beautiful nts. Even the fragrances of the flowers were very dense and the otherworldly scene intoxicated him.

    "Qi Stealing Mole?" Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun saw a strange beast popping it''s head out of the ground, staring at him.

 Chapter 29 - Qi Stealing Mole

    "Qi Stealing Mole?" Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun saw a strange beast popping its head out of the ground, staring at him.

    It had a height of five inches with four sharp ws on each paw, entirely brown, and it was covered with a faint light. This was the low-rank Qi Stealing Mole

    *puu*

    But before even getting close, the Qi Stealing Mole contracted itself and started to escape.

    *whoosh*

    Seeing that, Ye Tian Yun made a sudden leap, but he was one step too slow. The Qi Stealing Mole had already burrowed into the ground when he arrived.

    "These things are faster than I expected, let''s see how long you can stay alive." Ye Tian Yun drylyughed, but he was not impatient. He scanned around with his gaze.

    He knew that the Qi Stealing Mole could escape underground, but after a certain distance they must return to the surface, and the escaping direction was usually straight. This was because of the side effects of eating too many spiritual nts. Too much spiritual nts had adverse effects on them, even numbing their sense of direction. In fact, even the special lustre on its body was also due to consuming too many spiritual nts.

    Even after such harmful effects, these Qi Stealing Mole seemed to have be addicted to spiritual nts.

    So, Ye Tian Yun felt that as long as he confirmed the escaping tracks of the Qi Stealing Mole, it was not going to be difficult to catch them with his speed.

    *whoosh*

    Just at that time, a light shed, and a Qi Stealing Mole came out of the ground. It was obviously the same one that just escaped and was trying to get a sense of direction.

    But just as the Qi Stealing Mole revealed itself, it suddenly burrowed back into the ground and continued escaping.

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, and he strode over several steps, then leapt through the air like a sly rabbit. His hands formed into an eagle''s w, and he grabbed at the empty space in front of him.

    *whoosh*

    Just as Ye Tian Yun had thought, when hended on the ground, the Qi Stealing Mole came out from the ground again to understand the direction.

    But this time, Ye Tian Yun was faster than it. He did not give any chance for it to escape and caught it. Ye Tian Yun''s big hands tightly grabbed onto its branches and pulled it out of the ground.

    *jijiji*

    It tried its best to escape and made an ear-piercing noise to get out of Ye Tian Yun''s hold. However, all of it was futile. Its struggle onlysted for a second.

    *sh*

    Ye Tian Yun took out a small knife from his spatial ring and shed it across the Qi Stealing Mole. It took itsst breath and went still.

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a low tier Qi Stealing Mole, and gained 1 Kill Points!]

    Ye Tian Yun sighed as he looked at the notification and used his knife to pull out a sparkling beast core.

    ''This thing is really quite strange. This beast core has Qi concentrationparable to that of a peak mid-tier beast core. I can''t even imagine just how many spiritual nts this single beast had eaten, and there are thousands like this one on the mountain. Gracious Sword Sect is facing a lot of losses due to these Qi Stealing Moles.'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh.

    However, to him, this was not the thing he needed to be worried about. Gracious Sword Sect was only a temporary stop in his journey. Once he had finished his objective, he would move on to the next target.

    Just when he was about to get up, he heard another prompt from the system,

    [Host, would you like to consume the Qi Stealing Mole beast core?]

    "How many kill points will I receive?"

    [It will depend on the Qi concentration in the beast core. The one currently with you will grant six Kill Points.]

    "Oh, it''s better I use them for the exam. Let''s hunt as many beast cores as possible in the next few hours."

    The underground cave paths were veryrge andplicated. It was very rare to meet other disciples. So, Ye Tian Yun who already didn''t care about other participants was now a bit more carefree. Though, he did guess that the Elders were keeping an eye on the participants.

    The Spiritual Medicine Mountain was divided into the core-circle, inner-circle, and outer-circle.

    The outer-circle had the low tier Qi Stealing Moles, the middle-circle had the mid-tier Qi Stealing Moles, and the core-circle had the high tier Qi Stealing Moles.

    Though the high tier Qi Stealing Moles were very few in numbers but wereparable to a Qi Stabilization Realm cultivator. They didn''t escape like the low tier ones, but proactively attacked anyone who trespassed ''their'' territory.

    This was also why many disciples didn''t dare to head too deep into the underground cave paths in fear of encountering high tier Qi Stealing Mole spirit beast.

    Ye Tian Yun kept going on, hunting down any Qi Stealing Mole which crossed his path, only caring about the pleasant sound of system prompts,

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a low tier Qi Stealing Mole, and gained 1 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a low tier Qi Stealing Mole, and gained 1 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a low tier Qi Stealing Mole, and gained 1 Kill Points!]

    ˇ­

    This was the second stage of the total three stages of Inner Court Entrance Hunt. And would go on for about six hours. This hunt will also decide the pre-rankings, with the one who hunted most on the top and then so on in descending order of the total number of beast cores the disciples are able to acquire.

    The third stage would be a head-on battle between top disciples. It would be a simple one round elimination match.

    Disciples would challenge the pre-ranked disciples from round two and battle it out if they think they can get a higher rank. Each disciple had one chance to challenge anyone higher within twenty ranks than them. While the challenged disciple had three chances to deny the challenge. If a disciples challenge was denied, he still had the chance to challenge someone else.

    Top ten disciples couldn''t deny the challenges, however, the only advantage they had was they only needed to battle five times.

    After the challenge, the one who wins will get sixty per cent of total points from the loser.

 Chapter 30 - Yuan Shuchun

    The elders who were presiding over the exam and observing the current situation in a different room. They had a white screen, built from Qi arrays, in front of them on a wall. This screen was further split into blocks which showed situations from different corners of the cave maze the students were participating in. This special Qi array was like a Security Room from one of the supreme races of the world, the Readers. Though this part is not important right now.

    Here, it took a lot of resources to maintain this array and everyone present had to circte their Qi through its mechanism. This array wasmonly known as the Grand Observation Net and was mostly used by big sects, ns, and kingdoms to keep a lookout on important events and ces.

    At this moment,

    "Cough." Suddenly, a loud and clear sound echoed throughout the Observation Room.

    All three elders were alerted and they turned around.

    Looking at the source, they couldn''t help but stare nkly. They saw a young woman pass through the door and enter the Observation room.

    The young woman was wearing a tight blue robe, indicating her status of a Core Disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect. She had an alluring curvy figure and was no less than a hand-carved sculpture by the god of art himself.

    Not only was her body attractive, but her appearance was also extremely lovely. With round eyes, red lips, and an oval face, it was just like a fox face.

    She was a famous core disciple of Gracious Sword Sect, known for her beauty and cultivation talent, Yuan Shuchun.

    (A/n: Yuan Shuchun literally means Pure Beauty)

    Yuan Shuchun was a very talented individual. She entered the Gracious Sword Sect at the age of 9, cleared the Inner Court Entrance Exam Hunt to be an Inner Court disciple at the age of 13, and became a core disciple at the age of 15, and now, currently aged 17, she was one of the top disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    With her crazy cultivation speed, beauty, and background, everyone knew in their mind that she was bound to be the Number One Disciple of Gracious Sword Sect in the uing future.

    "Young Miss Yuan Shuchun, it''s an honour to meet you."

    "Hello, Elders. I am sent here by the Grand Elder to assess the current situation. Please give a brief detail about this time''s hunt." Without beating any bush, Yuan Shuchun cleared all the doubts the elder in front of her had regarding her visit to the Observation Room.

    "Ah, well, I am afraid the report won''t sound very good. This time, the participation was lower than the previous hunts with only four thousand seven hundred forty-three disciples, and the average cultivation being only 6th Realm of Qi Refining. And only four hundred sixty-four students managed to pass the First Stage, and now are currently in the cave maze below the Spiritual Medicine Mountain for the Second Stage. And we are currently observing the situation from here."

    "This is indeed not good. I have arrived here at thest, andpared to the situation at the other peaks, it really is the worst. And this time, the Ninth Peak is having the fiercestpetition of all, with average cultivation of 8th Level of Qi Refining, and Hou Xing in the lead with Peak Qi Refining cultivation, they havee on the top. And then the Fifth, Eighth and Sixth Peaks have a simr scenario and average cultivation of participants being 7th Level of Qi Refining. You can see that the Seventh Peak is at its worst state right now." Yuan Shuchun gave her analysis non-stop to make the elders understand what their Peak''s current position was.

    Elder Wu couldn''t help but sigh at this predicament as he said, "This actually can''t be improved as of now. We all know what is actually going on in the sect, and soon the whole situation will be chaotic and burst like a volcano if things aren''t corrected before it''s toote."

    "I have simr thoughts too, the current cold war between the top management, if not stopped, it wouldn''t just affect them, but the whole sect and other surrounding kingdoms too." Elder Mu put forward his thoughts on the current situation, "However, it''s not in our hand, we can''t affect the whole situation and can only calm down and try to do our best,"

    "Elders look, what is going on with this?" Lai Chang, who hadn''t said a word in this whole situation and was observing the array screen on the wall.

    "I''ve been organising the hunt for so many years but this really is the first time that I''ve seen a disciple that is killing Qi Stealing Moles at such speed." Elder Lai Chang continued in astonishment.

    Currently, only one hour had passed and someone had already gathered more than a hundred Qi Stealing Mole beast cores.

    This change grabbed everyone''s attention. Everyone else in the Observation room all gathered around and they were all very startled.

    "It seems that there''s an interesting character within the outer court disciples this year."

    Yuan Shuchun also gathered over, and as she looked at the array screen, she nodded with satisfaction, "Since it''s like this, we can''t let him pass so easily. Let me make it more interesting and we will see his talent on situation handling too."

    After saying that, she looked over to a table in a corner. There were three round stones embedded on the table.

    Suddenly, she smiled strangely and hit the three stones with three bangs.

    "Don''t touch it!" Seeing that, all three elders there were rmed.

    But it was toote. At that time all three stones were already pressed by Yuan Shuchun.

    "What? Won''t these stones make the low tier feel a bit crazy and be chaotic?" Looking at the elders in panic, Yuan Shuchun also felt that something was wrong.

    "No!" All three elders shouted at once.

    "This is the Seventh Peak, young miss Yuan Shuchun! The entrance here is closest to the high-tier Qi Stealing Moles. And these buttons are precisely for them." Elder Lai Chang who had been calm this whole day couldn''t help but shout out loud.

    "Those three stones will release a high tier Qi Stealing Mole, it has been caged in the core region of the Spiritual Medicine Mountain and the Seventh Peak is closest to that ce. Though only one would be released, it alone can lead to a huge massacre.." Elder Wu couldn''t help but tremble at the thoughts of the current uing situation.

 Chapter 31 - High Tier Qi Stealing Mole!

    The Elders clearly knew the consequences of what had just happened. They understood the nature of Qi Stealing Mole better than Yuan Shuchun.

    The low tier Qi Stealing Moles weren''t very harmful and could be handled by a single Outer Court disciple, with an average cultivation level. However, the high tier Qi Stealing Moles were a different story. Not only were they fierce and ruthless, but they also had high battling prowess and intelligence. In front of them, Qi Refining cultivators were no more than bugs on the ground.

    The Elders knew there could be a big massacre due to this silly mistake by a disciple and could turn this simple event into the worst day in the history of Seventh Peak.

    "What should we do now?" Elder Lai Chang, who knew this situation was going to be troublesome to handle, couldn''t help but ask, "Should we call out all the disciples?"

    "No, we can''t. This event can''t be stopped. Our Peak is already in trouble and now we can''t let this ident get out." Before Elder Wu could say, Elder Mu interfered and warned everyone at the scene of their worst fear.

    "Isn''t there a way to close the cage?

    "Indeed. Come, let''s go to that cage gate first, we need to take out this high tier Qi stealing Mole once and for all," Elder Wu said and started moving towards the location.

    Elder Lai Chang and Yuan Shuchun followed Elder Wu, while Elder Mu stayed in the Observation Room to handle the situation and keep an eye on the other disciples.

    They needed to get to the cage gate as soon as possible, but even the fastest way would take them equal to the time taken to finish half of a meal.

    (A/n: time equal to ''half of a meal'' = about 15 to 20 minutes)

    "Why does this ce have different mechanisms than the other peaks?" Yuan Shuchun, who was still in shock and was following behind, hadn''t processed what the elders in front of her had exined just a few moments ago.

    "Miss, this is Seventh Peak, and closest to the core region of Spiritual Medicine Mountain. So, to keep a lookout on the high tier beasts, this peak has a different Array system than the others." Elder Wu who was ahead of her with just a few steps replied without turning back.

    "Damn it, I hope this situation can be handled as soon as possible." Yuan Shuchun couldn''t help but curse her luck. This was herst stop before going to report to the Grand Elder and go back to her cultivation and now even more of her time was being wasted because of her stupid mistake.

    "Is there no way to close that cage?" Yuan Shuchun asked without decreasing her pace.

    "There is one. And Elder Mu will take care of that. What we need to do right now is to take care of that beast which has already gotten out of that ce." Elder Wu replied again.

    ˇ­

    In the Lower Heavens, publicly, beasts were categorized into Tiers and then were subcategorized into Ranks.

    Three tiers, Low, Mid and High and their Nine ranks, from one to nine, with rank one being the lowest.

    A low tier Qi Stealing Mole in the outer region of the Spiritual Medicine Mountain was usually a Low Tier Sixth Rank Qi Stealing Mole and had cultivationparable to the 6th Level of Qi Refining Realm cultivator. The Mid Tier Qi Stealing Moles were equivalent to Qi Condensation Realm.

    And the high tier Qi Stealing Moles were usually ranked one to three, with cultivationparable to 1st to 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization Realm cultivator.

    It had been four hours since the start of Stage Two and just a few breaths since the ident at the Observation Room, Ye Tian Yun, who was oblivious to the current situation, was hunting down Low Tier Qi Stealing Moles non-stop and had umted a lot of Kill Points.

    (A/n One breath is about ten to fifteen seconds.)

    In Ye Tian Yun''s opinion, he already had bagged the first position of Pre-Rankings after this stage, however, since he didn''t want waste this chance of getting Kill Points, and he was also secretly enjoying the act of hunting down these little beasts, he continued with his work and took down more and more Qi Stealing Moles.

    Ye Tian Yun came to a halt to take a break. He wanted to catch his breath and resume after a few moments. He thought of status to assess his current gains.

    [Status]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 6181/20000]

    [Fate Points: 20]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 9th Level of Qi Refining Realm]

    [Cultivation(Original): 3nd Level of Qi Stabilization]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Middle Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    "Hmm, well, I am indeed the most talented guy around here" Ye Tian Yun smirked as he saw the increment in Kill Points in thest few hours amounted to more than three hundred fifty.

    [Host, there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance.]

    "...Then shouldn''t I at least encourage myself?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but remark back.

    [The biggest challenge about sess is shutting up about it]

    "..."

    "Damn, now I wish I hadn''t taken a break." Ye Tian Yun got up and got ready to resume his hunting.

    However, just then.

    *Bang*

    A heavy object struck him from behind and his body ended up flying and hitting the opposite wall.

    When he regained his senses and looked up, he couldn''t help but be shocked. The wall where he had rested was now turned into rubble, with debris creating a dust smoke, and all he could understand was that there was a huge conical rock behind the dust, standing straight as if ring straight as it.

    *woosh*

    The ''rock'' moved at a fast swift towards him. Not giving him anyway out, it struck on his chest.

    Ye Tian Yun tried to get up, this sudden turn of events had given his body a shock.

    He looked up and clearly saw what had hit him.

    "High tier Qi Stealing Mole!"

    -----*-----

    A/n: The System is from the Redditors Realm.. So are his puns.

 Chapter 32 - Next Time, Keep Your Ears Open.

    *Rawr*

    *Groan*

    "Damn, I am not the protagonist! Why did this happen to me?" Ye Tian Yun fell back again after the beast in front of him hit him for the fourth continuous time.

    "I really don''t want to go all out!"

    He stretched out his hand, and immediately a ''swish'' sound of a sword being unsheathed was heard.

    Ye Tian Yun wanted to use his maximum strength. As matters stand, he did not dare to have any carelessness, sword striking down.

    However, the beast was faster. It stopped the iing sword with his sharp ws and blocked the sword in between its ws.

    *snap*

    The sword was now broken into two.

    Ye Tian Yun fell down. As if waiting for this moment, the Qi Stealing Mole moved and struck again. This time trying to crush Ye Tian Yun under its foot.

    ''Crap!'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but hiss as he barely escaped from death, ''Damn it, why the hell is this even attacking and where the fudge is those damned Elders!''

    ''Looks like I won''t be able to escape if I continue to have my cultivation suppressed.'' Ye Tian Yun dodged another iing w and rolled over to the side.

    ''System, stop the barrier on my cultivation!''

    [Cultivation recovered]

    [Cultivation: 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    A weird butfortable feeling spread through Ye Tian Yun''s body, giving him relief from the pain he was suffering from the beast''s surprise attacks from earlier. He felt endless Qi surging through his body.

    ''All right, time to finish this game.'' He once again stretched out his hand and a new sword appeared in his hand, straight out of his spatial ring.

    "One Ray of Cold Light..." Ye Tian Yun let out a long drawn-out chant as he struck his sword with a loud ''ng''. The look in his eyes instantly became sharper in that instant, "One sword for all!"

    "Shiek!" Only a cutting sound was heard, this beast''s w was suddenly cut by Ye Tian Yun direct hit.

    That beast roared and dropped down.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped on the wall debris, not far from it, suddenly making his figure like an arrow, dropping towards that High tier Qi Stealing Mole to finish it off with his killing blow.

    He didn''t give a chance for the beast to recover and went for its head.

    *sh*

    *thud*

    Ye Tian Yun stopped behind the beast. The beast remained still for a second before falling down with a thud.

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a High Tier Second Rank Qi Stealing Mole, and gained 100 Kill Points!]

    ''100? Just 100? Aren''t they too little?'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but call out to the system.

    [System is fair, unbiased and impartial]

    ''Damn, I really wanna argue with you, but I still need to clear everything.'' Ye Tian Yun went near the body of the beast, took out a small knife and cut out the beast core of the beast.

    A beast core of high tier spirit beast was no less than a fortune for any cultivator of the Lower Heavens.

    Ye Tian Yun then raised his head and looked at the far end of the wall and said, "How long are you gonna hide, you shoulde out now."

    From behind the wall came a young man, aged around seventeen, he was none other than one of the top contenders for the first rank, Kang Bai.

    Kang Bai wasn''t a very famous character and rose to fame after defeating a 9th Level Qi Refining Realm Inner Court Disciple in a sparring match. He wasn''t very arrogant though, because he had been cultivating in the Gracious Sword Sect for about six years now and was known as one of the most preserving and hard-working Outer Court disciples. Though his talent, as per the Lower Heavens'' standard, was above average, his luck wasn''t always good.

    After six years of patiently cultivating, he had finally reached the point where he could rule over the Outer Court.

    With his perseverance, he was able to maintain his stand against the aura of a Qi stabilization Realm of Elder Mu in Stage One, and in Stage Two, though he did face some difficulty, in the beginning, he soon got a hang of the situation and was able to easily hunt down more than a hundred low tier Qi Stealing Moles and get their beast cores.

    However, when he decided to rest for some time, he heard a sudden bang from a certain direction. The first thought that came to his mind was that there was a fight going on between many disciples, and he couldn''t hold himself back, wanting to reap some benefits from the chaos.

    But when he arrived at the scene, he became terror-stricken as he saw a huge Qi Stealing Mole, most probably in the high tier, and what made him even more shocked was that there was an unknown outer court disciple fighting against it. And somehow, that disciple wasn''t dead even after big blows from the beast and was able to hold against him.

    Before Kang Bai could even digest the situation in front of him, an overbearing yet familiar pressure enveloped him. The same pressure he had faced in Stage One, the same pressure as that of an elder, and it wasing from the Outer Court Disciple in front of him. A pressure of Qi Stabilization Realm. Kang Bai couldn''t believe this situation.

    How was it possible for someone no older than fifteen to have the cultivation of Qi Stabilization Realm?

    One must know that at Qi Stabilization Realm the disciples could apply to be an Elder at the Gracious Sword Sect, in fact not only here, but in more than half of the organizations of the Lower Heavens, the Qi Stabilization Realm was nominal cultivation of Outer Elders.

    And then, he saw the disciple in front of him cut down the high tier Qi Stealing Beast with ease and kill it in the next blow.

    And now, he was found out by that disciple, and he really couldn''t help but curse his luck.

    "Who are you?" Kang Bai tried his best not to shiver in his voice as he asked the powerful and mysterious disciple in front of him.

    "I am Fang Chen." Ye Tian Yun replied, and asked, "What are you?"

    "I am Kang BˇŞugh" Kang Bai looked down as he saw a sword pierced through his chest. With his eyes now opened wide, he mustered all his strength to ask, "Wh...aii?"

    "I didn''t ask who. I asked what. In the next life, remember to keep your ears open.." Ye Tian Yun instantly appeared in front of him and with his small knife, sliced his throat.

 Chapter 33 - The Battle Scene

    As soon as Kang Bai took hisst breath, a system prompt appears in front of Ye Tian Yun

    [Congrattions Host, you have sessfully killed a 8th Level Qi Refining cultivator, and gained 8 Kill Points!]

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t waste any second and immediately tried to cover up clues of his deed. He didn''t want to let anyone associate the killed beast with him.

    This was also the reason why he didn''t spare Kang Bai. In his opinion, he just gave that guy an early death and it was his curiosity that killed him. One simply shouldn''t poke his nose in others business.

    Putting aside this matter from his mind, Ye Tian Yun took a huge stone from the debris and smashed it on Kang Bai''s body, mutting his face. He then took out two swords from Kang Bai''s spatial ring, stabbed one into the dead Qi Stealing Mole, covering it with blood. And then, put that sword into Kang Bai''s hands.

    ''This guy didn''t even have his weapon ready even when he knew he was in trouble.''

    He then broke the second sword, reced it with his broken sword and put the Kang Bai''s sword in its ce.

    After that, he gathered and umted Qi from the surrounding and passed it through his fist. He used all of his strength and gave a powerful punch on the dead Qi Stealing Mole''s body.

    *Bang* *Splurt*

    The body was broken into pieces and the scene became bloody and gory.

    Putting his own broken sword back into his spatial ring, he got up and sensed the surroundings. After observing the leastmotion from the west, he went into that direction.

    ''System, I want to suppress my cultivation back to the 9th Level of Qi Refining Realm.''

    [Host, this is the only chance you will be able to suppress your cultivation. After this, if you remove the barrier and wish to suppress your cultivation again, you will have to buy another Aura Suppressing Pill]

    ''I remember this part. Continue and suppress my cultivation back to the previous one.''

    [Cultivation Realm Suppressed!]

    [Cultivation(suppressed): 9th Level of Qi Refining]

    [Cultivation(Original): 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization]

    ˇ­

    Sometimeter, Yuan Shuchun and the Elders arrived at the crime scene.

    What they saw astounded them.

    There was debris everywhere, a typical site of a big battle. And there were broken side walls, a body of a disciple with his face under a huge rock and body parts of what looked like a beast, most probably the high tier Qi Stealing Mole.

    Many questions popped up in their head. What happened? Who is that disciple? How is that beast dead? Why is everything in chaos? Why are both, the disciple and the beast, dead? How did they die? Was there anyone else at the scene too?

    No one spoke for a long time and quietly observed the scene. They wanted to understand what had truly happened.

    Elder Wu broke the ice as he asked, "What are your thoughts on this incident, everyone? What do you think could have transpired here?"

    "Well, it is clear from the current scene that a big fight must have happened here. And from the looks of it, I don''t think a third party is involved here." Elder Lai Chang put forward his thoughts.

    "Hm? Why would you think that, Elder? Look at that disciple''s spatial ring, it is not in his finger but on the ground. This alone makes this scene suspicious. Who will remove his spatial ring in a fight which could decide his life and death in an instant? And the hand with the ring marks on the finger is holding a sword, so how did the spatial ringe out?" Yuan Shuchun objected to Elder Lai Chang''s guesses.

    "Indeed, what you said does make sense but look over there, didn''t you notice that broken sword? That must have been this disciple''s first weapon, and he must have taken out the spatial ring in the fight for his second weapon. Though he could have also taken out the sword without removing the spatial ring, looking at his dislocated shoulder, it looks pretty justified that he had no other choice but to remove the spatial ring." Elder Lai Chang slowly exined why he had said there couldn''t be any other party involved in this.

    "But couldn''t the third party remove the spatial ring and stage this whole scene?" Yuan Shuchun still had a feeling that something was wrong with the scene.

    Lai Chang sight and said, "Maybe, but most probably not. Look around, what do you see? Broken body part of the Qi Stealing Mole, that too in irregr shape and size. And we know a Qi Stabilization Cultivator couldn''t have entered this Hunt, so most probably, it is due to the beastmiting suicide by tiggering its beast core."

    "Yeah, I also have simr thoughts." Elder Wu, who was observing and listening to the thoughts of his colleague, said, "I think I may have the basic understanding of what has happened here, this disciple had bad luck and he ended up meeting the high tier Qi Stealing Mole. But he didn''t give up on the situation and fought against it for life. And even managed to cut a hand off the beast. Yes, look over there, that w is so cleanly cut, clearly shows a sharp weapon was used, and then look at the sword in the disciple''s hand, it''s covered with beast blood."

    Elder Lai Chang at the side turned towards the hand and said, "Yeah, I was also having doubts about the blood. But now looking at that w, I think it is most probably that after it was cut off, the beast had gone berserk and that had led to the destruction of the side walls. And then, even after many tries, it must have gotten frustrated enough that it chose to the self dustrict itself by triggering its beast core."

    Elder Wu nodded and finished describing the scene by saying, "And the self-destruction must have led to the death of this disciple."

    "Who is this disciple?" Yuan Shuchun, who also thought that now all loopholes were clear, couldn''t help but wonder about the identity of the dead disciple.

    Elder Lai Chang removed the rock on the disciples face with a slight push and said, "His face is mutted. I don''t think we can identify him. We need to check his spatial ring."

    Yuan Shuchun picked up the spatial ring and took out everything from inside on the floor.

    Elder Lai Chang looked for something which could identify the disciple and found a brown token which said, ''Outer Court Disciple'' on one side and ''Kang Bai'' on the other.

    "Kang Bai!?" Elder Wu couldn''t help but shout out loud.

    ---*---

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, don''t forget toment on them.

    As usual, Vote, Comment and add this book to your library!

 Chapter 34 - The Truth (1)

    "Hm? Elder Wu, do you know this disciple?" Yuan Shuchun who didn''t understand the situation of Seventh Peak Outer Court very well couldn''t help but ask Elder Wu when he shouted the disciple''s name.

    "Not just know, I am quite familiar with him. Kang Bai was a very talented and one of the most powerful disciples taking part in this Hunt." Elder Wu turned towards Yuan Shuchun and said, "Miss Yuan, this disciple wasn''t only talented, but his background was also huge. And to think he would have such an unfateful death, I really can''t help but sigh at his luck."

    Yuan Shuchun stayed silent for a moment before asking, "What was his background? Will this incident be troublesome?"

    "Kang Bai was the most talented disciple of the Capital''s Kang n. As one of the Big Four, Kang n is indeed capable of causing some trouble. However, there''s nothing to worry about. We only need to glorify this ''ident'' and Kang Bai''s heroic deed of killing a high tier Qi Stealing Mole and saving the lives of more than four hundred Outer Court disciples."

    Lai Chang at the side nodded his head and said, "Yes, this is the only thing we can do right now. Or else, this whole incident will be very suspicious, and with everything going on in the sect, I don''t think Seventh Peak has enough to deal with uing extra pressure."

    Yuan Shuchun frowned and asked, "But the Kang n will still create trouble, won''t they?"

    "Miss Yuan, the Kang n can shout as much as they can, but in the end, they are outsiders only. As long as there''s not a legitimate reason, I don''t think the Sect will side by them. So, what we do need to be careful about is our Sect itself."

    "And you don''t need to be worried much about that too, only four people know the truth of this incident including you. And I don''t think anyone of the four will even want to be a snitch. And more importantly, it won''t do any good even if anyone leaks it; it will instead backfire. And all four of us will be in trouble," Elder Lai Chang patiently exined to her and assured her to not to worry about anything.

    Elder Wu got up and said, "Let''s head back. The event is about to finish. We will tell the ''truth'' of the incident to the disciple''s and continue with the third stage. Also, we need to bring his body with us and send it to the Second Peak. They will handle the rest."

    "Yes, let''s head back. Though, it''s a bit regrettable that the high tier beast''s body is going to be wasted due to its self-destruction." Elder Lai Chang couldn''t help but think that he has missed a chance to be rich.

    "Well, us going back unharmed is already a fortune for us. Don''t let your greed cover your senses." Elder Wu replied as he took the lead with Kang Bai''s body in his hands.

    ˇ­

    It had been more than an hour since his battle with the high tier Qi Stealing Mole, and Ye Tian Yun was now back to collecting beast cores by hunting down low tier Qi Stealing Mole.

    Ever since that incident, he had yet to meet any other disciple. After some consideration, he decided to head back towards the entrance. He was confident in his points, and now the rest of the event was going to be even morefortable.

    ''System, show me my Status.''

    [Status]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 6347/20000]

    [Fate Points: 20]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 9th Level of Qi Refining Realm]

    [Cultivation(Original): 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Middle Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    ˇ­.

    Meanwhile, Yuan Shuchun, Elder Wu, and Elder Lai Chang returned to the Observation Room with Kang Bai''s body.

    When Elder Mu saw them enter with a body, he couldn''t help but ask, "Is this Kang Bai?"

    The others were surprised at this question, Elder Lai Chang confirmed and asked, "Indeed, it is Outer Court Disciple Kang Bai; however, brother Mu, how did you guess it?

    Elder Mu, who had stayed back at the room, couldn''t help but shout out loud when he heard Elder Lai Chang''s confirmation, "It really is Kang Bai!? I was a bit unsure earlier, this incident has affected the Qi Array, and now most of the screens are blurred."

    "Blurred? Elder Mu, did you witness the battle?" Yuan Shuchun couldn''t help but ask Elder Mu since it was possible that he could have seen what had actually happened in that battle.

    "Unfortunately, no. That area''s Array lost connection soon after the high tier Qi Stealing Mole came out of his cage. I tried to reestablish connection but couldn''t, most probably the beast had already destroyed the sidewalls," Elder Mu exined the situation on what had happened in the Observation Room.

    "Ah, so you didn''t see anyone moving around there earlier?" Elder Wu asked, he too thought that if there was something they had missed, then it cane to light now.

    "I did see someone. As soon as I lost connection to that area, I saw Kang Bai go after themotion, who went there most probably out of curiosity. This was also the reason why I was able to guess who this disciple could be,'''' Elder Mu told about everything he had seen from the observation room.

    "What? You saw him going after you lost the connection?" Elder Wu was shocked at this new turn of events.

    "Yeah, I saw him moving towards that area, what happened?" Elder Mu, who was still unaware of the situation, looked at them in confusion.

    "If you saw him go there after you lost connection, I''m pretty sure that there was someone else present at the scene, a third party, and he murdered Kang Bai!" Elder Wu narrowed his eyes and came to a big conclusion.

    ---*---

    A/n: One more chapter iing soon.

    Don''t forget to add this book to your library and VOTE!

    p..s. how''s the new book cover?

 Chapter 35 - The Truth (2)

    "If you did indeed lose connection with that area, then the side walls were already destroyed before Kang Bai even arrived at the scene. And the fact that his face was mutted and the beast evenmitted suicide sounds quite far fetched. It seems someone staged this whole thing to confuse us and get away from trouble."

    "Yes, looking at his face, it seems a huge rock came at him and he was crushed underneath it. But why would a rock suddenlye at him? And even if it does, it must have been thrown by the beast, and since this hit killed Kang Bai, I don''t see any reason for the beast to self-destruct itself." Yuan Shuchun also put forward her thoughts and made their earlier assumption of ''heroic'' Kang Bai invalid.

    Elder Wu nodded and said, "Indeed, then this means, there was someone else present at the scene, someone who was able to contend against a high tier Qi Stealing Beast and quite possibly even killed it. And when he saw Kang Bai, he immediately killed him and staged the whole scene."

    "A third party? I didn''t see anyoneing out, except for you people." Elder Mu denied the existence of someone else being at the scene.

    "Most probably that someone escaped from the scene while you were trying to recover the Qi Array." Elder Lai Chang who had yet to say anything spoke up.

    "Could be. But I would still doubt he was able to escape." Elder Mu appeared as if he wasn''t sure and there was something that was still missing in this new theory.

    "We need to investigate this incident as soon as possible, however, what should we inform the crowd outside?" Elder Lai Chang asked as he rubbed his forehead with a deep frown.

    Elder Wu came forward and said, "Do we even have a choice? Even if a third party was involved, we can''t let this information be public. Imagine the chaos it would bring if we let this thing be known to the public. What would others think if it was known that someone entered one of the forbidden regions of Gracious Sword Sect, killed a high tier spirit beast, and even murdered an Outer Court Disciple. That too on the day of Inner Court Entrance Hunt. This matter will be blown away in huge proportions, so we can''t let others know of the truth."

    "We could say it was a disciple, not an outsider." Yuan Shuchun shrugged as if this wasn''t something to be worried about.

    "A disciple? Don''t be ridiculous, Miss Yuan. You should know which rank of disciples are here right now, and their cultivation too. With average cultivation of 6th Level of Qi Refining Realm, they even have trouble with low tier Qi Stealing Moles. And against high tier Qi Stealing Mole, they won''t even be enough to fill the gap between its teeth." Elder Wu replied back, this time in a tone with some frustration.

    Elder Lai Chang nodded and said, "I agree with Elder Wu. We only have one choice, and that would be to tell everyone our first theory, on the heroism of Kang Bai. And we need to do our best in glorifying his reputation as much as we can."

    Then he faced towards Elder Mu pleaded, "And Brother Mu, if anyone from higher management questions you, please only tell them that Kang Bai faced off with the high tier Qi Stealing Mole spirit beast all alone, and by the time the Elders arrived to calm down the situation, the beast had alreadymitted suicide by self-destructing, which also led to Kang Bai''s unfortunate death due to the after-effects of the self-destruction."

    Elder Mu thought for some time and replied, "I can''t think of any other way to get out of this situation. I will do as you have advised."

    "Alright then, I think it''s time for the second stage toe to an end. Let''s get out and tell everyone about the heroic tale of our dear disciple, Kang Bai."

    ˇ­

    Stage two was the most important part of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt and in this stage the main objective of the disciples who passed Stage one was to collect as many beast cores of Qi Stealing Mole as possible.

    This six-hour long stage tested the disciple''s endurance, intelligence and determination. The elders wanted them to endure harsh underground conditions, showcase their intelligence in killing more and more Qi Stealing Moles and prove their determination to win.

    Although only about four hundred disciples passed the Stage One and were qualified to stay, the rest of the failed disciples didn''t go back to their cultivation abodes but instead many waited to see the result of Stage two. As the stage came to its end, they started to discuss and mour about the participating disciples.

    A disciple who had failed at Stage one said, "I don''t know what others think, but I know for sure that this hunt Hou Xing''s turn to shine even brighter."

    Another disciple, standing beside him, disdained as he said, "Che, What is a mere Hou Xing in front of Ling Yun? If not for the Rank 4 skill book, do you think Ling Yun would have waited for this long?"

    Their simple chat soon turned into a discussion as others beside them also joined in.

    "I agree with this brother, the current fame that Hou Xing has on our Seventh Peak, Ling Yun already achieved it two years ago. And if not for his wrong time of joining, he wouldn''t have been so low profile. I am pretty sure he is soon going to surprise everyone."

    "Whatever. Ling Yun or Hou Xing, both of them are just newbies, they don''t stand a chance against true geniuses. In my opinion, the most talented genius in this time''s Hunt is Kang Bai. Everyone has seen his capabilities when he defeated an Inner Court Disciple with ease."

    "What I think is, there are many crouching tigers and hidden dragons like Kang Bai on our Seventh Peak. And they were all waiting for this Hunt, and now, they are going to explode and show the world their talent and battle prowess."

    ----*----

    A/n: Ling Yun is the guy who was beside Ye Tian Yun in stage one and wasmenting on the poor performance of others.

    Earlier there was a typo and I put Jiang Yun instead of Ling Yun.

    Jian Yun is some other character, he is top core disciple of Gracious Sword Sect. Elders mentioned him and his good performance when they were discussing the Grand Spirit Hunt at the start of the inner court entrance hunt. His role willeter.

    P..s don''t forget to vote powerstones andment your thoughts on today''s chapters.

 Chapter 36 - Stage Two Results (1)

    While the disciples outside were arguing over who will be the Number One Disciple of Seventh peak, the Elders and Yuan Shuchun came out of the Observation Room.

    Seeing them finally made the mouring disciples quite.

    Now, as the end of Stage 2 approached, the anticipation among the students also rose.

    This time many new disciples had also participated along with the older disciples, and most of them had passed Stage One, which was quite surprising since it had only been five months since they entered the sect.

    Gracious Sword Sect organised the Inner Court Entrance Hunt every three years, and the participation was also massive, even in the weakest of all peaks, the Seventh Peak.

    The final stage, Stage Three, was mainly an elimination type of battle between all Stage Two Disciples who wille out from the underground cave path of Spiritual Medicine Mountain. Then once the Pre Rankings are decided, the qualified will fight between each other for points which will then finalize the Number One Disciple of the Outer Court of Seventh Peak.

    ˇ­

    Some time after the Elders and Yuan Shuchun hade out, and everyone heard a loud whistle. No one knew where and how it from, but they knew the whistle was a sign, the sign of the end of Stage Two.

    Now, all participants had to slowlye out of the Cave Paths and submit their Qi Stealing Mole beast cores, the number of Beast Cores they have will finalize their Pre Rankings.

    The whistle was heard all over the Seventh Peak and had alerted all the disciples. They knew what it meant, and they became excited to know the results of Stage Two.

    Soon, the disciples who had not participated in the Hunt or had returned to their cultivation abodes after failing in Stage One returned to the Underground Hall of the Seventh Peak.

    "Who do you think that girl is with the elders?" a disciple asked his friends in low voices as if he were afraid of elders hearing his words.

    "Maybe daughter of one of the elders? I have never seen her around" One of his friend beside him shrugged and replied.

    "You two, do you really want to get in trouble over nothing?" An older Outer Court disciple hissed at them and said, "Look at her robes! Can''t you see she is a Core Disciple of our sect!"

    "Core Disciple!? So young?" The others around him couldn''t help but be startled at his word.

    "Yes. She is a Core Disciple. And a very talented one too. You may have seen her for the first time, but you have definitely heard of her." The older disciples continue as like this was a fact.

    "Oh? We might have heard of her? Senior Brother, do you mind telling us the name then? The disciple who had started this discussion asked.

    "She is Yuan Shuchun." the older disciple replied, "Do you need any more introduction?"

    "THE Yuan Shuchun?" Others around were once more shocked at the disciple''s im.

    The older disciple''s expression turned a bit smug as he said, "Yes, there is only one Yuan Shuchun among the Core Disciples. And she is the most talenˇŞ"

    "Look, someone is out!" Before the older disciple could finish his words, someone shouted, which attracted everyone''s attention towards the Entrances of Spiritual Medicine Mountain.

    They saw a brown robbed Outer Court Disciplee out the leftmost entrance, walking towards the Elders podium, most probably to submit his beast cores gained after killing the Qi Stealing Mole.

    However, what surprised the others was not himing out but rather his condition. His robes were clean as if freshly woven, and he seemed more like a person who just had a bath, not like someone who came out of an underground battle event, hunting low tier beasts who were always covered with dust and dirt.

    "Did this guy really went in for a hot spring bath, changed his clothes,bed his hair ande out?"

    "If this guy really did go for that, I won''t be surprised."

    "Who is he? He seems familiar."

    "Who could it be if not Fang Chen. That arrogant trash."

    "Well, I wouldn''t call him a trash anymore now that he has defeated Du Xiu two months ago and even passed the Stage One."

    "But since when did this guy became such a low profile? If it were earlier, even if he wouldn''t have passed the Stage One, he would have definitely made the whole peak know that he was participating in the Hunt while also offending almost half of the people here."

    "Who knows, maybe he hit his head or something. How many beast cores do you think he has gained?"

    "No more than fifty. Even if Fang Chen defeated Du Xiu, but this event needs more than just cultivation. And looking at his condition, I even doubt if he even killed a single Qi Stealing Mole and just sat at the other side of the entrance for thest six hours."

    While the disciples were busymenting on him, Ye Tian Yun came near the Elder''s stage and said, "Disciple Fang Chen greets the elders."

    "Good, Fang Chen. How did the Hunt go?" Elder Lai Chang asked him, trying to finish his part with some formalities.

    "It was an easy round, Elder. I managed to hunt some Qi Stealing Moles."

    "Oh, good to hear that. How many did you get?"

    "No less than four hundred eighty-two."

    "What?" Even Elder Mu who knew of his ''real'' cultivation was surprised at the vast number and couldn''t help but be startled at Ye Tian Yun''s answer.

    "Show us." Elder Wu, who thought this disciple in front of him was bbering too much nonsense, directly asked for proof.

    "Here." Ye Tian Yun didn''t hesitate and took out a pretty big bag, full of beast cores, and handed it over to the elders.

    Elder Mu came over, spread out his senses through Qi over the bag, and said, "They really are a total of four hundred eighty-two low tier Qi Stealing Mole beast cores. How did you get so many?"

 Chapter 37 - Stage Two Results (2)

    "Of course, by hunting down the beasts." Ye Tian Yun shrugged and answered matter-of-factly.

    However, his words were no less than shocking news to the disciples around him.

    "Did I hear it correctly?"

    "Is hunting down more than four hundred beasts in six hours even possible?"

    "Even after Elder Mu confirmed his points, I still can''t help but think that this is all a hoax, a bluff by Fang Chen."

    "This many beasts got to be the most number of Qi Stealing Moles ever hunted in an Inner Court Entrance Exam on the Seventh Peak, if not in the whole Gracious Sword Sect."

    "I think this guy most probably cheated. He may have already had Qi Stealing Mole''s beast cores before even participating in the Hunt."

    "Don''t be ridiculous. Don''t you know why this stage takes at least six hours? It is so that if someone brings in old beast cores to cheat, he would be caught as soon as he takes out his beast cores. After about six hours, the beast cores lose the special luster that is present over them though they don''t lose much umted Qi inside them."

    "Then, do you want to say that he really hunted down this many Qi Stealing Moles?"

    "Do you think we even have a choice not to believe him?"

    While the disciples were moring, the Elders were also discussing among themselves, they knew that the beast cores Ye Tian Yun had brought were indeed recently acquired, and he was not cheating at all.

    "But Elders, how could he get so many? Did he steal from other participants?" Yuan Shuchun felt something was wrong in this situation and didn''t stop herself from questioning the current situation.

    "Young Miss, these are indeed legit. We can only put them under his name. And I don''t think it''s something to question about. All his achievements are merit for our Seventh Peak. Let''s first understand the situation of other participants too instead of nitpicking over this." Elder Wu replied.

    He didn''t care about who won or who hunted most. What he wanted was the result and emergence of new talents. And both of his desires wereing to fruition after seeing Fang Chen''s results.

    Elder Lai Chang also nodded and said, "Yes, let''s first assess the whole Stage Two. And we also need to see if Fang Chang has the capability of keeping his points safe."

    ˇ­

    Soon, the other participants also began to arrive. They wereing out, going to the stage, submitting their beast cores, and then standing aside in a group while waiting for other participants to submit their cores.

    The Elders were busy tallying the points and slowly arranging the Pre Rankings. Every time a disciple arrived, they would announce his points to the other disciples.

    "Shan Jin, 79 beast cores."

    "Xiang Peng, 122 beast cores."

    "Qin Shunyuan, 102 beast cores."

    "Tao Shun, 62 beast cores."

    ˇ­

    The participants didn''t know their rankings but were observing the crowd''s reaction to understand the situation. They were trying to gauge their and other participant''s performance. However, what they found weird was even after some disciple''s acquiring near two hundred beast cores, there wasn''t muchmotion in the crowd.

    After about half of the participants hade out, a newmotion started when a disciple came out of the entrance. He had an arrogant expression over his face as if he was the center of the world and was doing a favor by participating in the event.

    "Look, isn''t that Ling Yun?"

    "Finally, the big stars areing out. How many points do you think he had gained?"

    "No less than three hundred, maybe even more than four hundred."

    "I would kill to see Ling Yun''s expression when hees to know about Fang Chen''s points. Let''s see if he can still maintain his arrogant ex[ression."

    While the disciples discussed, Ling Yun arrived near the stage and handed over his beast cores, still with the smug expression.

    Elder Mu raised one of his eyebrows as he counted the beast cores and said, "Ling Yun, 342 beast cores."

    Ling Yun smiled arrogantly; however, his expression turned weird when he didn''t hear the expected reaction from the crowd of disciples behind him.

    The cheering and eximing of his peers that he wanted to hear never came, making him feel as if there was something wrong with the situation. With the same weird expression and scrunched eyebrows, he moved and stood among the group of participant disciples.

    Even in the participant''s section, the atmosphere was quite weird. Since they didn''t know what was happening, and seeing the unenthusiastic reaction of the crowd, they had a hunch that they missed something big when they were inside the underground area of Spiritual Medicine Mountain for Stage Two.

    After Ling Yun, slowly more and more disciples started toe out, the reaction of the crowd to their entrance was mostly based on their reputation, with the loudest being for Hou Xing.

    Hou Xing was one of the immense emerging talents of the Seventh Peak, and the fact that he entered the Gracious Sword Peak just a few months ago solidified his reputation even more.

    As soon as he came, he was able to defeat and contend against older disciples, and his cultivation speed was the main aspect that gave him such fame.

    Cultivating from the 3rd Level of Qi Refining Realm to the 7th Level of Qi Refining Realm in mere five months made him a sensation. When many thought he was just cultivating through Pills and herbs and his cultivation was unstable, he defeated many older Outer Court Disciples, thus marking his ce in the Outer Court and bing the Number One Outer Court Disciple based on his fame alone.

    However, the reason why he was a crowd favorite was not just his cultivation, but his nature too. He never appeared arrogant or looked down on anyone. His behavior was a stark contrast to that of Ling Yun. Though there was indeed one person, he wanted to beat very badly.

    Moving towards the stage, Hou Xing felt confident with his performance in his heart and was thinking about how he was about to surprise everyone present with his points. He came to the stage and handed over his beast cores.

    Elder Mu counted and was a bit surprised as he said out loud, "Hou Xing, 391 beast cores."

    This time even the crowd cheered, though not as much as Hou Xing was expecting, He was surprised, and when he saw Ling Yun frowning, he felt even weird since only a few disciples could surpass him. However, looking at Ling Yun''s expression, he clearly knew he had won against him.

    Feeling the situation a bit weird, he also went and stood among the participants.

    Slowly, more and more disciples came out of the underground cave paths.

    Finally, Elder Lai Chang stood up and said, "We havee to the end of Stage Two. Soon, the Pre Rankings will be disyed, and we will begin with Stage Three."

    Just as he turned around, a voice came from the crowd, "Elders, Senior Brother Kang Bai hasn''te out yet!"

    ---*---

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, doment on them, I will edit them in the morning.

    Don''t forget to add this book to your library and VOTE!!!

 Chapter 38 - Hero Of The Seventh Peak, Kang Bai

    When the other disciples heard this shout, they too were puzzled.

    Kang Bai hadn''te out of the Spiritual Medicine Mountain yet, and the Elders were announcing the end of Stage Two and were now about to proceed with Stage Three.

    Everyone present knew that Kang Bai was one of the most talented disciples taking part in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. He was more known for his perseverance and hard work than his talent. And was undoubtedly one of the big figures among the participants in the Hunt with more than two levels higher than the average cultivation of all participants, and for elders to ignore him made the disciples feel weird about this situation.

    The one who had called out the elders was one of the Kang ns disciples, Kang Shao, and Kang Bai was his cousin. He was expecting Kang Bai toe out and surprise everyone and make the Kang n proud. Since he was also the son of Kang n Patriarch and most probably the future Patriarch of Kang n, everyone from Kang n had eyes on him.

    However, seeing that he had note out from the underground cave paths made him anxious, so he couldn''t stop himself from asking out loud. He was afraid of the worst-case, and looking at the change in the elders'' expression when they heard his shout made him even more fearful of the unexpected news he was about to hear.

    Elder Mu pursed his lips and turned towards Elder Wu, signaling him to handle the situation.

    Elder Wu stood up from his seat, came forward, and gazed at the disciples from left to the right. He cleared his thoughts and took a deep breath before starting, "Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice and is never the result of selfishness."

    "A cultivator follows the path of Dao so he could attain so-called immortality, but sometimes fate has other ns. And today, we saw one of the unexpected shows of fate, which even tied our hands, unable to let us interfere."

    "Kang Bai, outer court disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect and the blood of the Kang n, embraced death with a smile on his face as he made the ultimate sacrifice to save the life of all his friends and fellow disciples present here."

    "About two hours ago, a high tier Qi Stealing Mole escaped from the Core Region of Spiritual Medicine Mountain due to sudden failure in the Qi Arrays, which had caged it and prevented it froming out all this time. This unexpected ident happened while more than four hundred of the most talented Outer Core disciples of the Seventh Peak were still inside in the Underground Cave paths, and the Seventh Peak is closest to the Core Region since this area has the thinnest Middle Region. This made all the lives of the disciples inside to fall in grave danger. One must know that the high tier Qi Stealing Mole is no less powerful than us, the elders who have cultivation in Qi Stabilization Realm."

    "As soon as we saw the Qi Arrays malfunction, we ran to calm down this situation and take out the high tier Qi Stealing Mole before he could hurt anyone. However, before we could get to the beast, it met Kang Bai."

    "This encounter, which was most probably going to be the one-sided massacre of Kang Bai, actually didn''t happen like it was supposed to. With no way to escape, Kang Bai had no choice but to fight the high tier Qi Stealing Mole. And he fought valiantly. Even though his cultivation was two Realms lower than his opponent, he didn''t back down and even managed to cut off a w of that beast, severely injuring it."

    "This led to the beast go berserk, and even after many tries when it couldn''t kill Kang Bai, it decided to self destruct by triggering its beast core. The after-effects injured Kang Bai, and by the time we had arrived at the scene, he had already embraced his death, saving all the participants from an untimely demise."

    "Outer Court Disciples of the Seventh Peak, the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice. Kang Bai may not be the most talented disciple in our sect, but he was undoubtedly the disciple with the most perseverance. This cultivation world may be cruel and merciless, but it is not unfaithful. Kang Bai will forever be remembered as the hero of the Seventh Peak!"

    ˇ­

    The disciples were solemn. The pin-drop silent atmosphere in the Underground Hall made many feel heavy-hearted. As for Stage Two participants, they knew that they were standing alive, unharmed, only because of a fellow disciple who sacrificed himself and stopped a high tier Qi Stealing Mole. They knew this was a blessing for them, and most of them would remember this incident.

    After some time, Elder Lai Chang broke the ice as he said, "Sometimes fate just can''t be avoided. Kang Bai shall be remembered forever."

    Then he took a deep breath and spoke, "Now, I will announce the Pre Rankings, which are as follows. In cases where disciples have the same amount of beast cores, higher ranking is given to the younger disciple."

    463rd ce, Zheng Xiang, 13 beast cores.

    462nd ce, Su Hu, 15 beast cores

    ..

    10th ce, Qin Shunyuan, 102 beast cores.

    ..

    5th ce, Yang Chang, 280 beast cores.

    4th ce, Mao Rong, 297 beast cores.

    3rd ce, Ling Yun, 342 beast cores.

    2nd ce, Hou Xing, 391 beast cores.

    1st ce, Fang Chen, 482 beast cores.

    ˇ­.

    The Pre Rankings list created a newfoundmotion among the Stage Two participants, with varying reactions of shock, jealousy, and awe among the many others.

    Lower ranked disciples were jealous and awed by the number of beast cores the top disciples had acquired, while the other high ranked disciples felt frustrations and shock at the number of beast cores Fang Chen had acquired.

    Ling Yun and Hou Xing had contrasting expressions, with Ling Yun clearly showing his frustration and anger by his scrunched expression while Hou Xing''s face had a shocked expression before he tightened his fists, his face turned cold.

    Hou Xing had never had any problem with anyone after entering the Gracious Sword Sect; even when the older disciples challenged him, his emotions were mostly calm and positive. However, two months after entering the sect, he met the most hateful and annoying person of his life, Fang Chen. And the fact that he couldn''t do anything to him due to family ties between Hou and Fang ns, even though when Fang Chen had half of his cultivation and zero of his talent, Hou Xing bore with him.

    The Fang and the Hou n had been allies for a long time, even though in terms of status, Fang n was way above the Hou n, which only had a city or two under its power, while the Fang n was one of the big four of the Xin Royal Kingdom.

 Chapter 39 - Stage Three Begins!

    Fang Chen was the ck sheep of the Fang n, always behaving arrogant and conceited ever since he suffered Qi Deviation. He didn''t put anyone in his eyes, and for him, Hou Xing who was from a weaker n and status, was someone he was very jealous of. So he tried all his tricks and schemes on Hou Xing to annoy him.

    Hou Xing started hating Fang Chen''s guts but could only grit his teeths in frustration and wait. Wait to be a Core Disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect and elevate his n''s condition and status.

    Elder Lai Chang observed the expression of the participants before saying, "Now, we will begin with the Third Stage."

    "This stage is pretty simple, and is an opportunity for all participants who have ranked lower than hundred to battle higher ranked disciples for their points. And for the top hundred, this is a chance to get the Rank 4 cultivation manual by ranking in the top 10."

    "I will now announce the rewards and rules for this stage."

    "In this Single Elimination stage, all disciples get to challenge anyone from Rank 11 to 100. But only one challenge, so choose wisely. All disciples from Rank 11 to 100, get the chance to challenge top 10 after they have sessfully defeated four lower ranked disciples who challenged them or when there is no lower rank disciple left to challenge. And the top 10 disciples will then get one chance to challenge and rank higher."

    "Now I will talk about the rules."

    "The one who loses, will have to hand over fifty percent of his beast cores to his opponent and the rest will go to the sect. And the disciples will get to keep the beast cores that they win after defeating other disciples."

    "All participants from Stage two will receive at least One spiritual stone. The Top 100 disciples will be the Inner Court Disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect, and each will also receive fixed amounts of low tier spiritual stones, with the one ranked at hundredth getting two low tier spiritual stones and the rank one disciple receiving one hundred two low tier spiritual stones. And the top 3 disciples will also receive a Rank 4 Cultivation Book from the Martial Book Pavilion in the Inner Court."

    "Now, we will start from 463nd ranked disciple, Zheng Xiang." He then towards a scrawny kid standing at one coroner among the participants and said, "Come on the battle stage and challenge anyone of the top 100 disciples."

    Zheng Xiang slowly walked up. With mere thirteen beast cores, he was rankedst in the Stage Two. However, the look on his face was not that of nervousness or fear, he held his head high, looking at the other participants with a confident look, as he said, "I challenge Ranked 62nd, Cheng Fu."

    Cheng Fu was a rtively known disciple with cultivation of 6th Level of Qi Refining Realm, however, Zheng Xiang was also not far behind, and had recently broken through the 6th level too.

    However, for him to challenge Cheng Fu indeed came a surprise for everyone.

    Cheng Fu didn''t say any bullshit and directly went for his battle.

    "Start!"

    "Bang!" Zheng Xiang stuck his palm out, hitting fiercely towards Cheng Fu''s body, the two sides directly made a collision creating a huge explosion.

    Zheng Xiang was motionless. Cheng had a natural big build. Although the cultivation of both disciples was the same, the strength in Cheng Fu''s hand had an absolute advantage,parable to the 7th Level of Qi Refining, but he still fell a few steps backward and was forced to bnce himself.

    "Impossible!" Cheng Fu''s eyes were full of surprise looking at Zheng Xiang, to think he was forced in such a bad state just as the battle had begun.

    "Boom!"

    Apanied with a loud burst of thunderstorm sounds, Zheng Xiang''s palm shot out a group of torpedo shaped Qi, with a lightning speed and pressed onto Cheng Fu.

    "Bang!" Cheng Fu''s tower-like body was flown up when shot by Zheng Xiang''s palm, bones in his body were broken in half, his blood sprayed all over as he fell directly off the stage.

    "What, how is this possible!"

    The disciples were shocked to see such a swift battle. The gap between power was indeed too big. To think that a well known disciple like Cheng Fu was not even able to hold up against a scrawny kid like Zheng Xiang and was thrown out of the stage, severely injured.

    "This battle, Zheng Xiang wins. Now, he is Ranked 62nd. Fifty percent of Cheng Fu''s beast cores, a total of seventy two, will now be handed over to Zheng Xiang." Ignoring themotion, Elder Mu announced the result.

    "Now, the next battle, 462nd Ranked disciple, Su Hu,e on the stage and chose your opponent."

    For the next few hours, the battles continued, though not every battle was swift like the one between Zheng Xiang and Cheng Fu. Most of them were equally matched or sometimes it was a one sided massacre, but the winners were mostly the already established disciples of the Top 100 from the Pre Rankings. In fact, some disciples even decided to not to challenge any disciple from the top disciples, since they knew their limits or were just toozy to go on stage and lose.

    Around noon, the first part of the Stage Three finally came to an end. With the 101st Ranked disciple challenging the 94th Rank and winning, the Top 100 of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt were now finalised.

    Next part now was the battle for the Top 10, which will then decide their qualifications to challenge the Top 3 and fight for the chance to get a Rank 4 Cultivation Manual.

    ---*---

    A/n: Zheng Xiang is a good guy.. Don''t forget him.

 Chapter 40 - Final Top Ten

    Round two had begun. And for the next few hours, the disciples kept challenging the top ten (except top three of course) though nothing eventful happened except for Zheng Xiang defeating the fifth-ranked disciple, Yang Chang, and surprising everyone.

    To all the disciples present at the event, Zheng Xiang had now be the biggest dark horse of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt after Fang Chen after directly jumping from thest position to the fifth rank in just two swift battles. And the most surprising part was that his cultivation was not actually at the 6th Level of Qi Refining but at the 8th Level, making him one of the biggest contenders for the Rank 4 Cultivation Manual.

    Zheng Xiang''s background wasn''t much known, and due to his thin and scrawny body structure, there weren''t many disciples who acknowledged him as a friend. He was one of the very low profile disciples on the Seventh Peak and didn''t really bother with others except forpleting group missions from the Martial Mission Hall.

    Martial Mission Hall, as its name suggests, was the ce where new missions were given out to the disciples, mostly requested by ns or kingdoms surrounding the Gracious Sword Sect. This Hall was also the main source of growth among Outer Court Disciples as every mission gave them points and rewards which could then be exchanged for cultivation resources.

    Though Zheng Xiang was very low profile, however, the missions hepleted were no small feat. That was also the reason why the Elders present at the scene were not very surprised by his performance, in fact, in their hearts, they had expected such performance from him.

    Except for Zheng Xiang, the only other disciple who was noteworthy was Qin Shunyuan. It was not because he had hidden his cultivation too, but because of his Pre Rank from Stage Two.

    Qin Shunyuan was ranked at the 10th position in the Pre Rankings; this gave the disciples a notion in their mind that he would be the easiest target; this led to many disciples challenging him.

    And since there wasn''t a rule like that in round one where the Top hundred disciple could only be challenged four times, this led to him being part of most of the battles.

    His cultivation also yed a role in this, with the cultivation of 6th Level of Qi Refining, he was just above the average cultivation level of the disciples participating in the Hunt. This made his challengers more confident, and as more and more challengers came at him, he started to tire out.

    Seeing him getting slow and tired attracted even more disciples to challenge him. If not for the intervention of the Elders, he would have definitely lost his position among the Top 10.

    Elder Mu barred the disciples from challenging him for some time and made him get some rest.

    And when he stopped for some rest, the disciples who were left, instead of challenging any other disciples, waited for him to recover. This led to more than half an hour being wasted because no one challenged the other six until Zheng Xiang stood up and challenged Yang Chang and easily defeated him, securing his rank at the fifth position.

    Seeing his battle encouraged some disciples to challenge other disciples instead of waiting for Qin Shunyuan, however, they were all defeated by the other top 10 ranked disciples.

    And when Qin Shunyuan stood up for battle, they again started to challenge him. Then out of nowhere, he broke through the 7th Level of Qi Refining due to the constant pressure and battles, finally stabilizing his rank at the tenth spot.

    After some time, the disciples were forced to stop challenging him since no one was able to find a way to bypass his defences, thus forcing them to challenge the other top tens.

    Though the Inner Court Entrance Hunt was in the Underground Hall of the Seventh Peak, the disciples were able to sense that the end of the day was approaching as the final battle of round two came to an end, finalizing the Top Ten disciples of Outer Court of the Seventh Peak.

    Though the Pre Rankings were based on the number of beast cores the disciples acquired by hunting down Qi Stealing Moles in Stage Two, the rankings were not affected by the amount of beast cores disciples got by defeating other disciples in Stage Three, this was also the reason why although now Qin Shunyuan had the most beast cores due to constant challenges, he was still ranked at the tenth spot.

    ˇ­

    Yuan Shuchun, who was eagerly waiting to go back to her cultivation abode, was now feeling impatient. It was not that she needed someone''s permission to head back, but because of the deed she had done by releasing the high tier Qi Stealing Mole, she waited for some time for the situation to calm down before heading back.

    She wasn''t paying attention to the battles on the stage because for her, the fights were too childish and weren''t important even though the disciples fighting on the stage were more or less of her age. And the frequent side nces from the disciples inwardly disgusted her even more.

    After the final top ten were decided, she raised and turned her head towards the elders as she said, "Elders, I would like to take my leave now and go to the Grand Elder to give him the whole report."

    "Yes, please Miss Yuan." Elder Wu smiled at her as he said, "It was our pleasure having you here."

    Yuan Shuchun cupped her fists and said, "I would like to apologize to all three elders for the trouble I have caused you today, and would also like to thank you for not implicating me in the situation. Shuchun will always remember this favour."

    "It was not your fault, Miss Yuan." Elder Mu, who had been silent, spoke up and said, "It was just an ident. Please don''t take a burden on your heart, and focus on cultivation."

    "I will. Thank you for your guidance, elders." Yuan Shuchun got up and took her leave under the eyes of thousands of disciples, who were unaware of the conversation that took ce between her and the elders.

    After some time of her leave, Elder Lai Chang said, "I really can''t believe we had to bootlick that kid and took all the trouble on our head. If not for Grand Elder being at her side, she wouldn''t have been so carefree after all this."

    ---*---

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, doment on them and let me know. I will correct them as soon as I see your message.

    And don''t forget to add this book to your library and please VOTE for this novel!

 Chapter 41 - Final Battles (1)

    "Well, we don''t have a choice for now. There is still a chance that in theing future she may be the Sect Leader, though chances are slim with the presence of Jiang Yun, there are still chances." Elder Wu sighed as he looked at the exit of the Underground Hall from where Yuan Shuchun had gone back to the report to the Grand Elder about the Inner Court Entrance Hunt of all peaks.

    "Let''s announce the Top Ten list and start the final round. It''s time we finish this event." Elder Lai stood up and said. He then walked forwards, facing the disciples, he announced, "The Top Ten disciples are now decided. I will announce the finalised list and then the disciples ranked from four to ten will challenge the Top Three for the chance of acquiring a Rank 4 cultivation manual.

    10th ce, Qin ShunYuan

    9th ce, Ma Hai

    8th ce, Wu Qing

    7th ce, Tan Ru

    6th ce, Jin Hai

    5th ce, Zheng Xiang

    4th ce, Mao Rong

    3rd ce, Ling Yun

    2nd ce, Hou Xing

    1st ce, Fang Chen

    ˇ­

    Looking at the rankings, all the disciples were now getting excited in the anticipation for the final battles.

    This round was going to be simr to the previous rounds, with everyone from rank four to ten challenging the top three if they are not satisfied with their rankings or challenging anyone else in the top ten if they wished.

    Ye Tian Yun, who was silently observing the battles till now was also ready for some more action to watch. Spectating fights was never a boring thing for him, even though his perception was far higher then the disciples present at the scene due to his higher cultivation.

    What Ye Tian Yun liked was the thrill of fighting more powerful opponents and spectating battles while also judging the battle based on his own perception.

    The person who had been in most battles today was Qin Shunyuan. Ye Tian Yun now thoroughly understood his fighting style and in fact, in the Qin Shunyuan''sst few matches, Ye Tian Yun was able to easily predict his moves even though he wasn''t the one who was in the match.

    However, to Ye Tian Yun, Qi Shunyuan''s style seemed stylish but they were nd and sometimes even ineffective in battle. The person who most interested him was Zheng Xiang.

    Zheng Xiang''s moves seemed more precise and almost never missed. This clearly showed his battle instinct was very high, and most probably he had been in many life-threatening situations. This made him an interesting character in Ye Tian Yun''s eyes.

    Moreover the fact that Ye Tian Yun had never heard of him in his life before his rebirth made things even more interesting.

    When Ye Tian Yun was going against God''s Legion in his previous life, he had immediately investigated every member''s backstory as soon as their identities were revealed to the public. He investigated their adventures, their fateful encounters, their friends, their enemies and even the servants and higher-ups of all organizations they were ever part of. He did whatever he could in desperation to defeat God''s Legion. He studied each report thoroughly and remembered all.

    This is also the main reason why he was confident enough toe to the Lower Heavens as soon as he opened his eyes after rebirth. And what made things interesting here was that there wasn''t any mention of Zheng Xiang in reports rted to the Gracious Sword Sect.

    For such a talented person to not even be in the contact of Fang Chen or Xiao Ming was suspicious, in fact, for him to not be in the higher-ups of Gracious Sword Sect made this situation attract Ye Tian Yun''s attention on Zheng Xiang.

    He had a hunch that there was something more to the picture and had a gut feeling that Zheng Xiang could be useful.

    ˇ­

    While Ye Tian Yun was in his thoughts, the disciples around him had now calmed down and were waiting for Elders to announce the battles to start.

    Without wasting any more time, Elder Mu announced, "In this final round, the rules will remain same, except that a new one will be added, unlike other rounds where disciples could only challenge higher-ranked bracket, this time the disciples ranked from ten to four can also challenge each other if they wish, though they will lose their chance to challenge Top Three."

    He then looked at ranked tenth disciple, Qin Shunyuan and asked him, "Disciple Qin Shunyuan, you will be the one to start this around, but since you have continuously fought, we will make an exception and give you some rest."

    "Thank you, Elders." Qin Shunyuan stood up and thanked him.

    Elder Mu nodded, then turned towards the ninth-ranked disciple, and said, "Disciple Ma Hai, you will be the first one to begin the challenges. Who do you wish to challenge?"

    Ma Hai could be considered a genius among the outer court disciples, three years ago he had entered the outer court for the first time, and as soon as he came, he had almost broken into the top 100 of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, this time his goal was to break into first ten ranks, or even top three, then he could be counted as one of the high potential new disciples.

    Ma Hai knew who he had to challenge as he stood on the Battle Stage. Ling Yun and Hou Xing were out of the question, he knew their talent and battle prowess and he also knew that he wouldn''t be able to defeat them. So, without any dy, he announced his challenge, "Fang Chene, let''s see if you are really worthy of those beast cores."

    Ye Tian Yun entered the stage without saying anything.

    All the disciples who were just about to get excited saw that with just a step, Ye Tian Yun''s whole figure suddenly disappeared in front of Ma Hai, it was so fast, that most of the disciples had no idea what was even happening.

    Ma Hai only saw a sh appear in front of him, and before he could even process what had actually happened, Ye Tian Yun appeared from behind and pped Ma Hai''s body.

    ---*---

    A/n: No more 1ch/d from tomorrow, we will go back to 2ch/d and on Sunday, I will do a mass release of new chapters based on the votes and new collections!

    So, if you hadn''t added this book to your library yet, then add it right now! And don''t forget to VOTE!!!

    P.s. I am almost done with a detailed auxiliary chapter and will publish it by tomorrow. Also, if you find any errors or typos, doment on them and let me know.. Thank You.

 Chapter 42 - Final Battles (2)

    Ma Hai only saw a sh appear in front of him, and before he could even process what had actually happened, Ye Tian Yun appeared from behind and pped Ma Hai''s body.

    Ma Hai was sent out flying with just a single hit, he still could not believe that he was not able to block even one move from Ye Tian Yun. A momentter, Ma Hai smiled bitterly while cupping one hand over the other across the chest, he said to Ye Tian Yun, "Brother Fang, many thanks for showing mercy, it was me who was ignorant."

    Ma Hai then returned to the stands. Ye Tian Yun too didn''t bother replying and came back to the stands in a sh.

    "What! How is this possible? How could Fang Chen be so powerful? Even Ma Hai was not his opponent, he was unexpectedly thrown out of the ring in one move, it''s really incredible!"

    "The fact that we couldn''t even sense Fang Chen''s cultivation is even more incredible. Has he already mastered Qi control?"

    "Qi control? Impossible! You should know that it is one of the important prerequisites to break through to the Qi Condensation Realm, and before the Ninth Level of Qi Refining Realm, it is impossible toprehend."

    "Yes, and this Fang Chen was only at the third level of Qi Refining Realm when he entered the Sect, and to break through six levels in five months is impossible!"

    "Then how do you exin the current situation? Is he using a treasure to hide his cultivation?"

    "Must be. And I think he has focused on his physical strength more than Qi cultivation. And since he also suffered Qi deviation, I think it must be true."

    "Yeah, I don''t see any other option too. He must be using treasure to hide his cultivation and has increased his physical strength, thinking that this will create a facade and intimidation."

    "Hm, and this will also exin why he has so many beast cores. Physical strength."

    The swift oue of this fight caused a lot of disturbance, a lot of disciples had not expected that Ye Tian Yun could actually defeat MA Hai so easily, without even fighting as they had imagined even though Ye Tian Yun had acquired the most beast cores.

    "This battle, Fang Chen wins!"

    Elder Mu announced the result, with a hidden tion in his voice. Though, these emotions didn''t go unnoticed by the other elders, who were also surprised at the oue of the battle.

    Elder Wu was surprised at the swiftness of the battle and Fang Chen''s hidden cultivation, while Elder Lai Chang was surprised by Mu Hai''s defeat.

    Right now, even the disciples did not know the hidden undercurrents happening in the Gracious Sword Sect, but all opposing factions were slowly preparing for the worst and recruiting high potential disciples by their side. For the Seventh Peak, Elder Lai Chang had been assigned to recruit high potential disciples and he had offered an olive branch to Ma Hai and even given him resources to cultivate so he could get him on his bandwagon.

    However, looking at the scene, it seemed like he had fired the arrow at the wrong target. Though Ma Hai wasn''t the only disciple he had recruited in the Top Ten, the two disciples he definitely hadn''t recruited were Fang Chen and Zheng Xiang.

    Zheng Xiang has already proved his worth in thest two rounds by defeating two very talented disciples and jumping from thest rank to the top ten.

    While Fang Chen''s case was different. It seemed there was something that he still hadn''t seen even though it was lying in front of him.

    First, Fang Chen scored so many points that no one coulde even close to the number of beast cores he had acquired. But now, he had even defeated one of the most sought after disciples of the Seventh Peak with ease.

    These two cases clearly showed his oversight in recruitment, and this was frustrating him. Now, when the higher ups get to know of his misjudgement, he may face some serious trouble.

    ...

    With Mu Hai''s defeat, it was now the turn of eighth-ranked disciples, Wu Qing.

    Elder Mu questioned him, "Disciple Wu Qing, who do you wish to challenge?"

    Wu Qing stood up and said, "This disciple doesn''t wish to challenge."

    Elder Mu sighed, "Alright, next, Disciple Jin Hai, who do you wish to challenge?"

    Jin Hai had a thin but fit physique, and as soon as his name was called out, he jumped on the battle stage, and called out, "I challenge Fang Chen."

    Ye Tian Yun who was somehow expecting another challenge got up and rushed to the battle stage as soon as he was challenged.

    Jin Hai made a battle stance, and his aura exploded, revealing cultivation of Eighth Level of Qi Refining Realm, shocking the crowd of disciples. Elder Lai Chang took a deep breath as his chest broadened in pride. Jin Hai was one of his greatest discoveries in the Seventh Peak, and with Jin Hai''s talent, Elder Lai Chang was sure that Jin Hai will surely be promoted to Core Disciple in near future.

    Jin Hai wasn''t an old disciple. Like Fang Chen, he also entered the Gracious Sword Sect in thest Entrance Exam and had the cultivation of only fifth level of Qi Refining Realm. He came second in the entrance exam, just behind Hou Xing, but unlike his counterpart, Jin Hai didn''t go around fighting and making a name for himself among all the Outer Court disciples of the Seventh Peak. One day in a friendly sparring match between disciples, Elder Lai Cheng noticed his talent in sword cultivation, and without hesitation recruited him and offered him cultivation resources the very next day.

    Jin Hai didn''t hold back, he didn''t care about internal conflict ongoing in the sect, what he cared about was his cultivation.. He knew his talent and wasn''t going to let an opportunity knocking at his door go away.

 Chapter 43 - Final Battles (3)

    After receiving resources, he went even more low profile, and mostly stayed in his own cultivation abode, practicing sword moves, and cultivating.

    Since Jin Hai excelled in sword arts, with no dy he unsheathed his sword and headed straight towards Ye Tian Yun with all his strength in one blow.

    *ng!*

    The impact was huge, as the dust settled, the disciples were greeted with a site of Ye Tian Yun blocking Jin Hai''s sword, unmoved from his position.

    Jin Hai retreated. He didn''t wish to give any chance to his opponent for a counterattack.

    Calming himself, he moved to attack once one, this time he had dual swords. Once more the sword resounded when they shed.

    *ng!*

    This time he didn''t retreat. What came after this block was a barrage of continuous sword cuts. As a dual sword cultivator, Jin Hai''s skills were on a whole another level, sometimes even forcing Ye Tian Yun to retreat one step or two.

    For the next breaths, they keep shing with each other at lightning speed. Jin Hai''s attacks were getting faster, Ye Tian Yun had stopped retreating and was holding his ground.

    Suddenly, as soon as the attack was about to end up as another sh, Ye Tian Yun released his aura. Jin Hai''s expression faltered as he felt sudden pressure from his opponent. His momentum decreased and then, out of nowhere, a sword came, shing against his swords.

    Before he could even bnce himself, another sword touched his throat. Any movement and his head would be sliced off. Jin Hai felt as if this was the end. His death.

    When he regained his footing, the side in front of him gave him a huge shock, he couldn''t help but blurt out loud.

    "F-Fang Chen, y-you are a Dual Sword Cultivator!?"

    Silence epassed the Underground Hall. The audience had witnessed too much to digest in one go. All of a sudden exmations resounded all over the hall.

    "Tell me this is a dream. Fang Chen is a Dual Sword Cultivator?"

    "And his cultivation, Na-ninth level of Qi Refining Realm!"

    "Did this guy get a royal treasury? How is this even possible?"

    "I have never seen him even hold a sword, and he just defeated a dual sword cultivator using his own dual swords!"

    "Just how much is this guy hiding? He hid even better than Zheng Xiang."

    "9th Level of Qi Refining. Damn. I think even Hu Xing of the Ninth Peak who is the publicly acknowledged Number One Outer Court Disciple won''t be able to defeat Fang Chen."

    "8th Level of Qi Refining is already a cultivation level no less than an inner court disciple, with his talent, I think he will soon put his name on the Gracious Hundred Ranking and be one of the Top Hundred disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    The Hall was buzzing with shock for a long time before Elder Wu silenced the crowd and announced the winner.

    "This battle, Fang Chen wins!"

    Jin Hai was still in shock from the battle. He had tried all his moves and tricks to defeat his opponent, but in the end, his opponent defeated him in his own path, using Dual Swords.

    Sword cultivation wasn''t easy, to master the sword, one must experience a lot of life and death battles and practice and practice and practice. And the Dual Sword cultivation had a whole another level of difficulty. This was why there were rarely any Dual Sword cultivators, and those who were were very talented and had huge potential.

    He had practiced almost every second of thest few years in sword cultivation, and was no less than any prodigy in terms of sword cultivation yet, today, he was defeated. Defeated by an opponent who used the same weapon but better.

    Jin Hai took a deep breath, stared at Fang Chen for a few seconds, and announced, "I will practice harder. And next, my performance won''t be this pathetic."

    Ye Tian Yun stared back. He didn''t say anything. While this little conversation appeared cool and dramatic in front of all students, his mind was screaming, ''What the hell? Pathetic performance? Is this guy messing with me? If his performance was pathetic then doesn''t it mean mine wasn''t even up to the standards of being called pathetic. I may have lived a whole life, but that doesn''t make me a saint in sword and for this guy to be able to give out such blows even before learning from real cultivation manuals, if he isn''t a prodigy then who in this realm is?''

    Controlling himself, just as Jin Hai was about to turn away, Ye Tian Yun cleared his thoughts and said, "Even if you practice for a thousand years unless your heart isn''t set, all your efforts will be futile."

    "Follow your heart?" Jin Hai frowned and contemted for a moment. Then looked at Ye Tian Yun and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Fang Chen. This Junior Brother will remember this teaching."

    Ye Tian Yun moved and in the next moment, he stood among the participants, seemingly ignoring Jin Hai''s greeting and thanks. His silence created unknown intimidation among the surrounding disciples but only he knew what was going on in his mind, ''That was so cool! Follow your heart! Damn, I should be sage!''

    While the disciples mostly had shocked expressions after the battle, the Elders were weirdly calm. Though Elder Wu had an ted face seeing two talented Dual Sword cultivators rise from the Seventh Peak, Elder Mu and Elder Lai Chang were silent. In fact, their face could be considered solemn.

    Elder Mu knew Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation but he never knew Ye Tian Yun''s talent in sword arts.

    And Elder Lai Chang was standing motionless as if he was seeing all his carefully nned future steps be useless and futile.. Right now, the most thing that he wanted to do was go to the First Peak and inform all about today''s incident to his Faction leaders before the news reaches them from any other source.

 Chapter 44 - Final Battles (End)

    While Elder Lai Chang was getting depressed over his future circumstances, Elder Wu was excited for theing years to see the rise of Hunt''s top disciples. Though the average cultivation of Seventh Peak was lowest of all the peaks this time, the Top disciples were the cream of the crop among all the Outer Court Disciples in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    This boosted his confidence as he thought soon he would be able to gloat over the old fogies of other peaks too over the talent of these disciples and keep his head high in the next Elder''s Meeting.

    While Elder Mu was the least surprised one of the Elder trio in the battle, and he became even more reassured over his choice of investing in Fang Chen. Steadying his thought, he came forward and announced the beginning of the next round, "Disciple Qin Shunyuan, do you wish to challenge any of the higher-ranked disciples?"

    QIn Shunyuan, who was ranked tenth and was recuperating and stabilizing his breakthrough all this time, after a moment of thought, he stood up and dered, "Elders, my cultivation isn''t stable yet, challenging anyone at this moment will have a detrimental effect on my future. I will abstain from this opportunity without wasting everyone''s time. I do not wish to challenge anyone"

    Elder Mu nodded, "As long as it''s your conscious decision." He then turned towards the Seventh Ranked disciple, Tan Ru, who wasn''t called outst time and asked him, "Disciple Tan Ru, do you wish to challenge anyone?"

    "This disciple knows his limits, and won''t give any futile challenges." Tan Ru too didn''t wish to challenge any of the top disciples. With his cultivation at the 7th Level of Qi Refining, he knew what the oue would be if he challenged anyone ranked higher than him.

    Elder Mu shook his head and then turned towards the next disciples, "Disciple Zheng Xiang, do you wish to challenge anyone?"

    Zheng Xiang stood up. And so did the anticipation among disciples. Zheng Xiang was the real dark horse of this Event. And in his previous battles, he hadpletely dominated his opponents. The disciples were excited to see one more match of him going against higher-ranked disciples and what they wanted most was a head-on confrontation between Zheng Xiang and Fang Chen as the finale of the Hunt.

    However, Zheng Xiang had other ns. He jumped on the battle stage and dered his challenge, "Brother Ling Yun, please give me some pointers."

    Ling Yun jumped on the stage and snarled, "Did you not notice that no one was challenging me? Do you really think just because you surprised everyone with your cultivation, you are worthy enough to challenge me?"

    Zheng Xiang put on a serious face, "We will see if I am worthy or not."

    Ling Yun was angered, "Let''s see then." He then unsheathed his sword and struck.

    Being an older and well-known disciple, Ling Yun had a fair share of experience in spars and even some life and death encounters on missions given by the Martial Mission Hall.

    He had missedst time''s Inner Court Entrance Hunt, but at that time he was only at the 4th Level of Qi Refining realm, and his chances to get into the Inner Court were almost nil even if he had taken part in the Hunt. But now, his cultivation has increased leaps and bounds, and he was confident to say that he was going to be in the top three if not the number one outer court disciple.

    Swinging his sword, Ling Yun struck, aiming for the neck. Zheng Xiang didn''t falter and immediately took out his sword to block the iing attack. Both of them exchanged a few moves. As their cultivation auras spread out, it turned out to be equally matched at the 8th Level of Qi Refining.

    However, in battles and spars, even if the cultivation of both sides was equally matched, it might not mean that both sides were equal in strength. Instinct, experience, technique, confidence, and practice be the main factors that decide the result. And in this battle, this seemed to be the case.

    Zheng Xiang had an upper hand and was in full control of the battle. Ling Yun was thoroughly suppressed. Even though he was an older disciple, and should be the one in lead with his experience, it seemed they fell short in terms of Zheng Xiang''s.

    After shing for more than a hundred moves, Zheng Xiang saw an opening and kicked Ling Yun in the abdomen. Ling Yun fell back, and before he could regain his bnce, Zheng Xiang sent another blow towards him, thoroughly thwarting him off the stage.

    The audience cheered as they were thrilled to see the match. Though most of them were expecting this oue, they were still surprised by how one-sided this match was.

    "This match, Zheng Xiang wins!" Elder Mu announced the result, creating another wave of cheering among the disciples.

    Zheng Xiang was rankedst, and now he had be one of the Top Three. And due to him being at a lower rank earlier, many disciples supported and cheered for him.

    Ling Yun mmed his fist on the ground and returned to the participants'' seats, his frustration could be easily seen by his frustration.

    Elder Wu had a gratified expression on his face, while the other two elders still had a solemn face.

    Elder Mu didn''t waste any more time and asked, "Disciple Mao Rong, do you wish to challenge anyone?"

    Mao Rong stood straight and said, "This disciple doesn''t wish to challenge anyone."

    Elder Mu nodded and dered, "Alright. The Third Stagees to an end with this and so does the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, we will now announce the results and handover the rewards!"

 Chapter 45 - Rewards

    This created another buzz of cheering among the disciples. The biggest event for the outer court disciples of the Seventh Peak had nowe to its closure.

    There were many surprises in this event, from Zheng Xiang''s unstoppable momentum to Qin Shunyuan''s undefeated streak and determination to win even after being challenged by more than half of the Top Hundred disciples. Then there was Hou Xing, the only disciple from the Top Ten of the Pre Rankings who remained unchallenged. And to top them all was Fang Chen, the disciple known for his low talent and arrogant nature, ended up being crowned as the undisputed Number One Disciple of the Seventh Peak,pletely dominating everyone with an overwhelming cultivation of 9th Level of Qi Refining Realm.

    "This big event had nowe to an end", Elder Wu stood up, and echoed his voice through Qi, "All participants have worked hard for this Hunt. Today, I am full of pride as I see that my Seventh Peak has such amazingly talented disciples. Though everyone outside this hall may think that this peak is the most mediocre of all but I feel assured when I say that today''s hunt''s top disciples will soon engrave their names on the Gracious Sword Rankings of the Inner Court and qualify for the biggest event of the surrounding hundred kingdoms, The Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "But before all this, I want you to keep my next few words forever instilled in your mind, ''Arrogance kills intelligence.'' Right now, those who have qualified for the Inner Court must remember that there is a cloud beyond cloud and heaven above heaven."

    "You should never let your talent get into your head and be arrogant just because of this little sess. In the life ahead, there will be many challenges, many opponents, many enemies and you will have to conquer, defeat and kill them. At that time it won''t be your arrogance that will be of use but it will be your intelligence and instinct that will be put to test."

    "I won''t hold any more of your time, but remember to always be clear headed and calm even in front of death, like Kang Bai who even though isn''t between us right now, but he has disyed an unmatchable characteristic of determination and sacrifice when situation demanded."

    "And to the disciples who could not make it to the Top Hundred, I want you to know that you''re in no way inferior to others and next timee with better preparation and strengthened will. I want to see you enter the Inner Court after three years in the next Inner Court Entrance Hunt!"

    "Now, I will announce the official Top Ten disciples of this Hunt with their gained beast cores"

    Elder Wu then took out a huge golden scroll and threw it high. Giving off a majestic aura, it slowly unfolded and on it were engraved the names of the Top ten disciples.

    [10th ce, Qin ShunYuan, 1356 Beast Cores

    9th ce, Ma Hai , 78 Beast Cores

    8th ce, Wu Qing, 35 Beast Cores

    7th ce, Tan Ru, 123 Beast Cores

    6th ce, Jin Hai, 89 Beast Cores

    5th ce, Mao Rong, 171 Beast Cores

    4th ce, Ling Yun, 0 Beast Cores

    3rd ce, Zheng Xiang, 314 Beast Cores

    2nd ce, Hou Xing, 0 Beast Cores

    1st ce, Fang Chen, 118 Beast Cores]

    The disciples eximed at the uneven gain of beast cores among the top disciples, with the tenth rank disciples acquiring more than a thousand while the fourth ranked disciple, Ling Yun, and second ranked disciple, Hou Xing got none.

    The number of beast cores that were shown in the list only included the ones won by the disciples by winning a match and acquiring forty percent of the opponents beast cores, while the one who lost was not going to get anything because the rest of the beast cores had to be submitted to the sect.

    Qin Shunyuan was challenged most and had won all his matches, hence acquired most beast cores while Ling Yun was challenged only once and lost his match, failing to get beast core from his opponent. While Hou Xing remained unchallenged and he too didn''t get any beast core.

    The Inner Court Entrance Exam may seem simple but in fact it had much more than what met the eyes at first nce. The first two rounds were simple and straightforward. The first one eliminated the disciples who were here only for fun and the second stage tested the disciples instinct, determination and experience by making them hunt Qi Stealing Moles.

    The third stage forced disciples to challenge higher ranked disciples to acquire beast cores for their personal use since the beast cores from stage two were supposed to be given to the sect.

    Seventh Peak only had the quota of a hundred disciples for the Inner Court, and to encourage disciples to challenge the pre ranking top hundred, the Seventh Peak gave more low tier Qi Strengthening Pills to the top hundred and one pill to the rest of the Stage Two qualified disciples.

    Even though beast cores equaled the low tier Qi Strengthening Pills in terms of potency, they were too raw to be directly consumed and took more time to digest, hence many disciples prefered to sell them.

    While all disciples ranked from one hundred one and below only received one pill, the disciple ranked hundred received two pills, ny ninth ranked disciples received three pills and so on.

    Elder Wu waited for a few moments for the disciples to calm down and announced, "All disciples can receive the Qi Strengthening Pills as per their rank by visiting the Alchemy Hall on the Second Peak."

    "The top three disciples can choose any Rank 4 cultivation manual from the Martial Book Pavilion on the First Peak."

    "From this moment, top hundred disciples are now the Inner Court Disciples and will receive their silver robes and disciple tokens from the Resource Hall at the Second Peak."

    "Everyone, it''s time to disperse, I wish you good luck for your future."

 Chapter 46 - Meeting Zheng Xiang

    Early in morning, the artistic golden sun got up like a little baby and started painting the dark ck night into a bright blue sky. The bright looking milky clouds got up from sleep, giving off a majestic aura and started travelling around the sky visiting the serene and wonderful environment.

    Dense, white mist coated the Gracious Sword Sect peaks as a new day had begun, and for few disciples, this day was going to be the start of a new arc in their lives.

    Ye Tian Yun was one of them, as he woke up rubbing the remainders of sleep from his eyes, gazing out at the horizon; its vivid light extended across a blue sky. He supposed this was something the majority of people would consider beautiful, but he found it strange, hard even, to find something so meaningful in something so every-day. It''s not like the sun wouldn''t rise, it had, after all, been reliably happening since the beginning of time. So what was so special about it? He thought for a while and guessed, maybe this was a sense of aplishment, a feeling which had be unfamiliar to him since long ago.

    He felt aplished to get one step closer to his goal. Now, if all went simple, he was going to slowly reveal his cultivation talent, put his name in the Gracious Sword Rankings of the Inner Court and qualify for the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    Taking a deep breath, he got ready to start a new chapter in his quest for the Token Of Fate.

    Soon, he reached the chain bridge to get to the first peak. He wasn''t the only one present, one more disciple was there, waiting for the lift to return from the other side of the chain bridge.

    Standing straight and proud, with a serene smile on his face, he was Zheng Xiang, the biggest dark horse of thest day''s Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    Ye Tian Yun felt this was too coincidental, and now, he wasn''t going to let go of an opportunity to know this anomaly in the plot.

    He broke the ice, "Brother Zheng, are you also heading towards the Resource Hall?"

    Zheng Xiang who was daydreaming heard someone calling him. He turned to find himself face to face with his new fellow Inner Court Disciple, Fang Chen.

    Many thoughts shed through his eyes and the most pressing was an urge to spar with the number one disciple of seventh peak standing in front of him.

    Calming himself, he replied, "Yes, Brother Fang. I am going to the Resource Hall to receive my robes, token and the Qi Strengthening Pills. And by also, did you mean you too are heading there?"

    "Indeed, I am also going there and once I get my robes and token, I will head towards the Martial Book Pavilion to choose a Rank 4 cultivation manual, let''s see how it goes."

    "Oh, then let''s go together if you don''t mind. I too have the exact same n."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Alright, let''s go together."

    "Ha-ha, that would be great. I didn''t introduce myself formally, I am Zheng Xiang from the Silver Mist City''s Zheng n."

    "Oh? The Silver Mist City?" This new piece of information surprised Ye Tian Yun, not because it was Zheng Xiang''s home, but because the city itself was roots to one of the big events in the future. And maybe, Zheng Xiang was also affected due to it and didn''t appear in theter events.

    "Ah? Have you heard of it? That''s surprising," Zheng Xiang raised in eyes brows in surprise.

    "Yes, in fact I have even been to the Silver Mist City once. I passed through there when I was on a two day visit to the Shi n few years back." Ye Tian Yun blurted some nonsense, just to keep the conversation ongoing.

    "Oh, maybe next time you visit the city, you can stop by my n for some rest."

    "I won''t miss the chance. Well, the lift is here, let''s get on."

    The lift soon reached the Seventh Peak. After the onboard disciples came down, both of them got into the lift.

    As the lift began to move towards the First Peak, Zheng Xiang said, "Brother Fang, I am a bit surprised by your simplicity. Before personally meeting you, I have heard a lot of rumours about your arrogance, but now it looks like they were false, or maybe they were true and your arrogance is a facade?"

    "Well, I have had my own reasons." Ye Tian Yun shrugged and asked, "What are your ns on the type of manual you''re going to select from the Book Pavilion?"

    Zheng Xiang didn''t mind the change of topic and replied, "I do have something particr in my mind. My aim is toprehend the legendary Sword Intent, and reach the fabled realm of Sword Saint. I will be looking for a manual which can help me in this path. What about you, Brother Fang?"

    "I won''t lie, actually I don''t have anything in mind regarding what I want. As long as the manual is interesting, I will take it. I may sound a bit conceited or foolish, but this is what I have in my mind. Also, if you''re aiming to be a Sword Saint, I will suggest you look for a sword cultivation manual which focuses on more on speed rather than fancy moves, this will make you focus more on understanding the true nature of sword and help you inprehending the Sword Intent faster."

    "Oh? Brother Fang sounds knowledgeable on this subject, are you also aiming to be a Sword Saint?"

    "Zheng Xiang, just understanding the sword intent doesn''t make someone a Sword Saint, there are many prerequisites other than justprehending Sword Intent."

    "Ah? Have Brother Fang ever met a Sword Saint?"

 Chapter 47 - Leagues

    "Is it easy to encounter a Sword Saint?" Ye Tian Yun shook his head, and said, "In the whole Lower Heavens, there are only two Sword Saints. And both of them are not natives of Lower Heavens, but are from the Middle Heavens."

    "Then how are you so knowledgeable about sword intent and sword saints? Does the Fang n have records regarding them?" Zheng Xiang couldn''t help but ask Ye Tian Yun when he heard his non-chnt response.

    ''Does he really think Fang n is capable of even understanding what Sword Intent means?'' Ye Tian Yun disdained inwardly but replied, "Well, you can say that. Not a manual or a secret, it was all written just a paper in the old library at my n."

    "Oh?" Something shed through Zheng Xiang''s eyes, before he said, "Is it the main reason you joined the Gracious Sword Sect? Since the first sect leader, Yuan Xuming was a Sword Saint and it is said that his legacy still remains untouched, even after years of his ascension to the Upper Heavens. All the disciples who took the trial to receive his legacy failed very badly, some even with mortal injuries."

    "Not really. My n forced me toe here and cultivate for the next few years. I was having a great time in the Capital city, but now I even have to fight for a ce to cultivate." Ye Tian Yun sighed and made a reminiscing expression, as if he was seeing all his good days being yed in front of him.

    Zheng Xiang also sighed, "Ah, the perks of being born in a rich n."

    There was a moment of silence as they both reminisced of theirst years of having fun in their hometown due to their family''s power behind them.

    "Brother Fang, what are your thoughts regarding the Grand Spirit Hunt? Will you try to get your name on the Gracious Sword Rankings or are you thinking of waiting for five more years for the next Grand Spirit Hunt?"

    "I haven''t thought of anything special regarding that, but I will definitely try to get my name on the Gracious Sword Rankings. But, it is still too early to decide. First, what we need to focus on is settling in the Inner Court. Understanding its structure is the highest priority, getting to know our new opponents and understanding the leagues."

    "Leagues? What are they? Some kind of game?" Zheng Xiang was confused and surprised by the information Ye Tian Yun had given him just through casual chat.

    He, like any other Outer Court Disciple, was not aware of the state of Inner Court and the power structure among the disciples except for the Gracious Sword Rankings.

    Now, he was surprised by the leagues Ye Tian Yun had remarked about.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and continued, "The so-called leagues are organizations created by the Inner Court disciples. Because these organizations could pull the rtionships closer and ignite brotherhood between disciples, the Gracious Sword Sect doesn''t oppose it, and instead, they encourage it."

    "Oh? Then which league is the strongest? Are you also going to join a league? Which one should I join? Are there any benefits in joining leagues?" Zheng Xiang made a barrage of questions when he heard about the existence of leagues. It simply sounded something cool to him and he wanted to know more.

    Ye Tain Yun put his hand on his chin, acting like an knowledgeable old man, he said, "Actually, there are many leagues in the Inner Court, but the truly strong ones are only four, the World League, the Heavenly League, the Jade League and the Nine Supremes."

    "The World League has the most number of members, reaching at least five hundred people. And they have ''World'' behind their back, signifying themselves as the part of the World Alliance."

    "The Heavenly League is the most significant because most of the core disciples were once part of this alliance. But there selection trial is the hardest, so very few disciples seeded to be a part of this league."

    "The Jade League is unique because it is an all female league. There are no male disciples, and it is the most sought after league by female disciples."

    "But of all these, the Nine Supremes are the most mysterious and powerful ones. As the name suggests they truly only have nine members, and anyone who joins them will no doubt be a core disciple soon. But there is no trial or test to join this league, the Nine Supremes will decide if you are worthy, and after three months, the selected will challenge the current nine supremes to be official members."

    Zheng Xiang was overwhelmed by this information he had just received. He would have never thought Inner Court was going to be this muchplicated, with all the leagues and rankings, when was he going to focus on his cultivation if he joined any league.

    "Brother Fang, is it necessary to join a league? I only want to focus on my cultivation and prepare for the Grand Spirit Hunt." Zheng Xiang asked in confusion.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath, with an unnoticeable smile on his lips, as if his n was about to seed, he replied, "You should definitely join a league if you are preparing for the Grand Spirit Hunt. Aplishing anything alone is almost impossible in the Inner Court. Even I am nning to join the Heavenly League if the Nine Supremes ignore me."

    "Although the stronger leagues are harder to enter, you cannot choose a weak one. For example, you should never enter those who say how good their leagues are to one person after the other. Those leagues could not even protect you and you would only get bullied."

    ---*---

    A/n:

    This chapter is unedited cuz I am typing in my phone, if you find any typos or errors, pleasement and let me know.

    Don''t forget to add this book to your library and VOTE!!!

 Chapter 48 - The Resource Hall

    Zheng Xiang was silent for a moment before he shook his head and said, "Brother Fang, I can''t say anything about joining a league for now. Let''s see what the future holds for us."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged. He was just acquainting Zheng Xiang for now. He didn''t care if Zheng Xiang joined any league or remained solo in the future. Zheng Xiang was never his priority. His target right now was to get into the Grand Spirit Hunt, and joining a league was the best way for that.

    Sometimeter, the lift finally came to a halt. Both of them had crossed over to the First Peak.

    First Peak was the most important peak of the Gracious Sword Sect. It was at the center of all mountains, and the Qi concentration was highest, making it the best ce to cultivate in the whole sect. However, only the highest-ranked elders and disciples were allowed to cultivate here, along with the Sect Leader.

    On the First Peak''s foot were various halls, departments, and shops. The most significant and crowded ones were the Resource Hall, Martial Mission Hall, and Martial Book Pavilion.

    Resource Hall was a two-floor building built on the far-left corner, which, as its name suggested, controlled and distributed resources to everyone in the sect. It also allocated resources needed for big events and missions to the disciples and elders.

    The Martial Mission Hall was a three-storey pagoda on the right, which gave out missions to the sect disciples. These missions were mostly requests for help by the surrounding ns and even kingdoms, and these missions also gave out rewards to the disciples, and these rewards were the main source of ie for the disciples.

    And the Martial Book Pavilion, which stood the tallest among all other buildings at the center of the base of First Peak, and was also the most important building of the sect. This five-storey building had all the sect records and the cultivation manuals for the disciples and elders.

    The base of First Peak was bustling as always, with disciples going from one ce to another, heading out of the sect,ing in, and then there were trading stalls opened by disciples to sell their gains from previous missions. This ce felt like a mini market to Ye Tian Yun.

    There were many inner court disciples also present at the scene along with the outer court disciples, going in and out of the Martial Book Pavilion and Resource Hall.

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang first entered the Resource Hall for their robes and Inner Court Token.

    Resource Hall, unlike other departments, wasn''t entirely controlled by the elders. The ones who took care of everything here were the managers. Managers did not have any political power in the sect and were mainly responsible for wealth management. They worked under core elders and were ountable for all resources.

    The Resource Hall was a two-storey building, with the ground floor for all the resource allocation to Inner Court disciples and the upper floor for the management, core disciples, and elders.

    When Ye Tian Yun stepped into the building, he was greeted with a buzzing crowd.

    Even though it was still early in the morning, the Resource Hall was already crowded with new disciples from all seven peaks.

    The Inner Court Entrance Hunt hade to an end, and now, all new Inner Court disciples were rushing to the First Peak to get their tokens and rewards.

    In fact, even the female disciples from the Third and Fourth Peak hade to get their new tokens. This also created a weird sense of excitement among the male disciples, making them act awkward and elegant at the same time.

    In the Gracious Sword Sect, the female outer court disciples had a more leisurely life than their male counterparts. The female disciples were treated almost like Inner Court disciples. They were given resources and a ce to cultivate to prepare for the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. On top of this, the only fights, or battles between them were organized friendly spars to gain some experience.

    Meanwhile, the male disciples were forced to fight among themselves for even the tiniest number of resources and a ce to cultivate. The sect didn''t give any resources and made the disciples go on missions given by the Martial Mission Hall if they wanted to get resources for increasing their battle prowess and cultivation.

    ˇ­

    As soon as one entered the Resource Hall, he would feel like he was in a huge rectangr auditorium, with counters on the opposite end.

    Each counter was adjacent to each other, and the disciples standing in front of them were separated by railings. This made everything much ordered and less crowded.

    The disciples were standing in line to get their tokens while most of them also discussed the Hunt that had juste to an endst night.

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang didn''t say anything and moved towards the shortest line to receive their Inner Court robes and tokens.

    However, just before Ye Tian Yun reached, he heard something which made hime to a halt.

    "Is Xiao Ming really that powerful?"

 Chapter 49 - Bai Qinger

    "Is Xiao Ming really that powerful?"

    Ye Tian Yun was not surprised by the reply he heard next.

    "Of course, he is. He was unstoppable in this Hunt."

    Another Disciple chimed in and agreed.

    "Yeah, and his fight with Hu Xing was the craziest battle in the Ninth Peak''s hunt if not in the whole Gracious Sword Sect''s outer court disciple."

    But not everyone was on the same page regarding Hu Xing, one disciple shrugged and said, "Everyone''s talking about that fight, but I think it was just a hype."

    "Hype? Were you even there? If you didn''t witness the scene with your own eyes, then you should just keep your mouth shut. The fight even affected the battle stage, there were many cracks on it by the time the oue was decided."

    "What was the cultivation realm of Xiao Ming?" A female disciple couldn''t help but ask.

    "Eighth Level of Qi Refining Realm."

    "Huh? Then how is it possible to defeat Hu Xing?"

    "He is a genius. Pure genius. Xiao Ming, with his lower cultivation, defeated Hu Xing who could even contend against Qi Condensation Realm cultivators when he broke through the Ninth Level of Qi Refining cultivation."

    "Hu Xing indeed lived up to his title of the Number One Disciple of the Outer Court. Even though he isn''t number one anymore."

    "Yeah, the current number one is undoubtedly Xiao Ming."

    A female disciple couldn''t help but question this im, "Well, what about the top disciples of other peaks?"

    The earlier disciple simply shrugged in his reply, "They are only top disciples at their own peaks, if they hade to our Ninth Peak, I don''t think they could even get to Top Ten, let alone being in the Top Three."

    The female disciple who questioned shook her head and said, "That is too arrogant of you to say like that, haven''t you heard of the Number One Female Disciple of this Hunt, Bai Qing''er?"

    "Damn, don''t bring her in this. She is on another level. I am pretty sure she will be the next Yuan Shuchun, dominating the Gracious Sword Rankings and bing a Core Disciples within a few months." A female disciple who was standing by couldn''t help but convey her thoughts, "In fact, many elders even secretly agree that if not for her poor background and resources, she might have already reached Yuan Shuchun''s level if not higher."

    "That is just a pipedream, don''t you know who Yuan Shuchun is? We can all agree that this generation will be led by her just based on her background. On top of that, her cultivation talent is the most amazing. Give her a few more years, and I dare say that she will definitely inherit the mantle of the Sect Leader and lead our sect for years toe."

    "Yuan Shuchun is unattainable for us. We are just mere mortalspared to her talent, let''s not bring her into this topic."

    "Yeah, there''s still a long way to go for Bai Qing''er if she wants to challenge Yuan Shuchun."

    Though almost everyone knew Yuan Shuchun, either male or female, very few had heard of Bai Qing''er earlier. So, someone asked, "How is it that Bai Qing''er was so talented but she wasn''t famous like other top female disciples before the Hunt?"

    A female disciple nodded and exined, "Do you know that the Inner Court Entrance Hunt for the Third and Fourth Peak is held together? And all female disciples participate at one ce? Bai Qing''er became the top disciple by suppressing all other female disciples just by her sword talent."

    "Sword talent? Is she really good in sword arts?"

    "Not just good but the best. Her sword moves are very swift and powerful. And I am being honest here, do you know what the elders sensed from her sword in one of her fights?"

    "What?"

    "Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent."

    The crowd was shocked by this statement.

    "Impossible! Sword Intent!? And that too by an Outer Court Disciples? This is too crazy to even think about."

    The female disciple nodded and said, "Yes, it is crazy. This is also the reason why her name is resounding throughout the sect within one night after the event came to an end."

    "Even Yuan Shuchun wasn''t able toprehend the Sword Intent even after getting ess to all the resources of the sect and her background."

    "This is the reason why everyone isparing both of thesedies."

    "Even though it was just the glimpse of the lowest level Sword Intent, the Manifestation Realm, it has already rmed the whole sect.. Imagine what will happen if someoneprehends the full Sword Intent."

 Chapter 50 - Whats LMAO?

    "Do you think it is that easy? Even though outer court female disciples have ess to cultivation manuals and are allowed to practice real cultivation manuals from there, there has been only one Bai Qing''er after so many years of sect''s establishment."

    Even Zheng Xiang was now paying attention to what the disciples were discussing about. Just a few moments earlier he had dered his aim to Ye Tian Yun that he wanted to be a Sword Saint andprehend the legendary Sword Intent.

    And now, someone younger than him has already taken the first step and was already proimed as a super genius.

    He turned towards Ye Tian Yun, who had already resumed his way towards the counter as soon as the topic shifted to someone else.

    Zheng Xian asked him in a low voice, "Brother Fang, how do you think she was able toprehend Sword Intent?"

    Ye Tian Yun looked at him with a straight face and said, "Sword Intent? When did sheprehend that?"

    "Uhˇ­ Brother Fang, did you not pay attention to what everyone is talking about?"

    "I did. But you got the meaning wrong. In fact, most of the disciples here got it wrong. What she has reached is the Manifestation Realm. This realm doesn''t signify Sword Intent, it is just the first step of a never endingdder."

    "But isn''t that already big thing?"

    "Maybe, maybe not. It isn''t a big thing yet. Manifestation Realm is the most unstable realm on the path of sword intent and one can very easily lose his way here, losing the chance to everprehend the Sword Intent."

    "Oh?"

    "Yes. And Bai Qing''er''s real struggle has just begun. I will acknowledge her talent after she passes through the manifestation realm."

    While Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang were discussing, the other disciples were also chatting away and talking about Bai Qing''er''s talent.

    "I wish we, the male disciples, were allowed to cultivate those manuals and were given enough resources. Maybe we could have had someone like Bai Qing''er among our ranks too."

    Another disciple nodded and said, "The closest who can get to her in terms of her talent in sword right now is Mu Xing of the Fifth Peak."

    A disciple beside him agreed on this remark, "Mu Xing is a weird fellow. It is said that he joined the sect about three years ago and was mostly out of the sect since then, doing missions. He only came to Fifth Peak twice and challenged the then top disciples, defeating them in less than three moves."

    "Well, guys like Mu Xing, Xiao Ming and Bai Qing''er have already begun to leave their mark on the sect''s history."

    A disciple who was just a bystander in this discussion till then, said, "In my opinion, these weren''t the true dark horses of this event."

    "Then who?"

    "Zheng Xiang and Fang Chen of the Seventh Peak, Xu Peng of Eighth Peak and Qin Feng of Sixth Peak." He said a few new names, attracting the attention of everyone around him.

    He continued after a slight pause, "Except for Fang Chen, all of these were ranked lowest after stage Two and in fact, Zheng Xiang of Seventh Peak was ranked at the veryst. Surprisingly, by the time the Stage Three came to an end, all of these were in the top three of their peaks."

    "What about Fang Chen?" A female disciple asked.

    The disciple replied, "Fang Chen is the craziest. Tell me the number of Qi Stealing Moles hunted by Mu Xing, Xiao Ming and other top disciples?"

    "Well, the highest for the Ninth Peak was Four Hundred Twenty One by Xiao Ming."

    "Fang Chen hunted Four Hundred Eighty Two!"

    "Damn the heavens, what did you just say!?"

    "Is this even possible?"

    "Xiao Ming already had an impossible score and now this Fang Chen. What is his cultivation realm?"

    "He didn''t reveal it."

    "How is that possible? Didn''t he fight with other disciples?"

    "He did. But none of them were powerful enough to make him use his full cultivation level."

    A guy who had been silent till now, shook his head and said, "Actually, I think all of this was his pure luck. By hunting the highest, he already had the First position in the Pre Rankings, and then he didn''t get to fight the best disciples on his peak like Zheng Xiang and Hou Xing."

    "Lmao, I wish I had that luck"

    "What''s that?"

    "Luck isˇ­ being lucky?"

    "No, not that. What''s lmao?"

    "Lick my a*s onii-chan."

 Chapter 51 - The Gracious Sword

    Ye Tian Yun waited for his turn to receive his new robes and token for the Inner Court.

    His chance was yet toe but the Resource Hall was already flooded with outer court disciples.

    And almost everyone was discussing and sharing their thoughts and news on yesterdays Inner Court Entrance Hunt at their peak while waiting for their turn.

    After some time Ye Tian Yun finally stood in front of the counter to receive his silver coated Inner Court robes and a silver token, signifying his new identity and status of an Inner Court Disciple.

    The Inner Court robes of the Gracious Sword Sect disciples were very unique in design. Each robe had a deep and eye-catching embroidery of a dark ck sword on its back. This sword signified the Gracious Sword, once wielded by the first sect leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, Yuan Xuming.

    Yuan Xuming, with his sword, traversed through the lower realm, suppressing all the geniuses of his era.

    Yuan Xuming became one of the peak cultivators by owning his sword and his talent in sword cultivation.

    He named it the Gracious Sword, it was a Rank 9 weapon, and legend has it that it has its own Sword Spirit, making it one of the most powerful weapons to ever exist in the Lower Heavens.

    It is said that though this sword had the biggest hand in the sess of Yuan Xuming, it didn''t apanied him when he transcended to the Upper Heavens but instead, it broke into three pieces during the ascension, only two of them to be ever found and are now kept in a very secret location with high security at the core of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Even though the sect declined in power over the next few decades, but, the top powers of Lower Heavens didn''t dare to attack and take away the sword due to the presence of the Sword Spirit in it.

    They feared igniting the Sword Spirit''s temper.

    A rank nine weapon''s Spirit has the power equivalent to that of a Half Saint, making it one of the most powerful beings in the Lower Heavens. To suppress it, the top powers will need to sacrifice a lot of their manpower, and even then they were not sure about controlling it.

    They will need to bring out all their hidden cultivators, which will make them vulnerable against their enemies.

    The Gracious Sword was the unrequited love of these top powers of the Lower Heavens. Forever one sided.

    ˇ­

    "Disciple Fang Chen, since you have achieved the first rank at your peak''s Inner Court Entrance Hunt, please head over to the upper floor to get your Disciple robes and token." The manager at the counter informed him with a slight smile.

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, "Thenˇ­ didn''t I just waste my half hour, wouldn''t it be better if you had put a notice about this?"

    The manager, still with the same smile, pointed at the side wall and said, "We did. Have a look."

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards the wall where the manager was pointing his finger at and saw a green board on which a parchment was pinned. It read:

    [ All Outer Court Disciples who were ranked among the Top Three in their respective Peak''s Inner Court Entrance Hunt are advised to head to the upper floor to receive their Token and Silver Robes. ]

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the notice for a good one minute. He then turned and without saying anything, headed towards the upper floor.

    Zheng Xiang who was right behind him also face palmed and followed Ye Tian Yun, "Brother Fang, to think we both were paying so much attention to the discussion among the disciples that we even missed that notice."

    Ye Tian Yun stopped and looked at Zheg Xiang as he asked, "Uhˇ­ how are we supposed to get to the Upper Floor?"

    ˇ­

    The Upper Floor was usually designated for the core disciples, elders and the management. And the way to get to it was through the counters.

    When Ye Tian Yun came back to the counter, the manager who still had the same cheerful expression, greeted him. Looking at him made Ye Tian Yun even more frustrated and pissed, ''Damn, this guy must beughing his a*s off in his mind right now. Why didn''t those informants before my rebirth didn''t tell me anything about this, useless things!''

    ˇ­

    Somewhere in the Middle Heavens, three friends sneezed at once and shouted, "Damn, who is remembering this daddy!?"

    ˇ­

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun crossed the counter and saw amon stairway heading up.

    After some time, he found himself on the Upper Floor.

    It wasn''t a huge hall that he had imagined it to be, but a floor with many rooms and hallways. And the first thing that came into the site was a counter, which unlike the ones in the lower floor, looked like it was a temporary structure.

    And behind that counter was none other than Elder Lai Chang, one of the elders who had presided over the Seventh Peak''s Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

 Chapter 52 - Mu Xing

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit surprised seeing him here since he knew that Elder Lai Chang didn''t handle the tasks regarding the Resource Hall, but was one of the few elders who had power equivalent to that of an Inner Court Elder and was deputy in-charge of the Martial Mission Hall, even though was just an outer court elder as per his rank and cultivation.

    In front of Elder Lai Chang was standing an outer court disciple with his back facing Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang.

    Elder Lai Chang noticed both of them and called out, "Oh, you''vee. Good good."

    "Elder Lai Chang," Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang greeted him by cupping their fists.

    The disciple who was also present at the scene, raised his head and turned towards both of them.

    He saw two disciples with robes simr to his, clearly signifying their rank of outer court disciples, and since they hade to the upper floor, this meant that these two disciples were ranked in the Top Three of their respective peaks, but what surprised him most was the fact that Elder Lai Chang was greeting someone, not the other way around.

    He had known Elder Lai Chang even before he entered the sect, in fact Elder Lai Chang was the one who scouted him for the sect a few months back, before the Sect Entrance Exam. And he had a good understanding of Elder Lai Chang''s nature and thoughts since he had interacted with the elder many times.

    Now he was curious to know who these two disciples were, and which peak they were from. Were these Xiao Ming or Hu Xing of the Ninth Peak? Because only those two monsters could make the elders greet them due to their potential and talent. But this case was unlikely, since in no way those two will walk together without fighting.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun reached the counter and said, "Elder Lai Chang, this is very unexpected. I wasn''t expecting to meet you here."

    "Ha-ha, well, I was bored on the Seventh Peak. So, I thought why not meet the new top outer court disciples of the sect today and made this counter to get to know you guys. Wait for a few minutes, I will give some instructions to Disciple Mu Xing here and then it will be your turn." Elder Lai Chang replied and told them to stand by for some time.

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang nodded, and stood there silently. However, many thoughts were currently passing through there heads.

    Elder Lai Chang then turned towards the other disciple, and advised him, "Disciple Mu Xing, there is still a long way to go. You can''t expect to ascend to the top in one go without having adverseries. There are many challenges toe and many enemies to defeat in the future. For now, you need to only focus on getting to the Gracious Sword Rankings and qualifying for the Grand Spirit Hunt within the next six months."

    "Yes, Elder. I will keep your words in my mind." Mu Xing nodded.

    Elder Lai Chang sighed, and said, "Don''t worry about little things, go back to your peak and cultivate."

    "Yes, Elder."

    Mu Xing turned and left, without looking at Ye Tian Yun or Zheng Xiang again.

    Elder Lai Chang then gestured towards them toe forward.

    Zheng Xiang watched Mu Xing leave and asked Elder Lai Chang, "Elder, was this disciple the same person who is Ranked First in the Hunt at Fifth Peak, Mu Xing?"

    "Indeed he is. In fact, I was the one who scouted him from his city. I went there to another n but found this gem. I don''t think you are familiar with him, he is a bit of an entric fellow."

    "No, Elder. We just heard of his name being mentioned a few times by the disciples below. Is he really that talented in sword cultivation?"

    "Yes, his talent in sword is undeniably one of the very best in his generation. But there''s a long path ahead of him to traverse."

    Ye Tian Yun who was silent all this time, asked, "Elder, what was troubling him? The fact that Bai Qing''er is one step ahead of him inprehending Sword Intent?"

    Elder Lain Chang sighed as he nodded, "Unfortunately, this is indeed the case with him. Due to his entric nature, he had never considered other disciples as his rivals, but now, he has a target to catch, someone who is far ahead of him and more talented."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head as he replied, "Elder, I think if he can''t take this small thing and worries too much, he will end up with a heart demon and his cultivation will severely get affected due to this."

    Elder Lai Changughed and shrugged at this remark, "Ha-ha, this is too far fetched. I can guarantee that this won''t happen, after all, what made me bring him here was not his talent in sword, but his will power and determination."

 Chapter 53 - The Gracious Sword Sects Cold War

    Elder Lai Changughed and shrugged at this remark, "Ha-ha, this is too far fetched. I can guarantee that this won''t happen, after all what made me bring Mu Xing here was not his talent in sword, but his will power and determination."

    He then looked at Zheng Xiang and said, "I was impressed by your talent too. Don''t wander away, keep focused in your future path."

    "I will, Elder."

    Elder Lai Chang nodded and asked, "So, what are your thoughts about the new environment you are going to have in the Inner Court? Are you excited?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "Yes, Elder. Brother Fang Chen even gave me an introduction of the Inner Court."

    "Oh?" Elder Lai Chang then looked at Ye Tian Yun as he asked, "Are you familiar with Inner Court structure? Usually Outer Court Disciples don''t have knowledge about how things work in the Inner Court. Did you guys discuss about the leagues?"

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang nodded in response.

    "That''s good. So, what are your ns on theing future, which leagues do you have in your mind?"

    Zheng Xiang replied first, "Elder, I don''t currently have any league in my mind. I want to understand the situation on my own first. Though the Nine Supremes sound pretty cool."

    "Ha-ha, Nine Supremes are indeed one of the most eye-catching leagues. But, a few disciples can''t stand against a thousand member league. You should choose wisely, and in my honest opinion, Heavenly League is the most stable and strongest among all the leagues." Elder Lai Chang made subtle hints.

    Ye Tian Yun smirked inwardly when he heard this. He knew what Elder Lai Chang''s main aim was and why he was promoting Heavenly League whilst he is supposed to be a neutral party.

    Currently, Gracious Sword Sect was on a delicate bnce. From outside it might look very strong organization, but from inside, it was slowly crumbling. Ye Tian Yun knew why all this infighting was happening, and he even knew who the main yers of this game were and who were the pawns.

    The yers were the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder.

    Both were top powerhouse cultivators who had half of their foot in grave and were desperately looking for new ways to prolong their life.

    And the one thing that could extend their lives was one of the prizes in the Grand Spirit Hunt. But it could save only one person. This became the main reason of cold war between these two top leaders of the sect.

    They didn''t worry about not getting the prize, since in the sect was Jiang Yun. His presence alone assured them of getting the panacea. But what troubled them was the fact that this panacea was only one, so who was going to get it?

    It was not going to be upto Jiang Yun to decide, but on the elders. The elders will have to choose who the panacea will go to.

    So, both, the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder, were now in an intense cold war, trying to get as many elders to their side as possible.

    And the best way to get them under the wing was by supporting the leagues those elders were indirectly part of.

    Except for the Nine Supreme and Jade League, the other two from the Big Four, World League and Heavenly League were the ones who had most elders directly or indirectly supporting them. So, they became very important to these two yers.

    To them, these leagues were the baits. Baits to trap the elders, who were the fishes in this situation.

    In the end, whoever traps the most fishes will be the winner.

    However, after some time the two yers noticed something weird. The support of elders to these leagues was not unconditional and permanent.

    If any league suffered big losses on mission, or wasn''t performing well, the elders would shift their favour to other leagues who were going well.

    It turned out that the elders were like investors. They were investing in these leagues for hidden benefits.

    This made the two yers fall into a delimma of what to do next. And what they ended up doing was giving unconditional support to one of the top leagues.

    Sect leader now supported the World League while Grand Elder was supporting the Heavenly League.

    They started making the leagues stronger. Added new blood to the leagues. Helped these leagues grow in power through every way possible.

    With Sect Leaders support, World League now had the most members. This league focused more on character than the disciple''s cultivation talent.

    And with Grand Elder''s intervention, the Heavenly League was now recruiting all new talented disciples joining the Inner Court. This league focused more on individual power of the disciples.

    Both, Sect Leader and the Grand Elder had pawns to make the new Inner Court disciples join their leagues.

    Elder Lai Chang was one of the Grand Elder''s pawn in this game. Albeit a powerful one. He was a pawn for the Heavenly League.. And Ye Tian Yun knew that in theing future, this pawn was going to y a major role in destroying the current bnce within the sect.

 Chapter 54 - Special Tokens And Robes

    Elder Lai Chang was a pawn and he had no control over his fate.

    While Ye Tian Yun was busy in his thoughts, Elder Lai Chang was coercing Zheng Xiang to join the Heavenly League.

    Zheng Xiang''s reluctance could be seen from his facial expressions, and half-as*sed replies but Elder Lai Chang wasn''t backing down.

    "You should listen to me very carefully and remember what I have told you. You can''t go on taking your future for granted. Join a powerful league, do a good amount of missions and increase your cultivation faster. And if all this works out well, you might even qualify for the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "But you need to understand one thing, Grand Spirit Hunt isn''t a small event and even if you qualify, you alone won''t be able to seed. You will need a team, a team to have your back. And the best disciples you can get in your team are part of the Heavenly League."

    "I am not advertising that league nor am I forcing you to join it. I only want the best for you. I have seen your potential and I don''t want you to wander in this long path of cultivation. Rest is up to you."

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "Thank you, Elder. I will keep your words in my mind."

    "Good," Elder Lai Chang then turned towards Ye Tian Yun and said, "My words also apply for you too. Your performance was phenomenal in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt yesterday, and I have very high expectations from you."

    "In fact, not only me, many Elders have paid attention to your performance. Especially your Dual Sword movements. Don''t lose your way, keep focused and steady."

    "Yes, Elder."

    "This time we have many talented sword cultivator disciples emerging from the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. I won''t lie, but though you weren''t the brightest, your way of swords was unique. Controlling and mastering dual swords is not easy and the future is uncertain. But if you seed, then none of your peers will be able to stop you."

    "Thank you for your guidance, Elder."

    Elder Lai Chang nodded and said, "Alright, it''s time for you to receive your token and robes. But before that, I will need your Outer Court Disciple token."

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang brought out their tokens and handed them over to Elder Lai Chang.

    He scrutinized the tokens before nodding for a few moments.

    Elder Lai Chang then said, "For being ranked in the Top Three of your Peak''s Inner Court Entrance Hunt, the sect will reward you something special."

    He then turned around, and rammaged through a bag which was behind him all this time.

    From the bag, he took out two tokens and handed them over to the disciples in front of him. Each token had a silverish glow and ck stripes.

    "Here, take these." Elder Lai Chang said as he put the tokens on their hands, "These tokens are a bit special. They are not artefacts of course, but they are specially made for the Top Three disciples of each peak. See those ck lines? They signify your rank."

    "These tokens may not help you in your cultivation, but they will help you materialistically. Those who have these robes are given priority in the Martial Mission Hall for top mission, and in Alchemy Peak for pills."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised with this sudden gift. As he epted his token, he thought things would be less troublesome for him in future.

    Then, Elder Lai Chang took out two packets from his spacial ring and said, "Here, these are your robes.They are unique in their own way. And specially made for top disciples. On the left shoulder of these silver robes, is a strap with cross swords. Ranked One disciples have three swords, Ranked Two will have two and ranked three will have one sword, parallel to the shoulders. These are to show your achievement, and make you stand out among thousands of Inner Court disciples."

    "Also, in theing future, when you try for the Gracious Sword Rankings, you will have an advantage due to these robes. There are some benefits which wille with these. But it''s a thing ofter times. Right now, I wish you good luck.

    "And just a hint for you guys, don''t becent and go after the high ranking missionter. I know you''re not yet familiar with the rules, but it''s a piece of advice as the deputy in-charge of the Martial Mission Hall that you don''t take high ranked missions at least until you have reached Mid Qi Condensation Realm."

    "We will keep your words in mind, Elder." Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang nodded.

    "Alright, off you go now. Get a good Rank 4 cultivation manual, decide carefully."

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang bowed a bit as they cupped their fists. Then turning back, they went out.

    When they reached the lower floor, Zheng Xiang whispered, "Brother Fang, are you also thinking what I am thinking? I am blown away by what just happened."

 Chapter 55 - Yuan Shuchun, Again.

    Elder Lai Chang stared at the door from which Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang had gone down to the Lower Floor.

    After some time, he sighed as he thought, ''How long will this keep on going? I don''t have much time left, and the Grand Spirit Hunt is already knocking the door. We can''t miss this opportunity. Next six months will pass by in a blink, and if I stay idle here, it won''t do me any good. I hope the sect gives me new tasks to finish.''

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, he heard footsteps of someone approaching him from the hallway.

    He turned and found a beautiful female disciple, with her head held high,ing towards him.

    ''Time to butter up this princess,'' He inwardly shook his head.

    As the female disciple came near, she said, "Good day to you, Elder Lai Chang."

    "Likewise, Miss Shuchun." He returned the greetings with a polite smile and said, "How may I help you, Miss?"

    "Nothing, I just wanted to ask, did Disciple Xiao Minge for his token and robes?" She asked with seemingly no change in her expression.

    Elder Lai Chang shook his head and said, "Not yet, Miss. Only a few top disciples havee this early. The real powerful disciples willeter when the crowd below is even denser, haha."

    "Yes, that''s true. These people would want to stand out as much as possible. By the way, who are the ones that have already received their tokens and robes?"

    "Not many, only three disciples. Mu Xing from the Fifth Peak arrived the earliest, and Fang Chen and Zheng Xiang from the Seventh Peak came just as he was about to leave, in fact both of them have just left for the Martial Book Pavilion."

    "Hmm, how did they perform in the Hunt?"

    "Mu Xing and Zheng Xiang performed exactly how it was written in the Report. The only variables I know of in the event are Xiao Ming and Fang Cheng. In fact, Xiao Ming''s performance wasn''t much out of predictions, but Fang Chen on the other hand wasn''t supposed to even pass the first round."

    "Oh? What is Fang Chen''s cultivation?" Yuan Shuchun now had an expression of interest.

    "Thisˇ­ we don''t really know but he is most probably in the Eighth Level of Qi Refining Realm."

    "Hmm this is surprising that you weren''t able to sense his cultivation, but still, it''s not too high. However, how was he able to hide his talent? And why is he hiding it?"

    Elder Lai Chang shook his head and said, "Unfortunately we don''t have much information on this. What baffles me most is the fact that even Fang n doesn''t know about his talent and cultivation. And the two guards who used to follow Fang Chen everyday have now disappeared. Miss, should I investigate more about this Fang Chen?"

    "Ah, leave him for some time, we have much more important tasks at hand. I think those guards have most probably returned to the Fang n after learning about Fang Chen''s cultivation and reassuring themselves of his safety. With his cultivation, Fang Chen doesn''t need his guards."

    "For now, I want you to investigate more about Xiao Ming. The Nine Supremes have noticed him, we need to act fast and get him in our Heavenly League."

    "The Nine Supremes? Isn''t that natural for them to notice him?"

    "Don''t forget that they don''t even care about the disciples who are not on the Gracious Sword Rankings. And Xian Ming has just entered the Inner Court."

    "Ah, yes. However,st time we did investigate him properly and found nothing out of ordinary, do you wish me to look into anything specific?"

    "Nothing specific. But I want you to know that this time Grand Elder is the one who has asked for him to be investigated. He clearly told me that this Xiao Ming may be a huge variable in theing future due to his luck and talent."

    Elder Lai Chang was surprised, "Oh? Don''t worry, Miss. I will carefully assess and submit the report to you within a few days."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded and said, "Hmm, and onest thing, keep an eye on Elder Mu. I know he is a good friend of yours, but we don''t know where his loyalty lies. These days, his actions have been very suspicious."

    "Ah? Has he joined the Sect Leaders bandwagon?"

    "No, if this had been the case, there wouldn''t be anything to care about. But now his actions are going against both, the Sect Leader and Grand Elder''s interests. I am just advising you to steer clear from him."

    "I will be careful. Thank you for the heads up, Miss." Elder Lai Chang replied.

    Yuan Shuchun nodded, "Alright, I will head back to cultivate. The Grand Spirit Hunt is approaching fast, I need to prepare. This is the time to prove my worth and contend against Jiang Yun."

    Elder Lai Chang nodded as he cupped his fists and said, "Good day, Miss. I will soon report to you about my investigations on Xiao Ming."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded and left.

    Elder Lai Chang sighed as he stared at her disappearing figure, ''Looks like Brother Mu is going to be in big trouble. But he isn''t stupid enough to go against Sect Leader and the Grand Elder. What is giving him so much courage?''

    ˇ­

    While all this was happening, Zheng Xiang and Ye Tian Yun had arrived on the lower floor, Zheng Xiang lightly whispered to Ye Tian Yun, who was just in front of him, "Brother Fang, are you also thinking what I am thinking? I was blown away by what just happened. Elder Lai Chang''s actions were quite weird today."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and said, "Let''s discuss this outside the Resource Hall.. We will be getting too much attention as soon as we get to the counter."

 Chapter 56 - Mu Xings Frustration

    White fluffy clouds dotted the azure blue sky as the sun beamed beautifully, casting a golden glow upon the Gracious Mountains. The dappled sun shone through the trees, creating mysterious shadows across the Nine Peaks. The whole Gracious Sword Sect was now awake.

    The Resource Hall was bustling with new Inner Court Disciples from different peaks.

    Many disciples were standing in an ordered fashion to get their token and robes from the counters on the other side of the hall. While some, who had now received their things, were standing in groups, chattering, whispering and discussing the hunt and the top disciples.

    Not much time had passed by since these disciples saw two outer court disciples cross a counter and go towards the gate behind it.

    Early on many didn''t notice this incident, but when Mu Xing came out of that gate, almost everyone''s attention was now focused on him. Gazes filled with envy, hate, surprise, indifference, and jealousynded on him at once. However, his expression remained unchanged.

    Mu Xing was from Xin Royal Kingdom''s Crimson City. A ce which was known more as a market ce than anything rted to cultivation.

    The ns of Crimson City are known for their wealth and connections. And being born in one of the top three ns, the Mu n, Mu Xing had the advantage of good cultivation resources since birth. This also gave him an arrogant nature and made him egoistic. However, his cultivation speed and sword talentpensated for this nature when he was proimed as the number one cultivator in terms of talent in the younger generation of the Crimson City.

    A few months back when Elder Lai Chang had visited the Su n, one of the top three ns of the city, for some reason unknown to him, Mu Xing''s father was also coincidentally present at the Su n. As a courtesy and interest in the number one cultivator of the younger generation, Elder Lai Chang also visited the Mu n where he found Mu Xing performing some sword moves. This meeting was of course not because of fate or heaven''s will. Mu Xing''s father had already instructed him about what to do.

    It didn''t take long for Elder Lai Chang to notice his talent and cultivation. After some chat with his father, Elder Lai Chang formally invited Mu Xing to be an Outer Court disciple at the Gracious Sword Sect.

    His father, Mu Shichuan, was ecstatic and before even Elder Lai Chang could finish his sentence, agreed immediately. He was more than happy to send his son to be a disciple of Gracious Sword Sect. Within a few hours, the whole Crimson City now knew that his son was going to be a disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Fast-forwarding a few days, even though Mu Xing had be a disciple at Gracious Sword Sect, he still had a smooth way through the outer court, unlike other disciples due to his talent and good cultivation.

    However, he didn''t spend much time in the sect. As soon as Elder Lai Chang introduced him to the Martial Mission Hall, he started taking missions and umting enough points to exchange them for resources.

    And to test his strength, he would then challenge the top outer court disciples of his peak,pletely dominating them with his sword moves alone.

    His aim was toprehend the fabled Sword Intent and be the most powerful cultivator in his city, bringing his n to the top,pletely suppressing the other two ns, the Su n and the Wang Estate.

    And when the time for the Inner Court Entrance Hunt came, he knew it was his chance to shine even brighter. And he did.

    Ranking at the number one position, he was the undisputed top disciple of the Fifth Peak.

    All was going smooth and easy for him until he heard results of other peaks.

    He was shocked after hearing about Xiao Ming''s cultivation and his battle with Hu Xing. However, what really disturbed him was a different disciple. Outer Court Disciple Bai Qing''er of the Third Peak.

    When he heard of her sword talent, what came in his mind was not a sense of rivalry but all he felt was uneasiness.

    He had never had a rival ever since his birth. Neither did he ever face any obstacles in his cultivation path. But now, a disciple who he hadn''t even seen in his life had affected his heart. This was the source of his frustration.

    He couldn''t talk openly about his thoughts to Elder Lai Chang, fearing that he would lose the support he was indirectly receiving. And also because he didn''t wish to present himself as a weakling or someone is incapable of having a rival.

    ˇ­

    When Mu Xing came near the counter, the new Inner Court disciples were focused on him. After a moment of silence, a new wave of whispering and chattering began.

    "So the notice hanging there is indeed not a prank. The Top disciples are being given special treatment this time."

    "Yes, this time it is different. My cousin who became an Inner Court disciple in thest hunt told me that the top disciples of his batch got special robes with ps on the left shoulder. But he didn''t tell me about them being asked to go on the upper floor."

    "What do you think could be the reason this time? You should know that even the disciples ranked in the Gracious Sword Rankings are not allowed to go to the Upper Floor unless they are ranked in the Top Ten."

    -----*-----

    A/n: Just in case you missed: Mu Xing is from Crimson City; which was also introduced in the prologue and is the home town of Wang Yao.

 Chapter 57 - Elder Lai Changs Influence.

    "What do you think could be the reason this time? You should know that even the disciples ranked in the Gracious Sword Rankings are not allowed to go to the Upper Floor unless they are in the Top Ten."

    "Maybe there is a change in rewards from this Hunt? Could there be a secret reward for the top disciples this time?"

    "Most probably. But why is Mu Xing looking as if he met his mortal enemy?"

    "Well, I can only think about two reasons for him to be frustrated."

    "Bai Qing''er?"

    "Yes, that''s one of the reasons indeed. Bai Qing''er''s talent is something that could easily frustrate someone like him. And this is natural when ites to Sword Cultivators."

    "What could be the other reason?"

    "The Upper Floor of course. It could be something that he got, met or saw on the Upper Floor that is making him so frustrated. Oh, there were some other disciples who also headed to the Upper Floor. Who were they?"

    "I didn''t see their faces clearly."

    Another disciple who was standing beside them said,"I am pretty sure one of them was Fang Chen of our peak, I couldn''t see clearly who was following him."

    "Which peak are you from and who is this Fang Chen?"

    The disciple replied,"I am from the seventh peak and Fang Chen is the top disciple of our peak."

    "Seventh peak? Isn''t that the peak with the worst talent disciples?"

    The others beside him also agreed.

    "Yeah, I heard only 4000 disciples took part in Inner Court Entrance Hunt this time."

    "That''s so low. That is less than the number of disciples who passed the first stage at our ninth peak."

    "To be a top disciple of Seventh Peak? I think Fang Chen is most probably a Seventh Level Qi Refining Realm disciple."

    "That''s too weak. I wish I was from Seventh Peak, I could have easily obtained the First Rank, ha-ha."

    The disciple from the Seventh Peak shook his head and said, "All your assumptions are based on the previous hunts. This time the top disciples were very powerful. Especially Fang Chen and Zheng Xiang. One was undefeated, while the other one was unstoppable."

    "Zheng Xiang? This name sounds familiar, and if I am thinking of the right person, then let me tell you, this guy may be a low key kind, but once I met him once during a mission and was really amazed. He is really talented in sword. I dare say that in terms of sword talent, he is on par with Mu Xing if not higher."

    Mu Xing, who had just crossed through the group, halted for a moment when he heard the disciple proiming Zheng Xiang to be more talented than him. Surprise and a hidden emotion of anger filled his eyes as he walked out of the Resource Hall.

    ˇ­

    The disciples continued to chatter and wait to get their token and robes.

    It was then Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang finally came down from the Upper Floor after receiving their things from Elder Lai Chang.

    Like Mu Xing, these two also instantly became the centre of attention. However, this time there wasn''t muchmotion, except for a few Seventh Peak''s disciples, not many continued to pay attention to them.

    Soon, Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang were outside the Resource Hall.

    As they headed towards the Martial Book Pavilion, Ye Tian Yun broke the ice, "I know what you meant to say when we wereing down. We have really underestimated Elder Lai Chang''s influence in the sect, in fact not only us, all the disciples who know about him have."

    "Yes, Brother Fang. I thought he was just an Outer Court Elder when I saw during the sect entrance,ter I came to know he is also a part of Martial Mission Hall. But now I think his sphere of influence is much bigger."

    "Elder Lai Chang is actually the Deputy In-charge of Martial Mission Hall."

    "What!?" Zheng Xiang was very surprised when he heard this, "You are not kidding me right?"

    "No, I am not."

    "Then doesn''t that mean that Elder Lai Chang, who is an Outer Court Elder, has power equal to that of a Core Elder?"

    "Yes, in fact now it looks like Elder Lai Chang is even more influential than a normal Core Elder. Not anyone can arrange a counter and do as he pleases in the Resource Hall."

    Zheng Xiang nodded and said, "Exactly. This is the most intriguing part. And the fact that he is btantly supporting the Heavenly League kind of shows us a glimpse at this League''s power in our sect."

    Ye Tian Yun agreed with him and remarked, "Also, what I think is that Elder Lai Chang isn''t a core member of Heavenly League. He wouldn''t go to the lengths of organizing a counter just for the new Inner Court disciples."

    "Yeah, you do have a point. A core elder of such a big organization must have his own pride and many talented disciples under them. He clearly isn''t a core member."

    Ye Tian Yun stopped in his tracks and said, "Heavenly League is very interesting. Are you still thinking of going solo? Don''t forget that the Grand Spirit Hunt will be a team event. And you will definitely need powerful and talented teammates."

    "I have made my decision."

 Chapter 58 - The Story Of A Prince

    "I have made my decision."

    Ye Tian Yun turned around, looking at him, he asked, "Oh? Which league then?"

    "I will still remain solo. I don''t want to be a pawn for others." Zheng Xiang said as he tightened his fists.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him for a second, shook his head and resumed his way towards the Martial Book Pavilion.

    Zheng Xiang, who was expecting a reply, followed him and asked, "What happened? I thought you would discourage me again from going solo?"

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Before I came to the sect, my father once told me that fate has its own ns for everyone. Everyone has their own destinies. And believe me, this father of mine is no small deal."

    Zheng Xiang smiled, "I know about Fang n Patriarch. But if fate has its own ns, then why did you tell me to join the Heavenly League when we were on the chain bridge?"

    "It was out of impulse. The path of cultivation is long and only the steady will survive. Make your decisions carefully."

    "Why have you suddenly started to preach me? Who doesn''t know of these things? Cultivation has always been a long and cruel path. I just don''t want to be held back because of these leagues. I have no interest in political power."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and said, "I will tell you a story. A famous and powerful prince of a huge empire once also thought like you. He had no interest in politics. He thought he could rule his empire if he has enough cultivation and strength. He offended many people, acted arrogant and tried to force his regime. He thought he was the centre of the world. Everything revolved around him. But on the day of him crowning, he was challenged. Challenged by an old enemy. This old enemy of his was also undeniably talented and arrogant like him."

    "But what this Princecked was true friends and people who he could trust. In the end, after about an year long struggle, and battles, he lost. He lost everything. He lost his goal, he lost his empire, he lost his life."

    Zheng Xiang raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked, "Then what about his parents? Where were they?"

    Ye Tian Yun felt as if something pierced his deepest wound. Clenching his jaws, he took a deep breath and replied, "He also wanted to know. Where was his father, who ruled this huge empire, where was his mother who was the most talented cultivator of that era, where were they when their son was beheaded in front of the whole realm."

    Zheng Xiang sighed, "Maybe there were some unknown circumstances? Maybe there is another side of this story which we don''t know?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips as he said, "Maybe."

    He then shook his head, "Well, they are not important in our story. The thing I want you to understand is the importance of brotherhood. The Crown Prince lost not because his enemy was very talented, but because he was alone. He had no one behind his back who could reassure him to move forward."

    Zheng Xiang looked at him and said, "Butˇ­ Why is this Crown Prince''s story rted to me going solo?"

    "It is. I am not saying that you think of yourself as the centre of the world, but I want you to know the importance of having brothers. That enemy of the prince had nine brothers. He made these people friends by not going solo, but by understanding the importance of having someone trusted with him in times of trouble and dangers."

    "Are you saying that I can most likely find someone trustworthy if I join the leagues? Aren''t you saying something too far-fetched?"

    "Think whatever you want, I just told what was in my mind." Ye Tian Yun shrugged and continued forward.

    Zheng Xiang followed him while frowning as many thoughts passed through his mind about the story he had just heard from his friend and his own future ns.

    Soon, both of them had crossed the stall and stands of other disciples at the base of the First Peak.

    The whole ce was no less than a mini market, with a lot of small stands and stalls, mostly opened by Outer Court Disciples who had gained something from their missions outside the sect.

    And finally, Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang stood in front of the Martial Book Pavilion.

    Scrutinizing this tall building from up to down, Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, and stepped forward.

    Zheng Xiang followed him, however before they entered the Pavilion, he asked Ye Tian Yun, "Brother Fang, I can''t help but think about what would that Crown Prince do if he ever got a chance again? Since you told me about the importance of having brothers, will he also make friends with other cultivators who were his enemies earlier?"

 Chapter 59 - Martial Book Pavilion

    Ye Tian Yun replied as a matter of fact, "He would kill them before they even have the power to be his enemy."

    "Huh? Then what about all the brotherhood talk?" Zheng Xiang was puzzled.

    Ye Tian Yun stopped, closed his eyes, took a deep breath as he replied, "Your case is different. You won''t get a second chance, no one does. You don''t know who your enemies will be or who will betray you or be your sword brother. To me, just the thought that someone could get a second chance sounds absurd and impossible. Even ancient legends and myths are not so ridiculous. Rebirth is impossible. Life is a cycle, and it always moves forward. Never will it turn it''s wheels and go backwards. No one knows what ns has fate made for them."

    "Yeah, can''t deny this." Zheng Xiang gave a nod as both of them had now entered the Martial Book Pavilion.

    ˇ­

    The Martial Book Pavilion of the Gracious Sword Sect was very unique. In this old but carefully kept building were all the sect secrets, top cultivation manuals, and answers to all doubts a cultivator can have.

    Legend has it that on the day the legendary Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, Yuan Xuming, stepped in this Pavilion after Ranking First in his Inner Court Entrance Hunt, he found an iplete manual. He began to cultivate this iplete manual and with sheer will andprehension talent, within few years, he had conjured the fabled Sword Intent. His name resounded throughout the Lower Heavens on the day he revealed his talent and the world witnessed the rise of a peerless cultivator.

    He named this iplete sword technique, the Gracious Sword Technique.

    Over the years, hundreds of thousands of cultivators triedprehending this technique but all of them had only one oue, they met with failures. However, all of their hardwork was not wasted, and many of the talented ones among those cultivators indirectly created sword moves and techniques based on the Gracious Sword Technique.

    The Martial Book Pavilion was the only ce in the whole Lower Heavens which housed all these techniques and the legendary techniques, the Gracious Sword Technique, is itself said to be in this building, most probably on the forbidden fifth floor.

    Though this is just a rumour, but, it is enough to incite the attention of the powerful organisations from all over the Lower Heavens. If not they were not afraid of the dormant Sword Spirit''s power, they would have already levelled up the whole Gracious Sword Sect to a t field.

    With the help of an iplete cultivation manual, Yuan Xuming became a saint. This alone itself made some stupid cultivators try out any iplete manual they could find. And the result was as expected, they suffered Qi Deviation.

    Even though many suffered such fate, an iplete manual was always treated like a hidden treasure, even today. And if found by someone, he would most likely practice it. Even though he knows that he is most probably going to suffer Qi Deviation. This was how much tempting a chance ofprehending Sword Intent is.

    The Martial Book Pavilion was a five storey building with each floor for different rankings and hierarchies of the Gracious Sword Sect. It''s shape was pyramidal, with the top floor being the smallest while the first floor had thergest area and most of the cultivation manuals.

    The lowest floor, which was called the Fabulous First floor, was for the Inner Court Disciples. This floor had beginner level cultivation manuals which taught the disciples a little more powerful than basic attacks, but it was more famous for its interior and well kept decore.

    Being the floor with most area, this floor had most number of cultivation manuals from all over the Lower Heavens, and among them, the sword techniques were abundant. Most of these cultivation manuals were Rank 1 or 2 with some Rank 3 cultivation manuals hidden in between. But if someone wanted to find a Rank 3 cultivation manual, it would be like finding a needle from a haystack, almost impossible to find.

    The second floor was for the Core Disciples. This was also the floor which all inner court disciples wished to enter. This floor was a bit smaller than the first floor and the manual racks here were not very congested. It was like a huge hall with cultivation manuals kept on racks which were then put near the wall. Thus creating a lot of empty space in between. Hence giving it the name, The Serene Second Floor.

    This floor housed cultivation manuals of Rank 3 and 4 only.

    More than a thousand Rank 3 cultivation manuals were eating dust here, which was in huge contrast to the first where even finding a Rank 3 cultivation manual felt like ascending to the heavens.

    As for the Rank 4 cultivation manuals, which were also the rewards for the top disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, were about ten or so.

    ----*----

    A/n: Refer to the auxiliary chapter to understand more about Qi Deviation.

    Bonus Chapter sponsored by Makeshift01.

    Thank you for always being there to point out my mistakes.

 Chapter 60 - Traumatic Third Floor

    While the first two floors were termed ''Fabulous'' and ''Serene'', the third floor of the Martial Book Pavilion was very unique.

    It was called the Traumatic Third Floor.

    This floor was for the Elders and Disciples of the Second Peak of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    But there was one thing different about this floor. This floor did not contain any Cultivation Manual, rather here were ced the manuals for Alchemy, cksmithing, Poison Arts, and manuals rted to a very unique path of the cultivation world, the Arcane Path. Not much is known about this path to the general cultivators, however what everyone does know is that only most talented geniuses of an era can ever think about trying following this path.

    The naming of this floor had no rtion with Arcane Path, but in fact, this floor was called ''traumatic'' by disciples and elders alike because all Alchemy, Poison Arts and cksmithing manuals on this floor. They could not be taken out nor was anyone allowed to make their copies, rather the disciples were forced to remember each and every line of the manuals by heart.

    A legendary cultivator once said that even though cultivation is a long path, learning an alchemy manual may take even longer.

    The disciples hated toe to this floor, and they hated these manuals with pure passion.

    Learning the names of more than a hundred thousand herbs and poisonous nts, learning about different refining techniques, ores, and process of making pill or a weapon left a deep trauma in their hearts.

    Sometimes disciples even questioned themselves about why they chose this path, why did they not chose simple cultivation but tried to go after fame.

    It be Alchemy or cksmithing, the theoritical part was the one that had mutual hatred from all disciples and elders.

    Any disciples in this path would love to have a divine artefact which could make this phase easier but nothing like that exists. In the end, only the very persistent and determined disciples have passed through and seeded in bing top ss Alchemists or cksmiths.

    ...

    Even though this floor was called Traumatic Third Floor by everyone, this was also the floor which was the most crowded in the Martial Book Pavilion.

    Even more than the First Floor, which was much bigger inparison to this floor. The third floor was crowded because unlike disciples on the first floor who were allowed to take back the cultivation manuals to their abodes, the disciples on the third floor could do nothing but sit in front of their manuals, questioning their life.

    Above the Traumatic Third Floor was the Fortune Fourth Floor.

    To enter this floor, one needed to be at least an Inner Court Elder in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    This floor was called the Fortune Fourth, because this ce had all the past sect records, some untold secrets, anecdotes of previous sect leaders and almost all of the knowledge regarding general affairs of the sect which is hidden from disciples and cultivators outside. This fourth floor was the true fortune of the Gracious Sword Sect and also the most well kept floor of the Martial Book Pavilion.

    This floor also had a very special manual, old but very well kept. It was the Gracious Rule Book.

    This book contained all the rules and decorum one must follow after he bes a Core Disciple, Elder, Grand Elder, or Sect Leader in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    For Inner Court disciples or Outer Court disciples, there''s no rule book. The decision made by Elders is the final verdict.

    After an Inner Disciple choses to be an Elder, he receives a copy of this book, which he is supposed to follow from then on.

    Since normal disciples are not allowed to enter here, not much is known about its interior among them, except for the foretold information.

    ...

    The Martial Book Pavilion has a total of Five Floors, and the top floor is the most special one.

    The top floor is the smallest and it is said that no more than two people can stand togetherfortably in this room.

    All members of Gracious Sword Sect know of this room as the Forbidden Fifth Floor of Martial Book Pavilion.

    It is the same ce where the legendary sword technique, the Gracious Sword Technique is supposedly kept.

    Only the current Sect Leader is allowed to enter this ce, rest all members of the Gracious Sword Sect, including the Grand Elder, are forbidden from entry. And even if the Sect Leader consents, they are not allowed to enter.

    To show how seriously the predecessors of Gracious Sword Sect took this floor could be observed by just looking at the Gracious Rule Book''s first page.

    It clearly states that under no circumstances the subjects of Gracious Sword Sect are allowed to enter the Fifth Floor. Only current Sect Leader is allowed, that too, no more than once in a month.

    The more importance the sect gave to this floor, more people believed that this floor houses the Gracious Sword Technique.

    With the Fabulous, Serene, Traumatic, Fortune and Forbidden Floors, the Martial Book Pavilion stood tallest among all the buildings at the base of the First Peak.

 Chapter 61 - Entering The Martial Book Pavilion

    You two, in the Outer Court Robes, show me your new token."

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang turned towards the voice and found an Elder staring at them. Leaning on the chair, still in the same posture with his legs on the table, the Elder was staring at them in a deadpan expression with his eyes loosely opened.

    Ye Tian Yun stared back at this weird old man, before shrugging and taking out his new Inner Court disciple token.

    Zheng Xiang did the same and they both handed over their tokens to the Elder.

    The Elder observed the ''special'' tokens, however the reaction of shock which both the disciples in front of him were expecting, didn''te.

    Both Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang were expecting a look of surprise and then some praise from this elder, however, he just returned the token back and gestured towards them to enter the library.

    By the time both of them took back their tokens, hubbub of snoring once again started to buzz in their ears. The Elder was now asleep, again.

    Both of them smiled wrily and entered the Martial Book Pavilion.

    "The Fabulous First Floor does live upto it''s fame," Zheng Xiang took a deep breath when he saw the interior decor of the hall.

    There were flowers, embroidered walls, huge paintings depicting heaven shaking battles between cultivators. The floors were made of colored tiles arranged in jagged patterns. Polished stone pedestals held golden and silver statues portraying legendary cultivators. Everything in the hall was rich andvish

    Then there were rows of racks and stacks containing cultivation manuals, sub divided into categories depending on the weapons used.

    Even though after all this the hall felt full, there was still a lot of space to move around.

    Many new Inner Court disciples were carefully choosing their first cultivation manual. The hall was silent, with only a few disciples talking in whispers. Most of them were only focused on choosing the cultivation manuals.

    With one out of Rank 1 and Rank 2 cultivation manual to choose, most of the disciples present here were trying to look for a good Rank 2 cultivation manual, however only few disciples who truly understood their own situation were looking for Rank 1.

    In cultivation, just because a disciple practices a higher ranked cultivation manual doesn''t mean that he is powerful than those who practice lower ranked manuals. The only way practicing higher ranked cultivation manuals is beneficial is when the disciple has a very solid foundation in his cultivation.

    A higher ranked cultivation manual may give a lot of boost in power, however in return it also demands the disciple to possess a lot of talent, perseverance, dedication and steady will. This is also one of the reasons why low cultivation disciples are not allowed to have their hands on high ranked cultivation manuals of Rank 3 or 4. Only the truly talented ones are allowed and they are the top disciples of the Outer Court of all the Peaks.

    ...

    At the centre of the hall there was a circr table, behind which were standing the managers of this pavilion.

    This circr table was like a counter at which the disciples had to report about which cultivation manual they have chosen to practice. And then the managers would keep a record of everything and submit it to the Elder-in-charge.

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang started moving towards the counters. However, before they could reach, Ye Tian Yun suddenly stopped and started to look around.

    Zheng Xiang, who was walking beside, also halted and asked, "Brother Fang, what happened?"

    Ye Tian Yun then pointed his finger towards a board. Zheng Xiang observed the board and found a notice stuck on it. It read:

    [The Martial Book Pavilion''s First Floor has Rank 1 and Rank 2 cultivation manuals. If you''re ranked in the top three of your peak in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, then report to the managers with your tokens at the counter on this floor.]

    Ye Tian Yun read the notice and said, "It''s a good thing we noticed this board. We won''t be embarrassed this time."

    Zheng Xiang who was also staring at the notice board, nodded his head in agreement.

    Soon, both of them reached the counter. Handing out their tokens to the manager present at the counter, Ye Tian Yun said, "We just read the notice. Here''s our token."

    The manager looked at the tokens and smiled, "Ah, congrattions on being the top disciples of your Peak."

    This simple sentence once again put everyone''s attention on Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang. However, this time it was just for a brief second before the disciples resumed their search for a good cultivation manual.

    Ye Tian Yun looked at the name tag on the manager''s chest and replied, "Thank you, Manager Hao."

    The manager in front of them nodded and pointed at the nearby table area, "Come to the other side of this counter. Just tap on the table, it will open up. Then go to the room behind me, you will find a way up to the Second Floor."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and tapped on the table where the manager had pointed, the table opened up, making a way for him to pass through.

    As for Zheng Xiang, he had a confused look on his face as he asked, "Room behind you? I don''t see any room, I only see this round table with you standing behind this counter."

 Chapter 62 - Serene Second Floor

    Manager Hao smiled and then turned towards Ye Tian Yun and asked, "What did you see?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged and looking at Zheng Xiang, he replied, "Zheng Xiang, just tap ande over here. You will know."

    Zheng Xiang thought for a moment, then nodded and tapped on the table.

    After crossing over, when Zheng Xiang looked around he found himself in shock as the whole scene had now changed.

    Outside the counter, everything was the same. But across the counter, where Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang were now standing, a new row of racks had appeared with a round pir behind them. There was a gate on this pir.

    "So there''s an array here!?" Zheng Xiang couldn''t help but exim in surprise.

    The manager nodded and said, "Indeed. Though there''s nothing to hide, but, this array was ced long ago. An interesting fact about this array is that it doesn''t need a lot of resources to run like the one which we have under the Spiritual Medicine Mountain, to keep the Qi Stealing Moles in check."

    "Oh, is this the reason why the sect is still allowing this?" Ye Tian Yun asked Manager Hao.

    "Yes, since this illusion array uses a low amount of resources and is very steady, the sect wasn''t bothered too much by it."

    Zheng Xiang, who was still looking around the counter in amazement, focused on Ye Tian Yun to ask, "Brother Fang, how did you know about this array beforehand? Were you able to see through the illusion?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "If you had observed this ce very carefully, you too would have definitely noticed this. Just look around you. Why do you think this floor is decorated and well kept?"

    Zheng Xiang raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Is all this for this array?"

    "Of course. If I am not wrong, all this decoration is to deviate everyone''s attention from this counter. Since this array needs low resources, this is very weak."

    "Andˇ­?" Zheng Xiang paid attention to Ye Tian Yun''s reply.

    Ye Tian Yun continued, "Even a low Qi Refining Realm cultivator can see through this. However, with everything around this counter being highlighted and decorated so much, many disciples tend to miss this illusion since most of their attention is focused on the sculptures and paintings on the walls."

    Zheng Xiang nodded his head as he came to an understanding.

    Manager Hao who was silent, returned them their tokens and said, "Here, take these. Now, just go upstairs through that door. Also, remember not to make too much noise. Like this floor is fabulous, the second floor is serene for a reason too."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and headed for the door.

    Zheng Xiang followed him and soon, after passing through the door, both were walking upstairs through a spiral stairway.

    After some time, Zheng Xiang spoke, "Brother Fang, you still didn''t tell me how did you notice the array?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "It was a mere coincidence. I noticed something out of order when I was looking for the notice board. I observed the difference in decorations and how the counter, which is the most important ce on this floor, is dull. And when looking at it carefully, I saw irregrities in my view, hence I concluded there was most probably an Illusion Array put on the counter."

    "Ohh, I don''t think I would have ever noticed this much." Zheng Xiang shook his head as he digested all the details.

    "Even I wouldn''t have if I didn''t stop to look for any notice."

    ˇ­

    Soon they entered the Second floor of the Martial Book Pavilion.

    As soon as they stepped inside they felt silence. Yes, they felt it. They felt silence.

    There was no sound, no disturbance, not even faint breathing. There was nothing but only silence.

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang stared at each other in shock. They were surprised by the calm atmosphere.

    Instinctively both of them stepped back to the stairs, not daring to disturb the serenity of this floor.

    "Brother Fang, why can''t we have a normal floor? This ce is too silent. Even my cultivation abode doesn''t give me this weird feeling. Did you feel it too?" Zheng Xiang asked in shock.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, this silence on this floor feltˇ­ weird. But did you also notice other disciples?"

    "Yeah, I did. How are they able to even stay inside?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, he had no reply for this. Then he said,"We need to go back in. I think the situation is much more interesting than what meets the eye."

    Both of them entered the second floor once again. However, this time everything was normal. There was nothing unordinary. Yes, there was silence. But it wasn''t terrifying enough to give them a shock. They looked around. There were disciples standing or sitting, looking at cultivation manuals. Many were in Outer Court robes like them. These disciples were also the top disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    But what attracted their attention was that there was no counter or any manager on this floor.

    Without speaking anything they started to look for cultivation manuals.

    ----*----

    A/n: If you find any errors/typos, do let me know so I can correct them.

    Don''t forget to add this book to your library and VOTE!

 Chapter 63 - Chaos From Rank 4 Manuals

    Cultivation manuals in the whole Three Heavens are divided into 9 Ranks, with Rank 1 being the lowest while the Rank 9 is the highest and most treasured.

    However, in the Lower Heavens, cultivation manuals that were known to exist were only from Rank 1 to Rank 5.

    There were only three known Rank 5 cultivation manuals, excluding the Unranked ones like the Gracious Sword Technique.

    This technique was termed unranked because no one could properly judge its Rank. It could help the cultivators inprehending Sword Intent, which should have ced it in above Rank 5 category however, except for Yuan Xuming, no one ever seeded but instead they suffered Qi Deviation, so this manual should be ced in Rank 1 rather than above Rank 5. In the end, it''s rank was not decided, and it became Unranked Cultivation Manual.

    As for Rank 4 cultivation manuals, they were always a rarity even in top powerful sects and organizations of Lower Heavens.

    Few decades earlier when there was too much chaos because of low avability of Rank 4 cultivation manuals, what these organisations did was that they created copies of these manuals. The copies were then shared between friendly sects. This slowly led to most of the Rank 4 cultivation manuals bingmon manuals, present in almost every sect.

    One would think that after all the sects have acquired a Rank 4 cultivation manual, it should have lost its charm. However, what actually happened was opposite. In fact, some cases were a bit terrifying.

    In one case, a sect did share the cultivation manual, but they altered it a bit. This decreased the manual efficiency and affected it''s subsequent copies, eventually ending with a copy which did more harm to the cultivator than increasing their power.

    In another extreme case, a sect which got a cultivation manual from a friendly sect lost one of their talented Disciple due to ws in the copied cultivation manuals.

    Such cases led to infighting and chaos among these friendly sect alliances, eventually most of them broke and ended up bing mortal enemies rather than benefactors of each other.

    The n which was supposed to help and grow everyone ended up creating more trouble. No one knew who came up with this n or what their real intentions were, but many secretly pointed their fingers towards the Crimson Pavilion, which is the most powerful organisation of the Lower Heavens.

    Without Crimson Pavilion''s agreement, this wouldn''t have been possible, and many powers wouldn''t have agreed to share their Rank 4 cultivation manuals.

    However, even if people did me the Crimson Pavilion secretly, no one dared to say it loud. Neither the other top sects, nor peak cultivators of the Lower Heavens.

    What they did do was slowly remove copied Rank 4 cultivation manuals from their own sects and used only verified and genuine cultivation manuals.

    This also led to more issues, like without trying a cultivation manual, no one knew if it had ws or not. They didn''t know if the cultivation manual in front of them was a treasure or a death trap.

    With no ways to decide, the people were forced to use guinea pigs. These guinea pigs were none other than the weak cultivators from weak sects and ns.

    If these weak cultivators seeded, which was a rarity in itself, the sects would then take them in as Elders or give them certain benefits.

    But if they failed and ended up crippling themselves, the sects will not do anything. In fact, they would wipe out all the traces of this incident by literally killing off the weak cultivators and their families.

    This thing was prevalent for many years before it slowly became a distant past, However, to Ye Tian Yun, all this was very important. He knew all this. He even knew who the main perpetrator was, in fact, he even knew why they did it. No, they were not the Crimson Pavilion. In fact, the cultivators of the Lower Heavens had only one role in this scheme, and that was of being the victim.. This included the most powerful organisation, the Crimson Pavilion.

 Chapter 64 - Invitation

    Ye Tian Yun knew which organization schemed this and why they did. And one day, this old information was going to bring him many benefits, because a simr event was going to begin very soon. And this was going to change the whole order of the Lower Heavens and will end with the rise of the God''s Legion, who will then dominate the Lower Heavens.

    ...

    While Ye Tian Yun was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.

    Turning around, he found a disciple with nted eyes and long hair.

    d in ck robes, the disciplemanded him, "Show me your new token."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his one eyebrow and said, "Why? Are you a manager here?"

    The disciple now had an irritated expression, he hmphed, "Just do what I say and stop wasting my time. Show me your token. You don''t know but maybe you''re missing a chance that could change your fate."

    "Change my fate?" Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Do you even know what fate is? Other than the part that whatever happens in future is fate? Also, what''s so special about your robes?"

    "What else is it then? Of course fate is whatever that is going to happen in future and the chance I am giving it to you right now will it will definitely affect your future." The disciple replied, this time a bit louder.

    This attracted the attention of some disciples, however, most of them just shook their head and resumed their focus on cultivation manuals.

    "Oh? What kind of chance are you talking about? Let''s see." Ye Tian Yun shrugged and took out his token.

    When the disciple saw the token he was taken aback. However, he regainedposure within a moment and said, "Well now I know what why you were acting so arrogant. Just because you are ranked first on your peak, do you think you could act like that in front of me?"

    "I was acting arrogant? If you had asked me a bit more politely maybe I would haveplied." Ye Tian Yun gave him a weird look in response.

    "Which peak are you from?" The disciple ignored this and asked.

    "Look at the token properly, of course, I am from the Seventh Peak."

    "Seventh Peak?" This time the disciple had an unhidden disdain in his words, "You are from Seventh Peak and you dare to be so disrespectful?"

    "Will you stop wasting my time? You are the one who disturbed me, you are the one who spoke rudely to me first and now your saying I am acting arrogant? Just tell me the reason which made youe here and waste my time." Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes. He was getting impatient now.

    "If I knew earlier that you are from Seventh Peak, I wouldn''t have even bothered to notice you. But since I have already wasted so much time I will tell you what I am here for."

    The disciple then took and deep breathe and continued, "I am a part of the World League, and I am here to invite you to be a member and gain benefits. The World League is recruiting members and the Top Disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt have a special chance to join and directly be Rank 3 members of our League."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and replied, "I would have to decline this offer. I have already decided with League to join and World League is not the one in my list."

    The ck-robed disciple in front of him shook his head and said "Are you nning for the Heavenly League? Let me make one thing clear for you, the Heaven League may sound very attractive and powerful, but it''s hollow from the inside there is a lot of infighting going on in this league. Its own members are trying to kill off each other just for a small number of resources. And here, you will get a chance to be Rank 3 member from the get-go. You know our ranking system, right?"

    Ye Tian Yun smirked and said, "I know you have five ranks but the problem here is how is your league different from the Heaven League? Are your members not trying to devour each other for small benefits? As for infighting, almost all organisations have it. It would do you more good if instead of cursing other leagues, you look at what is going on in your League."

    "What is that supposed to mean?"

    "Well, just the fact that one core Disciple is holding the whole power in your League instead of having a council with equal power tells how much of equality there is in your League. Also, my aim is Grand Spirit Hunt. And Heavenly League is the best option for me if I want to excel in it."

    The disciple shook his head and said, "Senior brother Jiang Yun is the most talented disciple in our gracious sword sect and will definitely be the next sect leader after few years. And do you even know the words you are saying can bring a lot of trouble for you? Also with Senior Brother Jiang Yun on our side, who do you think will get most benefits?"

    ----*----

    A/n: If you find any errors or typos, pleasement and let me know.. I will correct them.

 Chapter 65 - The amazing Cultivation Manuals

    The disciple continued, "Senior Jiang will most probably be the next Sect Leader in few years. Even the current Sect Leader and Grand Elder have very high hopes for him. You should jump on the ship, for you, this could be a big chance to hit high."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head in response as he said, "Well, I don''t want any unnecessary trouble. And you should know that this is the worst ce to recruit. Everyone here is for their rewards, not to look for a league to join. So if you could just go back to the hole where you came from, you would be doing a huge favour to me."

    The disciple ceased his eyebrows together and snarled, "You will definitely regret your words. Hmph!"

    Ye Tian Yun stared as that disciple left and started poking someone else to join the World League.

    ''I can''t believe these guys continue to act so arrogant. The Jiang Yun that they have put all their hopes on will give them a very big and shocking surprise when the Grand spirit hunt begins. And I am definitely looking forward to that day. It will definitely be fun to witness that scene.''

    Ye Tian Yun continued to look at the cultivation manuals that the Gracious Sword Sect had to offer to its top disciples.

    As the Crown Prince of Great Ye Empire of the Middle Heavens, since birth Ye Tian Yun had ess to almost every cultivation manual that there was. Ranging from Rank 1 to as high as Rank 7, there were copies of many supreme cultivation manuals in the Royal Library of the Great Ye Empire. In fact, there were even some original cultivation manuals which, if shown in public, would create a huge chaos.

    ...

    The cultivation manuals present on the Second Floor were mostly Rank 3 or Rank 4 and many of them were based on sword cultivation.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to waste much of his time here but for the sake of not acting suspicious, he started observing the manuals.

    His main aim was never the Rank 4 cultivation manual, however it was something much more precious and important.

    He didn''t put so much effort for a cultivation manual, he could have easily got one using the system once he had enough Kill Points.

    Due to the presence of the system, cultivation manuals and resources were least of his worries. What he was aiming for was something which could affect his future and it wasn''t something which he could get through the system.

    Looking at the well kept manuals, Ye Tian Yun started going through them, though superficially.

    Even though most of the cultivation manuals present on this floor could make any Inner Court disciple drool, but to Ye Tian Yun, these were justmon manuals which could be easily found in his Empire. In fact he was trying his best to supress himself from bursting intough when he read the names of some cultivation manuals.

    Looking at this cultivation manuals, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think that the cultivators who created these manuals had dedicated more attention to the name than the actual technique.

    [Soaring Sword Technique]

    [zing Sun Heart Sutra]

    [Dual Crescent Moon Sword Technique]

    [Golden Heaven Sword Technique]

    [Limitless Sword Arts]

    [Ancient Strengthening Technique]

    [Nine Dragon Sword Sovereign Manual]

    After reading the manuals, Ye Tian Yun just shook his head as he though, ''These cultivators really paid too much attention to the names. The manual names are quite attractive but the material inside them is not even worth looking.''

    Ye Tian Yun was amazed at the bullshit the cultivators had written to boast about their manuals.

    Just reading the description of the Limitless Sword Arts made it hard for him to control himself fromughing out loud.

    It had side notes which said:

    [The Limitless Sword Arts isposed of amazing swordy techniques; able to control hundreds, thousands, millions of swords. It is so powerful andplex that even the creator himself has stated that he has never been able to enter thest level, even though he created it.]

    This was the most ridiculous bullshit that he had ever seen. Controlling millions of swords? Even a saint realm cultivator wouldn''t dare to im that. And there are only three Saint Realm experts in the Lower Heavens. This alone can say how hard it is to aplish this absurd im. And the manual even put a desimer that the creator never reached the peak of this cultivation manual, then doesn''t all this makes it only theoretical?

    Then there was the zing Sun Heart Sutra, which imed that any cultivator who reaches it''s fourth stage will never face any bottlenecks. Ye Tian Yun was indeed intrigued by these boastful ims, but when he read and found that the first stage of this cultivation manual incudes literally burning half of your own heart, he was hardly able to control himself from destroying this cultivation manual.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh at the how a huge sect like this was putting such baseless manuals for their own talented disciples.

    After amusing himself for some more time, Ye Tian Yun looked around for any elder or manager who could be in-charge of this floor.

    -----*-----

    A/n: i set the timer wrong, again. set this chapter to release for 31 jan *face palms*

 Chapter 66 - A Bad Premonition

    After amusing himself for some more time with these ''amazing'' Cultivation Manuals, Ye Tian Yun looked around for any elder or manager who could be in charge of this floor.

    He was not interested in these cultivation manuals. He had other ns. Ye Tian Yun wanted to do something which would affect his first target, Xiao Ming''s, whole future. He was going to take away a very precious opportunity from Xiao Ming and use it for himself.

    In theing future, Xiao Ming was going to be a part of the God''s Legion. He was going to make a huge name for himself, have peak cultivation at a very young age and all this was going to be possible because of a unique manual in his possession.

    This manual was going to be one of the very important factors which would be responsible for Xiao Ming''s rise in not only the Gracious Sword Sect but in the whole Lower Heavens as an era suppressing genius.

    And this precious manual was in this very pavilion, just one floor above, on the Third Floor. And Ye Tian Yun was going to take it before Xiao Ming even arrives here. This was also the reason why he came so early to receive his new token.

    He hade to know of this manual when he had made his informants dig out all the secrets of the God''s Legion. Though this wasn''t much use to him in his previous life, however, after rebirth this secret was going to help him a lot.

    Ye Tian Yun was going to make sure Xiao Ming is at a disadvantage before he even confronts him. In his previous life, he didn''t put God''s Legion in his eyes due to his arrogance and backing. However, this time he was going to hunt down each one of them and destroy the God''s Legion before it can even establish itself.

    With his aim once more steeled, he continued to look for someone who could be in charge of this Second Floor. Even though this floor was smaller than the First Floor, however, it was still big enough to amodate a lot of disciples. Looking around, Ye Tian Yun saw disciples in Outer Court robes, who were undoubtedly Top disciples of their Peak and he even saw some disciples Inner Court robes.

    Soon, he found an elder who was sitting on a table and reading a cultivation manual on the other side of the floor.

    Without hesitation he starter approaching the elder.

    Sensing someone approaching him, the elder looked up and found a disciple in Outer Court robes heading for him. The elder turned his attention back to the manual as he said, "You don''t need to approach me, just choose the manual which best suits your needs and head back to the First Floor."

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Greetings Elder, I am Fang Chen from Seventh Peak. I have gone through most cultivation manuals on this floor and I have chosen my reward. However, it is not a Rank 4 cultivation manual."

    The elder looked up, sizing the disciple in front of him, he asked, "Then what did you choose? As far as I remember, there''s only one reward. The Rank 4 cultivation manual. Do you want a Rank 3 manual?"

    "Elder, I want to choose something else, equivalent to the value of Rank 4 cultivation manual."

    The elder was surprised, he stared at Ye Tian Yun for a few moments, and then sighed, "Ah I don''t know what has happened to these new disciples. There is nothing of better value than a Rank 4 cultivation manual for disciples of your cultivation."

    Ye Tian Yun insisted, "But elder, I have made up my mind. And I can assure you that I won''t be breaking any rules with what I wish to swap my Rank 4 cultivation manual."

    Elder raised his left eyebrow, intrigued by this statement, he asked, "Oh? Then do tell me what do you wish for. As long as it is nothing absurd and within sect rules, your request will most probably beplied."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and said, "Elder, I wish to exchange my Rank 4 cultivation manual reward with a manual from the Third Floor."

    Elder was confused, he asked, "You too? Don''t you people know what kind of chance you will miss? You should know that the next opportunity to get a Rank 4 Cultivation Manual may nevere. Even top Inner Court Disciples don''t get the chance to practice Rank 4 cultivation manual."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded in response, "I am well aware of this, Elder. However, I will still go with my decision. But, Elder, did someone else also chose to go to the third floor?"

    The elder nodded and said, "Yes, indeed. There was another like you who wanted to exchange his Rank 4 cultivation manual reward for a manual from the third floor."

    Ye Tian Yun had a bad premonition about this, but he still asked, "Oh? May I ask who that disciple was, Elder?"

    "It''s nothing to hide about. Yesterday, an Outer Court disciple came for his rewards as soon as the Inner Court Entrance Hunt came to an end. Simrly like he went through the cultivation manuals to choose. However, in the end, he decided to not take any Rank 4 Cultivation Manual but chose to exchange his reward with a manual from the third floor."

    "And since taking out the manuals from the Third Floor is not allowed, he was given time until dawn to study the manual he chose. For one whole night, he studied a manual and he left the pavilion before sunrise."

    Ye Tian Yun had a hunch who it could be, but hoping that all his doubts are false, he asked, "What was the name of that disciple, Elder?"

    The Elder put down the cultivation manual on the table and replied, "He introduced himself as top ranked disciple of the Ninth Peak, Xiao Ming."

 Chapter 67 - To The Third Floor

    The elder put down the cultivation manual on the table and replied, "He introduced himself as Xiao Ming."

    Ye Tian Yun was shocked for a moment. Takking a deep breath he digested what he had just heard. Now he had a gut feeling that his n was most probably going to be a failure and the manual that he had been aiming for all this along was again going to be in Xiao Ming''s hands.

    The manual which could practically change the uing future was out of his grasp, however, he still had a tiny bit of hope in his heart that maybe, just maybe, there was a slight chance that Xiao Ming missed the manual and it is still there, on the Third Floor.

    But he was indeed a bit nervous because if Xiao Ming did find the manualst night, it could affect his future ns and will most probably make it harder to get his revenge.

    While Ye Tian Yun was lost in his thoughts the Elder in front of him didn''t notice the changes in his expression he continued to say, "After Xiao Ming, it is you who has decided to exchange his Rank 4 Cultivation Manual with a manual from the Third Floor."

    "To me, this act of exchanging your reward is just stupid. You guys should understand the value of the Rank 4 Cultivation Manual. I have already told you that you may never get a chance like this again and you should understand this fact. I even told Xiao Ming about this and tried to put some sense into him but he ignored my words and still insisted to go to the third floor."

    "Your reward is a Rank 4 Cultivation Manual which you can actually take back to your cultivation abode and practice for the next few months. But if you choose to go to the Third Floor, you will get only a few hours, of which half of the time will be wasted in choosing a manual. In the end, you won''t even have half of a day to study the manual you chose. You will be wasting future opportunity you should understand this."

    "In my honest opinion, if you do choose a manual from the Third Floor, " the Elder then shook his head before he continued, "Either you will be a normal disciple due to this decision or you will be trash. And in the future, your path to breaking through the Qi Stabilization Realm will definitely be a long and harsh one."

    Ye Tian Yun had to bite his tongue for stopping himself fromughing after hearing the elder''s words. He had already reached Qi Stabilization Realm ages ago and if not for the Token of Fate which was going to be in possession of Xiao Ming, he wouldn''t have hidden his cultivation ande to the sect.

    As for all the advice that he had just received, it was useless for him. Other than the fact that all the manuals on this Floor were trash for him, the manual on the Third Floor was very important and precious.

    ...

    The Elder seeing no response from Ye Tian Yun, sighed and got up from his seat, put back the cultivation manual on the shelf. He then said to Ye Tian Yun, "Kid, follow me. I will take you to the Third Floor. However, let me remind you again that you can''t take anything outside from the third floor and you will be only allowed to enter there once. You can stay and study the manual you chose till dusk."

    As the elder saw Ye Tian Yun nod his head in acknowledgment, he turned and headed for the spiral stairway.

    Ye Tian Yun followed him, a bit nervous and expectant to find the manual on the Third Floor.

    ...

    The Third Floor of the Martial Book Pavilion contained manuals rted to Alchemy, Poison Arts, cksmithing, and there were even a few manuals rted to the Arcane Path.

    Ye Tian Yun was eyeing for a certain manual on the Arcane Path, which in his previous life was the main cultivation system that made Xiao Ming a genius above his peers.

    This manual was a bit special. It was not in the records of the Martial Book Pavilion, which meant that this book didn''t officially belong to the Gracious Sword Sect and could be taken out. This is what helped Xiao Ming get his hands on this manual and keep it for himself. However, it was a coincidence that Xiao Ming found out about this manual, but now, Ye Tian Yun already knew about it and was about to take it away.

    Once he got his hands on this manual, Ye Tian Yun would be able to slow down Xiao Ming''s cultivation path and if Ye Tian Yun was lucky enough, maybe the manual could help him in his cultivation too.

    With these thoughts flowing through his mind, Ye Tian Yun entered the Third Floor full of expectations.

    However before he could even step onto the floor, he was hit by a depressed mood. It wasn''t a good feeling. Made him recall some bad days full of frustration from his previous life when God''s Legion created huge troubles for him in the Middle Heavens.

    ...

    The Third Floor gave off a weird feeling which would discourage anyone from stepping in. If the outside world could be considered as colorful and calm, this floor was colorless and depressed. Everything felt dull here. Even the disciples who were studying had their shoulders down, face paled, and eyes nked.

    Even the Elder who came with Ye Tian Yun now had a very unpleasant expression, as if this floor made him remember something very terrible from his past, something which was no less than torture to him.

    The Elder then took a deep breath and said, "You go in. If anyone asks, just tell them Elder Xie allowed you."

    Before Ye Tian Yun could even respond, the Elder had turned around and ''ran'' back to the Second Floor.

 Chapter 68 - Frustration.

    An awkward silence ensued as Ye Tian Yun stared back at the Elder who had just run back to the second floor, leaving him on his own.

    Shaking his head with a wry smile, Ye Tian Yun entered the Third Floor.

    The Thud Floor was smaller inparison to the other two floors below it. But here, the design and cement of manuals were a bit different.

    With the spiral stairway at the middle, acting as the gate to this floor, the area around it wasn''t actually spacious, but rather there were many shelves and racks full of old and new manuals. These stacks of books were parallel to each other and in between were tables and chairs for disciples to sit and study.

    The disciples here were mainly in Inner Court robes while few Core disciples were also studying.

    Just in front of the stairway gate was a counter, where a manager was sitting, and in his hands was a big register, most probably to maintain the records.

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun stepped on the Third Floor, the manager looked up and gestured at him toe forward, towards the counter.

    When Ye Tian Yun came near, the manager asked him with an expressionless face, "Outer Disciples and Inner court disciples of peaks other than the Second peak are not allowed to enter. State your business."

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I wish to exchange my reward from the Inner Court Entrance Hunt with a chance to study manual from here. I have received consent from Elder Xie from the Second Floor."

    "Oh? May I have a look at your token?"

    Ye Tian Yun toom out his token and handed it over to the manager.

    Seeing the token, the manager''s face rxed a bit, this time with a visible softness in his tone, he asked, "Oh, then please go ahead. You can study any manual present on this floor till dusk, however, just a soft reminder, you can''t take any manual out of this floor, so don''t waste much of your time."

    "Yeah, this is the hundredth time I have heard this." Ye Tian Yun nodded while replying.

    The manager ignored his response and asked, "Disciple, any specific manual you are looking for? Maybe I can help you out and save some of your time."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled as he replied, "I am looking for manuals on the Arcane Path."

    The manager pointed at the left corner shelf and said, "All books on Arcane Path can be found there."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and headed towards that direction.

    He observed that this section was least crowded, with almost no disciple present at the desks to study the manuals.

    When he reached the desk, near the shelf, he found a special notice stuck on it. It read:

    [Arcane path is not a fully developed branch of cultivation and disciples shouldn''t be arrogant, thinking that they can reach the heavens by practicing the manuals on this section.

    P.s: Alchemy is easier than Arcane Cultivation.]

    Ye Tian Yun read the notice. Then ignored it and moved forward.

    The shelf wasn''t a huge one, in fact, it was a bit smallpared to the others on this floor.

    Ye Tian Yun started to study and look for any ''special'' manual on this shelf.

    One by one, he flipped through the manuals in the hope to find something out of ordinary. However, it wasn''t easy. Even though this shelf was the smallest, there were hundreds of manualspressed in it as if the sect didn''t wish to waste another shelf for manuals on the Arcane Path.

    ''Damn, I wish those informants had been more specific about this manual. So many iplete manuals are here, but I can''t find anything eye-catching.''

    Ye Tian Yun continued to look through the manuals but nothing caught his eye. After about an hour or so, he started to have a bad feeling that the worse had happened and Xiao Ming was already in possession of that manual.

    Still, suppressing his thoughts he continued to search. But except for a few old tattered manuals, nothing seemed very special.

    ''Even if Xiao Ming did take away that manual, how in the world did he choose it? Even if that manual wasn''t in the sect records, he shouldn''t have known about this loophole. How could it be that the book he randomly found wasn''t in the sect records?''

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth in frustration as it was now afternoon and he didn''t find the manual he was looking for.

    ''If I don''t get this manual today, things will definitely get troublesome in the future.''

    Ye Tian Yun knew that if he missed the manual, he would have to rethink his ns because Xiao Ming''s plot armor will be thicker.

    Plot armor. Yes, this is the term his informants gave to lucky encounters the members of God''s Legion received in their younger days. And these encounters were not few. All members had at least two to three such encounters which affected their future in a better way and this did not include the Token and Emblems.

    The only way Ye Tian Yun was going to stop God''s Legion from rising once again was by destroying or taking away their plot armors.

    He continued to browse through the shelf, however in the end, he had no results. Taking a deep breath, he sat on the chair near the desk.

    ''Damn it. To think I missed such an important task and ended up with nothing. I wish I knew we were allowed to take rewards as soon as the hunt ended, I wouldn''t have waited for a whole night.''

    Ye Tian Yun was now very frustrated. He now had to change his ns. And keep in mind that not all information he had was urate.

    While he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard the movement of chairs in front of him. Raising his head, he found a beautiful girl in core disciple robes. This girl was quite familiar to him because he had seen her with the elders at the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    She was Yuan Shuchun.

 Chapter 69 - Yuan Shuchuns Invitation

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised seeing Yuan Shuchun here. This beautiful female disciple in front of him was a peculiar character. And undoubtedly the most interesting one in the whole Gracious Sword Sect.

    Yuan Shuchun was very talented in terms of cultivation and had already made a name for herself when she broke through the Qi Stabilization Realm before turning sixteen. This was a remarkable feat even in the Middle Heavens, let alone here, where such speed is considered godly.

    But Ye Tian Yun considered her interesting not because of her talent or fame but because of what her aim and her true nature were.

    When he saw her at the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, some information did sh through his mind, but at that time, she wasn''t important so he suppressed his thoughts.

    But now, as she was about to sit in front of him, many thoughts and a lot of information became clearer in his head.

    He remembered that this youngdy wasn''t a prominent character in the happenings at the Gracious Sword Sect until the beginning of the Grand Spirit Hunt. It was then she began to truly establish herself on not just her cultivation speed but also on her battle prowess and instincts.

    But was made him feel good was, that thisdy in front of him is soon going to make things very difficult for Xiao Ming.

    Intentionally or not, she was going to be the root of many problems in his life. And all this was going to start from their very first meeting.

    Yuan Shuchun was part of the Heavenly League, and this was known to all. Her presence itself signified her purpose. Though earlier none of the disciples really cared about what was going on around them and were only focused on memorizing the manuals in front of them, when Yuan Shuchun entered the Third Floor, all attention was now on her. Her action of sitting in front of a new Inner Court disciple also attracted the gazes of many on the disciple.

    Knowledgable disciples knew what her purpose was and Ye Tian Yun was included among them.

    Yuan Shuchun sat down and with a calm expression, she replied, "Hello, Disciple Fang Chen. I am Yuan Shuchun and I want you toe to the Heaven''s Grace Banquet tonight."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at her, unblinking. ''Did she just ordered me toe to the banquet?''

    Yuan Shuchun continued when she saw no response from him, "Many of the top disciples of the Hunt will also be joining you, the atmosphere will surely be lively."

    Ye Tian Yun took a moment to think and nodded in response, "I will be d to join the banquet."

    Yuan Shuchun smiled and got up. With a simple sentence, she took her leave, "It''s good that you agreed. You are different from that bastard I metst night."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised at her response, ''She already met Xiao Ming? Things will be interesting at the banquet.''

    As he looked at Yuan Shuchun leaving the hall, he tried to refresh his memory about the chaos which was currently going on in the sect.

    ...

    If we consider the whole Lower Heavens, then the Gracious Sword Sect would at most be considered an average sect. However, the talented disciples of this sect can easily be ranked as the cream of the crop.

    There was Jiang Yun, who has already proved himself to be one of the most powerful cultivators in the younger generation of the Lower Heavens in the previous Grand Spirit Hunt when he defeated top disciples of many powerful sects, and all this happened five years ago.

    Right now, it is instilled in the mind of everyone at the Gracious Sword Sect that Jiang Yun will definitely lead them to greater heights.

    And just when everyone was starting to see hope in Jiang Yun, another star rose. Yuan Shuchun. A female disciple who was seemingly even more talented than Jiang Yun and in due time, if nothing unfortunate happened, she was going to surpass him.

    Yuan Shuchun joined the sect at an early age, and even though there are rumors of her having a powerful background, she started from the bottom, joining as an Outer Court Disciple.

    Her rise was unstoppable, and within a few years, she became a core disciple.

    With Jiang Yun and Yuan Shuchun, the elders and disciples were quite reassured about the Grand Spirit Hunt. Until,st year that is.

    Last year, slowly, infighting and schemes started between the inner and core elders of the sect. Soon the sect was divided into two factions, each led by the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder.

    Though these small conflicts and skirmishes between the two factions were just due to the panacea which was going to be presented as the reward of the Grand Spirit Hunt, it soon took a serious turn when even the core disciples started to get involved in this.

    With the addition of core disciples, the other inner disciples who followed them also became a part of this supposed conflict of two powerhouses of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    While the elders restrain themselves from openly fighting each other, the disciples were different. Most of them were hot-blooded teenagers who started fighting over just a little incident.

    The disciples shed, made enemies, and then those enemies took revenge, which then created more enemies, and this became an unending cycle.

    However, this was still controble. But what made things serious was when some elders and disciples were ambushed and killed in the Xin-Wu battlefront while facing against the beast tide.

    This incident was then spiced up even more by an unknown faction which resulted in humiliation for the whole sect because the pieces of evidence, witnesses, and survivors of the incident imed that the masked ambushers were undoubtedly part of the Gracious Sword Sect. Due to these ims, few nearby factions got the hint of the infighting and upon little spying and research, they found out about the ongoing chaos in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    These factions didn''t back down from making their findings public and joined the unknown faction into turning the Gracious Sword Sect into aughing stock of the whole Xin Kingdom.

 Chapter 70 - Who Has The Manual?

    Though every faction was trying their best to ruin the Gracious Sword Sect''s reputation, all this didn''t really affect the sect from inside.

    Although, the upper management did look into the incident and deaths due to the ambush during the beast tide.

    The Sect Leader called the Grand Elder to the main hall along with many core elders, and both of them had a heated argument over this matter. No one wanted to take the me but instead called themselves victims in this incident.

    At first, they thought maybe this was done by a third party, who wanted to fish some benefits from the chaos in the Gracious Sword Sect. However, these thoughts were suppressed when the elders who were investigating the incident found clear-cut evidence that this was indeed done by some elders and disciples of their own sect.

    Now, everyone was suspicious of each other. But the investigation wasn''t over yet. Something weird was found out by the investigating elders which led to even more conflicts.

    They found out that the ones who were ambushed were mostly part of the World League, which was headed by Jiang Yun while those who ambushed them were part of the Heavenly League.

    Now, the Leagues had be a part of this conflict.

    It was said that Jiang Yun was very angry due to this matter and Sect Leader personally went to meet him to calm him down. And that was also the day when Sect Leader started to support the World League.

    As for the Heavenly League, they soon became the target of everyone''s anger. But a surprise turn of events changed everything.

    Grand Elder came out to their support and dered that all this was happening to frame the Heavenly League because no one would be stupid enough to leave so many clues and evidence at the ambush site.

    If all this wasn''t enough to suppress the opposition against the league, Yuan Shuchun came forward and joined them. Within a few months, she became its leader, shutting up anyone who spoke against ''her'' league.

    Now, the two disciples who were the hope of the sect were against each other. Jiang Yun led the World League with Sect Leader''s support and Yuan Shuchun headed the Heavenly League with Grand Elder by her side.

    With both of these top disciples at loggerheads, they mutually decided the Grand Spirit Hunt to be the stage of their main confrontation.

    As a result of this, both sides started to recruit new and old Inner Court disciples to strengthen their leagues.

    Due to the World League being the victims of this incident and Jiang Yun''s halo, disciples joined them in masses. While the Heavenly League decided to look for quality over quantity. They invited all top disciples of the Inner Court and after the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, they also put forward their invitation to the top disciples of the Outer Court Disciples with high hopes that many will join their ranks.

    To boost this, Yuan Shuchun was going to organize a banquet which would include top outer court disciples of all the peaks, present at one ce. This seemingly small event was going to be the trigger of an even bigger incident which will not only affect the Gracious Sword Sect, but also its enemies.

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t very much informed about what this ''trigger'' was going to be, but one thing that he was sure of was that this banquet was going to be very interesting for him.

    Just as he thought about his future, the reason why he came to this floor popped up in his mind. And without wasting any time, he resumed his search for the manual.

    However, there was no positive result. Even though there were iplete manuals, like earlier, he wasn''t didn''t find anything unique from them.

    Gazing at the setting sun on the western horizon, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but shook his head in regret. He had failed his objective. He didn''t get the manual.

    He took a deep breath and started thinking. Out of nowhere, he suddenly thought of the system, who had been very silent since the end of the hunt.

    ''System, you still alive?''

    [Host, System is always with you in all obstacles, marching forward!]

    ''Um... so you should know what I am here for, right?''

    [Host is looking for a manual]

    ''Yes, and I need your help. Find that manual for me.''

    [System cannot help you in this.]

    ''Then tell me where it is?''

    [System cannot help you in this.]

    ''Tell me how do I get it?''

    [System cannot help you in this.]

    ''...''

    Taking in a deep breath he asked, ''Is there any way you can help me here?''

    [Host can use his fate points.]

    ''Fate points? But didn''t you say that they will be useful to get the Token?''

    [Well, the host is trying to get the token here]

    ''Ok, so how do I use my fate points to get the manual?''

    [Host is allowed to ask questions which, with enough fate points, the system is allowed to answer]

    ''Oh? So, tell me where is that manual.''

    [Insufficient Fate Points.]

    ''Ugh, then tell me, did Xiao Ming obtain it?''

    [Xiao Ming did not obtain any manual.]

    [Fate Points consumed: 7]

    [Remaining Fate Points: 13]

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t stop himself from shouting out loud, resulting in getting res from everyone on the Third Floor. Some were even filled with killing intent.

    However, Ye Tian Yun ignored them because right now his mind was in turmoil.

    ''Xiao Ming didn''t get the manual? How is this possible? The manual isn''t here, the manual isn''t with Xiao Ming then where in world is that manual?''

    ''Did I get the wrong information again? Is the manual not in this stack but somewhere else? No, that is impossible. That day the informants themselves were sure that Xiao Ming got this manual from this rack after the Hunt ended. So where is it?''

    ''System, can you tell me, is the information I have about the manual correct?''

    [The information is not fully correct]

    [Fate Points Consumed: 2]

    [Remaining Fate Points: 11]

    ''Huh? Then what is wrong? Is the fact that the manual is from this rack, wrong?

    [The manual is indeed from this rack.]

    ''Then who the hell has it?''

 Chapter 71 - Ye Tian Yuns Dilemma

    Ye Tian Yun was perplexed.

    ''If I am searching at the correct ce but the manual isn''t here and Xiao Ming didn''t find any manualst night, then who has the manual?''

    ''From the report on the God''s Legion I received before rebirth, it was clearly stated that Xiao Ming got his first plot armor, the manual, on the Third Floor of the Martial Book Pavilion after he became the Top Ranked Disciple in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.''

    ''And if he didn''t get the manualst night, then he won''t get the manual at all. Because this was the only chance he had to enter this floor. The next chance won''te till the Grand Spirit Hunt.''

    ''What in the world is happening?''

    ''System, can''t you give me a discount this time and tell me who has the manual?''

    [System is impartial and cannot consent on discount]

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his head as he said, ''Damn it, the tell me how do I get that manual? Just tell me something useful from all the fate points I have.''

    [System suggests that Host should make Yuan Shuchun his ally]

    [Fate Points consumed: 11]

    [Remaining Fate Points: 0]

    Ye Tian Yun stared ahead with a shocked nk expression. His mind felt numb after hearing what the system has just advised him. To make friends with Yuan Shuchun? To ally with the person whose nature was synonymous with creating chaos?

    As much as he found the character of Yuan Shuchun interesting, he just wanted to stay away from her. Not because she could be a distraction for him, but because she would end up creating more trouble for him.

    He knew the secrets of many younger and old generation cultivators of the Lower and Middle Heavens. In his previous life, he had forced himself to understand the intricate rtionships between different powers so that he finds a weak link in God''s Legion.

    And among all the reports he read, excluding the members of the God''s Legion, very few people stood out. And Yuan Shuchun was one of them.

    She was the only character who will encounter and make enemies with more than one God''s Legion member before it could even form.

    And even after all this, she will survive because instead of killing her, God''s Legion will just avoid this gue.

    Ye Tian Yun was now in a big dilemma. However, before he wanted to think deeper about this, he had one thing to ask the system.

    ''System, do you know the future?''

    [System does not know the future]

    ''Then, why would you suggest me to ally with Yuan Shuchun? And you said I don''t have enough fate points to know where the manual is, so Yuan Shuchun shouldn''t be the person who possesses it.''

    [System may not know the future but it knows the past. It knows everything happened before rebirth, which is now future]

    ''Huh? But you just said you don''t know the future.''

    [The future which system knows is now invalid because it all happened when you didn''t go through a rebirth. With your rebirth and knowledge acting as the catalyst, the future that System knows is bing impossible with your every move]

    ''What? Doesn''t that mean that after some time, all the information I have will be useless?''

    [System cannot answer this. The future is ever-changing. Everything is working in sync. And if you make huge changes in the present time, the future will be affected. For better or for worse.]

    ''So what should I do? Go back home and wait for my death? Or kill my future enemies, and strive to im that god emblem?''

    [The choice is yours to make, Host.]

    ''Still, in your opinion, what should I do?''

    [System suggests that the host should make Yuan Shuchun his ally.]

    ''Ah, not again.'' Ye Tian Yun''s eyebrows scrunched when he received System''s reply. His aim to get into the sect was to kill Xiao Ming and take away his Token of Fate. Then he would move on to his next target.

    However, if he made acquaintances with Yuan Shuchun, things would turn out different. He will get himself into a big mess and will have no choice but to join the internal conflict of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    To Ye Tian Yun, this conflict between the Sect Leader and Grand Elder or the Heavenly League and World League was meaningless. He had no ns to be part of this in any way. Just like Xiao Ming, he wanted to stay away from this conflict. However, if he started to take sides, and join Yuan Shuchun, he will have to make ''contributions'' to make himself trustworthy, but why should he do this? His aim wasn''t to gain power in the sect nor was it to seduce Yuan Shuchun. He only wanted to kill Xiao Ming, get the Token, and move on.

    For a manual, which wasn''t even the ''real'' plot armour of his enemy, should he waste more time in making acquaintances? Was it worth it? Ye Tian Yun was very confused. And what confused him, even more, was the fact that in his previous life, Xiao Ming did get the manual, so did he also make friends with Yuan Shuchun? But then why are they enemies?

    Too many questions, but one decision.. He didn''t think that a simple n of his to take away a manual will not only go off track but, it was even about to affect his future ns.

 Chapter 72 - Decision

    Ye Tian Yun''s dilemma was whether he should follow System''s advice or find a way on his own. However, after thinking and understanding that he clearly has no choice here. He had to let everything up to fate.

    But then, he felt how ridiculous this thought was. Isn''t his main aim not to let fate control his life, but rather it should be him who decides his own fate?

    Taking a deep breath, he reassessed his situation. His aim is to kill Xiao Ming and take the Token of Fate. He knows where he can kill Xiao Ming, but he doesn''t know whether Xiao Ming has encountered the Token Of Fate.

    Ye Tian Yun knows that his own cultivation speed is very fast, and with the ample amount of resources in the Middle Heavens, it wouldn''t have been hard for him to cross the Tri-Qi cultivation realms, however, right now he is in Lower Heavens. He doesn''t have many resources, and the Qi density here is very low, this will affect his cultivation. But it was different for Xiao Ming''s case. Once he possesses the Token Of Fate, his cultivation will increase in leaps and bounds and he will be unstoppable before the Grand Spirit Hunt even begins.

    Grand Spirit Hunt is only six months away and for Xiao Ming, this time is the most important, this is the time where his fate is affected by the Token and his cultivation path bes much more softer, break through''s be easy, new cultivation stage bes stable. And all this is possible because of his ''plot armours''.

    Ye Tian Yun wanted to slow him down. It wasn''t that he was afraid or anything, but rather, he didn''t wish to take any chances. One thing he had learnt in his life is that his enemies, the protagonists, had insane luck especially the possessor of Token Of Fate, Xiao Ming.

    And to slow down Xiao Ming''s rise, Ye Tian Yun wanted to take away his plot armour, like the manual which was supposed to be on the Third Floor.

    But since the manual wasn''t hers, he had no way of stopping Xiao Ming. Unless he followed System''s advice which was to make Yuan Shuchun his ally, but how will this get him the manual? Yuan Shuchun doesn''t have that manual, he was sure of this.

    ''Wait, didn''t she just invite me to the banquet?'' Something suddenly clicked in his mind, ''Won''t Xiao Ming also be present at that ce? And this banquet must have also happenedst time too, and since Xiao Ming did get the manual, and I have to go to banquet anyway, why shouldn''t I first understand the situation between Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming?''

    Nodding to himself, he got up and started the moving towards the counter near the spiral staircase.

    The manager looked up and was surprised to see the disciple returning so soon, usually, he would have to kick out the disciples because most of them just wouldn''t leave this floor easily. As much as the disciples hated this floor, they didn''t want to leave this floor easily.

    Shaking his head with a sigh, the manager moved his hand under the desk and brought out a token. Putting the token on the desk, he resumed his work of looking through the manual records.

    Ye Tian Yun picked up his new Inner Court disciple token and nodding at the manager, he headed towards the spiral stairway.

    As soon as he stepped on the stairs, he felt quite refreshed. No more colourless, dull world. With a wry smile, he headed back to the First Floor.

    When he was about to pass by the Second Floor, he stopped for a second and poked his head inside to look for Zheng Xiang. That guy was nowhere to be found. He did notice that Elder Xie, who had brought him to the third floor, was still focused on the same cultivation manual as earlier.

    Turning back, he started to head towards the First Floor. However just as he turned, he banged his head into another disciple.

    "Ah, damn it. Who is courting death!?" That disciple cried out as he covered his eyes in pain, while trying to regain his bnce to avoid falling back downstairs.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned when he saw the disciple. He recognised him very well. The disciple was Hou Xing, a disciple of Seventh Peak ranked below himself, at second position, in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt yesterday.

    However his frown wasn''t because of Hou Xing''s rank but it was because of the rtionship between Fang Chen and Hou Xing.

    These two guys, one from a top n, other from a weak powerless n, were always at loggerheads. And it was mainly because Hou Xing''s n was like servants to the Fang n, and this led to Fang Chen act very arrogant and conceited whenever he met Hou Xing.

    When Hou Xing regained his bnce, and saw who was standing in front of him, he was shocked for a moment, and couldn''t help but cry out, "It''s you! What are you doing here!?"

    Ye Tian Yun, raising his chin and putting on an arrogant smile, replied to him with half closed eyes, "Butler Hou, is this how you talk to your master?"

    -----*-----

 Chapter 73 - Hou Xing

    "Fang Chen! Don''t you dare!" Hou Xing was immediately angered when he heard the word ''butler''. He hated being teased like that.

    "Keep your voice down, Butler Hou. Don''t forget you are in front of your future master. Well, I am in a good mood today because of your yesterday''s performance." Ye Tian Yun''s smile now seemed even more arrogant.

    "You, bastard! How long are you gonna test my limits? Don''t forget every dog has his day, one day I will make you regret your taunts!" Hou Xing gritted his teeth, he was fuming in anger.

    "Ha-ha, keep dreaming, Daoist Second ce in Inner Court Entrance Hunt, ha-ha."

    Hou Xing was even more pissed when he remembered what had happened at yesterday''s event. The fact that Fang Chen ranked higher than him was annoying, but he could do nothing about it nor could he challenge him. However, what really made him pissed was that he didn''t gain any Qi Stealing Mole''s beast cores because no one challenged him. He knew why they didn''t, because in front of them were two options, arrogant and weak Fang Chen, and top disciple Hou Xing. So of course everyone chose Fang Chen, hoping for an easy win.

    In the end, he gained nothing and could only grit his teeth in frustration as he saw Fang Chen and Zheng Xiang gaining beast cores that he chose even lost his sleep.

    He couldn''t sleep properly, nor could he focus on cultivation because of his frustration from the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    In the end, he woke upte. Now the only thing that could make him satisfied was the praising and shocked look of other disciples when they see him and discuss his rank in the Hunt. However, when he entered the Resource Hall, he felt mocking stares at him, as if everyone wasughing at his predicament when no one challenged him, in the end, he earned zero Qi Stealing Moles.

    As if the heavens were not satisfied with all these mocking smirks that he received, he identally met with thest person he wanted to see today, Fang Chen.

    He hated Fang Chen but he could do nothing about it. He could only grit his teeth in frustration because he had no power neither his n had no power against Fang n''s might.

    "Yo-hello? Why are you daydreaming all of a sudden?" Ye Tian Yunughed at the guy in front of him, who all of sudden became silent and started to think about something.

    Coming back to sense, Hou Xing replied, "I am not daydreaming, I am just cursing the damned heavens for my luck. Why are you even here!?"

    "Ha-ha, didn''t I just tell you? Your master, me, was ranked first, while you, as a good servant, were obediently ranked second." Ye Tian Yun continued to show his ''arrogance''.

    "Hmph! Your first ce? That was the worst joke in the whole event! You were lucky you didn''t meet me, or I would have thrashed you so bad you would have gone crying back to Patriarch Fang!"

    "Sigh, as always, you continue to be jealous of others, when will you grow up? When will you stop thinking that the world revolves around you?" Ye Tian Yun remarked on Hou Xing''s nature like an elder.

    Hou Xing had a smirking expression on his face, "What? Jealous? Me? Jealous of your achievement? Hehe, let me tell you one thing, when I see that damned face of yours, there''s not a thing I would change... except the direction I''m walking in."

    "Ha-ha, how long did it take toe up with that? Fifteen years? Trust me, if you run like your mouth, you''d be in a good shape."

    "Ugh, Fang Chen, tell me one thing straight, why the hell are you always annoying me? Why in the world do you hate me so much?"

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged at his reply, "Well, I will be honest, I don''t hate you, I am just simply now excited about your existence."

    "Damn you, that''s it. Let''s decide this once for all. Come to the battle arena, let''s see if you still have that arrogant smirk after I wipe the face with your floor... I mean I will wipe the floor with your face."

    "Ha-ha, you can be funny sometimes," Ye Tian Yun shook his head with augh, then taking out a piece of cloth from his pocket, he said, "Here, take this, you have a little bullshiting out of your mouth."

 Chapter 74 - To The Second Peak!

    "Stop bullshitting, do you ept my challenge or now?"

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged as he replied, "Are you kidding? You are not even ranked higher than me; why should I bother fighting with you?"

    Hou Xing''s eyes opened wide as he heard this ridiculous response, "What do you mean I didn''t rank higher than you? You were ranked goddamn first! Was there any higher rank than that? And if I don''t challenge you, then who should I challenge? The disciples ranked lower than me?"

    "Ah, since when butlers got so insolent in front of their master? Keep your voice down in front of me." Ye Tian Yun ignored Hou Xing''s burst and replied in a somewhat stern tone.

    Hou Xing stomped his feet and almost shouted in frustration, "Do you ept my challenge or not?"

    Ye Tian Yun just shook his head and headed downstairs towards the exit, without even looking at Hou Xing.

    Hou Xing could only stare at Ye Tian Yun''s back, clenching his fists, gritting his teeth, he said in his mind, ''One day, Fang Chen, One day, I will beat you so bad that not even your daddy will be able to save your pathetic life!''

    However, just as he finished his thoughts, Ye Tian Yun turned around and said, "Good luck with that." Finishing with a mysterious smile, he moved on towards the first Floor.

    Hou Xing could only stand frozen at one ce as he stammered out a few words before losing sight of Ye Tian Yun, "Howˇ­ how did he know what I was thinking?"

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun could not help but smirk to himself as he headed out of the stairway door, ''This Hou Xing guy is so easy to read, but it''s a pity that he can only be a cannon fodder in future.''

    As he stepped on the First Floor, he was surprised to see the number of new Inner Court disciples present at the scene, going through the cultivation manuals on this Floor.

    Unlike the case at the Resource Hall where his and Zheng Xiang''s arrival from the Second Floor did not attract much attention, it was the opposite. As soon as Ye Tian Yun came, he was in the spotlight. It seemed as if everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked at his way to see who hase from the upper floors.

    Soon a hubbub of whispering invaded the Floor; the disciples were discussing his identity.

    "Who hase now?" A disciple whispered.

    "Well, this guy does look familiar, and I don''t have a good feeling about him."

    Another disciple snickered, "Hehe, yes, well he is Fang Chen after all."

    "Fang Chen? That arrogant brat? Did he really rank in the top disciples yesterday?"

    "Yes, he did. Even though this is unbelievable, he did rank at the top in our Seventh Peak."

    "Dang, and here I thought it was just a rumour to mock him because he had failed. Was he really hiding his cultivation all this time?"

    "He hid it pretty well, no one knows his real cultivation realm even now, but I think he should be at least in the Eight Level of Qi Refining Realm."

    Another disciple chimed in, "Eight Level!? That''s a pretty big estimate. Don''t forget that in Inner Court Entrance Hunt Rankings, luck is also a big factor. I heard that he didn''t really get a tough opponent against him."

    The disciple before him nodded, "Yes, that''s true. I think the final battle should have been between Zheng Xiang and Hou Xing. These guys are legit talented."

    "Yes, but what I find funny is that as lucky this Fang Chen was, Hou Xing was equally unlucky. These two had pr opposite luck."

    "Yeah, and if we take the whole sect in picture, I think Fang Chen will barely be counted among the average disciples, don''t forget that Seventh Peak has the disciples with the worst talent."

    "What do you mean? Our Seventh Peak is not as bad as what other peaks think, in fact, the average cultivation realm of Top 100 disciples in the Hunt yesterday was Seventh Level of Qi Refining Realm, which''s already better than most of the peaks."

    "Few disciples won''t decide anything. You''re not looking at the big scene. While Seventh Peak had a hundred spots for the Inner Court, the other peaks had at least five hundred. In fact, the Ninth Peak had two thousand spots, so you shouldn''tpare the average cultivation without looking at the real numbers."

    The other disciples around him also agreed on this.

    Ye Tian Yun, who had just passed them, overheard this statement and was surprised at the number of Inner Court disciples from the Ninth Peak. His thoughts were not on their talent but something else, ''Did they also challenge each other? That would be two thousand challenges!? These guys really have so much free time.''

    Shaking his head with a sigh, he came out of the Martial Book Pavilion.

    His next stop was the Second Peak. The most protected Peak of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    In the Lower Heavens, Alchemists and cksmiths are the most respected professions. Moreover, each Alchemist or cksmith is treated as a rare treasure in all the powers, and they stay under very high security. It is because they are the most important people to keep the sect going.

    If a sect has all the world resources, but no Alchemist or a cksmith, all resources are useless. Unless they sell those resources, but that too will only bring losses.

    Furthermore, even if they have Alchemists and cksmiths, there is a constant fear of their enemy sect''s assassination attempt to cripple a sect''s growth. The swiftest way is to assassinate its Alchemists and cksmiths.

    That is why the Second Peak is the most protected Peak of all the nine peaks of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Simr to other peaks, this Peak was also connected to the First Peak with three chain bridges. Moreover, Ye Tian Yun was heading towards one of them.

    However, just as he had begun, he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind.

    Turning around, he found someone familiar.

 Chapter 75 - The Prelude Of The Banquet

    Zheng Xiang was from the Zheng n of the Silver Mist City in the Xin Kingdom''s Southern region.

    He was the adopted son of the Zheng n Patriarch, Zheng Wuhun, but wasn''t epted by the Zheng family members. Because of this status, the younger generation of the Zheng Family would often assault and harass him. Only a few members like his adoptive father, adoptive brother Zheng Guyu and adoptive cousin Zheng Yue would treat him kindly as a part of the family.

    He started cultivation at a very young age, but he was met with a very mysterious ident at age ten, which affected his cultivation speed pretty badly. Already being an outcast in his n, he was shunned even more by n members of his generation. It was only on a mission a few months back, when he had to hunt down a few mortal bandits, did he start to feel his cultivation picking up speed after he consumed all the resources that those bandits had. After this encounter, he was certain that to increase his cultivation, he was going to need monstrous amounts of cultivation resources.

    It was his luck that he met his adoptive cousin a few days before the Inner Court Entrance Hunt that he could have a breakthrough and increase his cultivation realm. His cousin, Zheng Yue, was an Inner Court disciple and had ess to many resources. So when she met him, she gifted him some Middle ranked Qi Strengthening pills hoping that he could perform well in the Hunt.

    Once his cultivation increased, he devised a n to get maximum benefits out of the Hunt. This was the reason why he ranked himself atst in Round Two, where everyone had to hunt down low-ranked Qi Stealing Moles and get as many beast cores as possible to rank higher.

    However, instead of hunting Qi Staling Moles, he just roamed around. He did this because he knew all the beast cores were going to the sect, not to his dantian, and the only beast cores he was gonna get were from the battles he needed to win in the next round. So, he decided to hunt as few Qi Stealing Moles as possible.

    And when he was ranked, atst, he didn''t worry about not getting anything; he was confident in his cultivation realm.

    As Round Three began, he was unstoppable, in the end ranking himself in the Top three. Though he didn''t get the most beast cores, he did get a significant number of them, and with the amount of Qi Strengthening pills he was going to receive the next day, he was the real winner of the Hunt.

    So when he opened his eyes the next day, he headed for the First Peak to get his resources without any dys. And this was where he met another anomaly from the hunt, Fang Chen.

    At first, he didn''t wish to interact with that guy because of the rumors he had heard about his arrogant nature. But unexpectedly, Fang Chen was the one who broke the ice, and it turned out that he was the exact opposite of what he had in his mind. Fang Chen wasn''t arrogant and conceited. Instead, he seemed like a knowledgeable person and gave off a calm vibe.

    This purely coincidental meeting was very fruitful for Zheng Xiang. He came to know of the Sword Intent and also about many other things.

    Both of them talked and received their things together. Only when Fang Chen decided to go to the Third Floor of the Martial Book Pavilion did he lose sight of him.

    After Zheng Xiang had chosen a Rank 4 cultivation manual, he decided to head down instead of waiting for Fang Chen because he wasn''t sure how long that guy was gonna take, and this was the first time he had met him, so no need to waste his time here.

    And when he was about to exit the Martial Book Pavilion, he met a core disciple he had also seen during the hunt, Yuan Shuchun.

    She invited Zheng Xiang to a banquet at the Heavenly Leagueter tonight, but he had other ns, so he could only refuse. And for a second, he felt like Yuan Shuchun direct an intense killing intent against him, but this was only for a moment. The next second only a serene smile was present on her face. But this small encounter was enough for rm bells to ring in his mind and put Yuan Shuchun in his ''people not to mess with'' list.

    Yuan Shuchun just said it was alright and he can stille if he changes his mind, and then she left, heading for the upper floors.

    Zheng Xiang could only sigh as he headed for the Second Peak. However, just as he had stepped out of the Martial Book Pavilion, he saw someone familiar.

    He saw his cousin, Zheng Yue, giving out flyers to the new Inner Court disciples. Without wasting time, headed to greet her.

    Zheng Yue was surprised and ted when she realized that her little brother had be an Inner Court Disciple.

    They chatted for some time before Zheng Yue invited him to the Zheng Alliance. This was a little league of the Zheng and its subsidiary ns in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    With no choice, Zheng Xiang epted her invite and headed to the headquarters of the Zheng Alliance.

    As usual, he was treated with indifference and contempt by his fellow nmates, but he endured because he thought that his sister would be in trouble if he started fighting these people.

    But when those disciples started to call his rank in the Hunt a fluke and even called him a cheater and started to challenge him for a duel, he couldn''t stop himself and epted the challenges, in the end beating the crap out of those disciples.

    With his mood ruined, he left the Zheng Alliance with a frown on his, and when he was about to pass the Martial Book Pavilion, he saw Fang Chening out of it. Curious about what he got from the Third floor, he tapped on Fang Chen''s shoulder to ask him about it.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised to see Zheng Xiang still at the Martial Book Pavilion, not at the Second Peak. But before he could ask anything, Zheng Xiang spoke first, "Brother Fang, how did your visit to the Third Floor go? Did you find anything interesting?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head in denial as he said, "Well, I didn''t get anything worth mentioning, except for the invite by Yuan Shuchun for the banquet. I assume you have also met her?"

    "Ah, don''t ask about her. As soon as I rejected her invitation, the whole air around her changed. I felt I was just one breath away from certain death."

    "Ah? Was it you who rejected her? She did mention one disciple rejecting her invitation. I thought it was another friend of mine."

    "Oh, she did? It looks like she is the kind who doesn''t easily forget things. Ah, and who''s the other friend you talked about? I thought you didn''t have friends with your rumored arrogant personality."

    Ye Tian Yun just smiled and replied, "Well, I do have some good friends. One of them has a decent level of talent. You may not have heard of his name; he is from the Ninth Peak, Xiao Ming."

    Zheng Xiang rolled his eyes, "Decent talent? Xiao Ming? You do know that he is ranked at the very top among all disciples? Also, Yuan Shuchun mentioned Xiao Ming when she invited me; she said he would definitelye. In fact, she was kind of very happy about it."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised at this im when Yuan Shuchun met him; her mood wasn''t even close to being good when she mentioned her meeting with Xiao Mingst night.

    Ye Tian Yun turned and looked at the Heavenly League''s headquarters at the other side corner of the First Peak, ''Things will be interesting tonight. I hope Xiao Ming is as powerful as the reports stated.. And since the manual wasn''t here, it will definitely appear during the banquet.''

 Chapter 76 - The Second Peak

    All leagues had their headquarters at the base on the First Peak itself, and their state signified the position of that league.

    For instance, the Zheng Alliance, which was a very small group of disciples with about fifty Inner Court Disciples, had much smaller and delipidated headquarters than that of the Big Four Leagues. And out of all the Big Four, the Heavenly League had the most luxurious ce.

    Its main building was the second-highest structure at the base of the First Peak after the Martial Book pavilion.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at this tall pagoda-like structure in a trance as he thought of theing night''s banquet.

    Zheng Xiang who was beside him followed his eyesight and also looked at the headquarters of the Heavenly League. After some time, he asked, "Are you going to attend the banquet?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head in reply. Then he turned and looked at Zheng Xiang before asking, "What about you? Are you not gonnae?"

    Zheng Xiang shook his head, "I did reject Yuan Shuchun, but right now, I am not sure if I will be attending that banquet or not. Earlier when you asked which league I was going to join and I replied that I will go solo, but the thing is, I did have a league in my mind."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "Oh? Which league? Don''t tell me you were thinking of the Nine Supremes?"

    "No, not them. I was thinking of my own n''s league, the Zheng Alliance."

    "Zheng ALliance? Well, I don''t think they are powerful enough to support you. Going solo or joining that league is the same thing in my opinion."

    Zheng Xiang sighed as he heard this, "I can''t argue with your statement. At first, I was nning to join them and help out since they were my nmates, however now, I am having second thoughts about joining them."

    "Oh? Why is that?" Ye Tian Yun was intrigued by this.

    "Well, the reason why I haven''t gone to the Second Peak yet is that I was at the Zheng Alliance all this time. I thought maybe after I have be an Inner Court disciple, there will be some eptance regarding me, but I don''t think this is the case. Nothing''s changed, they still treat me like an outsider."

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged while replying, "Well, you don''t need to waste your time chasing the people who don''t care about you. Go and explore, the cultivation world is huge. You will meet someone who you will be able to trust and call a brother."

    Zheng Xiang nodded and said, "Let''s head to the Second Peak. The sun is setting soon, the banquet will start in a few hours."

    Ye Tian agreed and started his way towards the chain bridge for the Second Peak.

    Soon they were on the chain bridge, heading towards the Exchange Hall to receive their Qi Strengthening Pills as a reward from the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    ˇ­

    The Second Peak of the Gracious Sword Peak was known for its safety and dynamic power structure.

    Unlike the other peaks, where there were many hidden schemes, politics, and infighting, this peak was the most peaceful.

    The Second League was like an independent power within the Sect. Its Peak Leader, who headed the whole peak, had an equal footing in the Sect alongside the Grand Elder, just lower than the Sect Leader himself.

    This peak was also free from the interference of the leagues. Not even the Big Four leagues could have any power among the disciples.

    Though this peak was average in size among all the Peaks, it''s poption was the least, so it was the most spacious peak of the Sect.

    At the base of the peak was the Exchange Hall and Outer Court disciple abodes.

    The Exchange Hall was the ce where disciples of all peaks can swap their points earned from the missions of the Mission Hall with resources and weapons.

    With a constant amount of disciplesing in and out of the building, this ce was the busiest of all in the whole peak. It was also the destination of Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang to receive their rewards.

    On the level above the Exchange Hall were the abodes of the Inner Court disciples. For an Outer Court disciple to get promoted to the Inner Court, he needed to be at least a Level 1 Alchemist or cksmith or Poison Master.

    And the ce where all disciples practiced was in the level above these abodes.

    That ce was divided into three distinct areas, The Alchemy Hall, cksmith''s Boulder, and the Poisonous Garden.

    Alchemy Hall was for the budding Alchemists and the most sought after profession in the whole Lower Heavens.

    Beside this building were the Poisonous Gardens. This was the ce where disciples interested in poison arts could be found. However, the profession of a Poison Master was not a stand-alone profession like the cksmiths. This profession moved hand-in-hand with Alchemy. Without the basic knowledge of Alchemy, no disciples could even start ying with poisons because here, a little mistake can prove very fatal and may even lead to instant death.

    On the further side of the Poisonous Garden was a special structure, the cksmith''s Boulder.

    This whole ce was unique because it was carved out of a single boulder. It was said that the first sect leader, Yuan Xuming brought this boulder from the Barren Battlefield and it waster carved inside-out by powerful cksmiths to train young disciples.

    Above these three buildings were the Elder''s residences and on the top was where the Peak Leader cultivated, overlooking the whole peak.

    The chain bridge soon came to a halt as Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang crossed over to the Second Peak.

    However, as soon as they stepped outside of the chain bridge, an oppressing voicemanded them, "Halt! Prove your identities and state the reason to visit the second peak. Any falsehood and you will be thrown in the endless ravine!"

 Chapter 77 - Recieving Rewards

    The voice echoed a few times due to the ravine just behind Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang.

    When both of them looked up, they found themselves surrounded by the three disciples in Inner Court robes. These disciples had a unique badge on their shoulders, signifying their department. They were from the Disciplinary Hall, the ce responsible for maintaining peace among disciples in the sect.

    Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists as he said, "Senior brothers, we are new Inner Court disciples and havee here to receive our rewards."

    The disciple in the middle nodded and replied, "Show me your Inner Court token only then can we allow you to go ahead."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged and took out his token, Zheng Xiang followed suit.

    The three disciples were surprised to see the stripes on their tokens, the disciple in the middle smiled and said, "Well, congrattions on being the top disciples of your peak. You guys are wee to join the Disciplinary Hall after a month."

    "Thank you, Senior Brother." Zheng Xiang replied, "However, why is there a one month break?"

    This time the disciple at the left smirked and said, "You will know soon. Just because you were ranked at the top doesn''t mean you will get a back door."

    The other two nodded in agreement, and the disciple in the middle added, "You won''t be staying in the Sect for the rest of the month anyway, so it won''t matter if you join now orter."

    Ye tian Yun was surprised at this, he asked, "We won''t be in the Sect? Where would we go if not cultivate and prepare for the Grand Spirit hunt?"

    "Ha-ha, prepare for the Grand Spirit Hunt? Kid, you are aiming too high, maybe in the next Grand Spirit Hunt you might have a chance, but for the one which is just six months away, you won''t even qualify. Your cultivation is too low."

    Ye Tian Yun was intrigued even more, "Cultivation is too low? Why would you say that? As far as I have heard, there have been disciples with Mid Qi Condensation Realm cultivation in the previous Grand Spirit Hunts."

    The guy in the middle nodded, "That is indeed true, but do you really think you will be able to get to that stage? Don''t assume that your reward will be enough, it''s nothingpared to what you need. And even with ample amounts of cultivation resources, one also needs goodprehension ability. And to be honest, reaching the Qi Condensation Realm is already hard enough, let alone getting to its mid-stages.

    "I might qualify." Ye Tian Yun replied, trying to close this conversation.

    However, his response irked the disciple at the left side, he frowned and said with a tone of disdain, "You might? You should know your ce, and not be arrogant. You haven''t the really talented disciples, and they have already been in the Inner Court for years now. Just because you have obtained the first rank on your peak doesn''t mean you are a heaven-sent talent. "

    Ye Tian Yun smirked at this, "What if I am a heaven-sent talent?"

    For some reason, when that disciple saw the smirk, he felt quite annoyed. "Well, I don''t know about your talent, but I am quite sure your arrogance was heaven sent. Let''s now talk about you qualifying for the Grand Spirit Hunt, I will be surprised if you cane back in one piece after a month."

    The disciple at the middle added, "Well, I agree with Brother Li here. You are being a bit conceited here. Hopefully, your attitude calms down a bit after a month. You guys can go ahead now."

    Before Ye Tian Yun could reply, they left and went to another chain bridge which was heading towards the Second Peak.

    Looking at their backs, Zheng Xiang asked, "Brother Fang, do you have any idea about what these guys were talking about? Where will we be going this month?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head in denial and moved towards the Exchange Hall.

    ˇ­

    At the base of the Second Peak, the Exchange Hall was the most eye-catching thing one would see, mainly because the rest of the buildings were disciple abodes, most of them were cave-like structures for better cultivation.

    Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang soon reached the gate of the Exchange Hall. However, before entering, Ye Tian Yun felt as if a hundred eyes were on him. It was like someone was observing him from every corner of his surroundings and he wouldn''t have even felt their presence if not for his high cultivation. He turned and looked at Zheng Xiang''s expression, but failed to see any change. Zheng Xiang''s expression was normal all along.

    Feeling Ye Tian Yun''s eyes on him, Zheng Xiang asked, "Brother Fang, is there something on my face?"

    Ye Tian Yun just shook his head and entered the Exchange Hall.

    The interior structure was quitevish. As soon as one enters, he will be surprised by its cool geometric circr design. The walls were emerald blue with a bit of shard green texture. While the roof was dome-shaped, giving a distinctive feel to anyone who put his eyes on this structure.

    This single floor huge hall was divided in two with a thin separation and then there were counters. Disciples were standing in line to receive their rewards.

    Zheng Xiangughed a bit as he said, "I don''t know why, but our sect sure likes to have counters at every other ce."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and looked around as he said, "If counters are here, then a notice should also be present somewhere."

    After some time, a ck board caught his eyes, and sure indeed there was a little notice stuck on it.

    [All new Inner Court disciples are advised to bring head to the yellow-marked counters to receive their rewards. They must also have the new Inner Court disciple token.]

    Zheng Xiang turned towards the counters and soon found some counters with a yellow outline.

    And then turning towards Ye Tian Yun, he said, "Let''s go, take out rewards, and head back to the peak."

    Soon both of them were in line to get their rewards.

 Chapter 78 - Growth Phase

    About half an hourter, they were out of the Exchange Hall, having received their rewards.

    As they headed towards the chain bridge, Zheng Xiang smiled and said, "I am quite surprised nothing unexpected happened this time. Unlike the other two ces from before, the resource Hall and the Martial book pavilion, this ce was quite calm."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded in agreement and replied, "Yeah, even I was half-expecting to encounter an annoying brat who would push his way through the line to get his rewards without waiting in the queue. And all this will happen when it''s our turn to get the rewards. And then one of us will get to knock some sense into him."

    "Uhˇ­ isn''t that too specific?"

    "I don''t know; I just had a hunch that something like this might happen."

    Zheng Xiang could only give a wry smile in response.

    ˇ­

    Soon they reached the Chain Bridges. The flow of disciplesing and going forth the Second Peak was quite dense; most of them were new Inner Court disciplesing here for the rewards, while a few of them were also the older Inner Court disciples arriving here to exchange the mission points for cultivation resources aftering back from sect missions.

    It took a while for Ye Tian Yun, and Zheng Xiang''s turn to get on the Chain Bridge came. When they finally got on the chain bridge, on which only they were present, Zheng Xiang asked, "So Brother Fang, are you going to Heaven''s Grace Banquet for which Yuan Shuchun has invited us earlier?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and replied, "Yes, I want to understand the situation among the disciples and gauge the strength of the new Inner Court disciples from other peaks."

    Zheng Xiang frowned, "Why do you need to do that? Didn''t you say earlier in the morning that you''re not interested in the politics of the sect?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged as he replied, "Well, I did say something like that, but now circumstances have changed, and I must make use of the current situation."

    Zheng Xiang was even more confused, "Circumstances have changed? I don''t see anything going on, nor did Ie across anything weird. And what is this situation that you are talking about?"

    Ye Tian Yun sighed at his words, "What do you make out of the current situation between the Leagues? Don''t you see the current power struggle? Don''t you see the significance behind Yuan Shuchun personally inviting top disciples? Also, don''t you wish to get more resources?"

    Zheng Xiang still had a confused expression over his face, "So, you''re saying that you will understand the situation of the leagues, gauge cultivation of new Inner Court disciples, and make use of the current predicament to get more cultivation resources? Are you trying to fish in these troubled waters?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Well, this is a part of the n. Tell me one thing, are you willing to wait for five years to take part in the next grand Spirit Hunt? Or do you wish to cultivate at your best capabilities in these six months and qualify for the uing Grand Spirit Hunt, so you don''t waste your growth phase?"

    Zheng Xiang stared at Ye Tian Yun and asked, "Growth phase? What is this about now?"

    Ye Tian Yun looked at Zheng Xiang as if he was looking at an idiot, "What? Don''t you know the importance of the growth phase among cultivators?"

    Zheng Xiang just shrugged at him, "This is the first time I hear these words together. Exin it to me; we still have a long way to go."

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Well, you see, normally we start cultivating between the age of six to eight, depending on the circumstances of our ns. Rich ns usually have their younger generation start cultivation early by strengthening their foundations, while other ns tend to make their children focus more on the physical aspect."

    "And after a few years, once they start cultivating and get closer to Qi Condensation Realm, the first growth phase begins. This time period is not dependent on our cultivation but rather on our age. This first-growth phasees at age fourteen and goes on till one turns sixteen. These two years are the best time period for anyone to cross the Tri-Qi Stages which are the Qi Refining, Qi condensation, and Qi Stabilisation."

    Zheng Xiang was shocked to hear this, "Crossing the Tri-Qi Stages!? Are you kidding me? Don''t you know that most of the outer court elders are still in this stage, and here you''re saying that this can be crossed before we turn sixteen? Even Yuan Shuchun doesn''t dare to proim this. She is already sixteen years old and is in the Qi Stabilisation realm; this is already no less than a miracle."

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged at him, "I am just stating facts; it''s up to you if you wish to believe me or not."

    Zheng Xiang sighed at this and said, "I don''t have any reason to disagree but what you''re proiming is just too absurd. Even the number one genius of our Xin Kingdom, Young Master of the Sighing Cult, Wang Ming,(1) is in the Tri-Qi stages, and he will turn sixteen by Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned when he heard this name. He remembered very clearly that Wang Ming was mentioned more than once at the Crimson Pavilion tavern, which he visited to collect information and understand the Lower Heavens situation. What confused him was the part that Wang Ming was never mentioned in the report by his informants. He had no idea who this guy was and why he wasn''t among the four figures of the younger generation of the Lower Heavens.

    Putting his thoughts at the back of his head, he just replied, "Brother Zheng, it''s up to you if you wish to believe me.

    ˇ­

    Soon they reached the First Peak. This peak was still bustling with disciples as usual, but now with the sun setting on the horizon,nterns had started to lit, giving it a picturesque look.

    Standing at the base, Ye Tian Yun scrutinized the peak from top to button and asked Zheng Xiang, "Why don''t I see a way to go up?"

    "Huh?" Zheng seemed quite stumped at this question, "What? Why do you want to go up?"

    "Of course, for our Inner Court cultivation abodes." Ye Tian Yun shrugged at this question.

    "Well, who told you we have our abodes up there?"

    "Then where will be the abodes? The other peaks are for the Outer Court disciples, and this peak is the only ce where I don''t see any Outer court disciples abodes, and I did here this is the ce where we will be cultivating."

    "No, this is not the ce where we will cultivate now."

    "Then where are we supposed to cultivate?"

    A/n: Don''t forget toment if you find any typos or errors. We are resuming daily updates from now on, and it will be one chapter every day at this time.

    P.s. Updated a new cover for the book.

    Note: If you''re reading this on any other website than a web novel, please support the author with ps.

 Chapter 79 - Spirit Veins

    "Then where are we supposed to cultivate?"

    Zheng Xiang was stumped at this question, staring at Ye Tian Yun from up to down, he replied, "What kind of question is that? Of course, we will cultivate on our peak, the Seventh Peak."

    "What? The Seventh Peak?" Ye Tian Yun had a surprised expression when he heard this, "Where will we cultivate on the Seventh Peak? As far as I know, all the cultivation abodes are for the Outer Court Disciples which they acquire by sparring between themselves. I did not see any Inner Court disciple''s cultivation abodes."

    "What are you talking about? Were you not present at the Sect Entrance Exam when they exined the structure and benefits of being an Inner court disciple?"

    "Of course I was there, but I don''t recall anything about this." Ye Tian Yun sounded so confident as if he was the one who organised the Sect Entrance Exam.

    Zheng Xiang rolled back his eyes and said, "Well, let me refresh your memory, on the Sect Entrance exam, all new disciples were divided into different peaks based on their talent andprehension power. We were assigned to Seventh Peak. which can be considered the weakest peak in terms of the average cultivation of the disciples."

    "We were also told that the Outer Court followed thew of the jungle and everyone had to fight for their cultivation abodes on the peak, and higher the cultivation abode, better it was. And once we be Inner court disciples, we will have our own cultivation abodes in the Inner Court. And this Inner Court is actually inside the Seventh Peak."

    "Inside the peak!?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this newfound information. He had no knowledge regarding this from his informants in his previous life.

    "Yes of course, inside the peak. And the thing that is even more interesting is that unlike the Outer Court where everyone wants to get their cultivation abodes as high as possible, here they just want it as low as possible. In Inner Court, the cultivation abodes at the base of the Seventh Peak are the best for cultivation."

    "Wait for a secondˇ­ Are you saying that Inner Court disciples practice near the Spirit Vein of the peak?"

    "Yes, exactly. Now you have remembered what the Elders told us at the Sect Entrance exam, we will indeed practice around the Spirit Vein." Zheng Xiang had an expression of anticipation as he finished his sentence.

    However, Ye Tian Yun was astounded by this fact. Not because the presence of the Spirit Veins was any kind of big thing, but as per the reports from his informants, these Spirit Veins were supposed to be a secret not only from everyone in the sect but the whole Lower Heavens.

    What confused him, even more, was that Inner Court disciples were allowed to cultivate near the Spirit Vein and this thing was general knowledge among the disciples, so how did this be a big secret of the Gracious Sword Sect?

    He was sure that there could be no falsehood in those reports regarding this matter because of the uing future events which will make the Gracious Sword Sect the centre of attention in the whole Lower Heavens.

    The future events that were shing through his thoughts were regarding the power struggle of the sect, greed for the Spirit Veins, and betrayal of the sect disciples who are considered as the future pirs of the sect.

    And all these things were going to descend upon the sect with the start of the Grand Spirit Hunt. However, if everyone already knew about these veins, then there wasn''t any other catalyst that could trigger this chaos.

    Zheng Xiang, who was moving alongside him, was quite surprised by the sudden silence. Turning his head to the side, he found Ye Tian Yun with a very deep frown over his face, as if something very unexpected hade upon him. Thinking he should not disturb Ye Tian Yun''s thoughts, Zheng Xiang continued moving forward towards the next Chain Bridge.

    Meanwhile, Ye Tian Yun was still lost in his thoughts regarding the Spirit Veins. Truthfully, he had forgotten about this matter until just now, and now the more he thought, the more he was puzzled regarding these Spirit Veins.

    There were many open ends regarding this matter, and he had this weird gut feeling that these Spirit Veins had a much moreplicated history and were somehow rted to his main aim of acquiring the Token of Luck. This feeling alone made him anxious that something was off with the situation regarding the Inner Court. He didn''t wish to get caught off guard by this in future.

    Just as he was about to reorganise his thoughts, he felt a jerk on his shoulders, making him halt his steps as he looked up. He stared ahead with his eyes wide open in shock as he came back to his senses. He was standing at the cliff-edge of the endless ravine between the First Peak and the Seventh Peak. One step more and he would have gone for good in this endless ravine with no chance of survival.

    "Brother Fang, I know you were in deep thoughts, maybe organising your future ns, but you were just a step away from sure death. You owe me a favour." Ye Tian Yun heard a familiar voice from behind; and by the time it stopped, he had recognised it. It was Zheng Xiang.

    "Damn that was close. How unexpected." Ye Tian Yun stumbled back a few steps as he got back to his senses, getting away from the edge of the ravine.

    Ironically, just a few moments before, he was talking about not getting caught off guard and here he was, just a moment away from his demise.

    Turning his head towards Zheng Xiang, he said, "Brother Zheng, thanks for saving my life out of nowhere, well, I do owe you a favour now."

    "You sure do.. Also, what were you thinking about that you even forgot where you were heading?" Zheng Xiang asked with a slight frown forming on his forehead.

 Chapter 80 - New Cultivation Abodes

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged and tried to change the topic, "Well, nothing much, just about the Inner Court and the uing challenges by existing Inner Court disciples."

    "Oh, yeah," Zheng Xiang nodded his head and continued, "Even I thought about this thing, but I think if we make use of the next three months well, maybe we will be able to fend off some of those challenges from the older Inner Court disciples."

    "Yes, the next three months will be disturbance-free, I will be able to focus on my cultivation." Ye Tian Yun nodded his head in agreement.

    ˇ­

    As they continued to discuss the uing months in the Inner Court, their turn soon came to get on the Chain Bridge to get to the Seventh Peak. This Chain Bridge was much bigger and spacious than the ones at the Second Peak. As it started to head towards the Seventh Peak, Zheng Xiang asked, "Brother Fang, talking about the months we have, do you remember what those Disciplinary Hall disciples said at the Second Peak?"

    Ye Tian Yun had a slight frown on his forehead as he replied, "Are you referring to what they said about the uing month? I actually do have a guess or two regarding this matter."

    "Oh?" Zheng Xiang continued, "Do tell then. I was confused about what they were referring to."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded as he put out his thoughts, "My guess is that they were talking about the sect missions."

    "Sect missions? Isn''t this too early for that? We haven''t even properly settled in the Inner Court, let alone cultivate here for some time. In fact, we are just Inner Court disciples in name, right now, our cultivation is equal to that of the Outer Court disciples. Most of the Inner Court disciples are already in the Qi Condensation Realm, while we haven''t even reached the ninth level of Qi Refining Realm."

    Ye Tian Yun slightly nodded with his response, "I think the missions will be pretty easy and as per our cultivation; it will be absurd for the sect to send us on a sure death mission."

    "Let''s hope our sect doesn''t have different ns" Zheng Xiang sighed while finishing his words.

    As they approached the Seventh Peak, Zheng Xiang asked, "By the way Brother Fang, I was thinking, maybe we should go together to the Heaven''s Grace banquet."

    "Oh? So you really areing, huh?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised at this, he then said, "Well, I don''t have any problem. For now, I have something else to worry about."

    "About what?"

    "You need to show me the way to the Inner Court."

    Zheng Xiang had a slight smile when he heard that, "Ha-ha, don''t worry about that. Just follow me. We need to get to the Elder Hall at the southern side of the Peak where we will be assigned our cultivation abodes and then we will head to our abodes which will be inside the peak, and if my guess is correct, it should be somewhere in the middle area, not too low, not too high."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him, "Don''t tell me this was also told at the Sect Entrance Exam?"

    Zheng Xiangughed as he denied, "Hehe, no, it was my cousin who told me about this when I left the Zheng Alliance building."

    "Ah yes, you''re not going back to the Zheng Alliance?"

    "I am still undecided about this. On one hand, I don''t even wish to interact with those arrogant jerks, while on the other I don''t wish to disappoint my father."

    "Hmm, in my opinion, you should follow what your heart desires and what will benefit you in cultivation. Think properly before you do anything, and be selfish in this situation."

    "Yeah, I will think about thister."

    ˇ­

    Soon they had reached Seventh Peak. After getting down from the Chain Bridge, they headed towards the Elder Hall to know about their cultivation abodes.

    The Elder Hall was a distinct building on the southern side of the Peak. It was the ce where one will find the elders to talk about issues rted to cultivation or evenin about disputes.

    For instance, when Ye Tian Yun first arrived on the Seventh Peak and broke arms of Du Xiu, the outer court disciple who challenged him, it was this ce where Du Xiu and hisckeys went toin about their grievances and called Elder Mu to get ''justice'' for Du Xiu and get back ''his'' cultivation abode.

    Even though for some unknown reason Elder Liu decided to side with Ye Tian Yun and silenced Du Xiu, the elders were usually impartial and fair.

    The Elder Hall was a two-storey building and to get information about their cultivation abodes, the disciples didn''t actually need to go inside and meet an elder, but instead, there was arge exquisite board outside this building that stated everything that Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang hade for. It was the ranking board of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt results.

    On this board were the details regarding rank, score, and most importantly the new cultivation abode in the Inner Court which was designated to the new inner disciples based on their ranking in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    Ye Tian Yun looked at the first rank, and as expected, under his name were the details regarding his cultivation abode.

    [Rank 1] [Fang Chen] [118 Beast Cores] [Abode 43, Level 6]

    "So, my abode is number 43 on the fifth level, and yours is..." Ye Tian Yun read the third line which stated,

    [Rank 3] [Zheng Xiang] [314 Beast Cores] [Abode 69, Level 7]

    "...level 7?" Ye Tian Yun finished in a surprised tone and turned towards Zheng Xiang only to find him frowning at the Ranking Board.

    After sometime Zheng Xiang sighed as he said, "Well, looks like I won''t be as close to the base as I had expected. Level 7 is decent enough and the rest of the top ten disciples are also given an abode on the 7th Level and others from the top fifty are on the 8th level while the rest of them are on level 9. Brother Fang, you really have a good fortune, cultivating at level 6 will be really helpful."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and after a while, he asked, "So the older disciples will challenge us after three months, out of which, we won''t be able to cultivate for this month. So that leaves us with only two months. Zheng Xiang, does this not make you nervous?"

    Zheng Xiang pursed his lips and took his time in replying, "Brother Fang, it makes me nervous and excited at the same time. It''s motivating me to cultivate hard in these two months. What about you, Brother Fang? Those challenges excite you too or are you nervous?"

    "Haha, those challenges are thest thing I am worried about. For now, I am looking forward to heading to the banquet. The banquet will surely be very interesting and see for myself how good he really is. In fact, I am actually looking forward to this "

    "He?" Zheng Xiang was confused about who Ye Tian Yun was referring to.

 Chapter 81 - Inner Court

    "Who are you talking about?" Zheng Xiang was confused about who Ye Tian Yun was referring to.

    "Just an old friend whom I haven''t met for quite some time now." Ye Tian then stared at the ranking board for a few seconds and said, "Let''s head to our cultivation abodes. Do you know the way inside?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "Yes, I do." And then he raised his finger and pointed towards the small building not far away on the peak and continued, "See those buildings? We need to enter through those buildings. Each building is numbered corresponding to the floor level of our cultivation abodes."

    Ye Tian turned his head and found nine buildings, each built at a considerable distance higher than the other.

    The lowest and closest building was numbered ''One'', signifying itself as the entrance to the Inner Court''s first level. A little higher and in some distance was a simr structure. It was not situated far from the first building and was numbered ''Two''. And following these were seven other buildings, at a few distances above each other. These buildings were the entrances to the Inner Court.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at them for a second before he asked, "Imagine if the sect is ambushed and the peaks are destroyed, none of the Inner Court disciples present inside the peak will be able to survive, let alone have a chance of fighting back against the enemies."

    Zheng Xiang shook his head in response, "Actually, things are much moreplicated than they look. I heard from other disciples that this scenario is impossible, not because of the imprable defense of our sect, but rather the Array Mechanism present inside the peaks."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised at this. To be able to prevent such incidents, the arrays which are in use must be highly advanced. Even in the Middle Heavens, the Array Mechanisms are hard to establish, and only peak powers had them to safeguard their most important ces, and here the sect was using it in the Inner Court for disciples.

    After thinking for a moment, Ye Yian Yun said, "Let''s go," and started heading upwards towards the building on the Sixth Level.

    ˇ­

    The Inner Court of all peaks in the Gracious Sword Sect had a simr structure. Unlike other sects of the surrounding region, here, the Inner Court was situated inside the Peaks.

    The Inner Court was also surrounded by dense Array Mechanism and had an exquisite look. Divided into nine different levels depending on the cultivation and battle prowess of the disciples, the Inner Court also followed thew of the jungle, like the Outer Court.

    The only difference was that in the Outer Court, disciples strived to cultivate as high as possible for good Qi density while the Inner Court disciples, who cultivated inside the peak, fought for cultivation abodes as close to the base as possible.

    However, the lowest Qi density in the Inner Court was still at least two times denser than the Outer Court''s Qi density. This disparity alone was enough for the Outer Court disciples to cultivate harder to promote themselves to the Inner Court.

    The Inner Court was divided into nine levels based on the cultivation realm and battle prowess of disciples. Only the newly promoted disciples were exempted from this rule and were divided as per their rank in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. Then they were given a three-month cultivation period to settle down in the Inner Court and were expected to make use of the time to break through at least into the Ninth Level of Qi Refining Realm, if not in the Qi Condensation Realm.

    This period was mainly for the disciples ranked at the top in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt to give them enough time to prepare for the challenges from the older Inner Court disciples, who will then challenge them for their cultivation abodes.

    The Inner Court was inside the peak because of the presence of the Spirit Veins under the Peaks. Spirit Veins were simr to a tree, but instead of giving out oxygen to breathe, they produce Qi, thus helping disciples to cultivate faster. The closer we cultivate to the Spirit Vein, the faster and easier it is to cultivate.

    The organization of cultivation abodes for the new inner court disciples were as follows, on the Ninth level were the weakest Inner Court disciples and also the disciples who were ranked between Fifty to Hundred, and below it on the Eighth level were the disciples who were in the Top Fifty except the Top ten disciples.

    One floor lower to them, the Seventh level, was the cultivation abodes for the top ten disciples of the Entrance Hunt.

    And as for the disciple was ranked first in the Entrance Hunt, he was given a cultivation abode on the Sixth level, andpared to the Ninth Level, this floor had about five to six times higher Qi density.

    Since these cultivation abodes were given to the new disciples based on their rank in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, in the eyes of the older disciples, these new disciples were the easiest targets and the best way to acquire a cultivation abode at lower region because they can easily crush the new disciples with their experience and cultivation.

    On the floors below the Sixth level were the cream of the crop disciples of the Seventh Peak. The fifth level was a benchmark in itself. The minimum cultivation of disciples here was the Fifth level of Qi Condensation. And on the floors below this one, the people who cultivated were either the Elders of the peak or rank holders on the Gracious Sword Rankings. In fact, in the lowest two floors, level 1 and level 2, where the Qi Density was highest, only those disciples who were ranked in the Gracious Sword Ranking were qualified to cultivate. Even elders were not allowed on those floors.

    ˇ­

    As Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang closed down to the entrance buildings of the Inner Court, Zheng Xiang said, "Brother Fang, I will go ahead to the Seventh level''s entrance, let''s meet after some time near the chain bridge and head to the Heaven''s Grace banquet."

 Chapter 82 - Preparing For The Banquet

    As Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang closed down to the entrance buildings of the Inner Court, Zheng Xiang said, "Brother Fang, I will go ahead to the Seventh level''s entrance, let''s meet after some time near the chain bridge and head to the Heaven''s Grace banquet."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head in agreement, "Alright."

    They parted ways as Ye Tian Yun entered the building going for the Sixth Level, where he was assigned his cultivation abode for the next three months.

    The building wasn''t anything out of the ordinary; in fact, if not for eight other simr buildings standing in session, none would have even noticed them let alone guessing that these buildings were entrances to the Inner Court.

    The building''s inside structure was also normal, with an average-sized hall and on the opposite, were the stairways heading towards the inner region of the peak.

    He could see disciples going in anding out of the stairway, though there weren''t many disciples.

    Besides the stairways were a set of tables and chairs, on which an old elder was rxing while sipping his tea. On the table was a small card that stated that newly promoted disciples need to report there first.

    Ye Tian Yun moved towards him, and as he took out his identity token and ced it on the table, he said, "Greetings, Elder. I am newly promoted Inner Court disciple, Fang Chen."

    The Elder raised his eyes, stared at the token of a moment, and nodded his head, giving Ye Tian Yun permission to enter the Inner Court.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun stepped on the first stairway, he heard a prompt.

    [Congrattions, Host, you havepleted the side quest: Enter the Inner Court of the Gracious Sword Sect. Please receive your rewards.]

    Ye Tian Yun halted for a moment as a calm smile appeared on his face. Taking a deep breath, he headed towards his new cultivation abode.

    Although the entrance wasn''tvish but was quite ordinary, the inner region was well kept and maintained. As he walked through the dim stairway, he noticed a green glow at the opposite end. This intrigued him as few answers came to his mind.

    As expected, as soon as he stepped inside the Inner Court, Ye Tian Yun was greeted with a greenish light all around him.

    Ye Tian Yun''s sight adjusted to the surroundings after a few moments, and now he was able to see the Inner Court''s structure clearly.

    The Inner Court was on the inner part of the hollowed peak. Everyone''s cultivation abode was at the border of the peak wall. And in front of the cultivation abodes was a circr hallway, which seemed never-ending because of the huge radius of the mountain peak.

    Standing on the circr hallway, he saw an unending adjacent line of cultivation abodes and on the other side was the railing, which served as a balcony for the disciples.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped closer towards the railing and was astounded by the view.

    He could see hundreds of disciples from a different floor, walking around, going in and out of their cultivation abodes.

    And at the bottom, deep below the first floor, was a sparkling greenke. Ye Tian Yun knew what it was.

    Staring at it, he took a deep breath as he thought, ''So this is the Spirit Vein of the Seventh Peak.''

    The ke'' at the button wasn''t actually ake, but rather it was aplex connection of small spirit veins, which were so much in number that it felt like there was ake at the bottom.

    ''I should have guessed it,'' Ye Tian Yun nodded his head for a moment before continuing, ''No wonder there''s no big deal regarding these spirit veins. It''s just a Green Spirit Vein. They are not a rarity even on the Lower Heavens, even though they can be considered a treasure for low-level ns and sects.''

    After a few seconds, a frown appeared on his forehead, ''If this is only a green spirit vein, then why was there a mention of higher-ranked spirit veins in the report that I read in my previous life? And if I am not wrong, the spirit veins are divided into four types, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. Green being the one with the least Qi density, it is quitemon. Blue Spirit Veins were only present at few ces, while the Indigo and Violet Spirit Veins were a rarity even in the Middle Heavens.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and sighed at the calm spirit vein at the bottom, ''Looks like those informants missed many important things, thinking that these will be irrelevant. I wish I knew I would go through rebirth; I would prepare and investigate everything beforehand.''

    He then raised his head after staring at the mesmerizing spirit veins, looking at the floor above him, and noticed somethings that surprised him a bit. The first is that the Inner Court didn''t resemble a cone as he had thought, but it was more like a well. Cylindrical in shape, with the spirit vein at the bottom and at the top, it was actually open. He could see the sky.

    This was the second thing that surprised him. How was he able to see the sky? There was no indication of an open area at the top of the mountain peak. In fact, it was called a peak because of its pointed tip and huge size,

    ''This Gracious Sword Sect has a lot of arrays. How are they even functioning so many of them at once? Where are they getting so many resources from?''

    He then turned around and went to look for his cultivation abode. As per the ranking board, his cultivation abode was numbered Abode 43.

    It wasn''t very hard to find as he followed the numbering of different abodes, and soon, he was standing in front of his own cultivation abode.

    Pushing the door open, he stepped inside his abode and was met with a serene and simplistic room. An ideal ce to cultivate, in his opinion. And as he closed the doors, the room suddenly lit up with array-powered lights. There weren''t many things here except for the stuff which someone needs daily.

    After sitting on his bed for some time, he called out, ''System, show me my status.''

 Chapter 83 - Sword Intent!?

    A/n: Small recap: Ye Tian Yun had finally entered the Inner Court, and after getting to the cultivation abode, he calls out the system to show his current situation. Now we go ahead...

    ...

    [Status]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 9347/20000]

    [Fate Points: 0]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 9th Level of Qi Refining Realm]

    [Cultivation(Original): 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: one Sword For All (Middle Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    [Inventory]

    [Quest]

    [Rewards]

    [Shop]

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the virtual screen which appeared in front of him. He had profited an increment of about two thousand kill points from the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. And he was yet to collect his reward from the side quest prompt he got when he was entering the Inner Court.

    Without hesitation, he asked the system for the Quest rewards, ''System, show me the rewards of the quest which I havepleted."

    [Congrattions, Host. You havepleted a side quest: Enter the Inner Court of the Gracious Sword Sect.]

    [Reward: 4000 Kill Points]

    [Congrattions, Host. You havepleted a side quest: Be number one disciple in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.]

    [Reward: 6000 Kill Points]

    [Kill Points: 19347/20000]

    ''Ah, another questpleted?'' Ye Tian Yun was surprised to see the prompt of another quest that the system didn''t say about anything earlier.

    [The prompts are given as soon as the hostpletes the quest.]

    "As soon as Iplete the quest? Didn''t I rank first in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt yesterday? Then why didn''t I receive this prompt at that time?"

    [The Gracious Sword Sect did not acknowledge the host as the first ranked disciple.]

    "What is that supposed to mean? It was the elders who gave out the results; what you''re saying is not making any sense."

    [The prompts are given as soon as the hostpletes the quest.]

    "Dude, for real?"

    [Host will know in theing future why the prompt waste.]

    "Nevermind, I have no issues with thete prompt; I am not facing any loss here, but was just curious about thete prompt." Ye Tian Yun shrugged as he continued, "Anyways, with these ten thousand more kill points, I should be able to upgrade my techniques."

    ''System, how much do I need to upgrade my one Sword For All skill?"

    [One Sword For All] (Middle Phase)

    [One Sword resonates in the Heavens. One Sword to devour the Heavens. One Sword to create the realms. One Sword to ascend. One Sword For All.]

    [Requires 10000 Kill Points to level up to the Late Phase.]

    [Unlocks Sword Domain Realm of Sword Intent after upgrading this skill to Late Phase]

    "What? Sword Intent?" Ye Tian Yun was shocked to see what system had just disyed in front of him.

    Sword Intent is somewhat simr to killing intent. A dangerous aura emitted from a sword or a swordsman which causes others to feel as if they''re about to be cut by a sword. However, Sword Intent is no less than a legend even in the Middle Heavens, let alone in the Lower Heavens, where anyone with a littleprehension of sword intent is hailed as a supreme genius and considered a future Sword Saint.

    Sword Intent is a sword artist''s main and most desirable skill. Only a few people canprehend sword intent. In early cultivation Realms, the Sword Intent is feared for its offensive capabilitypared to its rivaling intents. This advantage in brutal offensive power decreases as one advances in cultivation and can be equaled by other paths in theter stages.

    Sword Intent is divided into four different levels, with the first being the Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent. It is the first step ofprehension of sword intent by a cultivator, and the sooner one reaches these steps, the more time they have toprehend the attainment.

    After the Manifestation Realmes the Attainment Realm. This is the real doorway toprehending the Sword Intent. When one reaches this stage, they can control their sword at will, even from hundreds of miles. This gives a huge advantage when ites to assassinations and long-distance battles. However, this realm is the weirdest of all because not all cultivators have the same strength. Everything depends on the cultivator''sprehension, which dictates how far away and how easily they can control their sword.

    When Ye Tian Yun reached this realm in his previous life, he was able to control his sword in a radius of one hundred miles, making him a huge threat to his enemies. Though not the best in history, his control was enough for him to assassinate his enemies.

    Above the Attainment Realm is the Sword Domain. This is the realm where the cultivator has absolute control over all the swords in a certain range, termed Sword Domain. Since the sword is the mostmon and widely used weapon in the cultivation world, when a cultivator reaches the sword domain realm, he can ignore the cultivation realm differences and challenge apex cultivators. This was also the same realm in which Ye Tian Yun had reached before his final battle on the Hundred Realm Refining Stage.

    Though this level ofprehension didn''te much use to him since even his enemies hadprehended the Sword Domain, and one of them was even more powerful than him in terms of sword cultivation.

    Beyond the Sword Domain Realm is the fabled Sword Soul. It is publicly acknowledged as the peak of sword cultivation, and whoever reaches this realm will be able to ignore the shackles of the cultivation realms and challenge Heaven''s will.

    However, no known cultivator of the current era has reached this realm. Even the Heavenly Kings of the Middle Heavens who once held and controlled the legendary Emblems are no exception. In fact, it was rumored that the Heavenly Kings actually stop cultivating Sword Intent once they reach the Sword Domain Realm because if they breakthrough, they will have Heaven''s Will as their mortal enemy. And without the Heavenly Throne and Emblem of Authority, going against Heaven''s Will was no different from asking for a brutal death, even for the Heavenly Kings.

    Ye Tian sighed as his thoughts returned to the screen in front of him. Without wasting any more time, he called out, ''System, upgrade my sword skill to the Late Phase.''

    ....

    A/n: This novel will go premium on 25th Mar (Thursday), and chapters from Chapter 76 will be locked. Please read and be updated while the chapters are still free.. Thank you for your support.

 Chapter 84 - Commotion In The Inner Court!

    [Congrattions, Host. You have sessfully upgraded your sword technique, One Sword For All, to the Late Phase.]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 9347]

    Just as Ye Tian Yun heard the prompt, he suddenly felt a refreshed feeling throughout his body. For a moment, he felt like he was back to his prime, the realm he was in before his untimely death.

    However, just as this rush of power died down, another wave came out from his dantian. An astonishing aura of Sword Domain Realm burst through the Sixth Floor of the Inner Court. This sudden outburst made Ye Tian Yun unconscious.

    All disciples suddenly felt as if there was an immense force suppressing them. Crushing them, forcing them to kneel, as the vision in front of them began to turn dark.

    Just as they felt their imminent death, a loud shout brought them back to their senses.

    "Who dares to show off in my Seventh Peak?"

    As the shout echoed, the pressure retreated almost immediately. The disciples were full of sweat, feeling shocked and terrified from the sudden turn of events.

    Disciples pushed doors open as they rushed out of their cultivation abodes. By now, the whole Inner Court was in turmoil. As the disciples came out and started discussing, themotion began to increase even more.

    "Calm down." The same voice which had shouted earlier rang in everyone''s ear. Albeit this time, it was much calmer and gentle.

    An unreal pin drop silence prevailed throughout the Inner Court as the echoes of this voice slowly died down. The disciples looked up and found a middle-aged man standing in the air. His majestic aura only made them feel reverence towards him.

    As the disciples got a clear look on his face, they felt surprised for a moment before immediatelying back to senses and cupping their fists in unison, "Greeting, Peak Master Duan."

    Peak Master Duan slightly nodded his head and continued to observe the disciples with an indifferent expression. After a few minutes of silence, he said, "It''s alright now, resume your cultivation."

    Disciples slowly returned to their cultivation abodes while discussing what had just transpired.

    The Peak Master took a deep breath and went back to the Inner Court''s first level, where he usually cultivated.

    Upon his arrival, he was greeted by the Inner and Core elders of the Seventh Peak. These elders had an apprehensive look over their faces.

    "Greetings, Peak Master Daun. Were you able to understand what just happened?" A short elder, standing in the foreground, asked with an expression that was full of confusion.

    To everyone''s surprise, Peak Master Duan nodded his head. Walking a few steps towards the balcony, staring at the floors above, he said with a slight smile, "Time hase for the Seventh Peak to rise and regain its former glory."

    "What?" The elders present at the scene shouted in unison, shocked by the words they had just heard.

    One must know that the Seventh Peak of the Gracious Sword Sect is the weakest of all peaks and is widely considered a trash peak. However, for its Peak Master to confidently proim that the Gracious Sword Sect''s status quo was about to change, it turned out to be quite shocking for the elders who were present at the scene.

    The short elder, who had asked the question earlier, stepped forward once more, "Peak Master, forgive me for my ignorance, but how can it be easy? And wasn''t the incident that just happened an enemy attack?"

    Peak Master rolled his eyes, "Elder Ji, stop saying ridiculous things. How can anyone attack inside the Inner Court without alerting the people outside? And as for what I had just said, do you think a genius who hasprehended the Sword Intent cannot change the current situation?"

    "What?" Once again, the elders were shocked by this news bomb which dropped out of nowhere. This led to immediatemotion among the elders.

    "Sword Intent? Impossible!"

    "How could this be possible? We have been monitoring everyone''s progress very closely."

    "Yes, and no one showed any signs of breakthrough to the Manifestation Realm of the Sword Intent."

    "Yes, none of the disciples of our peak who are ranked in the Gracious Sword Ranking have shown progress towards Sword Intent."

    "Unless the disciple whoprehended is actually not in the lower five levels, but rather among the weaker disciples?"

    "That''s even more absurd, I am not partial or anything, but we shouldn''t even consider the disciples below Level Five floor in this discussion."

    "I will disagree with you, Elder Min, don''t forget that just yesterday, disciple Bai Qing''er of the Fourth Peak revealed her astonishing progress in the Manifestation Realm of the Sword Intent. And she wasn''t even an Inner Court disciple at that time."

    "Well, she is a special case. Her talent can be called one in a century. Among the male disciples, the Inner Court disciple who is closest to reaching the first level of Sword Intent is Mu Xing. His talent is almost equalling Bai Qing''er."

    The Peak Master was standing with his hands at the back, observing the crowd of elders discussing among themselves. When he heard thest sentence, he coughed slightly.

    A cough was enough for the elders to shut up and focus their attention on him.

    Peak Master Duan then sighed before saying, "You people are not getting what I just meant. Even if Mu Xing and Bai Qing''er are talented enough to get to the Manifestation Realm of the Sword Intent, but do you think that is enough to change the ranking of their peaks?"

    Some elders just shook their heads in denial as they thought upon this question, while very few elders, including Elder Ji, the short elder from before, had their eyes opened wide in shock. They had understood the meaning behind Peak Master Duan''s words.

    Peak Master Duan turned back and resumed gazing at the floors above as he continued his words, "A disciple on our peak has passed through the Manifestation Realm and had reached beyond that realm."

    It was now the turn of the remaining elders to drop their jaws in shock.

    ˇ­

    Meanwhile, in Cultivation Abode 43 on the 6th Floor, Ye Tian Yun regained his consciousness.

    ...

    A/n: Drop your power stones since you have reached this line. xd

 Chapter 85 - Sword Domain!

    Ye Tian Yun felt an intense headache as he slowly regained his consciousness. Sitting upright on his bed, he looked around his room. As he gradually returned to his senses, he suddenly found himself shocked by the powerful feeling flowing throughout his body. He corrected his posture, sat cross-legged, and began to concentrate on his dantian to feel the source of this power.

    Soon he was able to feel the existence of something in his dantian. As soon as he recognized it, he found it hard to control his excitement, "Damn, I really did regain my sword domain."

    Taking a deep breath, he calmed his emotion and took out a sword from his spatial ring.

    "It''s time to feel the domain once again."

    However, just as he was about to activate his sword domain, he was stopped by a sudden warning prompt from the system.

    [Host is advised to stop. You cannot control the sword domain just yet.]

    Ye Tian Yun found it a bit ridiculous, "What do you mean I can''t control? I have already used my sword domain in my previous life. I can definitely control it."

    [System insists to the host not to try. The host may have controlled it earlier; however, the host was a Half Saint Realm cultivator at that time, but now, he is still in the Tri-Qi Stage. System suggests that he should hold back the urge for some time and practice it at a secluded ce before you use it.]

    Ye Tian Yun felt this was quite logical. Considering the amount of disturbance a sword domain can cause, and with the presence of elders who are in the Foundation Establishment Realm or higher, it will be harder to escape their senses and he could even be caught. It was still not time for him to get a lot of limelight.

    He then nodded for a bit and asked the system to show him his status window.

    ''Show me my status.''

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 9347/20000]

    [Fate Points: 0]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation: 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Middle Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    [Sword Intent: Sword Domain Realm (1%) (0/10000 Kill Points)]

    [Inventory]

    [Quest]

    [Rewards]

    [Shop]

    Ye Tian Yun found some changes in the screen in front of him; most ring were two, the first one being his cultivation and the other one was the new tab, sword intent.

    "System, my cultivation is not suppressed anymore?"

    [When Host underwent breakthrough to the Sword Domain, he lost control over his cultivation and released his suppressed cultivation.]

    "Looks like I will need to buy one more Aura Suppressing Pill. What about the Sword Intent tab, what do you mean by 1% of the Sword Domain? Is the amount of power I have unlocked? And how much will it increase once I invest ten thousand Kill Points in it?"

    [Host has indeed unlocked 1% of his sword domain, and you will be able to unlock one more percent of your Sword Domain after consuming ten thousand kill points.]

    "Damn, that''s expensive! This sword domain will consume my kill points like a bottomless pit!"

    [Everything set by the system is fair.]

    Ye Tian Yun knew he couldn''t argue anymore about this, so he left this topic and asked, "...And you were saying that I can''t control my Sword domain? Did you mean that I can''t even control one percent of my previous life''s peak power?"

    [What you think is half right. It is indeed right that you cannot control your sword domain at will; however, the one percent is not of the host''s peak power in his previous life. Rather, the one percent signifies the power of the Sword Domain in itself.]

    "Waitˇ­ then does it mean that, in future, if I upgrade my Sword Domain to a hundred percent, Will I be able to upgrade my Sword Intent to the Sword Soul realm?"

    [Yes, Host will be able to achieve the fabled Sword Soul.]

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath as he processed what he had just heard. For the first time in both of his life, he saw a path or even a hint to achieve Sword Soul.

    But when it shed in his mind that even his father didn''t focus on cultivating his sword domain, his excitement died down a bit.

    As per the record of the previous era, Heaven''s Will can track down any cultivator who reaches the Sword Soul Realm. It then sends lightning tribtions upon the unfortunate cultivator until only a charred body is left.

    The only way to deter Heaven''s Will is to possess the Emblem of Authority, also known as the God Emblem and can only be obtained by iming the other for Emblem, making this task nigh impossible.

    Ye Tian Yun sighed as he again remembered his main goal, to summon the Emblem of Authority.

    "It will take some time to summon that Emblem; for now, I need to focus on the current situation and take one step at a time. There''s no point worrying about the future when I can''t even control my present."

    "System, I wish to buy a high-grade Aura Suppressing Pill."

    [Host had sessfully bought an Aura Suppressing Pill.]

    [300 Kill Points Consumed]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 9047]

    "System, suppress my cultivation to the First Level of Qi Condensation Realm. That should be enough."

    [System advises the host to suppress his cultivation back to the previous stage to not to attract much attention. You just said you don''t wish to attract unnecessary attention.]

    "Well, I don''t want the attention by revealing Sword Domain. However, the First realm of Qi Condensation is no big deal. I can just say that I breakthroughst night, and no one will find it suspicious. However, if the fact that I have unlocked the Sword Domain were toe to light, I will face a lot of attention, good or bad. Also, we shouldn''t forget whose disguise I am using.. A lot of schemes surrounded fang Chen, and he himself wished to keep a low profile."

 Chapter 86 - Sect Leader Su

    [But Fang Chen was only at 3rd Realm of Qi Refining two months ago, and for him to suddenly reach the Qi Condensation Realm this fast is already suspicious enough.]

    "Well, I would have agreed with you if not for your earlier suggestion. You were the one who suggested that I befriend Yuan Shuchun. And the only way to get close to that devil is proving myself as a valuablepanion in achieving her goal and choosing to side her when the timees."

    [System will leave the final decision to the Host.]

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged at this and started changing his robes to the new ones he received in the Resource Hall.

    "Let''s head to the banquet."

    ˇ­

    A few minutes earlier.

    The First Peak of the Gracious Sword Sect was situated in the middle of all peaks, standing tallest. It was the home to the sect''s core members, including the Sect Leader, Grand Elders, and top five disciples of the sect.

    The only thing weird about this peak was that there was no spirit vein in this peak. In the early years of the Gracious Sword Sect, many people assumed that since all the surrounding eight peaks of the sect had Spirit Veins, they shoulde and intersect at amon point, the First Peak. This intersection, if it existed, would have led to the formation of the High Tier Spirit Vein. Though this theory was supported by many cultivators, either inside or outside the sect, it never came to fruition and was never proved to be valid.

    It wasn''t much of an effort to search the First Peak. A single sword attack from the then sect leader, Sword Saint Yuan Xuming, would have sliced open the peak into two parts. However, the resulting destruction wasn''t something that made it worth it. If the peak was harmed, then the sect will lose its terrain strategic advantage. Hence, it was then decided that the cultivators of lower cultivation realms should be the ones to dig and search for the rumored high Tier Spirit Vien.

    In the end, after more than two years of search, no such spirit vein was ever found, and even the Low ranked spirit vein of the other peaks, when backtracked, didn''t actuallye towards the First Peak to form an intersection, but rather, the roots of these spirit veins dived straight deep into the endless ravine. The result was that this rumor was scrapped, and life returned to normal.

    But surprisingly, the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder didn''t change their cultivation abodes. In fact, they even called the top core disciples to practice on the first peak.

    This action seemed unreasonable at first but after some time, no oneined about this.

    ...

    On the First Peak, alongside the Cultivation Abodes of the higher-ups were few other buildings on the peak, the most prominent of them was the Grand Meeting Hall.

    As its name suggested, Grand Meeting Hall was the ce where all important meetings of the Sect were held in the presence of the Sect Leaders, Grand Elder, and the Core Elders.

    Today was another of those days, with a meeting going on among the higher-ups; however, with the sect''s deteriorating political scene, these meetings usually ended up with huge arguments with one side using the other and while the other seared at their ancestors.

    Peak Master Duan was also present at the meeting and had joined the meeting, which was half-way through, aftering back from themotion at the Seventh Peak.

    As a peak master, he was not allowed to participate in politics and was designated to support the Sect Leader in taking the sect to greater heights. Looking at the ongoing chaos in the meeting, he could only sigh at his fellow elders'' ipetence and stupidity. To him, ying politics wasn''t something cultivators should waste their time in, but instead, they should focus on cultivation and strive for immortality.

    Arguing over stupid things, using each other and tainting the sect''s prestige was what these elders in front of him were focused on. After a while, as the meeting finally came to a close and elders started to return to their cultivation abodes, he finally had the chance to chat with the Sect Leader.

    When the Sect Leader saw that Peak Leader Duan hadn''t left but stayed back, he asked, "Brother Duan, you have something to discuss?"

    Though there wasn''t any change in anyone''s expression, everyone else in the room had their ears secretly perked up, waiting for Peak Master Duan''s reply.

    But he didn''t say anything interesting, "Greetings, Sect Leader Su, I wanted to discuss the situation regarding the uing missions for the new Inner Court disciples."

    The Sect Leader had a confused expression over his face for a moment before he said, "Alright, we will discuss after some time."

    Just as Sect Leader finished his words, someone called out Peak Leader Duan, "Ha-ha, Junior Brother Duan, why did youe here as soon as your breakthrough? I will advise you to return and stabilize your cultivation first; you can talk other matters aboutter."

    Peak Master Duan was surprised at these words; however, something suddenly dawned upon him as he said, "Thank you for your guidance, Grand Elder Xuan. I wouldn''t have thought that themotion due to my breakthrough at my peak would have disturbed you."

    Grand Elder Xuan justughed at his words, "Don''t you worry about that. However, I am quite surprised that your breakthrough caused such a bigmotion that it was felt till here. Congrattions on your breakthrough!"

    His words enlightened the surrounding elders, who rushed to congratte him. But Peak Master Duan met them with indifference in his eyes. He knew their two-faced nature and wasn''t a big fan of such people.

    Peak Master Duan only bothered to reply to Grand elder Xuan, "Thank you, Senior Xuan."

    After a while as everyone, the Grand Elder and other core elders returned to their cultivation abodes, with only Sect Leader and Peak Master Duan left in the hall, both of them headed for the upper floor without exchanging any more words.

    When they entered the second floor, Sect Master took out some wine from the cer, took a seat and poured a ss for himself and Peak Master Duan. Gesturing him to sit, he asked, "Brother Duan, what is it that you really wanted to discuss? We have already talked about those missions, and everything is now finalized. I am pretty sure you don''t wish to bring that topic back up."

    "Senior Brother Su, do you also think I broke through?"

    The Sect Leader smiled a bit as he said, "Well, I did sense something, and it wasn''t your breakthrough. However, I chose not to worry about it since you were there. If not for that Bastard Xuan, I would have definitely looked into that matter more carefully. But I chose to continue the meeting because I couldn''t let him find out about the disciple who has cultivated the Sword domain."

    "Sword Domain!? Impossible!" Peak Master Duan was shocked at this revtion.

    ---

    A/n: If you find any errors or typos, pleasement to let me know.

 Chapter 87 - Sect Leader Sus Son

    Peak Master Duan had thought that themotion caused by the disciple on his peak was most likely to be due to him breaking through the Attainment Realm.

    However, for Sect Leader to say that it was the Sword Domain Realm''s aura that he hade across in the Seventh Peak seemed quite absurd to him.

    "Senior Brother Su, are you sure about this? Not that I doubt you or anything, but even the thought of such a thing is impossible. I mean, since when it has been so easy to achieve Sword Domain? And how is it possible for anyone in Tri-Qi Realms to control the Sword domain? This-this whole situation is impossible."

    Sect Leader Su stayed silent for a moment before he replied, "Well, you see, even I don''t have an answer to your questions. But I do know for sure that it was Sword Domain. Why? Because my Sword Domain reacted to it. The reaction almost made me reveal my own Sword Doman to that Bastard Xuan; fortunately, I controlled it quickly."

    Peak Master Duan still had a confused expression over his face, "But Senior Brother, just how is this even possible? This incident can change the power structure of our whole sect. I am afraid once Grand Elder Xuan knows about that disciple, he will either try to make him join his camp or kill him."

    Sect Leader Su gritted his teeth in frustration, "That old son of a bish! He will definitely do this. And whatever he does will go against our sect''s well-being."

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head in agreement, "However, Senior Brother, even we don''t know the identity of that disciple."

    This made Sect Leader Su squint his eyes a bit; taking a sip of his wine ss, he said, "Junior Brother, who knows about this incident?"

    "Uhˇ­ well, the whole Seventh Peak knows about this."

    "No, I meant, who knows about the fact that someone broke through the Sword Domain?"

    "Elders of my peak know about this."

    "What!? Then how are we going to keep this a secret?"

    "Don''t worry about this, Senior Brother. All the elders who were present at the scene were my most trusted. However, even if this news leaks, I don''t see anything to worry about."

    "There''s nothing to worry about? Junior Brother, don''t you understand what will happen if Grand Elder''s faction knows about who that disciple is?"

    "But they don''t. No one does. There are more than five hundred disciples in the Inner Court; finding someone who can control the Sword Domain will be impossible when even an idiot will try to hide that fact to not to risk his own life."

    "You do have a valid point. However, the same applies to us, we need to find out who that disciple is, and we need to find out before that bastard''s faction."

    "Yes, that''s true. But how are we going to find this disciple?"

    "We don''t need to. He will reveal himself soon; in fact, it will be better if he doesn''t. I really hope that this disciple has intelligence and talent of the same degree. As long as this disciple doesn''t show himself and remains lowkey, he will continue to be a variable in everyone''s ns. We just need to make sure that the Xuan''s faction doesn''t uncover his identity."

    Silence prevailed over the room after Sect Leader finished his words. In his opinion, as long as Grand Elder doesn''t know about this disciple, he (Grand Elder) will regard this as a variable in his ns, making him restrict his actions around the Seventh Peak.

    After a while, Peak Master Duan broke the ice, trying to change the topic, he asked, "Senior Brother, did you get any news about Sister-inw ever since that letter?"

    Sect Leader Su''s expression grimaced in pain as the face of the person who he wanted to meet most shed in front of his eyes. Taking a moment to reply, he sighed and said, "Life is quite unpredictable, even with such cultivation and power, I can''t just go and save her. I don''t even know if she''s alright."

    "Five months ago, when you brought that letter all of a sudden, it rekindled the dead hope inside me. This hope helped me pass through the barrier and breakthrough to the Sword Domain. Now, my life is already extended. I don''t need anything from the Grand Spirit Hunt, nor do I need to do politics in my own Sect."

    "Everything going on is just a funny game to me. The whole world thinks that I am a perverted horny man who screwed lots of women in my younger days and gave birth to many bastards. It''sughable that what the world thinks is exactly the opposite of what I am. Sometimes I hope that these rumors don''t reach her, however, who am I kidding? Since she was able to send that letter, she must have known about those rumors."

    With a pause, Sect Leader Su raised his head and said, "Junior Brother Duan, what do you think? Does she still love me? Or did she choose to believe in those rumors and have removed me from her heart?"

    Peak Master Duan pursed his lips. He didn''t know the contents of the letter. However, he did know that his Senior Brother was ready to give up everything for Sister-inw.

    Taking a deep breath, he said, "Senior Brother, there''s no point in thinking about little rumors. One day, the Fang n will pay the price. However, until then, we can only wait. They have the backing of some big sects, so we can''t touch them, and they even know they have spies in our own sect. And I strongly believe that Grand Elder Xuan is one of their henchmen."

    Suddenly Peak Master Duan turned silent for a moment; furrowing his eyebrows, he asked, "Senior Brother, did you know that those Fang n bastards are so confident that they even sent their kid here to cultivate?"

    When the Sect Leader heard these words, his hands unknowingly trembled. The contents of the letter shed in front of him.

    Peak Master Duan didn''t notice anything and continued his words, "And Senior Brother, if you had not allowed him in during the Sect Entrance Exam, I would have definitely killed him to deter the Fang n. Do they think our sect is a yground?"

    "No! Don''t you dare touch him!" Sect Leader Su suddenly shouted out loud and dropped a bombshell over Peak Master Duan with his following words, "That boy Fang Chen is my son! My own blood!"

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, pleasement and let me know so I can correct them.

 Chapter 88 - "Nothing Will Touch Fang Chen. Not Even Death."

    "Fang Chen is my Son!"

    "What?" Peak Master Duan was so shocked that his jaws dropped to the ground when he heard those words.

    "What do you mean he is your son? How is that even possible? Everyone knows he is the son of an old friend of Fang n''s patriarch and waster adopted by him in the Fang n."

    Sect Leader Su just sat there, as if tired of everything, "All that is a ruse, so as not to let his real identity get out to the public. Your Sister-inw gave birth to him soon after she was taken away. And to not stain their reputation, those bastards came up with this story. And they even sent my dear son, Fang Chen, here, and they n to make him go against me."

    "Then how did youe to know about all this if this a secret?"

    "Remember the letter? It was all written in the letter. Your sister-inw couldn''t reveal much, except about the fact that Fang Chen was indeed my son and a pawn in Fang n''s eyes."

    These words were enough to anger Peak Master Duan, "Those bastards! How dare they treat my nephew like a pawn! Damn it! And I was talking about killing my own nephew!"

    "Calm down; it''s not like we can do anything yet."

    "Why can''t we do anything? Senior brother, you have already crossed through the Sword Domain. You alone can decimate the Fang n. I still don''t understand why can''t you? What''s the point of all this power if we can''t even protect our loved ones."

    "It''s not the right time yet."

    Peak Master Duan felt a bit frustrated over this, "It''s not the right time? When will it be? And tell me one thing, since you know Fang Chen is your son, why haven''t you met him yet? Why isn''t he cultivating here?"

    "Junior Brother, use your brain. We can''t let the people at the capital or the Grand Elder know that I know about Fang Chen''s real identity. And I certainly can''t protect him or meet him secretly. He doesn''t know the truth. And as for helping him, I am already doing what I can."

    "Except for giving Fang Chen a backdoor entry to the sect, I don''t see you do anything."

    "Well, I have put Elder Lei Mu to protect him from trouble. Just a few months ago, Fang Chen crippled a kid in a fight over cultivation abode; Lei Mu covered up that incident."

    "Lei Mu? Isn''t he in the Grand Elder''s faction? I have heard of some incidents where he was openly recruiting disciples to the Heaven''s League."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head and said, "No, it''s not that. The thing is, Elder Lei Mu has always been at my side. He only went to Heavenly League after the incident at the Xin-W Battlefront which led to the death of disciples of the World League."

    "Ah yes, that incident was quite unfortunate. We even lost Elder Kai in that ambush. I can''t believe the Heavenly League would have done this. Senior Brother, were you able to find any clues or witnesses?"

    "Sigh, that''s the problem. All proofs and witnesses indicated that Heavenly League was the mastermind behind that ambush. But I know there are many things still uncovered from this incident. But one thing I am sure about is that the Heavenly League didn''t carry out the ambush."

    "What? You mean you''re sure they didn''t, but you still chose to oppose them? You still supported the World League?"

    "I had no other choice. Our sect needs Jiang Yun. And the only way we can use him is by giving him a taste of power and authority, which is what I did. I gave him the power in the Sect, and now his authority is almost equaling the Grand Elder."

    Peak Master shook his head at this, "Senior Brother, to me, this Jiang Yun is like a coiled snake, waiting patiently for the right time to strangle its prey."

    "Haha, you don''t need to worry about that. We already have a recement for Jiang Yun. As soon as we find the disciple who broke through the Sword Domain, we can decrease Jiang Yun''s influence."

    "Well, we will need to find that disciple first. And we have already discussed it. Finding him will be like finding a needle in a haystack."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head as he took a deep breath and said, "The Grand Spirit hunt will be the time when our sect rises, stronger than ever. If we can find this disciple before the event, that will be great, but if we can''t, it will still be alright because all my ns are without any disciple who has unlocked the Sword domain."

    Peak Master Duan also agreed on this and said, "Senior Brother, just tell me what I need to do."

    "Just keep an eye on that bastard Xuan''s faction. Whatever happens, don''t let that disciple enter his faction."

    "Alright, I will have my informants on alert." Peak Master Duan got up from his seat and then continued, "I should get going then."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head while staring at his half-empty wine ss. However, just as Peak Master Duan turned around to leave, Sect Leader Su said, "Umˇ­ look after my son."

    Peak Master Duan stopped in his tracks, turned back, and made eye contact with his senior brother. With a slight smile, he replied, "Don''t worry, Senior Brother, nothing will touch my nephew Fang Chen. Now even death." With that said, he went back to the Seventh Peak.

    ˇ­

    Meanwhile, on the Seventh Peak, Ye Tian Yun, disguised as Fang Chen, was now heading towards the Chain Bridge. However, he noticed that the atmosphere around him was weird; instead of a calm and normal environment when he entered the Inner Court, it was now buzzing with chattering. The disciples were chatting as if something big had just happened, and now they were discussing it nonstop.

    Ye Tian Yun had no idea about themotion he had caused when he unknowingly released his Sword Domain.

    Soon he noticed Zheng Xiang, who was also heading towards the chain bridge.

    He moved a bit faster and soon caught up with him, and as soon as Zheng Xiang saw him, he asked, "Brother Fang, did you also feel that suppression?"

    "Huh? What?"

    "Weren''t we attacked by that aura just now? I almost died; it was so suffocating." Zheng Xiang suddenly paused and then asked, "Don''t tell me you didn''t even notice?"

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, pleasement and let me know so I can correct them.

 Chapter 89 - Ye Tian Yuns Epiphany; Yuan Shuchuns Arrogance

    "Don''t tell me you didn''t notice themotion? The whole Seventh Peak was in chaos."

    Ye Tian Yun was inwardly surprised he heard this. He didn''t sense anymotion while he was inside the peak, and here Zheng Xiang was telling him that it was chaotic enough to wake up the whole peak? Unlessˇ­

    ''It happened while I was unconscious?''

    With a doubtful tone, Ye Tian Yun asked Zheng Xiang, "How did that pressure feel like? Was it like a powerful existence suppressing down on you; however, it felt like that existence didn''t actually exist?"

    Zheng Xiang swiftly nodded his head, "Exactly. Yes, this is what I ˇŞ no, the whole peak experienced it. But I didn''t have words to describe it. Even Peak Master was forced toe out and calm everyone."

    ''Looks like the wholemotion was because of my breakthrough?''

    Ye Tian Yun fell in deep thought as he tried to understand the situation, ''Looks like when my Sword Intent was upgraded, unlocking the Sword Domain, I unknowingly released its aura.''

    ''But to think that just the aura of my Sword Domain was enough to suppress the whole peak. This means that the higher-ups of the sect may have also noticed my Sword Domain''s existence. Though the probability of this happening is very low, I can''t scrap this suspicion.''

    ''Even if they didn''t notice it yet, I will have to keep an even lower profile and get a chance to cultivate my Sword Domain.''

    Meanwhile, when Zhang Xiang didn''t get any response, he turned to look at Ye Tian Yun and found that he was in deep thought.

    Zheng Xiang felt a bit suspicious that Fang Chen didn''t notice such a bigmotion; however, he didn''t give it much thought. But just as he was about to forget this topic, he suddenly noticed something shocking.

    The whole aura around Ye Tian Yun was now different. It gave a weird feeling. A powerful feeling.

    ''Did he broke through? Impossible! We were inside the Inner Court for barely half an hour; how did his aura suddenly change so much? And it''s even quite fierce, like a sword...''

    Before Zheng Xiang had the chance to think more, Ye Tian Yun, as if sensing his thoughts, lied as he said, "Brother Zheng, I was deeply focused on stabilising my breakthrough, so maybe I didn''t notice themotion."

    "Breakthrough? How did that happen? We were in there for no more than half an hour."

    "Ah, I didn''t breakthrough right now. I actually had good luckst night, and while cultivating, I suddenly had an epiphany, leading to my breakthrough."

    "Damn! epiphanyˇ­ that''s some good luck you had there. So, now you''re peak at peak Qi Refining Realm?"

    "Uhˇ­ a bit higher."

    "Ohˇ­ wait.. what!? Isn''t that Qi Condensation Realm? You reached Qi Condensation Realm!? Holy tits of starfish, how could someone be this lucky? Sigh, fate should put people like you in jail to bnce out that luck."

    "Ahahaha, which starfish has tits? As for the jail, I once got in trouble for being too cool."

    Zheng Xiang got on the chain bridge and replied, "I am sure they had to release you due to theck of supporting evidence."

    Ye Tian Yun: -_-

    ...

    Like Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang, many other top disciples from different peaks were heading to the First Peak, and their destination was also the Heavenly League Headquarters.

    It was the main building of the strongest disciple organisation in the Gracious Sword Sect. And all the top disciples of Inner Court Entrance Hunt wereing to attend the Heaven''s Grace Banquet.

    Heaven''s Grace Banquet was organised by the Heavenly League after every Inner Court Entrance Hunt, mainly to wee and recruit the new Inner Court disciples to join the league.

    However, this time, the banquet was going to be incredibly crowded because of one girl, Yuan Shuchun. Undoubtedly the most renowned female cultivator in terms of beauty and cultivation. Along with that, she was also the leader of the Heavenly League and had personally invited some of the top disciples of all peaks.

    This had caused a bit of frustration among the disciples who were not personally invited by her but rather given an invitation letter from a random member. These hot-blooded disciples were now eager to prove themselves and show off in front of the jade-like beauty.

    Meanwhile, the beauty in question, Yuan Shuchun, was sitting on the third floor of the Heavenly League, surrounded and served wine by the maids.

    Suddenly she frowned and ordered, "All of you, leave at once."

    Everyone swiftly left, leaving her alone, still frowning.

    After a while, she said, "You cane out now."

    A hooded figure came out, knelt on one knee and said,

    "Greetings, mydy."

    Yuan Shuchun just flicked her fingers, telling the hooded-figure to continue.

    The man nodded and said, "Mydy, I havee to tell you about something urgent. Just a few moments earlier, I received crucial information from my informants."

    Yuan Shuchun looked up, and when the hooded-man didn''t continue, shemented, "Are you waiting for me to serve you wine? Speak up. What was so important that you came here to disturb my rest."

    "Mydy, I just received news that someone in our sect has reached the Sword Domain realm."

    "What?" Yuan Shuchun was a bit surprised, "So, which peak master?"

    "Mydy, this is the important part. It wasn''t any peak master or elder. But a disciple has reached the Sword Domain realm, and he is from the Inner Court of the Seventh Peak."

    "What!?" This time Yuan Shuchun was shocked. She knew what Sword Domain signified, and for a disciple to achieve this realm, all her ns could now be invalid because of this unknown disciple.

    Taking a deep breath, she asked, "So, who is this disciple?"

    "Uhˇ­ we don''t know."

    "What? What do you mean you don''t know? If you don''t know that disciple''s identity, why did youe here? Do you want me to look for that disciple? Huh?"

    "No, no, mydy, I just wished to inform you about this."

    "Hmph, looks like you have started to getcent by being at a higher rank in this sect. Hmm? Butler Xuan? You''re even afraid that someone will see you here."

    The hooded-figure suddenly trembled and kneeled even lower, almost kowtowing. He then removed his hood and said, "Mydy, please be appeased; this Xuan knows where his roots lie and will never becent towards his master and his goals."

    The hooded figure turned out to be an old man. However, if someone else were to witness this scene and see the old man kneeling, they would be shocked to death because this man was none other than the second most powerful and prestigious cultivator of the Gracious Sword Sect, Grand Elder Xuan Wen.

    A/n: If you find any errors or typos, pleasement on them and let me know so I can correct them.

    Also, I have a caught a cold, so I will be only doing one chapter today because I found out that my eyes hurt while I stare at the screen and I can''t think of anything with a headache and a running nose.

    Late chapters will bepensated oning Sunday.

    And here''s a random thought: A lot of people cry when they cut onions. The trick is not to form an emotional bond.

    Was this chapter worth your power stone?

 Chapter 90 - Fang Chens Value

    Gracious Sword Sect can easily be considered an average power in terms of power in the Lower Heavens. However, this Sect had its uniqueness.

    Due to one of its previous Sect Leaders being an esteemed Sword Saint and traversing through all the heavens, the Gracious Sword Sect had some tricks and defense mechanisms that could even overpower top sects and organizations of the Lower Heavens.

    Like theplex array system for the Inner Court and the hibernating Gracious Sword Spirit whose power equaled that of a Sword Saint.

    However, for Grand Elder, who is just lower than the Sect Leader in terms of authority, to kneel in front of a Core Disciples and talk respectfully like a servant talking to his master, will be a shocking scene for anyone to witness.

    Seeing his head still lowered, Yuan Shuchun frowned in annoyance and said, "Stop your bootlicking. I already told you, as long as you help me in achieving my goal, you will get the elixirs you want. I find it quite hrious that such a ''wise'' man like you is now begging to increase his lifespan. Let me promise you once again, as soon as I get the Gracious Sword and the Gracious Sword Manual, you will be the Sect Leader of this sect."

    Grand Elder was thrilled to hear these words and smiling like a child getting his favorite candies. He thanked, "Thank you for your pity, mydy. This servant is willing to sacrifice his life for you."

    Yuan Shuchun rolled her eyes after hearing such words, "You really this I will believe your bullshit? Didn''t I remind you that you''re heeding my calls because you want to extend your life?"

    Seeing no response from Grand Elder Xuan, Yuan Shuchun continued, "Well, whatever. Tell me about the things I told you to investigate."

    Grand Elder nodded his head and replied, "Mydy, I have made all of my informants look into the backgrounds of the top disciples. Except for a few special cases, almost all of theme from prestigious ns. Especially Fang Chen from the Seventh Peak. His background turned out to be the biggest."

    Seeing Yuan Shuchun nod her head, Grand Elder Xuan continued, "However, in my humble opinion, I still believe that Fang Chen is of no use for us. His background is tooplicated."

    "Oh? How so? I do know that there''s some bad blood between the sect and the Fang n, and by sending Fang Chen here, Fang n has basically abandoned him. So why should we even consider the Fang n under Fang Chen''s background?"

    "It''s now the Fang n who is making thisplicated. Mydy, I once told you that Fang Chen is actually the adopted son of the Fang n Patriarch, howeverter, I found out who his real father is."

    "Oh? And the real father isˇ­?"

    "Sect Leader Su."

    "What!?"

    "Yes, mydy, Sect Leader Su is the real father of Fang Chen, and his mother is none other than the younger sister of Fang n Patriarch."

    "Oh? So, Fang Chen is one of the many bastard sons of Sect Leader Su?"

    "You''re half right, mydy. Fang Chen is indeed the bastard son of Sect Leader Su since he and the Fang n''s Second Lady never had the chance to get married. However, the thing you got wrong is that Fang Chen is not one of the many, but he is the only offspring of Sect Leader Su. The Fang n orchestrated all the rumors surrounding the perverted nature of Sect LEader Su."

    "Oh, that''s quite surprising. But then, why do you think Fang Chen is not a good tool? With his ''real'' background, you can use him against Sect Leader Su."

    Grand Elder shook his head. "Mydy, the main reason behind me not thinking that Fang Chen can be of any use is his talent. It''s pathetic. He even suffered from Qi deviation a few months back. I was quite surprised that he was allowed in the Sect."

    "What? Didn''t he rank first in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt?"

    "He may have ranked first. However, many core elders were doubtful of this and suspected that he somehow got help from the Fang n and won through cheating. Even his luck during the final round was quite unprecedented. This led to a big argument in the Sect Meeting Hall. Even though this was a good chance for me, I had to suppress this incident."

    "What? Why would you suppress it?"

    "Uh..dyˇ­ you do remember that Fang Chen is from Seventh Peak, right?"

    "So?"

    "Umˇ­ and do you remember Kang Bai?"

    "Who?"

    "Kang Bai. The guy who ''sacrificed'' his life to kill the high-tier Qi Stealing Mole."

    "Ah, that guy, I remember now. Well, nevermind. What about the other top disciples?"

    Grand Elder nodded and replied, "From the seventh peak, there''s Zheng Xiang and Hou Xing. While Hou xing is from the Hou n whiches under the Fang n''s vessels, Zheng Xiang is from Silver Mist City and was adopted in the Zheng n."

    "What? Another guy who is adopted? How many are there?"

    "Mydy, so far, only these two kids."

    "Hmm, then what about Zheng Xiang and Hou Xing? Are they worth investing in?"

    "Absolutely. Especially Zheng Xiang. That kid not only had strength but also had the intelligence to back it up. However, it seems like he may not join our Heavenly League."

    "What do you mean? Is he gonna join the World League?"

    "I don''t think he will join any of the top leagues. He is strongly influenced by his n and will most probably join his own n''s league."

    "Oh, then we don''t need to bother about him. He better not join the World League or any of their vessels, or else I will make him wish that he was dead."

    ...

    A/N: Could only write one chapter today. We are five-six chapters behind schedule.. I will try my best to get back on track by tomorrow evening.

 Chapter 91 - Yuan Shuchun And Grand Elders Discussion (II)

    "Mydy, I don''t think Zheng Xiang will do anything stupid. Even though I did say just now that Zheng Xiang may not join us, however, I had one of my informants bribe his nmates to ostracize him in the Zheng Alliance''s meeting earlier today, so now he may have second thoughts."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded and said, "Well, that''s good news. I don''t want to miss out on any of the top disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. The Grand Spirit Hunt is approaching, and only a few months are left. These disciples, if qualified for the hunt, will be good cannon fodders."

    Grand Elder pursed his lips when he heard those words. He may be willing to do anything to increase his lifespan; however, he didn''t wish to get innocent kids in his way unless he had no other choice. But for Yuan Shuchun, the lives of others were meaningless in front of her goal. As the daughter of one of the most incredible cultivators of the Lower Heavens, her world view was much different, and her thoughts were more goal-drivenpared to Grand Elder Xuan, who rose from the very bottom of the Lower Heavens.

    Listening to her words made Grand Elder quite frustrated. However, he could not do anything to change her thoughts or her actions. After a moment of silence, he said, "Mydy, other than Zheng Xiang, there''s Hou Xing. He is one of the Hou n''s rising stars; however, he is constantly under pressure from Fang Chen and the Fang n."

    "Under pressure? Do you mean that this guy is facing attacks and assassination attempts?"

    "Not direct attacks, mydy; however, Fang n has suppressed Hou n a lot ever since he revealed his talent. And even humiliated him by appointing him as the butler for Fang Chen during a royal banquet. This immediately doused any chances of Hou n''s rise. Now they can only wait and hope that Hou Xing will one day grow strong enough to raise his n''s status."

    Yuan Shuchun smirked when she heard this story and said. "This Fang n sure is quite interesting. They act like tyrants in the capital. Is there no one who can suppress them? I don''t think the people of the Xin Royal n are monks, they would have definitely suppressed the Fang n. As for Hou Xing, we just need to give him an olive branch, and he will jump on our ship. No need to think much about him."

    "Indeed, mydy. That''s what I have thought regarding Hou Xing. And as for the Fang n, they have already made enough arrangements to hold back the Xin Royalty. The current Fang n patriarch is the brother-inw of King Xin. And there was even some news regarding the betrothal of Second Princess Xin Xue Yan to Fang Chen. Although these were just rumors, they were enough to make other big ns hesitate and be vary of the Fang n."

    "Xin Xue Yan and Fang Chen? Aren''t they technically cousins?" Yuan Shuchun had a disgusted look upon her face when she heard this.

    "Not really. If it were any other princess, maybe this would have been true. Xin Xue Yan''s case is much moreplicated; however, I didn''t get the chance to look much into this."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head, "Well, what about other peaks? What''s up with Bai Qing''er? How is her talentpared to the rumors? Did she reach the Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent?"

    Grand Elder Xuan nodded his head and said, "I can''t deny her talent, mydy. She is a talented young girl, and her sword talent, though not as high as yours, is worth it to make her join our league. I reckon she will also be interested in joining and learning from you."

    "Oh? Does she wish to learn from me? That''s interesting. What''s her background?"

    "Her background isn''t much known except for the fact that Sect Leader Su personally invited her to the sect."

    "I will see her during the banquet. Hopefully, she isn''t an arrogant brat." Yuan Shuchun took a sip from her wine and then continued, "Butler Xuan, I remember there was also a sword genius among the male Outer Court disciples; what was his name again?"

    "Lady, you must be referring to Mu Xing of the Fifth Peak. Thatd is already a part of our Heavenly League. He was personally scouted by Lei Chang two months before the Sect Entrance Exam."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded, "What''s his sword cultivation realm? Has he reached the Manifestation Realm too?"

    Grand Elder Xuan shook his head in denial, "No, mydy. Mu Xing fell short in terms of cultivation speed. However, I am confident that he will break through the Manifestation Realm before the Grand Spirit hunt begins."

    "Hmm, we will see." After a moment of thought, Yuan Shuchun continued, "If Mu Xing, Zheng Xinag, and Bai Qing''er join our league, send them to me after their missions. I will personally test them. Hopefully, they don''t disappoint me."

    "Why wait for a month, mydy? We can test them tonight during the banquet. All these kids are full of pride after ranking at the top of their peaks and will definitely challenge each other to show off their skills. We can have a mini tournament among them and see how good they are."

    "Alright, let''s follow this then. It will save me some of my cultivation time. Tell me about the Ninth Peak. How good are they?"

    "Ninth Peak has undoubtedly the best and most talented disciples in our sect. Yesterday, Xiao Ming rose to the top and made a name for himself; however, we shouldn''t underestimate Hu Xing''s value, even though he was defeated in the final battle by Xiao Ming."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and said, "The top ten disciples among the new Inner Court disciples of the Ninth Peak must join our Heavenly League.. They alone are more worth than the rest of the top disciplesbined."

 Chapter 92 - Yuan Shuchun And Grand Elders Discussion (III)

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and said, "The top ten disciples among the new Inner Court disciples of the Ninth Peak must join our Heavenly League. They alone are more worth than the rest of the top disciplesbined."

    "As you wish, mydy. However, Xiao Ming''s friend with the Seventh Prince Xin Xue Jin, this may create trouble in recruitment."

    "No need to worry about that. I have known Seventh Prince Jin for a long time now. He doesn''t do anything without motive and won''t even talk to someone who is of no use to him. Since he has befriended Xiao Ming, there must be some reason behind this. We just need to know that, and we will have Seventh Prince Jin''s weakness."

    "I will have my informants look into this matter."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded and asked, "Anyone else I should keep my eyes on?"

    "Mydy, there are few other disciples like Xu Peng of Eight Peak and Qin Feng of Sixth Peak. These two can also be considered very powerful and talented in terms of cultivation. Especially Xu Peng. He cultivates physical strength and is one of the best body cultivators among all the disciples of our Sect. As for Qin Feng, that kid focuses more on saber skills, but he still needs a lot of practice to get into the same league as that of Xu Peng."

    "Alright, I will keep a note of them. If you don''t have anything else to say, you may leave. Also, find the identity of that disciple who has reached the Attainment Realm as soon as possible. And check the background of anyone who joins the World League. I don''t want that disciple to unknowingly join Jiang Yun''s league and create trouble for uster."

    Grand Elder nodded his head as he replied, "I will keep your words in my mind. Mydy, I do have something to ask."

    "Ask away."

    "Is there any hope of you breaking through the Attainment Realm before the Grand Spirit Hunt, mydy?"

    Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "I don''t feel it yet. I still think it will take a few more years. This is why I am stressing on finding that disciple who has reached the Attainment Realm. You should leave now; those disciples must have arrived by now; I should go and start hosting the banquet."

    "Yes, mydy."

    Grand Elder stood up, and through the window, he disappeared in the night.

    Yuan Shuchun stared at his disappearing figure before letting out a long sigh. Her days in the Sect were numbered, and she had to get the inheritance as soon as possible.

    Rubbing her spatial ring, she took out a piece of paper, which looked as if it was torn forcefully from an old book.

    Staring at the paper, she thought, ''Once I get my hands on the manual, things will go back to normal, and maybe... maybe once again, I will have a chance to be a normal girl.''

    Just as she thought, she suddenly shook her head as if trying to shake away her thoughts, ''I am already at the point of no return. I was never supposed to have a normal life after I decided to walk on this path.''

    Sighing once again, she got up and headed for the lower floors.

    Upon reaching the lower floor, when the maids greeted her, she beckoned them while saying, "Help me get ready for the banquet. Let''s see how talented these disciples really are. Also, we will have a small skill showcase tournament today."

    ˇ­

    Heavenly League Headquarters, the First Peak.

    The Heavenly League was one of the major cornerstones of the Gracious Sword Sect. Due to almost all top disciples of the sect being part of this league, we can say that in theing future, most of the future elders would be from the current members of this league.

    This statement can further be cemented by the fact that even though Sect Leader didn''t support Heavenly League, he didn''t do anything that would have put it at a disadvantage. Thus the disciples didn''t hesitate much when Heavenly League offered them an olive branch.

    However, one would think that since this league had a lot of the top disciples under one roof, there would definitely be some sh of pride and tickling of their egos. But what happened here was quite opposite. The people here may not see eye to eye, but they didn''t dare to make things difficult for each other. It was especially after Yuan Shuchun became the League''s Head.

    It was rumored that Yuan Shuchun came from a big family and had a lot of resources at her disposal. She will reward very generously to the disciples whopleted league missions and was known for always being there for her league members.

    This image of Yuan Shuchun made her an inseparable part of the Heavenly League as the disciples were now more loyal to her than to the league.

    Loyalty then became the seed of infatuation and love among the male and female disciples alike. They worshiped her and were even willing to be her maids because of her nature that she showed in public and the resources at her disposal.

    And when these loyal infatuated male disciples heard of the Heaven''s Grace Banquet, they wouldn''t let go of this chance to meet their goddess and impress her.

    However, they knew that this banquet''s main focus would be the top disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, which was held just a day before.

    This made them quite indignant and they were ready to douse any arrogance and show-off that the so-called top disciples were going to put during the banquet.

    With wide smirks on their faces, they waited for the oblivious new Inner Court disciples toe to the banquet.

    As the new Inner Court disciples slowly began to arrive, the servants directed them towards an underground hall below the main building.

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors or typos, please let me know in thements so I can correct them.

 Chapter 93 - The Beauty

    This huge hall was half in sizepared to the one in which Ye Tian Yun had attended the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    This huge hall was like a royal court, with a throne at the opposite side of the entrance and a huge tform in the middle. And on the sides were the seats, which were decorated in different colors, signifying the status of those who will sit on which seat. The hall wasvishly decorated, and in front of the seats were sets of small tables with fine wine and exquisite sses.

    Surprisingly, the older members of the Heavenly League were all seated on one side, ring straight at the top disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Exam, as if observing and gauging them.

    This made the new disciples quite ufortable. Especially Zheng Xiang.

    He and Ye Tian Yun were seated in the front row, enjoying the whole view. Ye Tian Yun had requested (read, forced) Zheng Xiang to sit close to the throne, and when Zheng Xiang asked for the reason, he just said, "It''s my humble request." while he pushed Zheng Xiang towards the seats near the throne.

    Already angry from being pushed around, Zheng Xiang was even more frustrated as hundreds of eyesnded on him and Ye Tian Yun.

    Them choosing to sit near the throne had angered many older members as they saw it as a challenge from these two to get the attention of their goddess, Yuan Shuchun.

    While Ye Tian Yun didn''t care about the undisguised killing intent attacking him from the opposite side and was sitting in a rxed posture, with his eyes closed, Zheng Xiang, on the other hand, was now getting more and more annoyed.

    He hissed quietly, "Brother Fang, thank you for getting us at the center of attention. Now we have officially be enemies of half of the dumb Inner Court simps just because you made us sit here."

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly rolled his eyes at him, "If you call them dumb, why worry about them?"

    Zheng Xiang shook his head at these words and said, "Brother Fang, they may act like dumb simps, but they are not weak. They are Qi Condensation Realm simps. I can''t even fight properly against peak Qi Refining Realm disciples, and now hundreds of Qi Condensation Realm disciples are directing killing intent at me."

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged at his words, "I didn''t ask you to follow me. There are still empty seats at the far end corner; you can choose to sit there."

    Zheng Xiang thought for a second and after taking a deep breath, he said, "Brother Fang Chen, we may not have known each other for more than a day; however, I have a feeling that we are life-death brothers. But I still love my life, so I will take my leave."

    Just as he finished his words, the killing intent surrounding him suddenly disappeared, and a fragrant scent wafted through his nose.

    Even Ye Tian Yun, who until now had his eyes closed and was focused on his ns, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Zheng Xiang.

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t exactly looking at Zheng Xiang; instead, he looked at the person who took the seat just beside Zheng Xiang.

    He was more than just surprised. Trying to distract himself by picking up the wine ss from the small table in front of him, he decided to take a sip.

    Meanwhile, Zheng Xiang finally came back to his senses and turned around in confusion.

    However, what met his eyes was something he would never forget.

    Sitting beside him was a girl with big bright eyes, which had a million stars embedded in them. Her straight brown hairid over her shoulders like a calm waterfall. Her red and luscious lips, looking like ripe strawberries, anyone would want to take a bite of it.

    Zheng Xiang had neverid eyes on someone so full of innocence. Her skin was as white as porcin; anyone would be afraid to touch her in fear of blemishing such beauty. She wasn''t too tall or too short; she was just perfect. Her waist was so thin as if it would break with one snap, yet it felt like she had immense strength.

    Her face was full of confidence as she stared into his eyes as if she could see through his deepest desire, his worst pain, and his darkest secret. Her pencil-thin eyebrows eased down gently to her ck, beetle''s-leg eyshes.

    She had the charm which could win the heart of any mortal soul, yet she seemed so sharp enough to break them into pieces and the expression of someone who had seen the nature of the world.

    Wearing a traditional dress like it was an outfit of war and the whole world was her battleground, it fit well in her twine-thin sculpted figure.

    Zheng Xiang, who was still lost in her eyes, said, "Would you grab my arm so I can tell my friend over here that an angel has touched me?"

    *spurt* *cough* *cough*

    Ye Tian Yun who had just taken a sip of his wine spurted to the other side and coughed at Zheng Xiang''s corny line.

 Chapter 94 - Bai Qinger

    Zheng Xiang''s words rang out loud in the hall.

    Though (in his opinion) he didn''t say it out loud, everyone present at the scene heard him.

    It took a few minutes for others to digest what he had just said, and in an instant, he was bombarded with an even more intense killing intent from all sides. Even his fellow new Inner COurt disciples were staring daggers at him.

    As for the girl to who he had directed his words, had a seemingly nonchnt smile on her face as she replied, "Well, you can try touching me. However, I am not sure if all three of your legs will remain attached to your body or not."

    "Uhˇ­ I think I spoke too fast." Zheng Xiang sweated from her simple look because it felt like a thousand swords were piercing his body. ''Who is she? So talented in sword cultivation? Is she a Core Disciple? Damn it, I should have kept my mouth shut.''

    "Ah, umˇ­ I must say this, but I am afraid that I will only taint you if I touch you. We should introduce ourselves first." Then ncing at the table in front of him, he filled a ss of wine and offered to the girl, "I must say, I have never seen such a beautiful youngdy. I am Zheng Xiang, the most talented disciple among the new Inner Court disciples, what should I call you, youngdy?"

    "Oh?" The girl raised her eyebrows when she heard his im of being the most talented disciple. However, there was more amusement in her eyes than surprise or disgust. She moved her hand to the wine ss and took it from Zheng Xiang''s hand.

    Taking a small sip, she replied, "I am called Bai Qing''er."

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun who was trying his best to slowly move his chair away from Zheng Xiang to not to let other disciples mistake him as his friend suddenly stopped and frowned slightly when he heard her name.

    A few minor reports from his informants shed in his mind and soon all the information regarding Bai Qing''er from those reports was now recalled from his distant memory.

    Surprisingly, he recalled only one thing. The fact that Sect Leader had brought her to the sect and after his death, she had left and was never seen in any of the major events, despite her talent rivaling that of the members of the God''s Legion members.

    In his previous life, after Fang Chen killed the Sect Leader, who was also his real father, Bai Qing''er started a massacre and it took not one, but three best disciples of the sect to suppress. With Fang Chen and Xiao Ming, the third one was none other than Yuan Shuchun. In the end, even these three could only suppress her and not kill her. It was her own will that she left the sect, after getting tired of the politics and schemes happening daily around her. And the death of the Sect Leader, who was a father-like figure for her, was thest straw that kept her in the sect.

    With no reason and no attachments left to remain in the sect, Bai Qing''er left the Gracious Sword Sect, never to appear in the public ever again.

    In the whole scheme of things, she never yed a major role and was never the central figure or mastermind behind any of the schemes and conspiracies that happened in the sect. Even though she surpassed Yuan Shuchun'' in terms of everything, be it talent, looks, or cultivation, she always respected her and never came in between her and her goals.

    Her leaving the sect was a big blow to the power of the sect as a whole. However, in the end, it was inevitable.

    While Ye Tian Yun was thinking about if he should consider befriending this beautiful and talented girl or not Zheng Xiang, who was acting calm and normal the whole day, was now trying his best to impress the girl

    Bai Qing''er on the other hand wasn''t paying much attention to his antics. For a beautiful and stunning girl like her, gettingpliments was not a big deal. Never had she seen anyone who wasn''t shocked by her looks, even though many appeared nonchnt, she knew they did care. And how was she sure about that? Well, that''s something she wouldn''t even tell a soul. She just knew.

    She knew who was thinking about what. She knew what was going on in someone''s mind. She just knew anything that shed through the mind of the people around her. She didn''t know why and how she was able to perceive anyone''s thoughts. But this ability made it easier for her to understand the true nature of whoeverid eyes on her.

    This was the reason why she didn''t have many friends or anyone who she could trust. Everyone around her only came for benefits. Except for Sect Leader Su, who was the most genuine person in her eyes, there was no one else she knew who could even be considered a good person.

    And this was until today. Because the guy sitting beside her and was trying to flirt was genuinely appreciating her looks rather than lusting for her body. This made her a bit flustered, and she unknowingly ended up ignoring him.

    Just to confirm that she wasn''t hallucinating or something, she moved her head and looked at the older Inner Court disciples on the other side of the battle tform. What she was in their minds was just unrelenting, unleashed lust towards her. This only made her feel more and more disgusted from the simple smile these Inner Court disciples had over their faces as if they didn''t care about her looks, but in their mind, the only thing that was going was how to get their hand on her body.

    She had seen such thoughts so much that she wasn''t even disgusted anymore., she turned towards the guy sitting beside her. To confirm that she didn''t see it wrong before, and when she looked at Zheng Xiang, he was still bbering pick-up lines, trying to get her attendance, but his mind was only filled with words appreciating her beauty.

    However, suddenly she noticed the guy sitting on the other side of Zheng Xiang.

    She was shocked to see that for the first time in her life, there was someone whose mind she couldn''t read!

    ˇ­

    A/n: Though her ability can be considered OP, it also has its disadvantages which we will explore in the future. For now, let''s see how things turn out to be when there''s someone whose mind she can''t read.

    Second chaptering soon.

    If you find any errors or typos, please let me know.

 Chapter 95 - Hu Xing Arrives At The Banquet

    Even the most powerful cultivator Bai Qing''er had ever met, Sect Leader Su, couldn''t hide his thoughts and here, she wasn''t able to see through a random disciple.

    This discovery shocked her. Her second reaction was nervousness. For someone like her, who had relied on her ability for her whole life, to not be able to read someone''s mind, made her feel a bit insecure and panicky.

    Even though she didn''t show her emotions, however, her initial surprise was reflexive and she wasn''t able to get control of her emotions and Zheng Xiang had noticed her surprise. But her only thought she was impressed by his lines and continued to unt his pick-up skills.

    Meanwhile, Ye Tian Yun was still mulling over why the Sect let go of such a talented disciple in his previous life and if should befriend her or not while also thinking why in the world was Zheng Xiang acting so weird.

    All of sudden, the three of them heard of amotion from the entrance. Turning their heads, they found that it was due to a disciple entering the Hall. And from the reaction around him, this disciple was undoubtedly a famous one.

    Zheng Xiang, who had now stopped simping over Bai Qing''er, frowned at that guy and said, "Brother Fang, it''s the guy we met in the Resource Hall earlier today, Mu Xing."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded. However, suddenly a thought shed in his mind, ''Howe Mu Xing''s entrance attracted so much reaction, while nobody seemed to even know the girl sitting beside them?''

    ''This girl is either really good at keeping a low profile or the disciples are yet to know about her true identity.''

    And when Ye Tian Yun turned to look at her reaction, he found her staring at him.

    She had her eyes squinted with a small frown on her forehead, looking at him as if he was sus.

    This surprised him. There was no reason for her to even know him, let alone look at him as if he had harmed her.

    ''Did she fell in love with me? But I am in Fang Chen''s disguise, or was that bastard Fang Chen acquainted with her? Judging from her reaction, it''s most likely thetter.''

    For a moment he felt a bit regretful, ''Damn it, I shouldn''t have killed Fang Chen so easily without getting all the information out of his mouth.''

    He moved his eyes brows to non-verbally ask her, ''What are you looking at?''

    However, this made Bai Qing''ere back to her senses, she turned her head and looked the other way, clearly ignoring his question.

    ''Weird girl.''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and then looked at Mu Xing.

    Mu Xing who had just entered the Hall was at the center of the attention and was currently frowning as he stomped forward, lost in his own thoughts.

    Being a very dedicated sword cultivator, he was quite indifferent and didn''t care much about attention. And now that he had a rival in his sword path, he had willed himself to surpass her and be the best sword cultivator of his generation in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Unknowingly, while he was still lost in his thoughts, he had passed most of the seats and hade to the seats closer to the throne.

    Suddenly he came back to his senses when his eyesnded on an otherworldly beauty, however, as soon as he looked at her, she also raised her head and their eyes met.

    And for a second, he was met with such intense sword intent that he felt as if his heart stopped beating for a second.

    ''It''s her! It''s got to be her!''

    Mu Xing suddenly halted and immediately looked away. After some time took the next seat to the empty seat beside Bai Qing''er.

    Then he didn''t even look at her again, still in shock from the sword intent attack from her.

    After Mu Xing chose to leave a seat between him and Bai Qing''er, he unknowingly created an awkward scene in the front row. Because no one was daring enough to sit there unless another top disciple decided to fill the empty seat, which was going to be very unlikely.

    Meanwhile, as the top three disciples of the other peaks also began to arrive, there were asional waves ofmotion among the other disciples, especially for the well-known disciples like Xu Peng of the eighth Peak and Qin Feng of the sixth Peak.

    Soon the real superstars of the banquet also arrived in the Hall. The first toe was the previous top Outer Court disciple, Hu Xing.

    Hu Xing, even though had lost to Xiao Ming in their final confrontation, was still a very well-known figure, even among the already existing Inner Court Disciples. He didn''t have the air of arrogance around him as one would expect since Hu Xing had been a Top disciple for a long time. In fact, he seemed a very chilled and easy-going person.

    However, Ye Tian Yun knew his true nature. He was one of the people who would do anything to achieve their goals and by anything, Ye Tian Yun meant it.

    In his previous life, Hu Xing yed a pivotal role during the rise of Fang Chen and Xiao Ming duo, albeit he was their enemy.

    And he was the most cunning opponent they had ever faced. Hu Xing may havecked the heaven-defying talent unlike them, however, what he had were his connections. He knew people. Important people. People of different social circles. People of all sses.

    His connections made him a difficult foe. Only when his whole n was in danger of extinction did he get caught in the web of schemes and waster killed by Fang Chen.

    But in Ye Tian Yun''s opinion, Fang Chen made a mistake. To kill off someone like Hu Xing was a stupid move. This man knew how to make connections. If he had enough time and there wasn''t a sh between him and Xiao Ming, he would have definitely be an even bigger schemer and a greater threat to the God''s Legion or Ye Tian Yun himself, depending on where his interests lied.

    Even while Fang Chen was only trying to hide his talent and learning to the scheme, Hu Xing was already making connections with the strongest organization in the whole Lower Heavens, the Crimson Pavilion.

    And why was he doing all this when his talent in cultivation could have easily given him an easy life? Well, Ye Tian Yun had no answer about this. But he did know that in the whole Gracious Sword Sect, the most difficult enemy wouldn''t be Xiao Ming as long as Hu Xing was alive and he also remembered that Fang Chen had offended Hu Xing before he came to the forest where he waster killed by Ye Tian Yun.

    So now, Ye Tian Yun, who was in Fang Chen''s disguise, and Hu Xing, who once dered Fang Chen as his enemy, were going to be on a rocky start.

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors or typos, please let me know in thements, so I can correct them.

 Chapter 96 - Xiao Ming

    It was not that Ye Tian Yun had any vendetta against Hu Xing or something. But rather, Ye Tian Yun just didn''t wish to cross his path. While Hu Xing may have low cultivation inparison to him, Hu Xing knew about people who had cultivation with the power to level the whole sect.

    Ye Tian Yun was still alone, he didn''t and he couldn''t let others know of his goals. Thest thing after the rebirth he wanted was to get betrayed by his own allies.

    His only goal was to get all the Tokens, kill their owners, receive the Emblems and summon the God Emblem of Authority to crown himself as the Heavenly Emperor.

    He didn''t wish to entangle and get himself distracted in the politics of the sect unless he had no other choice.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was lost in his thoughts, anothermotion attracted him. This time the disciples were most loud while discussing the disciple who had just entered the Hall.

    When Ye Tian Yun turned his head to look at the person who hade, a thousand emotions shed through his heart when his eyesnded on the disciple.

    And then came a sudden burst of killing intent. A killing intent so dense that all themotion was suddenly doused.

    There was pin-drop silence.

    All disciples felt their hearts stop. Even the older inner Court disciples were no exception.

    Mu Xing who had just faced a sword intent attack was scared shitless.

    Bai Qing''er who was confident in her abilities wavered for the time. For she knew that this was not a simple killing intent. But one which also had the signs of sword intent. And against this sword intent, she could only feel powerless with no hope of survival if she ever went against it.

    On the floor above, Yuan Shuchun who was about to head for the banquet suddenly came to a halt. Putting her hand on her sword sheath, she was ready to defend herself from any iing attack. However, she couldn''t sense the direction of such sword intent. It wasing from all around her.

    At the Elder''s Meeting Hall, Sect Leader Su sensed it.

    In the Seventh Peak, Peak Leader Duan felt it.

    It was the same aura that was released at his own peak some time ago. However, this time, it was much more intense and seemed deliberate. Both of them disappeared and reappeared atop the Heavenly League Headquarters where they also found Grand Elder Xuan overlooking the building.

    However, in the next instance, everything became normal. The killing sword intent was gone. The pressure suppressing everyone was gone.

    The three of the top cultivators of the sect stared at each other for some time before Grand Elder Xuan took a deep breath and left.

    Looking at the direction in which Grand Elder Xuan had left, Peak Leader Duan broke the ice, "Senior Brother, did you feel it?"

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and replied, "Yes, and it was the same which came from your peak earlier."

    Peak Leader Duan smiled, "Yes, Senior Brother. And now I think our search will be much easier. We only need to investigate the Inner Court disciples of the Seventh Peak who are present in this building."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Yes, and we need to do it right now. But why would hee here? Is that disciple part of the Heavenly League?"

    "I don''t think so, Senior Brother Su. There''s actually a banquet for the new Inner Court disciples which is currently hosted by Yuan Shuchun right now. And I think that disciple must have been invited to the banquet."

    "Oh, yeah this could also be the case." Sect Leader Su nodded his head, however suddenly, something dawned on him, "Wait, if he is invited, doesn''t that mean that the disciple is one of the new Inner Court disciples!?"

    "Ah, yes. Now that I think about it. He is most likely to be one of the new Inner Court disciples."

    " But how can this be possible? To think we have such a talented disciple among us. We must find out his identity right now. In fact, we need to have all the new Inner Court disciples of the Seventh Peak join the World League. Though I would prefer he doesn''t join any of these top leagues. This guy deserves a seat among the Nine Supremes."

    Peak Duan agreed with his words, "Senior Brother, we should let the Nine Supremes know about these disciples and tell them to pay a visit to this banquet."

    "Alright, let''s do this then. I will inform them. In fact, I will also inform Jiang Yun or else he will cry about itter.

    Then looking at the direction in which Grand Elder Xuan had gone, he continued, "We don''t have much time. That guy must have also sensed something, though he isn''t familiar with the Sword Domain aura from your peak, we can''t take chances."

    With this said, both of them dispersed in different directions. One headed towards the First Peak cultivation abodes, and the other flew outside the sect.

    ˇ­

    Meanwhile at Heaven''s Grace Banquet, after the frightening sword Intent subsided, the silence continued for a few more seconds before erupting in an even more chaoticmotion.

    "Holy shit, what was that?"

    "Did someone attack our sect?"

    "What just happened?"

    "I have no idea, but it felt like that killing intent was enough to kill me ten times."

    "Yes, it was so terrifying. And it felt like it wasing from all directions."

    While the disciples began to discuss what had happened, the person behind all this, Ye Tian Yun, had his eyes closed with a deep frowning, and one of his hands pressing his forehead.

    He was feeling intense pain and the only thing he could hear were the system''s consistent prompts.

    [Host has unlocked the element behind his Sword Domain due to his sudden change in emotions.]

    [Host had unlocked Killing Sword Domain]

    [Sword Domain has leveled up.]

    [Sword Domain: 2% (0/30000 Kill Points)]

    After a while, he recovered himself and once again looked at the disciple who had made him lose control over his emotion. He was none other than the first person who had stabbed through his chest in his final confrontation against the God''s Legion on the Hundred Realm Refining Stage.

    He was Xiao Ming.

    ...

    Chapter Title: Xiao Ming

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know in thements so I can correct them.

    The second chapter will arrive earlier this time if I don''t fall asleep over myptop once again.

 Chapter 97 - Hurling Of Arguments

    The whole reason why Ye Tian Yun was in the sect as a disguised disciple was now standing in front of him. Though the urge to kill was once again increasing inside him, he suppressed his emotions and looked the other way.

    It was hard for him to remain calm and control his emotions now that he had his enemy in front of him.

    ''If only I could confirm if he has got the Token of Fate with him or not. Damn it, I need to get a hold of myself. He is only the first guy out of the nine members of the God''s Legion.''

    Taking a deep breath, he had finally calmed himself and was now back to being Fang Chen.

    On the other hand, Xiao Ming, who had been at the center of the Killing Sword Domain''s attack, was sweating profusely. This was his second close-death encounter but the most terrifying one. And it felt like this attack was only targeting him, and he had no idea who this frightening enemy was.

    It took him some time to get a hold of himself as he moved towards the throne.

    Xiao Ming reminded himself of the reason for his visit to this banquet and steadied himself. When he came close to the throne, he also noticed the beauty and the empty seat beside her.

    Without hesitation, he took the seat.

    This once again made their seating area the center of attention.

    Xiao ming, ignoring the frowning looks of the older inner Court disciples, turned towards the girl and said, "Fate has allowed us to meet. I will introduce myself first, I am Xiao Ming, the strongest disciple among all the new Inner Court disciples."

    However, the girl, Bai Qing''er, had a weird reaction when she looked at him.

    At first, when she turned around, she was a bit surprised by his handsome and charming face, however, it turned into a surprise, then shock, and once again a bit of panic appeared over her face.

    ''I can''t see through his thoughts too!''

    For Bai Qing''er, to find one person whose mind she couldn''t read was already shocking enough, but then, after few minutes, she met another disciple whose thoughts remained hidden from her,

    She was confused. She had no idea what was happening. She couldn''t understand why she can''t see through the thoughts of these disciples? Was there any special reason? Or was her ability not working anymore?

    Her reliability on her ability made it difficult for her to see the world without knowing its thoughts.

    And as she was lost in her thoughts, Zheng Xiang, who had heard Xiao Ming''s words, squinted his eyes as he looked at him and said, "Well, you better correct yourself. You are at most, the strongest disciples of your own peak. But to im to be the best in the whole sect? That''s quite far-fetched."

    Ye Tian Yun, who was sitting beside him, rolled his eyes after listening to his words, "Weren''t you iming to be the most talented disciple in the Inner Court, not even five minutes ago?"

    Zheng Xiangid back on his seat, and as he shrugged his shoulders he said, "Brother Fang Chen, I was talking about my talent, and I was just confident, while this guy seems to be an arrogant one."

    Xiao Ming replied to him with unhidden disdain, "Most talented disciple huh? Which peak are you from? Well, never mind, I am from the Ninth Peak, so there''s no need to evenpare because if you''re from any other peak. Just keep your mouth shut."

    "Oh? Are you trying to say there''s no one in the other peaks that cane close to your talent?"

    "Yes. No one amongst the new Inner Court disciples. And it''s ok if you disagree with me. I can''t force you to be right." Xiao Ming rolled his eyes after he finished his words.

    Zheng Xiang raised one of his eyebrows and said, "Oh? Well, you can keep rolling your eyes, maybe you will find a brain back there." Then leaning forward a bit, he continued while staring at Xiao Ming, "I would like to know what makes you think you can im that?"

    "Well, I think the fact that I ced first should alone be enough for me to say whatever I think is the truth."

    "Well, there were five other top disciples. And one of them has reached the Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent and there was another who didn''t even use his cultivation realm to win the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. Alright, let''s now even consider them. Just see Mu Xing, who is sitting right beside you, are you stronger than him in terms of sword cultivation?"

    Xiao Ming hesitated a bit to answer. He wasn''t afraid of Mu Xing, but sword cultivation wasn''t his forte.

    He took a nce at Mu Xing, who was clearly not interested in their talks, and then Xiao Ming replied, "You see, I don''t care if someone is a sword cultivator or a body cultivator, in front of absolute strength, they''re nothing."

    Zheng Xiang smirked at him and said, "Well, there''s a thin line between courage and arrogance, and my friend, you''re far away from this line, sitting atop a mountain hole of arrogance. Clearly, you have never gone against a good sword cultivator, or else you would have had your arrogance in check."

    Xiao Ming was starting to get pissed by this guy, "Well, why don''t you show me. Since you like to bark so much, let''s see if you know how to bite too. The stage is empty, let''s exchange some friendly moves and see if you can still spew nonsense."

    And as Xiao Ming was about to get up, Zheng Xiangughed at him and said, "Well, I''m sorry if I offended you. I didn''t know you being an idiot was supposed to be kept a secret. You see, I would love to teach you a lesson, but everything has its time and ce. This is a banquet, be a man and enjoy it.. Stop trying to unt your ego."

 Chapter 98 - Yuan Shuchuns Deduction

    Zheng Xiang finished his words by saying, "It''s best if you keep quiet and don''t harass my Girl." And then he gave a ''Don''t worry, I got this'' look to Bai Qing''er, who was shocked to hear such words.

    ''This guy is really daring. Hmph!''

    And Xiao Ming who finally understood why this guy was arguing with him all this time finally lost his cool. But just as he was about to get up, someone else got between them. Blocking his way to Zheng Xiang. It was Ye Tian Yun.

    "Now, who the fu*k are you!?"

    "You don''t need to know. But I am surprised at you. Arrogance and stupidity, all in one package. How efficient are you."

    Xiao Ming took a second to understand what he had just heard. Then out of anger, he sent a punch straight towards Ye Tian Yun''s face.

    However, within an instant, Ye Tian Yun reacted, stepping back, he kicked Xiao Ming''s abdomen.

    *Bang*

    Xiao Ming crashed on the tform wall. Bncing himself, he snarled, "So you have chosen death."

    But just then, a voice rang out.

    "Stop."

    Everyone turned to see the source of the sound. It was an older Inner Court disciple, standing beside the throne. Clearly, he was one of the high-ranking members of the Heavenly League.

    "This is not your yground. Take your petty fights to somewhere else."

    ˇ­

    **5 Minutes Earlier **

    On the Second Floor of the Heavenly League Headquarters, Yuan Shuchun was standing, staring out of the window with a deep frown as confusion and worry etched on her face. Her maids had left the room long ago.

    She was recovering from the sudden Killing Intent attack, and to be more urate, it was killing intent, infused with the Sword intent.

    She had never faced such a terrifying sword intent. On one hand, she felt like it was a close death encounter, while on the other she knew that she wasn''t the one against whom that killing intent was directed.

    Even though she didn''t know about the direction from which it came, she knew that it was not the target. But rather, she was just someone who came in its way.

    This one thought worried her even more. As one of the most talented sword cultivators of her generation, she was very aplished in her Sword Intent and was at the peak of the Sword Attainment realm. Even then she was suppressed so badly that she had no chance to even regain her bnce, much less fight back against it.

    She wanted to know where it came from. She wanted to know its source. Now, she wasn''t interested in the banquet anymore. For her, this banquet was only a means to get more cannon fodder for the future of her Heavenly League. However, now that there was something unknown and frightening in the sect, she had to know who it was.

    Was it the Sect Leader? Or was it any of the peak leaders? Either way, she needed to prepare for the worst.

    For her, as long as it was not herself, it only meant trouble.

    And just as She was lost in her thoughts, someone knocked on her window.

    She came back to her senses and called out, "Who is it?"

    "Mydy, it''s me." Grand Elder Xuan entered the room and greeted her.

    "Hm? Why did youe back? Did you also sense that aura?"

    "Yes, mydy. And I have never seen such frightening killing intent."

    "Well, yes. But you''re half right in this. It was frightening, I agree, however, it was not Killing Intent, but rather Sword Intent."

    "Sword Intent!?" Grand Elder Xuan was shocked to hear this. "But it clearly felt like it was killing intent."

    "Butler Xuan, you are not a sword cultivator, so you don''t have experience against this. However, I have practiced a lot with my father, so I know what sword intent feels like. It was definitely a sword intent attack, but I am sure it wasn''t a simple sword intent."

    "Wasn''t a simple Sword Intent?"

    "Yes, it was much more dangerous. It was elemental sword intent. The person who released it must be in the Attainment Realm at least. And in the whole sect, I think only Sect Leader Su can have such intent. Looks like we need to prepare ourselves much better."

    "No, mydy. It can''t be Sect Leader Su. I just met him."

    "What? Then who could it beˇ­ wait, wasn''t there a disciple who broke through the Attainment Realm? It could be him!"

    "Yes, mydy. And the reason why I hurried back was to tell you that the killing intent, I mean, the sword intent was centered from this building. That is why Sect Leader Su and Peak Master Duan came above this building in an instant."

    "What? Sect Leader Su is here? Then why did youe here?"

    "I had no other choice but to take such a risk, mydy. However, you don''t need to worry about me getting caught, I have my own means. Also, if the disciple who released the Sword Intent is in this building, and we know that he is from the Seventh Peak, doesn''t that mean that we can easily get him to join our League if we recruit all the people from the Seventh Peak and then investigate the old and new members of our league who are from the Seventh Peak and have attended the banquet."

    "Ah, yes." Yuan Shuchun nodded her head. "Now we only need to look out for the few percentages of the disciple. It should be much easier now. But, tell me, does the Sect Leader Su also know of this?"

    "I am pretty sure he knows about this, mydy. Or else, he wouldn''t havee here to check and the fact that only Peak Leader Duan came here, and no other Peak Leader arrived, also shows that both of them have sensed the familiarity in the aura."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and squinted her eyes, she said, "ANd since he knows, he will definitely do his best to get this disciple in the World League. Looks like we are going to have some unwanted guests tonight at the Banquet."

    "Yes, mydy. I hope you will be prepared."

    "Hmph, I am always ready. May this time I will get the chance to crush Jiang Yun. You should leave now. Sect Leader Su finding out your identity is thest thing we want."

    "Yes, mydy."

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors, pleasement and let me know so I can correct them.

 Chapter 99 - "YEAH!!!!!"

    Meanwhile, in the Hall, everyone was staring at the cold-looking Inner Court disciple.

    He continues, "You guys will get a chance to blow off your steam, but wait for some time. Senior Sister Yuan is about to arrive."

    "Blow of my steam?" Ye Tian Yun smirked and looking at Xiao Ming he said, "I am pretty sure this guy won''t survive more than one hit."

    "Oh yeah? Why don''t you try again, huh? I was caught off guard at that time." Xiao Ming who was now standing near the tform wall shouted out loud. His voice rang throughout the hall.

    "Calm down both of you! Go take your seats. I told you, you will get your chance. For now, maintain the decorum of the hall." The Inner Court disciple interrupted once again before the matter could blow up.

    ...

    On the Second Floor, Yuan Shuchun finally came down to the first floor where she was greeted by the maid, who then followed her to the inner rooms and from there they went to the Hallway.

    After the incident near the throne, nobody was chatting anymore. All the disciples were sitting silently, waiting for Yuan Shuchun toe and start the banquet.

    After some time, everyone began to hear the faint tapping of steps and looked at the entrance on the adjacent wall of the throne.

    As the steps grew closer, everyone''s anticipation also began to rise, for they knew who wasing.

    New disciples were eager to meet her properly for the first time and the older disciples were excited to see her again.

    And soon came out a girl or their age with maids tailing behind her.

    She was wearing a white dress, her pitch-ck hair falling like a waterfall down to her waist. She had her side facing them as she sat on the throne, her exquisite curves clear. She seemed like a beautiful fairy who had descended to the mortal world. The Hall seemed to be fresher and more beautiful at her presence as if it had transformed into a garden of blooming flowers.

    At that moment, the picturesquendscape of her face seemed to be illuminated by the light of the decoratedmps and candles of the Hall, bathed in the cool breeze.

    Her smile was so dazzlingly beautiful that all the disciples stood up in a daze.

    She was Yuan Shuchun. The most renowned female disciple in the whole Xin Kingdom.

    As the disciples came back to senses, many found themselves thrilled to see her while many could only feel entranced the more they stared at her.

    "Everyone, take your seats." Her calm enchanting voice rang out through the hall. She nodded at the Inner Court disciple with a gentle smile and sat on the throne.

    The disciples, some still in a trance, took their seats quietly. Yuan Shuchun slowly gazed through the hall from left to her right.

    And then she raised a ss filled with wine from the table beside her and said, "Everyone, first of all, let''s raise a toast to our Sect. And drink for ouring future."

    As she took the first gulp, everyone followed her and tasted the wine from the table in front of them.

    After a moment of silence, she continued, "Now, I wee all the new Inner Court disciples and congratte them on bing the Inner Court disciple for our gracious Sword Sect. And I also thank the older disciples foring here and making the atmosphere merrier."

    Some disciples rolled their eyes when they heard her words. ''Merry my ass, they are looking at the new disciples like a butcher looking at fresh chickens.''

    Yuan Shuchun didn''t notice such reactions and continued, "Now, I want to tell you why I have invited you here other than for weing you to the Inner Court."

    "You see, in my eyes, all of you are very talented disciples. Most of you even have the potential to reach the peak of the whole Lower Heaven! Yes, not only the sect but the whole lower heavens. However, is it really that easy? Is talent enough?"

    "Well, as much as I don''t like to say it, it''s the whole truth and a cemented fact that talent and potential are not enough. You will need more. You will need resources to cultivate, allies to have your back, opportunities to cultivate faster, spars and fights to sharpen yourself."

    "But where will you get such things all at once? In the sect? Well, maybe. But don''t forget in the sect you''re not alone. There are more than fifty thousand other disciples who are cultivating. And you will only get one low-tier Qi Strengthening Pill per month from the sect. And as for the allies? Well, if you even have to fight for your own cultivation abodes, how long will it take for you to make an ally?"

    "Fellow disciples, you have potential. You have talent. But you need something to get the most out of it. And sect alone isn''t enough! What you need is something more. Something much more organized. Something which will give you more opportunities, more resources, and better allies. You, my fellow disciples, need a league. And my Heavenly League, which is known for its quality of members, rather than quantity, is the best ce for you to be a part of."

    "The path of cultivation is long. However, the time to cultivate is always short. Your talent will never remain the same, but rather, it will decrease as you age. In fact, if you don''t cross the Tri-Qi Realms within the next ten years, you will never be able to cross it and break through the Foundational Realm, unless you have loads of fruitful encounters."

    "But how many fruitful encounters are there? How many do you think you will get? No one knows. That is why, TODAY, for YOUR future, YOUR growth, and YOUR own benefit, I give you a sincere invitation to join the Heavenly League and be part of the greatest legacy of our sect."

    Taking a moment to breathe, Yuan Shuchun stood up and shouted with all her strength, "WILL YOU JOIN ME?"

    "YEAH!!!!!" The disciples, who were now hyped up by the speech, gave a loud cheer,

    "WILL YOU BECOME A PART OF THE HEAVENLY LEAGUE?"

    "YEAH!!!!!"

    "WILL YOU LEAD OUR SECT WITH ME TO GREATER HIEGHTS?"

    "YEAH!!!!!"

 Chapter 100 - Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid!

    As the disciples bellowed in cheering, Yuan Shuchun had a proud smile on her face.

    She had received the reaction she was expecting. Now that everyone was still full of enthusiasm, she was going to strike while the iron was hot.

    She took a few steps ahead and raised her hand, silencing the audience.

    "We are cultivators. Challenges and obstacles are what helps us grow. At every turn in our lives, confronting the world is how we reach the peak. As cultivators, we''re meant to go against the heavens."

    After a few moments of silence, she announced, "And now that we have all of the top disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt here, I propose a small exchange of moves."

    "However, what''s apetition with no prize?"

    "Let me show you what you will receive if you were victorious tonight."

    And then, she took out three small bottles from her spatial ring and showed them to the disciples with her hands raised, "These three bottles contain Seven Treasure Body Tempering Liquid."

    Seeing no reaction from the disciples, she smiled and said something which shocked everyone in the hall, "This elixir is one thousand times more efficient than Low Tier Qi Strengthening Pills which you receive by the Sect."

    "A single bottle can increase your cultivation to the next level. And for the Peak Qi Refining Cultivators, this is the chance to get to break through the Qi Condensation Realm in one night!"

    It took a while for the disciples to digest what they had just heard. After a few moments of silence, the disciples once again moured in shock as they were seeing such elixir for the first time in their lives. From Xiao Ming to even the cold-looking Inner Court disciples, everyone was shocked.

    "How is this even possible!? I have never heard of such a thing."

    "Yeah, if such a thing existed, everyone would have known about it. And how could any elixir give such a great boost?"

    "I don''t know what it is, but I want it. I will reach Peak Qi Refining using this and if I get lucky, I may even just reach a few more stages and break through the Qi Condensation Realm."

    "Dream on, you''re thest person here who has any chance. And you are still at Seventh level of Qi Refining, to get to the Ninth level is just a pipe dream. There are many disciples who were ranked above us. There''s even Qin Feng who defeated you yesterday. Do you really think you can get the elixir?"

    "Well, there are three right? I hope they don''t go to a single disciple."

    As if Yuan Shuchun had heard his words, her voice rang through the hall once again, "These three bottles are yours to take. Three bottles. Three disciples."

    The disciples now had their blood boiled in excitement. After all, who didn''t wish to get a chance to increase their cultivation and catch up with their peers or increase the gap between them and their peers.

    However, there was one exception.

    Ye Tian Yun.

    He didn''t understand why these disciples were so excited about three mere bottles of Seven Treasure Body Tempering Liquid.

    ''This prince has yed in so much elixir that it''s enough to fill this hall.''

    To him their excitement was ridiculous. However, upon thinking a bit, he found it natural too. Considering they had never even heard of such elixir, he couldn''t me them for their excitement. While it wasn''t a big deal for him because even beforeing to the Lower Heavens, he bathed in this elixir for a month after he woke up from his rebirth.

    And considering that the disciples were in the lowest cultivation realm, the Qi Refining Realm, he also agreed with the fact that one bottle of Seven Treasure Body Tempering Liquid was enough for them to break through to the next level.

    However, suddenly few questions shed in his mind.

    ''How did Yuan Shuchun get her hands on this? Did she encounter a cave of treasures? But why is giving them away as if nothing? Looking at the expression on the old Inner Court disciples, clearly they don''t know about such a thing and she never shared this with them.''

    ''Since no one here knows what this elixir is, I don''t think Yuan Shuchun would have known it''s name if she found the elixir somewhere. Unlessˇ­ she from the Middle Heavens!?"

    Ye Tian Yun was shocked by his own conclusion. ''Impossible. If she were from the Middle Heavens, I would have known her. Her talent puts her in one of the best among her peers even in the middle Heavens. And What is she doing here? This doesn''t make sense.''

    ''But the fact that her background is quite big is now confirmed. I wish I knew what her true origins were.''

    Meanwhile, Yuan Shuchun, who was now satisfied with everyone''s expression, paused for a minute to let the disciples digest the news and then continued with her announcement, "Let me remind you that even a single bottle from these three can give you more benefits than the rewards of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt."

    One again, the anticipation in the disciple''s eyes rose a few notches. Even Zheng Xiang had an expression of excitement written all over his face.

    And finally, Yuan Shuchun finished her announcement with another bombshell.

    "These three bottles are not the only things at stake. There''s one more thing, a unique unranked cultivation manual."

    And as she finished, she put the bottles in the spatial ring and took out a ck book and said, "This book may be hard toprehend, however, it is said that the one who cultivates this Arcane Path cultivation manual, will have his cultivation speed at least doubled."

    This time the disciples were blown away!

    And Ye Tian Yun stood there in shock when he heard her words.

    ''Isn''t this the manual that I have been looking for the whole day in the Martial Book Pavilion? The manual which is supposed to go to Xiao Ming? Why is it in her hands? And the most important question, why is she giving it away?''

    ...ˇ­...

    A/n: Sorry for the dyed chapters. Was working on something interesting.. Will show youter tonight, after I catch up with our schedule.

 Chapter 101 - The Meeting Gift

    ''Isn''t that the manual I was looking for the whole time in the Martial Book pavilion? And she''s giving it away!?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''tprehend what Yuan Shuchun was nning to do. He knew the value of this manual. This manual boosted Xiao Ming enough to make him one of the top existences of the Lower Heavens. And she was giving it away?

    ''Does she not know the value of this manual? That''s impossible! If she knows about the value of the elixir, she must also know about the manual. What is this girl up to?''

    For Yuan Shuchun to offer something this valuable didn''t seem usible. The disciples that she wanted to recruit were only in the Qi Refining Realm and would at most be cannon fodders for the League. She wouldn''t go this far just to recruit some members for her Heavenly League.

    And sure enough, her next words proved this.

    "As you can see from the value of this manual, it won''t be very easy to get. And I want to announce that tonight, whoever proves himself worthy and satisfies me with his prowess and battle instincts, will be awarded this manual."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes at these words. ''So basically she''s not gonna give this manual to anyone?''

    And looking at the slight smirk on her face, Ye Tian Yun had a hunch that his guess woulde true.

    On the stage, Yuan Shuchun looked around for a few moments and suddenly noticed the female disciple sitting beside Zheng Xiang, with a surprised voice she said, "Ah, it''s Junior Sister Bai Qing''er!"

    And as soon as she said, everyone''s attention once again shifted to Bai Qing''er. However, this time it was much more intense because now the disciples knew her identity and most of them had expressions of shock and awe.

    "Is that really Bai Qing''er!?"

    "Woah, she''s so beautiful!"

    "Yeah, she''s out of this world. Howe I didn''t notice her before?"

    "She sure is a beauty. Somehow even I didn''t pay attention to her even though she''s sitting right beside Xiao Ming."

    "Holy shit, yes. She''s sitting right beside Xiao Ming! Could this be a meeting of fate, or do they already know each other?"

    "Xiao Ming sure is lucky, he got to sit with such a goddess."

    Meanwhile, near the ce where Bai Qing''er was sitting, everyone around her was going through different emotions.

    Xiao Ming, who could hear what the disciples were saying, had a smug smile on his face.

    Mu Xing was staring directly at her, but instead of awe and shock, his face was like someone who had met his lifetime rival. He was trying his best to control himself from challenging her in a sword duel.

    Whereas, on her other side, Zheng Xiang had an expression of shock. He didn''t know who this girl was, neither he had even a hunch that it would be Bai Qing''er.

    He leaned to his right, still looking at her from the corners of her eyes, and whispered to Ye Tian Yun, "Brother Fang Chen, is she really the one who has already cultivated Sword Intent."

    "Hmm."

    "Andˇ­ uhˇ­ was I proiming in front of her that I am the most talented disciple."

    "Hmm."

    Zheng Xiang facepalmed himself in a dramatic way while sighing, "Well, shit."

    Ye Tian Yun put his hands on his chin and said, "That''s not important. Didn''t you say that you were going to some other seat? Why are you still here? Move on!"

    "Ah, brother, what are you saying? Why would I leave you? You''re my good brother, my brother for life, do you think I will leave just because some people were looking at you as if wishing to skin you alive?

    "Yes."

    "Ah, Brother Fang, what are you saying?" And he leaned a bit to his left, towards Bai Qing''er, and said, "I never abandon any of my friends."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes after hearing such words, ''Do you think I don''t understand that you''re trying to look cool in front of her? I really wish she could know your thoughts.''

    Unbeknownst to him, Bai Qing''er was actually able to know what Zheng Xiang''s thoughts were. She tried her best to not roll her eyes. ''I wonder what his expression will be if he knew I can understand his thoughts.''

    ..

    After some time as themotion finally settled down, Bai Qing''er stood up and said, "Greetings, Senior Sister Yuan. This Junior Sister will now be in your care."

    "Haha, you don''t have to say such things. As your Senior Sister, it is my responsibility to take care of you. I am d that you epted my invitation, even though I couldn''t personallye to invite you."

    "It''s my honor to be here, Senior Sister."

    "Ah, you''re quite well mannered. Here''s a meeting gift." She then used her qi to manipte one of the bottles containing Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid to flow andnd on the table in front of her.

    As the disciples stood in shock from her actions, she continued with a smile, "Junior Sister Bai, this is my meeting gift for you. This isn''t the best thing I can give, but it''s the best thing I have with me right now."

    Bai Qing''er was shocked by her actions, picking up the bottle, she put it in her spatial ring, and then she cupped her hands while saying, "Thank you so much, Senior Sister. This gift is the most valuable thing I have ever received. Our meeting will forever be etched in my heart."

    Yuan Shuchun smiled and said, "It''s alright, Junior Sister. This was something I was going to give someone anyway, it''s best if you received it."

    But before Bai Qing''er could reply, she had turned towards the disciples in the audience, who was still in shock because now, there were only two bottles left to win. Yuan Shuchun then asked with her qi-infused voice, "Alright then. Do you all wish to take part in the spar?"

    ˇ­

    Meanwhile, on the ground, Bai Qing''er took a deep breath as she collected her thoughts.

    She didn''t feel any excitement from receiving the gift as one would expect, rather her ability allowed her to see the truth.

    Yuan Shuchun wasn''t happy to see her. In fact, she regretted her own decision to give the Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid to Bai Qing''er and was almost about to retract it back. But to save herself from embarrassment, she didn''t stop and went on to gift it to Bai Qing''er.

    However, for every sweet word she said, she was thinking of ways to kill Bai Qing''er and take back the elixir from her.

    Bai Qing''er couldn''t help but sigh at herself.

    Even though she wasn''t able to always know of someone else''s thoughts, as long as the subject of that person''s thoughts was her, she would know what the other party was thinking.

    And today, she was disappointed in her Senior Sister, who she had always wanted to meet and considered an idol. And she was disappointed in herself, for she couldn''t control her ability from working and would know anyone''s thoughts regarding her, be it bad or good.

    ''I wish I didn''t have her ability and could live like a normal person. I would rather live with their fake faces, rather knowing their true thoughts.''

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments so I can correct them.

 Chapter 102 - The Sparring Begins!

    Bai Qing''er thought of the day when on a sect mission, she asked the Inner Court disciple, the senior sister, who was leading them. She had asked, ''Senior sister, if you ever encounter a chance to get the ability to read someone''s thoughts about you, will you keep it?''

    The reply from her Senior Sister didn''t surprise her when she said, ''Of course, I will ept it. This is the best ability I can ask for. Imagine knowing what people think about you. You will never be betrayed, never be lied to, and will never be at a disadvantage.''

    When Bai Qing''er heard this, she wanted to argue back. But her words remained stuck in her throat.

    She had thought, ''You may know all the secrets, but you will lose everything else. I remember when I was a kid, I didn''t have this ability. I miss those days. Even though now, with this ability, I can see everyone''s true nature.''

    ''But at what cost? I lost my chance to live like a normal person. I saw many disciplese close to me because of my looks. Male disciples came close to get into my pants, female disciples came close to me to get benefits and jealousy. I don''t even feel anger now whenever I see male disciples lusting for my body, nor do I feel sad when I see female disciples feeling jealous for no reason. I have lost too much because of this ability. I... I feel alone.''

    ''I wish to live like a normal person. Even if it''s just for one day.''

    ˇ­

    "Do you all wish to take part in the spar?" Yuan Shuchun''s qi-infused voice once again echoed through the hall, bringing Bai Qing''er back to reality.

    "YEAH!" The disciples roared in excitement.

    However, just as Yuan Shuchun was about to continue, someone from the older Inner Court disciples stood up and said, "Senior Sister Yuan, as we also allowed to take part in the spar?"

    "Ah, yes. Of course, you are. But since we know who the winner will be most of the time, if an older and new Inner Court disciples have a spar, therefore, to make things fair for everyone, I will propose some rules."

    "First, let me exin how we''re going to decide the worthy winners."

    "On the tform, there will be two circles. Rules are simple, the disciples who can stand the longest on the tform and as many challenges as possible will take back one bottle of elixir."

    "And if there''s someone who can dominate on any of the two, he will be worthy of this Arcane Path cultivation manual."

    "Out of these two, one is for the older Inner Court disciples and the other is for the new Inner Court disciples."

    "During the spar, injuries aremon and you may even get crippled. So go on the stage at your own risk. Also, don''t forget we''re from the same sect, so no killing, alright?"

    "Okay, then, who three wille first on the stage?"

    Yuan Shuchun finished announcing the rules and waited for the disciples, but no one seemed toe forward.

    Seeing no response, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Let me rephrase my earlier words, the winner won''t be the LAST disciple standing on the tform, but rather who stood for the LONGEST time."

    And it finally dawned on the disciples and without hesitation, three disciples jumped on the stage.

    Seeing them, Yuan Shuchun smiled and continued, "Well, we have some heroic volunteers. Choose your circle and defeat anyone else who also chooses that circle."

    The disciples moved and took their positions.

    Both of them were side-by-side to each other. And coincidently, out of the three disciples, two of them were new Inner Court disciples while the third one was an older Inner Court disciple.

    The new disciples chose the same circle, the one at the left of Yuan Shuchun, clearly avoiding the older disciple.

    The older inner Court disciple now stood alone in his circle.

    Yuan Shuchun nodded at them and said, "Before this event begins, I want you to always announce your name and peak before you start the spars. My maids at the side of the Hall will keep the track of your time spent on the stage."

    "And since we have so many disciples present today, and the time in our hands is less, everyone will only get one chance. Once eliminated, they should go back and recuperate. You will be eliminated if you forfeit on your own or if you step out of the circle."

    "Alright, then, let''s start!"

    The disciples on the stage nodded and one by one announced their name.

    "Zhao Yi Of the Sixth Peak."

    "Duan Han Of the Eight Peak"

    "Qian Shi Of the Seventh Peak."

    The older Inner Court disciple was from the Seventh Peak.

    And seeing him standing alone, Yuan Shuchun squinted as she announced a new rule, "Well, just want to let you know that all the new Inner Court disciples will get double points if they stay in the circle for the older Inner Court disciples."

    Hearing her words, someone from her right side immediately jumped on the tform and entered the circle with the Inner Court disciple.

    "Feng Qiao Of the Ninth Peak, please advise."

    The older Inner Court disciple smirked condescendingly and said, "You really think just because you will get double points in this circle, you can have the chance to get your hands on the elixir?"

    "Hmph, we will see. Just because you had a few years more to cultivate doesn''t necessarily mean you can defeat me."

    "Alright then, let''s see if you can still spout bullshit after losing a few teeth."

    And then both of them swiftly moved towards each other to attack.

    Simrly, on the other circle, both sides had begun their fight.

    Meanwhile, on the seats near the throne, Xiao Ming was still pissed off about Zheng Xiang''s tant challenge. He looked at him and said, "Hey brat, weren''t you talking too much? Let''s get on the stage. Maybe you can bring your friend too, doesn''t he like to put his nose in other people''s business?"

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors or typos, please let me know in thements so I can correct them.

 Chapter 103 - Mu Xings Challenge

    "Why don''t youe on the stage?"

    Zheng Xiang rolled his eyes at his word, "Dude, do you really think I will need anyone else''s help to beat your weak ass?"

    "Even your eighteen generations of ancestors won''t be enough to even touch my hair," Xiao Ming scoffed at him

    "Man, with those corny lines, someday you''ll go farˇ­ and I hope you stay there." Zheng Xiang replied with an annoyed expression. "I truly hope."

    "Hmph!"

    Meanwhile, on the stage, the battles were finallying to an end.

    However, the interesting thing was that the circle with the new Inner Court disciples didn''t have any suspense, and the result was easily dered with the disciple from the Eighth Peak, Duan Han, winning the fight by kicking his opponent out of the circle with ease.

    While the other circle, the one with the older and new Inner Court disciples, had a neck-to-neck battle.

    The older disciple carried a sword as his weapon, while the new Inner Court disciple, Feng Qiao, wielded a spear.

    Though the Sword is called the king of weapons because of its double-edges, it is on its wielder to get most of its potential. And here, Qian Shi, who used a sword, was clearly having a hard time against the spear wielder.

    [A/n: Usually Spear is termed as King Of Weapons, however, in this context we''re following Chinese martial arts system, and in it, a double-edged sword is the King Of Weapons.

    However, in many cases, three weapons are given the term King Of Weapons: Spear, Sword, and Sabre.

    Let''s not delve much into this topic. You won''t see me disturbing you in-between the chapter again.]

    On the stage, finally, after more than a hundred exchanges of moves, both of them stepped back, panting and trying to catch some breath.

    The Older disciple suddenly smiled and said, "Well, I am surprised with your spear skills. It seems I should also get serious about this."

    With that said, he put his sword back in his spatial ring and then took out a long spear.

    Feng Qiao was shocked, "You aren''t a sword cultivator!?"

    "Haha, of course not. I was just ying around." As soon as he finished, Qian Shi jumped up, and moved his spear, targeting Feng Qiao''s chest.

    "You really think changing your weapon will work? Hmph!" Feng Qiao snarled as he also jumped in the air.

    Both the met head-on.

    Spears struck. Sending shockwaves throughout the tform.

    The power of both sides was intense, however, the one with higher cultivation prevailed and Feng Qiao was thrown out of the stage.

    As the older disciple, Qian Shinded on the tform with his one fist and the opposite knee hitting the ground.

    [A/n: Imagine Iron Man.

    Alright this will be thest time I wille in between you and your chapter.]

    Seeing him win, the older disciples cheered out loud.

    As he stood up, Qian Shi put the spear on his shoulder and said, "You still need to train with that spear for ten more years to even think about going against me."

    Feng Qiao gritted his teeth and walked off the stage.

    Meanwhile, on the other circle, another new disciple had challenged the winner and this time, it looked like a spar of equal footing. But as the fight progressed, Duan Han, who had won the previous fight, finally forfeited due to exhaustion. His opponent, also breathing heavily, didn''t go and mock him, because he knew how tired he himself was.

    As for Qian Shi, the older Inner Court disciple, this time someone from his side challenged him, and easily defeated him.

    Surprisingly the one who defeated him was actually using a sword. And Qian Shi was using a spear to defend.

    From this alone, one can understand that the oue didn''t necessarily depend on the weapon, but rather the skills and cultivation of both sides.

    Soon as the time passed by, the disciples kepting on the stage, challenging whoever stood on the stage.

    The longest time one could stand undefeated on the stage was about eight minutes, before getting kicked out of the circle.

    Even among the older Inner Court disciples, the most time spent inside the circle was only twelve minutes.

    The challenges wereing non-stop, and the time was tallied after every spar.

    On the ground, Mu Xing suddenly stood up.

    As soon as he stood up, other disciples knew that finally the real top disciples were about to go on the stage, and they were excited to see the fights between the top disciples of all the peaks.

    As soon as the circle with the new Inner COurt disciples had an oue, Mu Xing jumped on the stage.

    Looking at his tired opponent, Mu Xing said, "Well, you should forfeit. You''re too tired."

    The disciple didn''t reply and took his fighting stance while taking out a new sword from his spatial ring.

    "Hmph!" Mu Xing didn''t waste any more time and attacked straight for his neck.

    Their sword stuck, however, the aura around Mu Xing was so overpowering that his opponent''s sword broke!

    *ck!*

    Before his opponent could recover, Mu Xing already had his sword on his opponent''s neck, "Surrender now, and I will allow you to keep your life."

    The opponent threw the broken sword from his hand, indicating his forfeit.

    "You''re quite talented. I am Jin Su." The opponent said while panting.

    Mu Xing gave him a smile, "You too. I had to use a lot of force in that move. I am Mu Xing."

    His opponent nodded his head with a smile and went back to the sitting area feeling quite surprised. ''I wasn''t expecting a normal reply. This guy isn''t as arrogant as he looks.''

    Meanwhile, Mu Xing turned around and faced Bai Qing''er

    "Fellow disciple Bai Qing''er,e on the stage, I challenge you for a duel!"

    ...

    A/n: Guys, I did talk about a sneak peek of the next project earlier today, however, now I have nned some big changes in it, so (IMO) there''s no point in showing something which will nevere to light. But if you guys really wish to see it, you can ask me to upload it after this chapter. (It will be deleted after twelve hrs.)

    And an important thing: This book will be premium on theing Thursday, 25th March. And chapters will be locked from ch76.. So if you''re thinking of stockpiling chapters to readter, please keep the date in your mind.

 Chapter 104 - Mu Xing Vs. Bai Qinger

    "Fellow disciple Bai Qing''er,e on the stage, I challenge you for a duel!"

    Mu Xing''s words rang through the hall.

    There was a sudden pin drop silence

    Everyone was surprised, including Yuan Shuchun. Even Ye Tian Yun had one of his eyebrows raised. He wasn''t expecting Mu Xing to challenge her so soon.

    ''Well, whatever. I will also get to see their powers. Let''s hope they don''t disappoint me. After all, Mu Xing was one of Wang Yao''s first rivals.''

    As for the person in question, Bai Qing''er, she wasn''t surprised at all.

    She knew about the iing challenge and was looking forward to this spar.

    In the hall, there were only four people who weren''t thinking of killing her or lusting for her body.

    Mu Xing was one of them.

    And she had also heard rumors of Mu Xing being the best sword cultivator among the male in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    As a sword cultivator herself, she wasn''t going to deny this challenge.

    So, she stood up and jumped into the circle.

    ˇ­

    On the stage, Mu Xing, who had just challenged Bai Qing''er breathed heavily with an excited gaze. He wanted to test his sword skills and was striving to be the best sword cultivator of his generation.

    Bai Qing''er was going to be his first hurdle.

    Elder Lai Chang had once quoted that he was worrying too much and may even get a heart demon, which will only have negative effects on his future cultivation.

    However, Mu Xing wasn''t thinking too much or was afraid of Bai Qing''er''s talent, he was rather excited that now he had a target to chase. And under pressure, he was going to work harder.

    When he saw Bai Qing''er jump on the stage, he stepped back with his left foot, held his sword up to his waist, tightly with both of his hands, and leaned forward as he got ready for the fight.

    Seeing Bai Qing''er take out her sword from her spatial ring and take a fighting stance simr to his, he took a deep breath and charged forward.

    From his opposite, Bai Qing''er also didn''t waste any time and went for her attack.

    As they came close, both of them jumped in the air, and their swords met.

    *ng*

    A shockwave swept through the hall while the disciples watched in awe as both of them continued to exchange sword moves.

    While Bai Qing''er was countering all of his attacks, Mu Xing was thinking of every possible way to get an advantage in this battle.

    One interesting thing that did was happen was that none of them was actually using theirprehension in sword intent.

    They were doing attacks purely based on their sword skills.

    However, these sword moves were so swift that they exchanged more than a hundred moves within a few seconds.

    The disciples in the audience were finding it hard to follow.

    While on the stage, Mu Xing was getting excited as it had been a long time since he had fought with such a talented sword cultivator.

    Suddenly he saw an opening and sent a lightning-fast kick at Bai Qing''er''s stomach.

    But his kick only met air, as Bai Qing''er suddenly disappeared from in front of him.

    Before he could recover, he felt intense pain from his back and the next thing he tasted was the dirt on the tform, mixed with a tinge of his blood.

    Bncing himself, he stood up. Panting, with his hands on his knees, he said with admiration, "Sister Bai Qing''er, you live up to the rumors of your talent."

    Bai Qing''er smiled at his words. From ''Fellow disciple Bai'' to ''Sister Bai'', Mu Xing who had already recognized her as a rival, now also had respect for her talent.

    Mu Xing finally stood up properly, cleaned the blood from the corner of his mouth with his wrist, and said, "I hope you use your best attack this time because I will. Show me your sword intent."

    Seeing her nod, Mu Xing took his fighting stance, as the aura around him suddenly changed. The whole air around him was now different.

    On the Throne, Yuan Shuchun leaned forward, showing her interest in the spars for the first time.

    Near the tform, Ye Tian Yun smiled, ''He''s close.''

    On the stage, Bai Qing''er was also surprised, ''He will breakthrough soon.''

    Sensing danger, she also got ready. And all of a sudden, a shockwave was sent around here as the tform under her cracked. Her hair floated in the air, her robes danced, and the disciples were once again in awe of her strength.

    Suddenly both of them disappeared from their positions. They had already moved for the attack.

    This time, it didn''t even take a second for the sword strikes to rang throughout the hall.

    The next thing disciples saw was Mu Xing falling back on the ground, with double the speed he had jumped.

    As the dust settled, they caught a glimpse of Bai Qing''er slowlynd on the tform, panting.

    On the other side, Mu Xing slowly moved his hand and got up.

    He was battered. His robes were torn, he had sharp cuts on his arms, and he was bleeding from his forehead.

    However, his expression was of someone who was grateful.

    With a smile, he said, "Sister Bai, thank you for your guidance. This time, it was my loss."

    Bai Qing''er nodded and got off the stage.

    Seeing her going down, Yuan Shuchun frowned and said, "Junior Sister Bai, you have won. You don''t have to get out of the circle."

    Bai Qing''er shook her head, "I am sorry, Senior Sister, but this battle took enough toll on me. I may not have received many external injuries, but it took all my strength to win this spar. I cannot fight another battle which I know I will lose."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded, "Alright, then have some rest. However, you shouldn''t back down against challenges."

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments so I can correct them.

    P.s.. First time writing a fight scene, I will improve myself in the future.

 Chapter 105 - Body Cultivator Vs. Sabre Cultivator

    Yuan Shuchun nodded, "Alright, then have some rest. However, you shouldn''t back down against challenges."

    Bai Qing''er nodded her head and returned to her seat without replying.

    Beside her seat, Ye tian Yun rolled his eyes when he heard thest part of Yuan Shuchun''s words.

    ''She already said she is tired and has used all her strength, and you''re making fun of her not continuing?''

    Clearly, Yuan Shuchun was trying to show her dominance by ''educating'' Bai Qing''er.

    Truthfully, in regards to the battle that had just happened, he was surprised by the strength from both sides. Especially Mu Xing. Because he was still able to stand after a full blow attack from someone at Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent.

    And this someone was also not an average disciple, but rather, Bai Qing''er could be considered the cream of the crop even among the cultivators at Manifestation Realm. She was just too strong.

    On the stage, Mu Xing also didn''t waste any time, and jumped off,ing back to his seat.

    Meanwhile, in the other circle, the fight hade to an end and an older inner Court disciple defeated his opponent.

    While he stood alone on the tform, with the other circle empty, waiting for the next challenger, panting heavily.

    Yuan Shuchun looked at her right, towards the new Inner Court disciples, and said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Get on the stage."

    By the time she had finished, someone had already jumped in the empty circle.

    "Qin Feng of the Sixth Peak!"

    Amotion broke as his voice rang throughout the Hall.

    Another top disciple had stepped on the tform.

    Now the disciples were excited to see who would challenge him.

    They didn''t have to wait long as one more disciple jumped on the stage.

    "Xu Peng of the Eighth Peak, please advise."

    As soon as Xu Peng introduced himself, waves of exmation rang throughout the Hall.

    Xu Peng was one of the very few body cultivators and a talented one at that. In terms of raw strength, he easily stood at the top even among the new Inner Court Disciples.

    And because of his unique cultivation and fighting ability, his reputation was on par with Hu Xing and Xiao Ming.

    While Qin Feng was of the kind who tended to keep a low profile and cultivate slowly.

    As they stood against each other, the audience was excited about how this battle was going to turn around.

    While Xu Peng was a body cultivator, Qin Feng cultivated the art of Sabre. And just like Xu Peng, he could also be considered one of the best cultivators on the path he followed.

    Just like Body cultivators, there were not many sabre cultivators in the sect. And to witness a spar between such cultivators was a rarity, thus the reason why the audience was full of anticipation.

    Qin Feng took out not one, but two sabres from his spatial ring. Holding tightly, one in each hand, he leaned forward, stepped back with his right foot, and was now ready to charge.

    Xu Peng didn''t bring any weapons. He tightened his fists and suddenly, a violet glow appeared over his body.

    "Qi Armor!"

    Few knowledgeable disciples eximed in awe.

    Qi Armor, one of the basic but the hardest techniques to practice for a Body cultivator.

    It was a basic technique because a body cultivator needs to learn it from the get-go and it was hardest because there was no end to this. As the cultivation of the Body cultivator increased, his opponents also grew in power, thus a more powerful Qi Armor became a necessity.

    In fact, a Body cultivator''s talent can be judged just based upon the strength of his Qi Armor.

    Seeing Xu Peng have his armor ready, Qin Feng charged straight towards him.

    Xu Peng also ran towards the iing attack.

    Both of them met in the air.

    Qin Feng shed both of his sabres on Xu Peng.

    However, Xu Peng blocked them with ease by using his hand as a shield.

    And just as he blocked the sabre, he pushed his hand, which was acting as a shield, towards Qin Feng and kicked him in the abdomen.

    Qin Feng, who could do nothing to defend against the iing kick, fell straight on the tform. Barely stopping himself from getting thrown out of the circle.

    However, before he could stand up properly, Xu Peng, who was still in the air, jumped straight towards him for another, targeting his head.

    Qin Feng protected himself just in time by crossing his sabre to block the kick.

    But the power from the kick was so much that the tform under Qin Feng cracked and he was not standing inside a crater.

    Seeing no oue, Xu Peng jumped back,nding back at his earlier position.

    Seeing Qin Feng still recovering, Xu Peng once again sent a kick towards his face.

    However just as he came close, Qin Feng suddenly smirked as he jumped up and sent one of his sabres cutting through Xu Peng''s right side, making a deep cut between his armpits and torso.

    "AAh!" Xu Peng squeezed his eyes shut as he winced from the pain.

    Qin Feng finally had some advantage in this battle and he was not going to let go of this chance.

    He charged towards Xu Peng and once again attacked at his armor''s weak points.

    This time, however, Xu Peng wasn''t careless and easily blocked the iing attacks.

    Qin Feng started to strike faster, making it harder for Xu Peng to block his attacks.

    As the cuts increased on Xu Peng, his defense started to weaken.

    However, he was not backing down. Clenching his fist, he regained hisposure, and just as the sabres were about toe at him, instead of blocking the attack, he took the risk and locked Qin Feng''s wrist in his hand.

    Instinctively, Qin Feng sent his second sabre, however, it was also stopped as his other hand was also caught by Xu Peng.

    With both of Qin Feng''s hands locked, Xu Peng slightly jumped and gave him a powerful headbutt, releasing his hold on his hands just before it struck.

    ...

    A/n: Did you guys watch Snyder''s cut yet? It''s 4 hrs long! I hope I get time to binge-watch it.

    Also, guys, get vinated against covid, if you haven''t yet. I had it yesterday. Body is finally reacting to it. Feeling a bit dizzy and heavy, just like how the doctor warned me.

    That''s why only one chapter today.. We will resume our 2ch/d schedule once my body gets back to normal.

 Chapter 106 - Xiao Ming Gets On The Stage!

    Qin Feng felt intense pain and found it hard to focus.

    Clutching his forehead tightly, he tried to get up.

    However before he could even regain hisposure, he suddenly felt a jerk on his neck and found himself lifted in the air.

    The next thing he felt was a gust of air and sudden pain all over his body.

    *Bang*

    Qin Feng was thrown out of the circle.

    Xu Peng stared at him for a good long minute, but Qin Feng didn''t move.

    Just as Yuan Shuchun was about to call some servants to pick him up, he stood up, still clutching his forehead, he looked at Xu Peng.

    Both of them had brief eye contact before Qin Feng returned to his seat, without uttering a single word. He had epted his loss.

    On the stage, Xu Peng took a healing pill, sat cross-legged, and began to recuperate.

    Meanwhile, in the other circle, another battle hade to a conclusion one older Inner Court Disciple, defeated another.

    And just as his battle ended, another older Inner Court disciple challenged him.

    This circle''s battles were much more intense and swift,pared to the circle for the new disciples.

    To the Older Inner court disciples, the fact that new disciples were allowing the person in the circle to recuperate was just a dumb move.

    Thispetition was based on who stayed inside the circle the longest. And the time between spars was also included.

    But since Xu Peng was getting the chance to recuperate, he was also getting more time under his name, thus increasing his chances to win.

    This was also the reason why he didn''t challenge anyone, even though he was already pumped for the next spar after defeating Qin Feng.

    He preferred to recuperate and wait for the next challenger.

    Qin Feng''s sabre moves had given him enough cuts to make his moments slow and painful. Thus he did need some time to recuperate.

    On the throne, Yuan Shuchun was also annoyed that no one came to challenge Xu Peng, and the disciples were allowing him to recuperate. ''This is no fun.''

    She looked at her right, and with a frown, she said to the new Inner Court Disciples, "Do you guys want this guy to get the elixir? Why waste all our time with the spars then? Or you guys are not afraid of getting a headbutt, and then thrown out of the circle like a rag? Ha-ha"

    As herughter echoed through the Hall, Qin Feng, who had just taken his seat, could only clench his teeth in frustration.

    However, no one was paying him any attention, because someone had stood up.

    And when the disciples saw who it was, the silent hall suddenly erupted.

    Because the disciple who stood up was Xiao Ming.

    He jumped on the tform and put his hands behind his back.

    Yuan Shuchun smiled as she looked at him and said as she leaned back on the throne, "Well, at least someone isn''t scared. I hope to see a good spar this time."

    Below the tform, Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, ''What does she mean by ''this time''? The spar between Bai Qing''erand Mu Xing was good enough, and the spar between Xu Peng and Qin Feng was worth watching.''

    On the tform, however, when Xiao Ming heard her words, he just smiled. He had other ns.

    Xu Peng, on the other hand, stood up and took a fighting stance. His opponent was going to be one of the most powerful disciples from the new Inner Court disciples. In fact, there were only three disciples that Xu Peng considered as opponents, Bai Qing''er, Hu Xing, and Xiao Ming.

    And now that one of these three was standing in front of him, he had to take things seriously.

    When Xiao Ming saw Xu Peng getting ready for a spar, he smirked and asked out loud.

    "Are you even worthy?"

    "What?" His words confused many people.

    Xu Peng frowned, "Well, why don''t youe in here, let''s see if you can say that after a few punches in your gut."

    Xiao Ming cracked a cynicalugh, "You really overestimate yourself. Just because you threw someone with raw strength, don''t drown yourself in overconfidence."

    As he finished, in the other circle, the oue was decided as one of the disciples forfeited the match.

    However, Xu Peng didn''t pay attention and cracked his knuckles, "Well, we will know once you get in."

    But Xiao Ming just gave him a condescending smirk and jumped into the circle for the older Inner Court Disciples.

    The disciples from both sides were surprised at this move. Xiao Ming was going to challenge the older inner Court disciples!

    ...

    A/n: Sorry for the short and dyed chapter. We will resume 2ch/d schedule from tomorrow.. I just need one more night''s rest.

 Chapter 107 - Xiao Mings One-shot Battles

    On the Throne, Yuan Shuchun frowned seeing Xiao Ming''s actions.

    She wasn''t happy with this development, especially since she had clearly stated that she didn''t wish Xu Peng to be given a chance to recuperate.

    With Xiao Ming on the stage, no one would go and challenge XU Peng because they would rather watch Xiao Ming''s spar.

    Xu Peng, on the other hand, was only frustrated for a second before understanding that Xiao Ming not challenging him was only going to benefit him, so there was no need to hold a grudge over an idiot who wanted fame over resources.

    Near the tform, Ye Tian Yun however wasn''t thinking that Xiao Ming challenging the inner Court disciples was to make a name for himself, but rather he had something else nned.

    ''He is most probably going after the manual. That is the only thing that is more important than elixir. But how does this guy know of the manual''s value?''

    While Ye Tian Yun was trying to understand what Xiao Ming was nning to do, the other party had already entered the second circle.

    Afternding in the circle, Xiao Ming announced his name, "Xiao Ming, Ninth Peak."

    His opponent, the older Inner Court disciples, felt quite annoyed seeing him smirk.

    "You really think just because you were ranked first in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, you can think about going against older disciples, I would warn you first to keep your overconfidence in check."

    Xiao Ming cackled when he heard his opponent, "Ha-ha, we will see if you still say the same after this spar."

    "Hmph!" The disciple didn''t waste any more time and jumped for an attack as he took out his sword.

    However, before he even gained momentum, the disciple felt a sudden pain in his stomach as if a huge boulder had just struck him.

    In the next moment, he found himself coughing and panting below the stage, trying to understand what had just happened.

    Bncing himself, he stood up, and to his shock, he found Xiao Ming still standing in the same ce.

    "What just happened!?" He asked out loud, bringing the audience back to senses, as were also trying toprehend what was going on.

    ˇ­

    Even Ye Tian Yun suddenly came back to his senses, ''That speed!''

    ''He didn''t reveal such speed when I kicked him.''

    The disciples on both sides are confused about what had happened. Only three disciples in the Hall knew what had transpired. Ye Tian Yun, Yuan Shuchun, and the ice-cold Inner Court disciple.

    The disciple was frowning as he looked at Xiao Ming.

    ''This guy''s speed is close to mine. But he''s one whole realm below me!''

    Frowning, he moved his neck and looked for Yuan Shuchun''s reaction.

    He found a very rare expression of interest on her face.

    This expression made him feel insecure. ''Shit, don''t tell me she''s now going to recruit Xiao Ming? Damn, things will be troublesome if more people get close to her.''

    Meanwhile, Yuan Shuchun was intrigued by Xiao Ming''s speed. ''Does this guy have any treasure on him? Such speed is unnatural. I need to keep an eye on him. Let''s see how he performs next.''

    ˇ­

    On the stage.

    "Well, you should keep your confidence in check before going against lower realm cultivators." Xiao Ming''s arrogant voice rang out once again.

    The older disciple kicked the ground and went back to his seat. And as soon as he turned, another older Inner Court disciple jumped on the stage.

    This disciple however didn''t say anything and straight up went for the attack.

    Another gust of wind, this disciple was also kicked out of the circle.

    Xiao Mingughed and with a sarcastic tone, he said allowed, ''I am very disappointed with my seniors'' performances. I was actually hoping some of you will be able to withstand more than one kick.''

    The cold-looking Inner Court disciple who was standing near the throne narrowed his eyes at Xiao Ming''s words. He then gave a signal through his eyes, to one of the disciples to challenge Xiao Ming.

    As soon as the older Inner Court Disciple got the signal, he jumped on the tform.

    ˇ­

    The cold-looking disciples nodded when he saw the disciple challenge Xiao Ming, just then a maid passed him and went to Yuan Shuchun.

    The maid approached Yuan Shuchun and whispered something in her year.

    Yuan Shuchun''s expression suddenly went from neutral to frowning, and finally anger.

    She stared at the maid and with a smirk, she whispered back, "Let them enter. I will teach them a good lesson. Heavenly League is not their backyard where they cane and go whenever they wish."

    Even though Yuan Shuchun had only whispered, Ye Tian Yun and that disciple, who were close to the throne, were able to hear her words.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned when he heard this, ''Who ising? An Elder? No, she wouldn''t have any reason to stop them. The only people she doesn''t like are the ones who areˇ­ not in her heavenly League.''

    ''Is Jiang Yuning with his World League?''

    ...

    A/n: I still need to write the second chapter for the day. Had a powercut at my ce for the whole day.. fml.

 Chapter 108 - Ye Tian Yuns Prenomination And Xiao Mings Battle

    Ye Tian Yun was now pretty sure that tonight was going to be even bigger than he had expected.

    He did know about something big that will happen in this banquet, and it will affect the future lives of the central characters of this sect.

    And now that there was a chance that Jiang Yun and his entourage of the World League could arrive and disrupt the banquet, he thought that things would get moreplicated and ugly.

    It was mainly because the ''something big'' that he had been looking forward to definitely did not include anyone other than the members of the Heavenly League.

    In fact, this banquet is supposed to go normally without any hups till the very end. But now things may go different from what he was expecting. Especially since Yuan Shuchun hated Jiang Yun''s guts for an unknown reason and most probably both of them could even start fighting tonight.

    "Huang Bao, Sixth Peak."

    Just then, the older disciple who had jumped in the circle to challenge Xiao Ming announced his name, disrupting Ye Tian Yun''s thoughts.

    Ye Tian Yun looked up and focused on the spar.

    On the tform, Xu Peng was still enjoying his time to recover. While in the other circle, Xiao Ming and his opponent got ready to fight.

    Huang Bao, the disciple who had just entered the circle to challenge Xiao Ming, didn''t actually take a fighting stance, but rather, put his hands behind his back and stood upright.

    Xiao Ming smiled at his actions and said, "Why are you older disciples so arrogant? Can''t you see what happened to the two before you? Yet you''re not taking me seriously."

    Huang Bao didn''t have any change in expression as he replied with an emotionless tone, "The fact that I am standing in front of you should be enough."

    Seeing Xiao Ming frown at his words, Huang Bao continued, "Now,e."

    "Hmph!" Xiao Ming once again took a fighting stance, however this time he wasn''t bare-handed but rather he had a long sword in his hand.

    As soon as he got ready, without wasting any more time, he charged forward to attack.

    Huang Bao, on the other hand, didn''t move an inch and remained standing still.

    This enraged Xiao Ming even more because he thought his opponent wasn''t taking him seriously, so he ran towards him even faster, and this time he was aiming for his neck.

    As he came close to Huang Bao, Xiao Ming suddenly jumped and suddenly one more sword appeared in his hand as he shed at Haung Bao with all his strength.

    However, instead of getting a clean slice cut that he was expecting, Xiao Ming suddenly felt as if he had struck a wall.

    He wasn''t even able to move his swords and at that time, Huang Bao, who had blocked the iing attack with his bare hands, took a step back and threw Xiao Ming backward like a hammer-throw.

    *Bang* *Bang* *Pat*

    Xiao Ming fell headfirst on the tform, his body bouncing on the surface like a stone thrown in a pond. His swords were broken in half.

    The disciples in the audience were stunned to witness the scene, especially the new Inner Court disciples who had almost established Xiao Ming as the best disciple in their minds.

    "What the hell just happened!"

    "That disciple is so powerful, he threw Xiao Ming like a rag."

    "Yeah, but then we can say that this was somehow expected since the cultivation difference was also huge, but the most shocking thing to me is the fact that Xiao Ming used two swords!"

    "Yes, since when did he be a Dual Sword Cultivator?"

    "He didn''t use two swords in his battle against Hu Xing, and today he suddenly has Dual Sword Skills?"

    "Yet he still lost. On top of that, his words were blocked bare-handed by his opponent."

    "How did Huang Bao do it? Is he a body cultivator!"

    "Most probably, but why don''t I see the Qi Armor on him?"

    ˇ­

    On the stage, Xiao Ming''s fingers twitched as he slowly got up and stood. Looking around, he assessed his situation.

    He stared down and found his hands trembling, not because he was afraid of something, but rather due to the shock and impact his body had felt when his attack was blocked all of a sudden.

    As he regained hisposure, he also noticed his broken swords.

    Taking a deep breath, he raised his head towards his opponent, Huang Bao.

    Surprisingly, Huang Bao was still standing at the exact position. He didn''t even move to kick Xiao Ming out of the circle after blocking his attack. This baffled Xiao Ming. However, the thing which shocked him most was how it was possible to block his attack.

    "Are you a body cultivator?" Xiao Ming asked aloud.

    This time, however, Xiao Ming''s expression didn''t have any arrogance.

    Huang Bao didn''t reply for some time. And then he said, "It''s true that I am a body cultivator."

    "However, I am very disappointed with your performance. I was actually hoping that you will at least be able tond your attack."

    Xiao Ming clenched his teeth when he heard the words. These were exactly simr to what he had just said a few minutes ago.

    Sensing Xiao Ming''s unstable emotions, Huang Bao continued with his words, "The thing that disappointed me, even more, was the fact that the best disciple among the new Inner COurt disciples couldn''t even stand my raw strength."

    "Raw strength!?"

    "Indeed, and the worst part, your attack was pathetically weak."

    Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes before saying, "This wasn''t my best attack. Let''s see if you can block my next one."

    And without saying anything, he took out two more swords from his spatial ring, one sword for each hand, and then he went straight for the attack.

    This time, he was nning to use his full strength.

    He didn''t jump this time, but rather, went for a straight jab on Huang Bao.

    Huang Bao, on the other hand, suddenly smirked seeing his iing attack.

    He swiftly moved and before Xiao Ming could even understand what had happened, Huang Bao gave a brutal kick in his abdomen, sending him flying.

    This time, Xiao Mingnded out of the circle.. Disqualified.

 Chapter 109 - A Chance.

    Xiao Ming was thrown out of the circle.

    Silence fell through the hall when the disciples saw the state of Xiao Ming.

    To older disciples, this was the expected result. Not only because of the cultivation difference, but rather the person still standing with his hands behind his back, Huang Bao.

    To them, the fact that he went on the stage was enough to know that Xiao Ming was going to learn a good lesson tonight.

    However, on the opposite, among the new Inner Court disciples, this was pretty shocking.

    It was hard toprehend for them what they had just witnessed.

    Xiao Ming, the best of the new Inner Court disciples, couldn''t even resist the onught. His attacks didn''t even touch his opponent, and not once, but twice he was thrown like a rag.

    No one was making his fun, but rather, they had turned serious.

    This instant fight was enough for the disciples to understand the gap and know that they should not becent because these old Inner Court disciples were now their rivals.

    ˇ­

    Near the tform, Ye Tian Yun was also among the ones who were surprised at this oue. Not that he had any hopes that Xiao Ming would win, but the fact that he couldn''t even defend himself was the surprising part.

    As per the reports, Xiao Ming would have once again shone in the hall, he would have be unstoppable, and wouldter win this event and gain recognition of Yuan Shuchun.

    However, everything was deviating from the plot.

    First, the three bottles of Seven Treasures Of Body Tempering Liquid and the manual. These were not supposed to be included in the rewards, but rather only few Qi Strengthening Pills were supposed to be given. These new rewards were also the reason why the older Inner Court disciples were interested in the spar, or else they would have juste here for the good food and wine if the rewards were just a few Qi Strengthening Pills.

    And then the chances of Jiang Yun and the World League to crash this banquet. This is not what was supposed to happen. In fact, no one other than the new Inner Court disciples and the Heavenly League members was supposed to be in this hall.

    And now the thrashing of Xiao Ming. The fact that he had challenged the older disciples was already deviating this plot and then being beaten like a dog was though expected but surprising that it happened so early.

    Now it seemed like the whole banquet was going in an unpredictable direction and it was going to be hard for him to judge what was going to happen next.

    Besides him, Zheng Xiang also had a serious expression.

    He may have loved seeing the site of Xiao Ming getting thrown out of the circle, but he also understood his own limits.

    In front of Xiao Ming, unfortunately, he wouldn''t stand for a long time.

    Xiao Ming was powerful and had much more strength than him, this was a fact. Just because Xiao Ming was defeated easily by an older disciple didn''t change this fact.

    In fact, it only showed how weak Zheng Xiang himself was in front of the Inner Court disciples.

    Even though somewhere in his mind he wanted to make fun of Xiao Ming and get him more enraged, the urgency inside him to cultivate and practice harder suppressed any other urges.

    He was not going to ck anymore. They only had six months before the Grand Spirit Hunt and even less time to get selected as participants. And their opponents were going to be disciples like Huang Bao.

    It was definitely not going to be an easy ride.

    ˇ­

    On the stage, Xiao Ming finally twitched and slowly got up.

    Among all the disciples present in the hall, Xiao Ming was the one who was the most shocked and stunned by the result.

    The fact that he couldn''t even touch Huang Bao shocked him a lot. In fact, he wasn''t even able to force Huang Bao to release his Qi Armor.

    Clearly showing the gap in their strength, Xiao Ming, who had suffered his first setback in his life, was now even more determined to cultivate harder. He wasn''t going to let this simple setback push him down, but rather he had learned his lesson and now he was going to prepare himself for the next time he met Huang Bao.

    After a moment of thought and self-reflection, Xiao Ming stood up. Staring as Huang Bao, who still stood at the exact same ce with his hands behind his back, Xiao Ming said, "Senior brother Huang, I ept my defeat. But next time, our fight won''t be one-sided."

    Huang Bao was inwardly surprised when he heard this. Not only the confidence and conviction in Xiao Ming''s voice were great but also the fact that this guy who had been acting like a prick this whole time straight up epted his defeat was quite the opposite of what he had epted.

    He then nodded and for the first time, he showed emotion on his face. With a slight smile, he said, "Junior brother Xiao, I hope you don''t disappoint me."

    Xiao Ming nodded and just as he was about to turn, Yuan Shuchun stood up andmanded, "Stop."

    Her voice attracted the attention of everyone towards her.

    Noticing hundreds of gazes upon herself, she smiled and said, "Junior Brother Xiao Ming, I was indeed surprised by your guts to challenge the older Inner Court disciples even though you knew that you were going to suffer an unavoidable defeat. And I have decided to give you one more chance."

    "A chance?"

    "Yes. You can challenge the disciple in the other circle. Though it''s up to you, because this disciple is also a body cultivator. I hope you don''t disappoint me with your choice."

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors, pleasement and let me know.

    Sorry for the dyed update, it took more than few hours to write the next chapter.. hope you like it.

 Chapter 110 - Despair...?

    "A chance?"

    "Yes. You can challenge the disciple in the other circle. Though it''s up to you, because this disciple is also a body cultivator. I hope you don''t disappoint me with your choice."

    Everyone was surprised by this unexpected announcement, especially Xiao Ming himself. He wasn''t hoping for another chance to acquire the elixir.

    And now that this heaven-sent opportunity hade he was not going to reject it.

    He cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, Senior Sister for this chance. Xiao Ming will dly ept."

    He then jumped into the other circle and stood in front of the shocked Xu Peng.

    Xu Peng who had been silently recuperating from all this time currently hated Yuan Shuchun to death.

    ''Why the fvck is this b!tch targeting me? What did I do to her? Fvckin queen of cunts.''

    He was annoyed by the fact that she was continuously targeting him just because no one challenged him.

    Clearly, she didn''t wish for him to get the elixir.

    ''If I can''t get it, no one else can. Xiao Ming is already pretty much injured, he shouldn''t be a big deal right now.''

    Thinking this, he took a fighting stance, as a violet aura covered his whole body.

    Seeing Xu Peng prepare his Qi Armor, Xiao Ming smiled.

    He stared at Xu Peng like a child looking at his new toy and asked, "How hard is your skin with this Qi Armor?"

    "Hard enough to crush your pride."

    Xiao Ming had his eyebrows raised from such an aggressive reply, "Calm down buddy, this is just a friendly spar, should I use full power against you?"

    "Hmph!" Xu Peng smirked, "You are already in such bad condition, I would be surprised if you could even scratch me."

    "We''ll see."

    And then with a smile on his face, Xiao Ming went for the attack.

    Xu Peng got ready to block the iing attack and repeat what Huang Bao had just done, throw Xiao Ming out of the circle.

    However, suddenly he felt something weird.

    He felt as if he was flying.

    And the next thing he saw was something familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

    He saw his own body.

    And it was getting farther, and fartherˇ­ and farther.

    Then it felt like he was falling and suddenly he noticed that his body didn''t have a head.

    Before he could even process anything, he had lost consciousness. Forever.

    ...

    Silence fell throughout the hall.

    *Pat*

    *Plop*

    Two sounds echoed as the head of Xu Peng rolled out of the tform and his unmoving body fell on the tform as blood gushed all of the surfaces.

    The disciples were in shock.

    Yuan Shuchun was in shock.

    Ye Tian Yun was in shock.

    Xiao Ming had just killed a fellow disciple and he was now cleaning his sword with a white piece of cloth as if nothing had happened.

    "Well, it wasn''t hard enough."

    His voice rang through the hall, bringing everyone back to their senses.

    *ssssh!*

    A lot of disciples took a deep breath as they digested what had just happened.

    Yuan Shuchun stood up, there was less anger, more annoyance on her face.

    However, before she could even say anything, the cold-looking disciple beside her came forwards and asked aloud.

    "Xiao Ming, do you know what you have justmitted!?"

    Xiao Ming took a regretful sigh and said, "Senior Brother, I clearly asked him if his armor was hard enough, and he imed that it could crush me. So I didn''t hold back and went straight for the head."

    "What kind of nonsense is this? You''vemitted a murder. Do you think you will be let go as if nothing happened?"

    "But I only attacked like that because he himself imed himself to be this powerful."

    "Hmph! You should just say goodbye to your cultivation. Take this idiot to the Disciplinary Hall, Elders will judge his fate the first thing tomorrow morning!"

    Xiao Ming had a panicky expression as he saw few Inner Court disciples jump on the tform.

    He suddenly looked at his sword. Somehow he wasn''t able to convince himself that he had really killed a fellow disciple.

    He looked on the ground below the tform and saw Xu Peng''s dead-pan eyes staring at him as if looking through his darkest soul. What made him feel worse was the smile on Xu Peng''s face which made his whole expression look even more unnatural and menacing.

    Xiao Ming looked around and saw the Inner Court disciples slowly closing to him, he tried to tighten his grip around his sword, but he found there was nothing in his hand.

    His attempt only made his hand tighten into a fist.

    He looked around for his sword but it was nowhere to be seen.

    Suddenly he noticed that everyone present around him only had one expression - anger.

    Except for two disciples, Yuan Shuchun, who looked very annoyed, and another disciple, just left facing Yuan Shuchun, among the new Inner Court disciples.

    It was the disciple who had interrupted his argument earlier and even kicked him to the tform.

    This disciple was looking at him as ifˇ­ as if he was watching a showˇ­?

    Nothing around him was making any sense and all of a sudden he felt a sudden burst of intense pain in his head.

    The pain was so excruciating that he was forced to sit and held his head tight, trying to figure out what in the world was happening.

    There was a certain feeling that welled through at this point.

    ''Is thisˇ­ despair?''

    Just then, he heard a voice, "Stop it."

    These two words echoed throughout his head. And slowly his pain went away.

    He stood up and found that there were no Inner Court disciples approaching to detain him.

    He then looked in front of him, and he found Xu Peng standing in front of him! Alive and Well!

    ...

    A/n: If youe across any errors/typos, pleasement and let me know.

    Ig we''re back on track now.. Resuming old schedule of 2ch/d from today.

 Chapter 111 - The Nine Supremes

    Xu Peng was confident that he would be able to defend himself against the sword attacks of Xiao Ming. However, unexpectedly he found himself beheaded in the next moment.

    He went through a thousand emotions and a million thoughts shed through his mind as the very next moment, he found himself on an empty, in surface.

    This in surface stretched endlessly. There was no cage around him. But he still felt like he was chained and imprisoned.

    For like an age he sat there, contemting over the choices he had taken.

    Lost in his thoughts, he had lost track of time when suddenly a voice came straight into his head and he woke up from this dream.

    Soon he regained hisposure and found himself back on the tform, in the banquet, and with his head attached to his body.

    The first thing he did was instinctively get into a defensive stance when he remembered that he was in a fight.

    However, he suddenly frowned when his opponent, Xiao Ming, didn''te for an attack and was standing at one ce, still and unmoving.

    Upon a closer look, Xu Peng noticed that Xiao Ming was nkly staring in his direction with a pale look on his face. Xiao Ming''s eyes were on him, but he was not ''looking'' at him.

    Xu Peng was shocked to see what was happening. He had no idea why Xiao Ming was acting like that.

    Just then, his eyes fell on the disciples sitting behind Xiao Ming. To his shock, these disciples were also giving a nk stare to him, however, the only difference was that, unlike Xiao Ming who had paleness and fearful expression, they had shock, disbelief, and anger in their eyes.

    He turned his head to look around and to his surprise, all the disciples had simr expression of varying degrees,

    ''What the hell is happening?'' And to look for an answer, he turned towards Yuan Shuchun.

    Unsurprisingly, she was staring at the Hall''s entrance at the opposite end of the Hall. Sensing his gaze, she looked at him and gestured to him not to do anything and stay at his ce.

    He nodded his head and happily obliged. ''It''s best if I don''t do anything stupid.''

    ˇ­

    Opposite to him, Xiao Ming stood there motionless as he found it hard toprehend what had just happened.

    At that time he once again heard the shout, but this time, the speaker appeared to be angry.

    "Stop it already!"

    He turned towards the source of the voice.

    Yuan Shuchun was the one who shouted. But she wasn''t shouting at him, but rather to someone behind him.

    He turned around, and in there, at the entrance of the hall, stood a masked person with his hands behind his back.

    All gowned in a simr rob, and with core disciple insignia. Donning a mask, which began from their neck and covered their face up to nose bridge, he stood upright.

    There was pin-drop silence in the hall.

    Yuan Shuchun took a deep breath and asked out loud, "To use such demonic cultivation technique over junior disciples, I see that the Nine Supremes have lost all their reason and limits."

    It was then it dawned on Xiao Ming that he had been in an illusion all this time.

    "Haha, Little girl, your tongue gets sharper and sharper every time we meet. I was just testing the spirit perception of our junior disciples."

    "Spirit Perception? Who are you to do that? Are you the Sect Leader? Or do you not even care about Sect Rules anymore?"

    "Hais, there''s no point arguing with you." The disciple at the entrance gave her a nonchnt reply and jumped on the stage.

    He looked around, looking at all the disciples present at the scene. His eyes lingered over Ye Tian Yun longer than at others and then staring at Yuan Shuchun, he said, "Junior Sister Yuan, Nine Supremes havee to choose a candidate for the next seat."

    Yuan Shuchun was clearly offended by his words. "What do you mean you havee here? Go and organize your own banquets! And next time, don''t you dare use that technique in my presence."

    Her loud words echoed throughout the hall. By now, almost all the disciples in the hall hade back to their senses.

    They stood there in shock as they felt like they had returned back in time and were about to once again witness Xiao Ming beheading Xu Peng.

    It was a weird deja vu feeling for them. Like they were reliving each and every moment.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, stood in shock when the masked disciples announced their identities.

    The Nine Supremes.

    In the Gracious Sword Sect, there were hundreds of leagues, some made from n alliances, a few made by political factions of the sect and then there came the leagues which just existed. No history, no sense, no agenda. They were just there as a league.

    Such were the Nine Supremes. This league was also one of the smallest leagues in the whole sect, however, its power and influence were big enough to be acknowledged among the big four leagues alongside World, Jade, and Heavenly.

    However, unlike the other three leagues, which had a rich history and powerful backings, the Nine Supremes had nothing. The only thing that they had were very talented members. As the name stated, they only had nine members among them, but any one of them was alone enough to trounce over half of their peak''s Inner Court disciples.

    Just like their member on the tform, who alone put the best of the new Inner Court disciples and half of the Heavenly League''s top members in a dream-like illusion and even made Xu Peng suffer death.

    This alone was enough to state how talented and powerful the other members would be.. Especially since each of them was known to possess unique cultivation methods, just like the masked disciple on the stag who cultivated this Illusion technique.

 Chapter 112 - Jun Xie, The Dreamscape Supreme

    Since the Nine Supremes only had a fixed number of members in their league, they designed a system to get new blood to join them.

    It was decided that each of the nine members would choose a Seat Candidate before the uing Grand Spirit Hunt, and that disciple will be trained personally by them for the next six-seven months, and then, depending on their performance in the Grand Spirit Hunt, it would be decided if they should be nurtured by the league or not.

    Later, for them to officially be a member of the Nine Supremes, they would have to challenge the existing members or wait for them to be an elder.

    And the member of the Nine Supremes on the stage was here to select his Seat Candidate.

    For Ye Tian Yun, this was an opportunity toplete his goal of getting close to Yuan Shuchun. Even though none of the Nine Supremes were supposed to be here tonight, he didn''t worry, because only the way of achieving his aim changed.

    On the tform, the masked disciple ignored Yuan Shuchun''s rant and looked at Huang Bao, who was standing alone in his circle.

    This one look was enough for Huang Bao to get the sign as he cupped his fists and got down from the tform.

    In the other circle, Xiao Ming and Xu Peng also got down from the tform.

    They were not idiots and in no way they wanted to offend any of the Nine Supremes. At least not yet.

    After three of them had gotten off the stage, the masked disciple then once again slowly looked around at the disciples.

    He stopped at Ye Tian Yun and pointed at him while saying, "Your spirit sense is pretty good,e on the tform."

    ''May the heavens bless my arrogance,'' Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath, and instead of getting up, he rxed even more on his seat, "Senior Brother Jun, I have no interest in the Seven Treasure Body Tempering Liquid. I do not intend to fight."

    "Seven Treasure what...?" The masked disciple was confused when it suddenly dawned on him what Ye Tian Yun was talking about, "Who said I am calling you for this stupid spar? Boy, get on the stage."

    "That sounds like effort, so no."

    The masked disciple raised his eyebrow at such a reply. He crossed his hands, and asked, "Why is it that you cannote here?"

    "I''m pretty sure there''s someone a lot stupider who would enjoy doing that instead."

    "What is your name, boy?" The masked disciple was now clearly amused at Ye Tian Yun''s answers.

    "Fang Chen."

    As his voice rang throughout the hall, it attracted Yuan Shuchun''s attention, who had till now only superficially paid attention to their conversation.

    ''So, this is Sect Leader''s son, Fang Chen?''

    Yuan Shuchun did know who Fang Chen was, but she didn''t know how he looked, nor she had much information about his talent in cultivation, except for the fact that he was ranked first at the Seventh Peak''s Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    Thus she was naturally interested in at least knowing him and would most probably try to get him in her Heavenly League. Maybe in the future, she would be able to use Fang Chen as a weapon against Sect Leader Su.

    On the tform, when the disciple heard his name, unlike Yuan Shuchun, he didn''t have any change of expression and proceeded to say, "Well, Junior Disciple Fang Chen, let me introduce myself, I am Jun Xie, the Dreamscape Supreme."

    Amotion blew throughout the hall when the masked disciple announced his name. Many were awed and shocked, however, no one was more surprised than Ye Tian Yun.

    To others, Jun Xie''s identity was awe-inspiring because he was one of the most talented disciples in terms of cultivation and if this was not enough, he was also the best alchemy disciple of the Sect, with his alchemy realm rumored to be equaled to that of the Second Peak''s Peak Master.

    It was said that if Jun Xie was not a member of the Nine Supremes, he would have be the youngest Peak Master in the history of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    For Ye Tian Yun, this guy''s identity was surprising because the person standing in front of him would one day be so powerful that he would alone put a rival sect in an illusion and make them kill each other.

    To be able to control people at will and put them in an illusion was a terrifying power to have, this is the reason why he kept a very low profile even though his actual powers were way beyond this point.

    As themotion calmed down a bit, Jun Xie, satisfied by the reaction of the crowd, looked straight into the eyes of Ye Tian Yun and asked, "I will give thisst chance to you. Justply and get on the stage."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, he knew how far he was able to push Jun Xie''s patience. And he also didn''t wish to close the doors of friendship with him just because of his little act.

    He got up from his seat and jumped directly to the tform. Landing between Yuan Shuchun and the masked disciple, Jun Xie, as his back faced Yuan Suchun who was currently just observing like a bystander.

    After Ye Tian Yunnded, that disciple nodded and then called eight more disciples from the crowd, which included Zheng Xiang, Hu Xing.

    Suddenly Ye Tian Yun noticed one thing. All the disciples that Jun Xie called were the top disciples of Seventh Peak!

    None of the disciples from other peaks were called.

    Since Ye Tian Yun was able to notice this, of course, Yuan Shuchun also saw what was happening.

    While Ye Tian Yun was ignorant about the reason why only Seventh Peak disciples were called, Yuan Shuchun knew of the exact reason.

    ''He is here for the Sword Intent disciple!''

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors or typos, please let me know throughments.

 Chapter 113 - Jun Xies Challenge

    As soon as Jun Xie began to call the Seventh Peak disciples on the tform, Yuan Shuchun understood why he hade here.

    Jun Xie wanted to find the disciple who had broken through the Sword Intent!

    Yuan Shuchun took a deep breath and started to think; she had to do something before it was toote.

    On the tform, Jun Xie nodded at the eight disciples standing in front of him, and after a moment of thought, he asked, "Do you know why I have called you on the stage?"

    "The reason why I have called you here is because of all the disciples in this hall, only your spirit sense reacted against my illusion, be it knowingly or unknowingly."

    His words surprised the disciples, especially Zheng Xiang and Hu Xing, who couldn''t even tell if that was an illusion or not during Xiao Ming''s battle.

    However, Ye Tian Yun was trying his best to resist his urge to roll back his eyes, ''At least put some effort in lying.''

    ''This guy is definitely after something. No one could see through the illusion, let alone the disciples of the Seventh Peak who are considered the button of the barrel in the Sect.''

    Near the throne, Yuan Shuchun also had the same thoughts; however, she had no reason to only think about it. So with a disdaining tone, she asked, "Are you trying to say that only the disciples of the Seventh Peak were able to resist your illusion and that too, only the disciple who are newly promoted to the Inner Court?"

    Jun Xie opened his mouth to reply, but then he closed it back.

    After a moment of thought, he opened it again, "Uhˇ­ well, looks like Seventh Peak disciples are really talented ones this time around."

    Before Yuan Shuchun could taunt him anymore, he looked at the disciples in front of him and said, "Since you guys were able to resist and now that I have seen your talent, I am really interested in choosing you guys for the next Seat Candidate."

    "But you all know that each member of the Nine Supremes can choose only one Seat Candidate."

    " So, let''s do this since you were able to resist the illusion, this time, I will test your battle prowess, and the one who can defend my sword strike might be the next Seat Candidate."

    "So, be careful, alright? Now, Who wille first?"

    When Ye Tian Yun heard thest part, he suddenly frowned, and then a smile appeared on his face. ''This guy is just like the reports.''

    Seeing a confused expression on half of the disciples, Jun Xie took out a sword from his spatial ring and pointed the sword at Hu Xing, standing at the opposite end of the line, was obviously avoiding Ye Tian Yun like a gue.

    Hu Xing was first startled seeing the sword pointing at him and then calming himself down. He reflexively nodded and moved forward.

    The other disciples backed up and stood at the tform''s border, while Jun Xie and Hu Xing now stood opposite each other at the center of the tform.

    Hu Xing prepared his sword, ready to receive the attack.

    Jun Xie was much calmer and said with a light tone, "The rules will be simple, I will attack you first, you will defend, and then, I will give you a chance to attack me."

    Hu Xing nodded and tightened his grip around his sword.

    Jun Xie smiled at his nervousness and moved for an attack.

    Before Hu Xing could even understand what had happened, Jun Xie''s sword had already arrived closed to his neck.

    Hu Xing, in that mere instant, felt fear. Fear of death.

    Jun Xie was a Core disciple and definitely wouldn''t kill any of his fellow disciples, but at this time, Hu Xing''s brain couldn''t think of such thoughts as dreadful fear gripped his heart.

    There''s a saying that fear makes us resilient and brings out our real strength.

    This is what happened to Hu Xing as his own hand moved even faster than Jun Xie, and before Jun Xie''s sword could reach his neck, Hu Xing had already blocked it.

    However, the impact was too much for his body to handle. After a second or two, Hu Xing couldn''t withstand the iing force and flew sideways.

    Jun Xiended back on the tform, unaffected.

    However, he shook his head and said, "You weren''t as good as I had expected. If not for your luck and instinct, you would have had your head removed from your body."

    Hu Xing recovered himself and, without saying anything, went in for his attack.

    However, he was easily blocked and kicked back on the ground.

    Jun Xie shook his head, ''This is not the guy I am looking for.''

    He then suddenly remembered the disciple who was earlier wasting his time.

    He looked around and soon found him.

    "Feng-Chan, you''re next. Enter the stage." Jun Xie thenmanded him aloud.

    ''What the fuck did this guy just call me?'' Ye Tian Yun had his right eyebrow slightly raised when he heard Jun Xie. ''He''s lucky this is not my real name, hmph!''

    "It''s Fang Chen."

    "Whatever, juste on the stage."

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and went forward, not forgetting to tease Hu Xing when they crossed each other. "Sigh, my butler is quite useless."

    Hu Xing could only roll his eyes when he heard those eyes. He was too depressed to get annoyed by thement right now.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun was soon standing in front of Jun Xie, with his hands behind his back.

    This surprised Jun Xie. "Are you this confident that you will be able to defend yourself?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Of course not; who said I am defending myself bare-handed. Juste with your attack whenever you''re ready."

    ''This guy will definitely find out about the Sword Intent; I will need to find a way to stop him from revealing.''

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know in thements.

 Chapter 114 - Why Dont You Be My Seat Candidate?

    Ye Tian Yun had many thoughts running in his mind. He knew whatever was going on right now had more than what met to his eyes.

    In front of him were two options, to get defeated early, so as to not to arouse any suspicion regarding his Sword Intent, and the other option was to reveal his talent a bit and get acquainted with Jun Xie.

    This was because he knew that after a few years, he would need Jun Xie''s help, and the best thing to do right now felt that he should reveal his prowess, not necessarily his sword intent.

    If someone asked him a few months back when he had entered the Lower Heavens to take revenge, would he make friends and connections? He would have straight out denied it.

    However, this doesn''t change the fact that he ''will'' need allies when the timees; after all, if Wang Yao had been alone, he wouldn''t even amount to dog shit in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    And Ye Tian Yun also knew that few people in the Lower Heavens were worthy of getting acquainted with.

    Jun Xie was one of them.

    Not only because of his talent but also because of his background and bloodline. In fact, Jun Xie had a much closer rtion to him than anyone else in the Lower Heavens. Of course, not counting the Wangs since he never counted them as a part of his family, to begin with.

    Suddenly a thought shed in Ye Tian Yun''s mind, ''This sect is just above average in power; however, some disciples here have quite big backgrounds.''

    Taking a deep breath, he removed unnecessary thoughts and prepared himself for the iing attack.

    He put one foot in front, pointing it forward and one foot back, pointing to the side, and the legs spread a little.

    He pressed his thumb on the spatial ring on his index finger. Ready to draw his swords.

    In front of him, Jun Xie took a step, and in the next instant, he was in the air, just behind Ye Tian Yun.

    The attack was a bit different from the one which Hu Xing faced because it wasn''t straightforward. Jun Xie was expecting an easy win this time, too; however, his opponent was Ye Tian Yun.

    As soon as the sword closed upon Ye Tian Yun, two swords suddenly appeared in between them, directly blocking the iing attack.

    A shockwave went through the tform due to the impact.

    Since this was only about battle prowess and techniques, Jun Xie wasn''t really serious about the battle. He didn''t use full force in either offense or defense.

    However, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t holding back. In his opinion, one shouldn''t hold back even in normal spars because there''s no benefit from spars if one can''t even go all out. This point is crucial while fighting one''s enemies. A single move is enough to decide the battle''s oue, so attacking with full strength from the get-go is the right thing to do.

    Jun Xie was surprised that Ye Tian Yun didn''t go flying backward due to the impact like Hu Xing did.

    So he jumped back, and without giving any time to recover, he attacked once more.

    This time he also used full strength, wanting to test Ye Tian Yun''s limits.

    To his surprise, Ye Tian Yun once again stopped his attack. However this time, the tform around Ye Tian Yun cracked, and the surface sank a few inches, signifying the intensity of the force Jun Xie used in his attack.

    While still in the air, Jun Xie moved his right leg back to create enough momentum and gave a hard kick towards Ye Tian Yun''s torso.

    But it only met air as Ye Tian Yun suddenly disappeared, and before Jun Xie could even understand what had happened, he felt a sudden jolt on his right cheek.

    ''Ugh!''

    It was like a mud-stained hand had pped him.

    But the hand felt very stiff.

    ''Was that a shoe?''

    Jun Xie flew to the tform side, and the only thing he could think of was the muddy blood taste on his tongue.

    The taste was weird. Definitely not something he wanted to experience again.

    Bncing himself, he got up and raised his head, only to find Ye Tian Yun standing in front of him with a sword just a few inches from his neck.

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly smiled, "Your father didn''t teach you enough?"

    These simple words, however, sent a jolt of electricity through Jun Xie as his eyes opened wide. Nothing in the world could agitate him more than the mere mention of his heritage.

    Ye Tian Yun was satisfied with his reaction and thought, ''At least he knows who I am talking about.''

    Taking a deep breath, Jun Xie said, "Boy, you should think before you speak too much. Words from our mouth are like arrows on a bow; once you shoot them, there''s no going back."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply; instead, he looked around and then said, "Head-on battles are definitely not your forte, but your illusion technique is like a piece of art. I truly admire it."

    Jun Xie frowned, and all the disciples suddenly began to cheer. Yuan Shuchun had a shocked expression, clearly surprised from whatever the hell was going on, on the stage.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, shook his head at this scene, "Your mastery in illusion technique is excellent; however, it still hasn''t reached the point where you can use it against anyone."

    "What are you trying to say?" Jun Xie was confused at his words

    "Well, let''s not waste any more time. Don''t think no one will know that everything currently happening is an illusion. Your challenge, Hu Xing''s beating, and even you, everything here is a part of your illusions."

    Jun Xie''s mind suddenly became nk when he heard these words as the hall suddenly became pin-drop silent.

    "How...how do you know this?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, and while putting down his sword, he said, "It''s still not time for you to know why we are even having this conversation. But I do have something to say; I am pretty sure I know the reason why you''re here."

    "And the reason is..?" Jun Xie frowned while asking.

    Ye Tian Yun pointed to Mu Xing, who had a nk look on his face as the rest of the disciples in the hall.

    He then said, "See that guy, he''s almost at Sword Intent Manifestation Realm; if you nurture that guy, he will turn out to be a pretty good Seat Candidate for you."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "No, I can''t. Master has told me to bring someone from the Seventh Peak."

    Jun Xie nced at Zheng Xiang, but he once again shook his head. Then turning towards Ye Tian Yun again, he asked, "Why don''t you be the Seat Candidate?"

    ...

    A/n: The update schedule will be unstable (with at least one chapter per day) till 31st March because of the stockpile I need to create since this novel''s MGS is about to start.

    From 1st April, I will be doing 3 daily chapters and we will have a fixed time of upload.. Please have patience for few more days.

 Chapter 115 - The Illusion

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No, that''s out of the question. I don''t wish to get more into Sect politics. My objective is to have a calm and disturbance-free life."

    Jun Xie smirked when he heard these words, "You mean that you won''t be one of the Nine Supremes because you don''t want to get into the sect politics? That''s the first time I am hearing this."

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged his shoulders, "I don''t care what others think; I have my own reasons to think that the Nine Supremes are at the center of the political scene of the sect?"

    "Oh? Well, I have been part of this League for more than five years now. Care to borate on why you think so?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply to his question; however, he repeated his earlier words, "I don''t wish to be a part of your league, that''s it. Case closed."

    Jun Xie took a breath and used a different tactic to persuade him, "Since you were able to point out what kind of Seat Candidate I am looking for, I am pretty sure you know the reason why I even came to this banquet."

    "I havee here for the disciple who has broken through the Sword Domain realm."

    "And you were able to see through the first illusion, but that isn''t the surprising part. For you toe forward and talk so confidently, what is it that you''re backing up to? Is it your Sword Domain?"

    "Imagine what would happen if I reveal this secret since you aren''tplying to be my Seat Candidate?"

    He stared at the Ye Tian Yun, waiting for the panic and paleness to appear; however, Ye Tian Yun just smiled at him.

    "You overthink, Jun Xie. You reallyˇŞ!"

    "That''s Senior Brother Jun Xie for you."

    "Ugh, don''t interrupt. I was saying that. Do you really think I would be afraid of this threat?"

    "Let''s imagine that you do spill this baseless fact; who would believe you? In fact, you''re an illusionist; why would anyone believe anything that you see in your presence?"

    "Alright, let''s take that no one had any issue, and they agreed with the fact that I have Sword Domain, which I would love to have. So, what will happen next? Do you think I will be allowed to join the Nine Supremes? Do you think you will be able to make me your Seat Candidate?"

    "Now, for a second, let''s assume you couldn''t make me part of the Nine Supremes; what would happen then? The higher-ups will train me, pamper me and make me the next Sect Guardian. That''s what would happen.

    "And if we assume that you were somehow able to add me to the Nine Supremes, then? Well, after that, the Nine Supremes would have to publiclye out as the next contenders for the Sect Leader position. Because to everyone, it''s a surety that with Nine Supreme''s help and my own talent, I would be able to surpass Jiang Yun within a few years."

    "Do you think Jiang Yun would let someone more powerful than him appear? He would drag down your league with him. That''s a fact."

    "And now, let''s assume you were somehow able to make me the Seat Candidate then get me into the Nine Supremes, and also convinced the sect that I won''t be going after the Sect Leader''s position, but who would believe this bullshit?"

    "Let''s be honest, whatever you do after iming that I have Sword Domain will only backfire. Not only that, but you will also be my enemy. I think this should be enough for you to know why this move of yours is the stupidest thing you are about to do in your life."

    Ye Tian Yun closed his argument with a straight-up fact.

    In front of him, Jun Xie bit his lips as he fell into thinking.

    After a few moments of silence, he said, "Since you have denied me, that means you''ll be looking for another league? And considering where we''re, I am guessing you will join Heavenly League?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t nod or deny his assumption.

    Jun Xie continued, "However, you just said you don''t want to get into the sect politics. I am not sure if you are just ignorant or hypocrite?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "You can think of whatever you want. I have my own reasons. Just like you have your own reasons for being in the Lower Heavens."

    Jun Xie was once again confused by Ye Tian Yun''s words, "You act as if you know a lot about meˇ­ and this is usually a huge mistake to let others know of your knowledge."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked at those words, "It depends on who is the person in front of me. And for Liu n members to act like you is pretty shameful."

    These words were like a thunderp to Jun Xie; he stood still in shock as the name of the n he hadn''t heard for years once again reached his ears.

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly felt a qi wave passing by, making him look around as a smile appeared on his face.

    ''The illusion is now gone.''

    And there, he found the disciples still standing at the exact ces, just confused at what was going on.

    Everyone had experienced different visions, and the fact that Jun Xie was able to pull off such a feat showed his strength and capabilities.

    Near the throne, Yuan Shuchun was also no exception, as she stood still in shock and disbelief.

    She had also fallen prey to the illusions and was literally fighting against Jun Xie all this time.

    ''So I was trapped in his illusions all this timeˇ­?''

    Just like her, all disciples were going through the same sense of helplessness.

    ''How are we supposed to defend against something like this?''

    And just as everyone was trying toe back to reality, they heard a voice from the Hall entrance.

    "Well, I was expecting a lively banquet; who are you guys mourning at this time of the day?"

    A new guest had entered the Hall.

    ˇ­

    A/n: Coming closer to the end of the banquet arc.

    If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments.

 Chapter 116 - Jiang Yun [Character Art At End]

    As the voice echoed throughout the hall, it made many heads turn.

    *Tap*

    *Tap*

    *Tap*

    The uneven rhythm of footsteps rang as a group of disciples entered the Hall.

    All attention was upon them.

    No.

    All attention was upon the disciple leading them.

    The halo around Yuan Shuchun and Jun Xie seemed to dim in his presence.

    Whispers rang through the hall as the older disciples identified this disciple.

    It didn''t take more than a few moments for people to react as a bigmotion ensued.

    "Is that really Jiang Yun!?"

    "Jiang Yunˇ­ damn, I never knew I would get to meet him!"

    "He''s my idol, dude."

    "Who''s idol is he not!? Even one percent of his talent is enough to make you a core disciple; we can''t evenprehend how powerful he really is."

    "It really is Jiang Yun.. ah!"

    "Guys, is this not another illusion, right?"

    "Wha- another illusion?"

    "Fuck, not again!"

    It didn''t take time for the disciple to doubt who they were looking at. After all, they had already been fooled twice.

    Sensing the disciples'' angry stares, Jun Xie didn''t seem to care; however, his solemn expression said otherwise.

    Looking at the person leading the group at the Hall Entrance, Jun Xie cupped his fist and said, "Greetings, Brother Jiang!"

    "Humph!" Yuan Shuchun, who was standing near the throne, snorted as she stared at Jiang Yun.

    "Ah, Brother Jun, I wasn''t expecting to meet you here. It''s been a long time since west met. I hope your nose is still alright." Jiang Yun replied as the disciples behind him snickered at hisst words.

    Jun Xie rubbed his nose and smiled, "It had been four years since that day, you still using the same old joke?"

    Jiang Yun didn''t reply; instead, he looked at Yuan Shuchun and said, "Junior Sister Yuan, fierce as ever."

    "Why did youe here?" Yuan Shuchun had clear annoyance on her face. She seemed to hate the mere presence of Jiang Yun in front of her, just like she hated every other person out there who wasn''t in her league.

    Jiang Yun took a breath, gesturing with his hands to the disciples behind him to stay back; he jumped on the stands.

    It was now, for the first time, that all the disciples were able to clearly see him.

    Jiang Yun has dressed appropriately like a man of his abilities and cultivation prowess. There were different features of his clothes, and he had a handsome figure and long ck hair. It was obvious that he is a powerful individual even at first sight. One does not have to know about his past, but they can conclude this by his appearance only.

    His white robes fluttered as he took out a ck folding fan and began to wave it gracefully. His sharp eyes could make anyone stand at their toes.

    Jiang Yun wasn''t someone to be trifled with.

    Standing at the center of the silent hall, he stared at Yuan Shuchun while replying, "Junior Sister, why would you ask such a question? Am I not invited here?"

    "No."

    "Ah, that hurts." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "But can you stop me? I cane and go wherever I wish. Maybe if you focus more on cultivation than on scheming and trapping young disciples, it would benefit you more."

    "Hmph! Who are you to lecture me? And don''t you dare make baseless usations, if not for Sect Leaders pampering and protection, you wouldn''t even dare toe in my sight."

    Jiang Yun shook his head, "You overthink, Junior Sister Yuan, Sect Leader Su is the reason why your Heavenly League still exists in the sect."

    His carefree expression had turned calm and severe by the time he finished his words.

    "And don''t think just because you have Grand Elder behind you, no one is going to do anything. Heavenly League only has six months, and once Grand Spirit Huntes to an end, so will this League. I will make sure of that."

    These words were more than enough to anger Yuan Shuchun, "Big words you speak of. Do you think Heavenly League is a group of children who you can separate just based on your words?"

    "No-no, not children. Children are innocent, but you? You and your league are a bunch of murders!" Jiang Yun smirked as he folded his fan, "You people just need to count yourst days."

    Then he looked at the new disciples, and a smile appeared on his face as he continued. "And you guys, if you join these murderers, you won''t get any mercy when the timees. So choose wisely whom to join."

    Yuan Shuchun now had had enough.

    She jumped on the stage. And the next instant, she had a sword in her hand. "Jiang Yun! Don''t force me!"

    "Whoa! Whoa! You two, Stop right there!" Jun Xie intervened before Jiang Yun could say anything.

    He didn''t wish to be part of this drama. He already had enough things to worry about and wanted to leave this banquet.

    More specifically, he wanted to get away from Ye Tian Yun.

    He stepped in between the two League Heads and moved his hands in horizontal shape, with one palm facing each of the two.

    "Both of you are not only the top disciples of the sect but also the League Heads of the two biggest leagues in the sect. Stop fighting like kids."

    Jiang Yun raised his hands in a shrug, "Well, I acted like how one should treat these people. I can''t make myself talk respectfully to murderers."

    "Hmph, murderers? How delusional one has to be to believe any baseless rumor. I feel embarrassed to see you as the top disciple of the out sect. How could one be so brainless?" Yuan Shuchun put back the sword in the spatial ring and crossed her hands.

    "Delusional?" Jiang Yun chuckled at these words, "You call me delusional when there were solid proof and witnesses who saw your people killing members of our own sect."

    "And you feel embarrassed to call me top disciple? Well, I feel shameful to even call you my Junior Sister."

    "Your ''all for me and only me'' mentality is the most destructive thing for our sect."

    ˇ­

    A/n: Check paragraphment for Jiang Yun character sketch.

    More art in future chapters.

 Chapter 117 - Jun Xies Seat Candidate

    "Your ''all for me and only me'' mentality is the most destructive thing for our sect." Jiang Yun was almost snarling by the end of his sentence.

    Yuan Shuchun was silent for a moment before saying, "As long as everything is exactly how I want, I am totally flexible."

    "And as for the evidence and witness, everything can be fabricated. We have already discussed enough, and I don''t want to waste any more time arguing over this nonsense."

    "Of Course, the lives of our sect disciples and elders are bullshit for you." Jiang Yun scorned Yuan Shuchun''s attitude.

    "Jiang Yun, stop your nonsense." Yuan Shuchun wasn''t gonna let him insult her in front of new disciples, "Being the top disciples, did youe here all the way just to argue?"

    "Alright, alright, you guys, both of you need to stop." Jun Xie was not going to let them waste any of his time anymore.

    He continued, "Nor me, neither any of the disciples here want to listen to you two arguing. I will take my leave first, but before that, I want to finish the thing I came here for."

    He then looked at the Seventh Peak new Inner Court disciples who were also standing at the tform and said, "I have chosen my Seat Candidate, and I want to invite him to be one of the Nine Supremes!"

    His words echoed throughout the hall as confusion and shock surged through the disciples.

    Jiang Yun frowned as he heard those words, while Yuan Shucun was shocked to hear those words.

    ''He found out the Sword Intent guy!?'' An unnerving question shed through her mind as she tried her best not to get agitated.

    One must know that if the disciple who broke through the Sword Intent were to join in the sect politics, he alone would be a force to be reckoned with.

    And this was what Yuan Shuchun was afraid of. She wanted that disciple to be in her league rather than any other league.

    If that disciple went against her and her league, she had even made up her mind to kill that disciple before he could grow.

    But now, if Jun Xie made him a seat candidate, things would turn out to be different.

    No one can touch the Seat Candidates. In fact, no one can even think about targeting the people who are associated with the Nine Supremes.

    And for Yuan SHuchun, it was a big no-no because of the pressure her league was already facing due to the usations of murder from the World League.

    She didn''t want one more enemy.

    So for her, this was the only chance to stop such a disciple from joining any other league.

    She had to recruit all the Seventh Peak''s disciples present at the banquet and make them be a part of her Heavenly League.

    Jun Xie, on the other hand, unaware of Yuan Shuchun''s thoughts, pointed at the disciple to his right and announced, "You will be the next Seat Candidate for the Nine Supremes."

    As his words reached everyone''s ears, their heads turned, and the disciple became the center of the attention.

    Ye Tian Yun was also surprised at those words.

    Because the disciple Jun Xie was pointing at was actually Hu Xing!

    And the person in question was the most shocked of all.

    Before Hu Xing''s emotions could stabilize, the banquet hall burst into an exmation, and disciples began to discuss who this guy was.

    It didn''t take long for them to know who this disciple was.

    Hu Xing, a promising disciple and ranked Second in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt for the Seventh Peak, was now selected as the next Seat Candidate for the Nine Supremes.

    But after knowing his identity and even the fact that he was one of the most talented disciples among the Seventh Peak''s newly promoted disciples, the disciples at the hall didn''t take this announcement as a piece of good news.

    In fact, they felt mildly dissatisfied.

    Not because it wasn''t them who got the invite, but because it wasn''t the best disciple who got the invite.

    Now, with this invite, more than half of the disciples at the scene were thinking that they also deserved to be trained under the Nine Supremes and eventually be one of them.

    And the disciples who felt the most deserving were undoubtedly the top disciples of the other peaks.

    And it didn''t take long for one of them to stand up and take the risk and reason with Jun Xie.

    "Senior Brother Jun, I know this is not my ce to ask. However, I am pretty sure that disciples, including me, would want to know why you chose him as your next Seat Candidate?"

    "Why not?" Jun Xie just shrugged at his words, and without any thought, he continued, "Well, I liked his sword cultivation, ''nuff said."

    The disciple was even more confused by his words; however, before he could reply, another disciple got up and interrupted them, "Senior Brother Jun, if you selected him based on his Sword Cultivation, then I have no other choice but to object to your decision."

    "I have one thing that I am proud of. My Sword Cultivation. And to see someone else be proimed as a better swordsman than me when I know that the truth is otherwise, I can''t help myself but speak up."

    "If the basis of selection were based on the Sword Cultivation, then I would like you to test my skills," Taking a deep breath, the disciple continued, "I am one of the most talented Sword Cultivation disciples, and this is not me being conceited and arrogant, but rather, I am humble in my im."

    Jun Xie shook his head when he heard these words, "First thing first, if I did not call you on the stage, then that means your ''humble'' talent isn''t enough."

    ...

    A/n: This arc will end tomorrow, and with a new month, I will be releasing at least two chapters every day, and on weekends, I will try for the third chapter.

 Chapter 118 - Everyone Wants The Disciple With Sword Intent

    "Your talent just isn''t enough."

    The disciples replied with a confident tone, "But that''s not the truth. Anyone here can vouch for me for my talent in Sword Cultivation."

    "What''s your name, junior?"

    "I am Mu Xing, from the Fifth Peak." The disciple replied while cupping his fists.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips when he heard the name. ''Damn, of all people, he''s the one to object.''

    He then took a deep breath and said, "Well, Mu Xing, I will take back my words since I know your potential and talent. But that doesn''t mean you can be my Seat Candidate. You haven''t passed the second requirement."

    "Second requirement?"

    "Yes, and the requirement is that my Seat Candidate must be of the Seventh Peak."

    "What?" Mu Xing was startled at such absurd requirements.

    However, before he could respond, Xiao Ming, who was sitting beside him, stood and said, "Senior Brother Jun, the Seventh Peak is the weakest of all peaks. Even the disciples rankedst in the new Inner Court disciples of the Ninth Peak can rank themselves in their top 10."

    After a deep breath, he continued, "And Senior brother, you have only considered sword cultivation disciples of the Seventh Peak. You haven''t even called any other Peak''s disciples on the stage. Doesn''t that mean that you had already decided who to pick?"

    Jun Xie was starting to get annoyed by all this now. However, Jiang Yun, who was standing beside him, was an expression of realization.

    ''This guy is here for the Sword Intent disciple!''

    He correctly guessed the reason behind Jun Xie''s odd way of selection for the Seat Candidate disciple.

    One might think that he was here to create trouble and pass the time because Jiang Yun was arguing with Yuan Shuchun ever since he had entered the hall; however, he wasn''t here to waste his time but instead, he hade because Sect Leader Su had personallye to him and informed him about a new Inner Court disciple of the Seventh Peak who had broken through the Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent.

    Sect Leader Su had asked him to find and recruit that disciple to the World League alongside another disciple called Fang Chen, who was also ranked at number one in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt for the Seventh Peak.

    However, after learning of the Sword Intent disciple, Jiang Yun wasn''t particrly interested in recruiting Fang Chen.

    Without wasting any time, he brought some of the World League''s core members and crashed the Heaven''s Grace Banquet at the Heavenly League''s Headquarters.

    ˇ­

    Jiang Yun turned and nced at Hu Xing, who hadn''t yet said anything after such a turn of events that made him the focal point of attention in the Banquet.

    And before Jun Xie could speak anything else, Jiang Yun intervened and said, "Brother Jun, I think you are underestimating the disciples of the other peaks. Just take the example of the disciples standing in front of you."

    "Bai Qing''er. She is one of the best sword disciples among all the participants of the inner court entrance hunt. Her sword cultivation talent is second to none in all of the peaks."

    "Then there''s Mu Xing who objected to your decision; he''s no less talented than Bai Qing''er in terms of sword cultivation."

    "And we can''t forget Xiao Ming. He is said to be the disciple with the best battle instinct and prowess."

    He then looked at Hu Xing and said to him, "Though you''re talented, in terms of cultivation and sword talent, Mu Xing has undoubtedly proved himself to be the one with the upper hand."

    He then put his hand on his chin and said, "To be honest, since Jun Xie has chosen you the seat candidate, I am also interested in your sword cultivation."

    Many disciples agreed with this. They wanted to know what was so special about Hu Xing for him to be the next Seat Candidate. They were hoping Jiang Yun would force him into a spar with Mu Xing, and they will be able to clear all their doubts.

    On the tform, after taking a short pause, Jiang Yun continued, "I don''t want to see any of your sword moves, but I would rather invite you to be a part of the World League."

    "Your talent and potential could bloom with the best techniques of my World League. You will be able to train with the best disciples. In fact, you will also get a chance to train with me."

    The disciples in the hall were suddenly confused by his words.

    At first, it was Jun Xie; now, even Jiang Yun was inviting Hu Xing to his league.

    Instead of making him prove his talent, Jiang Yun was inviting him with the best conditions a disciple could ask for.

    Mu Xing only had a wry smile on his face when he heard these words.

    At first, he had thought Jiang Yun would allow him to challenge Hu Xing from which he would be able to prove his talent in front of these Big Three and would most likely get an invitation to be the Seat Candidate for the nine supreme.

    In his mind, this chance could have been his chance to leave the Heavenly League.

    However, now he could only watch as Jiang Yun suddenly turned his words at thest moment and invited Hu Xing rather than making him prove his talent.

    Hu Xing was at the center of all this, now going through ten different emotions of confusion, surprise, shock, happiness, and pride, which had welled up in his heart.

    ˇ­

    Author note:: Sect Leader Su knows the real realm of Sword Intent that Ye Tian Yun is at, which is Sword Domain Realm (which is the third realm), but he instead told Jiang Yun that the disciple who broke through is at Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent(which is the first realm).

    If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments to correct them.

 Chapter 119 - Hu Xings Emotion Stir

    On the other hand, Ye Tian Yun was also surprised by Jun Xie''s invitation to Hu Xing; he was under the impression that Jun Xie would be inviting Zheng Xiang; however, now, two of the top three Core disciples have invited Hu Xing to their leagues.

    Now that the two had invited him, the third one was not going to fall behind. After all, a disciple with sword intent wasn''t easy to find.

    And as expected, Yuan Shuchun turned to her right, crossed her hands, and said, "Junior Brother Hu Xing, well, I won''t say much, but I think Heavenly League is best for disciples of your caliber."

    "In fact, you should know my cultivation in terms of the sword is second to none among all the disciples; this reason alone should be enough for you to be a part of my League and cultivate with me."

    If Jiang Yun''s invitation wasn''t shocking enough, Yuan Shuchun''s words really numbed all disciples'' minds.

    Who didn''t wish to get a chance to talk to her, and here she was offering a disciple to cultivate with her.

    If looks could kill, by now, Hu Xing would have been dead for more than a thousand times as all the disciples now stared at him as if he had killed their family.

    Ye Tian Yun was also surprised by her words; he hadn''t gauged that it was this important for her to get the disciple to join her league.

    As for Hu Xing, now in a state where he couldn''t even think or say, he was just too overwhelmed even to speak.

    After a few moments of silence, Hu Xing opened his mouth and said, "Seniors, this junior brother is overwhelmed by all the invitations I have just received. However, I can''t ept any of the invitations and end up offending the other leagues."

    "So, I hope you three decide between yourself about which league I should join; I won''t object to the decision."

    Ye Tian Yun lowkey appreciated this witty reply, and now he was interested to see what the three core disciples will do.

    Jiang Yun suddenly smiled at Hu Xing''s words and said, "Junior Brother Hu Xing, you don''t have to be worried about any repercussions. After all, you will still be the disciple of our Gracious Sword Sect, whether you be a part of my World League or any other league. So, as long as you''re loyal to the sect, you won''t offend me at the least."

    After Jiang Yun finished his words, Jun Xie spoke, " Junior Brother Hu Xing, you don''t have to be worried about offending these two. Once you be part of the Nine Supremes, there will be no one who would dare to touch you; in fact, even the cultivation resources that you are so worried about would be like sand for you."

    "Being a part of nine supremes gives you lots of privileges; Not only inside the sect but outside the sect, there will be a protective cover over you, wherever you go because outside cultivators have a profound level of respect and fear towards us."

    "No one would dare to bully you or your family."

    These words stirred Hu Xing.

    He understood that tonight could most probably be his luckiest night.

    To be a core member of any top League of the Gracious Sword Sect was not a small matter.

    And for him, who had suffered lots of hardships in his life, this matter couldn''t be any bigger.

    Hu Xing was from the Hu n of the Capital City, and in the city, the four big ns, Fang, Ling, Gao, and Kang, ruled alongside the Xin Royal n.

    Hu n was part of the Fang n''s alliance. However, Fang n treated them like ves. This was also why Hu n was ridiculed throughout the capital and had to live in suppressed shame.

    Hu Xing, who turned out to be a very talented disciple of the Hu n''s younger generation, aroused Fang CLan''s interest and jealousy.

    Thus, Fang n forced Hu Xing to be the butler of Fang Chen, their n''s young master, saying that Hu Xing will get to learn from a true talent.

    Hu n had no choice but toply, and thus, Hu Xing, from one of the best cultivators of the younger generation, became aughing stock in the capital after he was appointed as the butler for the Fang n young master, Fang Chen.

    Being an arrogant young master, Fang Chen treated him like a ve and humiliated him in every chance he got.

    But one good thing that came out of this was the chance to get into the Gracious Sword Sect with Fang Chen.

    However, before the Entrance Exam, Fang Chen suffered Qi Deviation for an unknown reason, and thus, he alone went to be a disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Even then, he hated his fate, he hated the fact that he was born from a weak n, and he hated Fang Chen the most in the whole world.

    Thus, he was determined to cultivate better and ovee his fate and possibly crush the Fang n one day.

    And tonight, God Of Luck had graced him with a chance to reach his goal faster.

    He could now be a core member of any of the two top leagues in the Gracious Sword Sect!

    ˇ­

    While Hu Xing was lost in his thoughts, Ye Tian Yun suddenly decided to get down from the tform and take his seat, not before gesturing Zheng Xiang to follow him.

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun''s move attracted the attention of many. However, he didn''t care and headed towards the tform''s edge.

    It didn''t take long for Zheng Xiang to catch up as they both headed for their seats. And soon, the other disciples of the Seventh Peak followed them.

    With Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang leading ahead, the other Seventh Peak Disciples, except Hu Xing, followed them.

    However, just as both of them passed Yuan Shuchun, her eyes opened wide in disbelief as two words shed through her mind.

    ''Sword Intent!?''

 Chapter 120 - Yuan Shuchuns Confusion

    On the stage, Yuan Shuchun stood still as thousands of thoughts shed through her mind as she slowly turned and nced at Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang, who were now sitting side by side.

    She was now sure that the small aura that she felt when these two passed by her was the same aura that suppressed everyone before the banquet started.

    ''How the hell did that aurae from them?''

    ''Isn''t Hu Xing the disciple with the Sword Intent!?''

    She tried to clear her thoughts and make a sense out of the situation as her intuition told her that this was no coincidence and all her senses were pointing at Zheng Xiang to be the one who had Sword Intent.

    While her mind told her that it was Ye Tian Yun who had broken through Sword Intent.

    She knew Ye Tian Yun''s ''real'' background, and considering that he is also a Sword cultivator and passed by her when she sensed the intent, he was the one who was most likely to have sword Intent.

    ''Fang Chen''s father is Sect Leader Su, one of the most powerful sword cultivators of the Lower Heavens and also one of the very few cultivators who possess the fabled Sword Domain. So Fang Chen should be the one who is most likely to possess Sword Intent, however as per Grand Elder, he has not shown any significant talent in recent times.''

    ''As for Zheng Xiangˇ­ I should have asked Grand Elder to investigate more about him. For now, I must get these two into my Heavenly League.''

    ...

    Now that all the seven peak disciplines have left the tform, only four people, including Hu Xing, remained on the stage.

    And when Yuan Shuchun''s expression changed, it didn''t escape the senses of the other two core Disciples standing across her.

    However, both were confused and didn''t take it as anything important, but when she nced at Ye Tiang Yun''s seat, Jun Xie suddenly realized.

    ''She knows!''

    Jun Xie pursed his lips to think what to do next and suddenly came with a wild idea, ''If I insist that I will recruit Hu Xing at any cost, maybe her thoughts will waiver. I can''t let her find out about Fang Chen''s talent, or else he won''t be of any use to me.''

    Without hesitation, he looked at Hu Xing and said, "Junior Brother Hu Xing, I have already talked about the benefits you will get from being a part of the Nine Supremes. However, all of them pale inparison to thest thing that I want to tell you about."

    "Do you know why the Nine Supremes have only a fixed number of members?"

    His words aroused the interest of everyone in the hall. Who would not want to know the reason behind this peculiar League?

    And seeing Hu Xing''s interested expression, Jun Xie gave a slight smile and said, "The Peak Masters personally teach all the Nine Supremes, and sometimes even Sect Leader Su give us a lesson on sword path, while on other days, Second Peak Master, who is is a renowned alchemist, teaches us Alchemy in his leisure time."

    "And with the guidance of these Peak Masters and Sect Leader, the Nine Supremes are alone enough to go head to head against the other league."

    "You should consider your choice very properly."

    His words were shocking to more than half of the disciples present in the Banquet Hall. Many took deep breaths to digest what they had just heard.

    Even in their dreams, they could never fathom the value of getting personal guidance from the sect''s most powerful cultivators.

    Just as Hu Xing was almost convinced from Jun Xie''s words, Jiang Yun started to speak, "Junior brother Hu Xing, there are many people who wish to join the World League not only because of its abundant resources but also because of its backing, its background and number of members."

    "Some might criticize that the World League considers quantity or quality; however, the truth is quite the opposite to this. In World League, all the disciplines who be part have a probation period of six months after which they are judged to be worthy of part of a League."

    "And I don''t think with your talent you need to waste six months; I can assure you that once you join the World League, you will be given treatment to open a core member from day one, and you will also get to and cultivate with the highest branch of World League members."

    "While other leagues might give you great teachers, but the path of cultivation is long and rough, in the World League, you will get to meet your futurerades, your brothers who would even be willing to sacrifice themselves."

    Hu Xing showed an expression of interest.

    It was now Yuan Shuchun''s turn, and without hesitation, she said, "Junior disciple Hu Xing, I won''t give you any extra benefits. Heavenly League treats all its members as equals. If you decide to join us, you will be starting from the very bottom though you will be given preference and some cultivation support from my side because of your talent; however, it will be only limited to that. And there won''t be any privileges like core membership or training, especially with core members. As I said, you will have to start from the very bottom and work your way up.

    ''What!?''

    Her words surprised everyone.

    ''Wasn''t she just say she was willing to let him cultivate with her? Why did her words change all of a sudden?'' Such thought went through half of the disciples in the hall, including the other two core disciples.

    Jiang Yun was more confused because he was expecting a ridiculous offer from her.

    ''Is she trying to lure Hu Xing by giving him hard conditions? Cheap tricks!''

    To Jiang Yun, it was no more than an act of ''showing what the prey wanted, without actually showing.''

    Such tsundere tricks were not new things and have been used by women since ancient times.

 Chapter 121 - Jiang Yuns Words

    Hu Xing wasn''t an experienced guy.

    In his mind, he weighed all the offers, thought of benefits and hard work.

    In the end, only Yuan Shuchun and Jun Xie''s offer seemed enticing. However, Yuan Shuchun''s words about joining the league from the very bottom and working his way up boiled his blood, and he wanted to ept her offer as a challenge to her and be a core disciple of her league after some time, thus proving his worth.

    Hu Xing had made up his mind.

    He knew which league he had to join.

    And thus, he looked up and dered his decision.

    "I will be the Seat Candidate for the Nine Supremes!"

    His words echoed throughout the hall like a wave of silence swept through the area.

    Yuan Shuchun''s words may have gotten him excited and puffed up, but he didn''t let himself get carried away and chose to be a part of the Nine Supremes.

    After all, the opportunity to get guidance from the Peak Masters and Sect Leader was just too valuable for him to miss.

    In front of him, Jun Xie frowned at the slight killing intent leaked out from Jiang Yun''s side.

    He knew that Jiang Yun would most likely target Hu Xing because he was the next seat candidate.

    But in his mind, Jun Xie himself wasn''t satisfied with the oue of his visit.

    The reason why he chose Hu Xing was because of the slight argument that he saw between Ye Tian Yun and Hu Xing in the illusion which made him conclude that there was a bit of bad blood between these two, decided to indirectly make things received difficult for Ye Tian Yun by choosing Hu Xing instead of Zheng Xiang because Ye Tian Yun had rejected his invitation.

    By inviting Hu Xing, Jun Xie wanted to add Ye Tian Yun''s worries by giving his enemy a chance to grow stronger.

    If only he knew that Ye Tian Yun didn''t even care about Hu Xing''s existence. All the teasing and picking up he did was to maintain the ''arrogant and conceited'' image of Fang Chen in front of everyone, especially Hu Xing.

    Because Hu Xing was humiliated a lot by Fang Chen, he was also one of the very few people who were in contact with Fang Chen the most and could definitely tell in an instant if Ye Tian Yun didn''t properly act like Fang Chen.

    ˇ­

    On the tform.

    Jun Xie took a deep breath and gave a slight nod. Truthfully he didn''t care about the Killing intent at Hu Xing from Jiang Yun because he knew who the disciple was who had broken through the Manifestation Realm of the Sword Intent.

    However, this wasn''t the case with Jiang Yun. In his opinion, Hu Xing was the disciple who had cultivated and broken through the Sword Intent realm and was going to be the Seat Candidate for the Nine Supremes.

    To the general disciples, Nine Supremes were the most neutral league in the whole sect. However, Jiang Yun knew that in every loss he had suffered, through the hidden undercurrents of the sect politics scene, there had always been a sign of Nine Supremes controlling everything behind the scene.

    And now that there was going to be an insanely talented sword disciple in that league, he would cut this bud before it bloomed.

    When the timees, he didn''t wish to see anyplications in his ns.

    Disciples like him and Yuan Shuchun, who stood at the peak of the disciples, wouldn''t want to see a rise of another Core disciple who could, one day, potentially ovee them and be hindrances in their ns.

    And if that disciple was from a rival league, it could only make matters worse. Thus, Jiang Yun got agitated when Hu Xing chose Jun Xie''s offer, making him unknowingly release a tinge of his killing intent.

    ˇ­

    Now that the most talented disciple among all of the new Inner Court disciples had joined different leagues, Jiang Yun was not nning to take another loss and wanted the rest of the top disciples to be in his World League. Especially the disciples who were ranked first in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt of their Peaks.

    Thus, without hesitation, Jiang Yun stepped forward, and overlooking the disciples, he said, "Hello, juniors of my Gracious Sword Sect. I will assume that most of you know who I am by now. However, to those unfamiliar with the state of the sect, I am Jiang Yun, Head of the World League."

    "Today, I stand before you to give you an invitation to take part in the World League Recruitment Test and be a member of our renowned World League."

    "The Sect had hundreds of leagues; however, now all of them can give you benefits like the World League. Maybe other top leagues can, but do you think it''s easy to join such leagues?"

    "When I was a new Inner Court disciple, I also had trouble bing part of leagues. If the league was too high, like the then World League, I didn''t have enough cultivation. If the league was low, it wouldn''t be beneficial to me. Thus it caused me a lot of struggle to find a ce of my own in this huge sect."

    "However, I was lucky. I got to be a member of the World League. And step by step, I rose in the rankings, finally bing the League Head."

    "To be the League head of the best League in the whole Sect. Of course, I was proud of myself."

    "But do you know what first thing I did when I became the League Head?"

    "I changed the rules. Lowered the criteria. Made it easy for new disciples to join us."

    "Even though I had the support of few Core members, many objected, saying that this would decrease the power and quality of members in our League."

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors, pleasements so I can correct them.

 Chapter 122 - Jiang Yuns Invitation

    "I changed the rules. Lowered the criteria. Made it easy for new disciples to join us. But some objected and doubted my decisions."

    "To them, I replied that they are too short-sighted and close-minded."

    "They were too short-sighted to see the real problem and too close-minded to judge the real value of the new Inner Court disciples."

    "Thus, I made a few more chances, and those reforms focused on cultivating the new members of the World League."

    "This is why, even after decreasing the criteria and increasing flux of new members, the quality of disciples didn''t drop, but in fact, it increased. And thus, the World League reached even greater heights."

    "So today, I shall invite you to participate in the League Recruitment and be part of the league which puts its members before itself."

    "However, there are, of course, benefits for the top disciples. I will personally invite some disciples, and the World League will be appalled to have you guys on board on our mission to make the sect the Greatest Sect in the Lower Heavens!"

    The disciples became excited after hearing his long speech, and this was the effect Jiang Yun wanted to have.

    However, few disciples were still not impressed.

    Like Ye Tian Yun.

    And when he heard Jiang Yun saying that their mission was to lead the sect to be a peak power in the Lower Heavens, Ye Tian Yun could hardly suppress his urge to roll back his eyes.

    ''Which sect is this guy talking about because it''s definitely not Gracious Sword Sect.''

    On the other hand, disciples like Hou Xing, the previous top disciple who Xiao Ming defeated, had their blood boiled in excitement to be a part of the World League.

    When someone grows under the shadow of another genius''s brilliance, it tends to have only two oues.

    Either they hate that genius, or they worship him.

    And this is what had happened in Hou Xing''s case, who had grown in the shadow of Jiang Yun''s rise.

    Hou Xing didn''t idolize Jiang Yun for no reason. When he joined the sect, Jiang Yun had just be an Inner Court disciple; however, from then, his rise was unstoppable.

    To his peers, Jiang Yun changed from a fellow disciple to a rival and then an untouchable existence.

    Hou Xing, who had once determined himself to one day surpass Jiang Yun, now idolized him.

    n n n n

    ˇ­

    On the tform.

    Jiang Yun kept himself silent for some moments to let the disciples calm down, and then he said, "The disciples whom I wish to grant direct entry to the World League are the top-ranked disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. However, I want all of you to know that if you aren''t invited, the only reason there could be is that you haven''t unleashed all of your potentials."

    "Prove your worth in the Recruitment tests, and I shall invite you with all formality."

    "Now, the disciples who I want to recruit first, who in my opinion are the disciples who would help me in my quest to raise the Sect from ashes and be a peak power, include Xiao Ming from the Ninth Peak."

    "He astounded the whole sect with his outstanding performance in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. It would be unfair if I don''t invite him before anyone else."

    Xiao Ming, sitting near the tform, stood up with a surprised expression. He wasn''t expecting an invitation.

    Meanwhile, seeing him stand, Jiang nodded and continued, "Nest, I will invite Hou Xing, who had the most terrific performance from the get-go. And now he''s finally an Inner Court disciple with one of the most potentials of standing side by side with me, overlooking everyone else as one of the best Core disciples of the sect."

    Hou Xing, who had been silent all this time, was surprised by this sudden invitation. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and stood up.

    Jiang Yun nodded his head at him in acknowledgment. Then, once again turning towards the new Inner Court disciples, he said, "I now want to invite Junior Sister Bai Qing''er from the Third and Fourth Peak, Mu Xing from the Fifth Peak, Zheng Xiang from the Seventh Peak, and Fang Chen from the Seventh Peak."

    As these names rang throughout the hall, it created a bit of amotion because now the best disciples among the newly promoted Inner Court disciples were invited by Jiang Yun to be a part of his World League.

    And for the disciples in question, everyone was feeling different emotions.

    The calmest of them was Bai Qing''er since she already knew what Jiang Yun would say as soon as his thoughts turned towards her after he had invited Hou Xing.

    Beside her, Mu Xing had conflicted emotions. On the one hand, somewhere in his heart, he didn''t wish to be a part of the Heavenly League, and now that Jiang Yun had personally invited him, he should jump the ship; on the other hand, he felt like there would only be more trouble for him if he joined the World League and his intuition told him that if he epted the invitation, it would be no different from going from one prison to another.

    Being a sword cultivator, he wished to be free, unrestrained, and only focused on his cultivation. He didn''t care about anything else in the world unless it was a hindrance in his cultivation.

    On the other side of Bai Qing''er was Zheng Xiang. Anyone could easily see his emotions through his expression.

    He was shocked and stumped by the unexpected invitation. However, he somehow didn''t wish to join the World league.

    He suddenly had a bugging thought that following his new friend, Fang Chen, would give him more benefits than anything else.

    And as he nced at Ye Tian Yun to get an idea about his reply regarding the invitation. h h h

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors/typos, pleasement so I can correct them.

 Chapter 123 - How Many Rejections?

    Like Bai Qing''er, Ye Tian Yun had also expected an invitation from Jiang Yun to be a member of the World League.

    However, joining the World League was only going to dy his goals.

    It wasn''t that he didn''t know what the response of Xiao Ming would be.

    He already knew what his enemy was going to do. Thus Ye Tian Yun wasn''t interested in bing a part of the World League.

    Not to forget that joining that league would not bring him any advantage, but he would rather waste more time and dy his goal.

    He had to kill Xiao Ming before the Grand Spirit Hunt started because it was at that event that the Token in his possession made its first appearance in public. By the time people came to know what that artifact was, five years had already passed, and the God''s Legion was ruling the Lower Heavens.

    And before that, he needed to get his hands on the manual from Yuan Shuchun to stop it from falling into Xiao Ming''s hands.

    This manual was the key to Xiao Ming''s rise, and if he removed it from the equation, Xiao Ming might not even have enough cultivation to qualify for the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    If Xiao Ming didn''t qualify, then killing him would be even easier.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun knew what he had to do: Join Heavenly League, Get Close to Yuan Shuchun, Get hold of that Manual, and prepare for the assassination.

    Even though he hadpleted the first two stages, somewhere in his mind, he had a hunch that things won''t be as straightforward as he had nned.

    Something unexpected is bound to happen when we try to do a good deed like assassination.

    ˇ­

    On the stage, Jiang Yun waited for all of them to say yes and be part of his World Alliance.

    Along with other invited disciples, Ye Tian Yun had also stood up.

    Sensing Jiang Yun''s stare, he smiled and replied for the invitation, "Senior Brother Jiang, I wish I could be a part of your renowned World League; however, the voices in my head are telling me to say no."

    "What?" Jiang Yun was confused by his reply.

    Ye Tian Yun exined to him, "Senior Brother Jiang, you see, I know about the missions which the World League generally gets. It handles the north of the Xin Kingdom. And that ce has a tumultuousndscape with many cliffs and deep ravines, and being a simple child from a normal family, I have never been to such ces. And I am afraid of skydiving."

    "Huh? Well, you can learn to skydive." Jiang Yun shrugged in reply.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and said, "Well, if at first, I don''t seed, then skydiving definitely isn''t for me."

    Jiang Yun pursed his lips at this reply then turned towards Zheng Xiang.

    He and Zheng Xiang maintained eye contact for a few moments, which was enough for both of them to feel awkward, and Jiang Yun had to gesture to him to speak up.

    "uh..ah...yes," Zheng Xiang came back to reality, took a deep breath, put on a serious expression, frowned a little, crossed his arms, and said, "Senior brother, hold on, I gotta overthink about it."

    And then he had an expression of someone deep in thoughts while rubbing his chin with one hand as if thinking about a serious life and death question.

    Jiang Yun was appalled by this guy, and then he looked at Bai Qing''er, crossed his hands, and gestured to her, with his head, to reply.

    Even Yuan Shuchun was paying attention to her reply.

    Bai Qing''er gave a slight smile and said, "Senior Brother Jiang Yun, thank you for your invitation; I feel honored; however, unfortunately, I cannot join any league. My cultivation path, though relies on sword cultivation as its basis, however, it''s quite unique, and I cannot have any distractions, or it will be very detrimental for my future cultivation."

    Jiang Yun pursed his lips awkwardly. He was rejected three times continuously by mere newly promoted disciples. He felt frustrated over his situation, which increased tenfold after noticing smirks on Jun Xie and Yuan Shuchun''s faces from the corner of his eyes.

    Taking a deep breath, he uttered the only positive thing that he could find out of his situation, "Well, at least you rejected like a normal person." Not forgetting to give a stare from the corner of his narrowed eyes to the two disciples beside her.

    Only to find Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang admired the in design of the ceiling.

    Rolling his eyes, he looked at Xiao Ming, who was standing beside Bai Qing''er.

    Xiao Ming smiled at him, cupped his fists, and said, "Senior Brother, I too will not join any league."

    Jiang Yun didn''t say anything and turned his head towards Mu Xing and asked with a deadpan expression, "What''s your excuse?"

    Mu Xing also cupped his fists and said, "Senior Brother Jiang, I am already a part of the Heavenly League."

    Jiang Yun then turned towards Hou Xing and asked, "What about you? The reason better be interesting."

    Hou Xing also cupped his fists and said, "Senior Brother, thank you for your invitation; it would be an honor for me to be a part of the World League."

    "Hmm, ok." Jiang Yun nodded with a tired face, and suddenly something dawned upon him, "Wait.. what? What did you just say?"

    "Uh... I would be an honor for me to be part of your--"

    "FINALLY! Atst, someone knows the value of the invitation." Hou Xing epting the invitation alone was enough for Jiang Yun to take a one-eighty degree turn as he puffed his chest like a peacock.

    ...

    A/n: Guys, I am a bit sick, so the updates may be quite slow for the next two days.

    If you find any errors or typos, please inform me in thements so I can correct them. h h h h

 Chapter 124 - Assassination!

    "Alright, you five," Jiang Yun turned towards the other five who had rejected his invitation, and said as if he didn''t care about their rejection, "If any of you ever wish to join the best league, the World''s League will always have its doors open for you."

    Then he turned to Hou Xing and said, "Junior Hou,e to World League Headquarters tomorrow."

    Taking a deep breath, he turned towards Hu Xing, stared at him for a second, and then nodded at Jun Xie.

    Without any more words, he turned and got down from the tform, and headed for the exit.

    The members of the World League, who hade with him, followed him as he left the hall.

    After the members of the World League had left the banquet hall, Jun Xie looked at Hu Xing and said, "Come to the Second Peak Alchemy Hall tomorrow, before sunrise."

    Hu Xing immediately nodded his head in acknowledgment and said, "I will be there, Senior Brother Jun."

    "Alright, will see you then." Jun Xie then turned towards Yuan Shuchun and said, "Junior Sister, I shall also take my leave."

    And without waiting for her response, he headed for the exit.

    However, suddenly he stopped, turned, and frowned.

    In the next instant, he had a sword in his hand, and before anyone could react, he was already in the air above Yuan Shuchun, swinging his sword at her head!

    Before Yuan Shuchun could even react, Jun Xie suddenly turned to dust.

    The disciples stood there in shock at what had just happened.

    "Got You!" A familiar voice rang throughout the hall.

    The disciples turned towards the empty throne and were shocked to find Jun Xie and two other disciples, Fang Chen and Xiao Ming, standing with their swords on a masked man''s neck.

    "State your identity or taste my sword." Jun Xie looked more serious than ever.

    The masked man suddenly gritted his teeth, and his eyes went inside his head as he lost his consciousness. Forever.

    Jun Xie took out a piece of clothing, wrapped it around his fingers, and put the fingers on the man''s neck.

    "He''s dead." He dered.

    Yuan Shuchun finally came back to her senses, jumped on the stage, and stared at the dead body.

    Just as she was about to remove the mask, Jun Xie stopped her hand and said, "Junior Sister, don''t act rashly; this guy''s an assassin. Look at the tattoo at the end of his eyelids."

    Yuan Shuchun looked carefully and found an almost unnoticeable diamond tattoo near the assassin''s dead body.

    As soon as she saw the tattoo, she stepped back, "Whoa, I almost touched death. Thank you for your warning, Senior Brother Jun Xie; I owe you one for this."

    "It''s alright, just try to be a little nicer next time," Jun Xie replied in an attempt to lighten the mood.

    "Senior Brother Jun, why aren''t we removing this guy''s mask?" A voice called out from behind him.

    As he turned, Jun Xie found a cold-looking disciple staring at him with a confused expression.

    Jun Xie exined to him calmly, while also raising his voice a bit so that everyone in the hall could hear him, "The reason why I stopped Junior Sister is that the person is an assassin. And they bite the poison when things go wrong and kill themselves to not to reveal their identity."

    "However, do you know that their suicide is also an assassination attempt?"

    "What?" The cold-looking disciple was surprised to hear such words.

    "Yes, you heard it right. Actually, their robes are covered with an unknown poison, especially their wrist, neck, and mask. And if someone touches them with his bare hands, they will be infected with his poison and die."

    "This method is very effective because wrist and neck are where the victim will touch if he wants to know what happened to this person, the victim doesn''t know that the assassin hadmitted suicide."

    "And the face is what the victim will want to see next. To do that, he will have to remove the mask. But don''t forget that the mask is poisoned; therefore, the victim will die even if he escaped the assassination once."

    The disciples were enlightened to get to know about this kind of assassination strategy. They couldn''t help but discuss between themselves how good this strategy was.

    "It''s insane; I have never heard of this."

    "Yeah, and don''t forget that the target will have his guard down after he confirms that the assassin is dead."

    "True, and even if the assassin is beheaded, thus making the poison at his neck and wrist useless, the target will definitely look who the person is under that mask."

    "Agreed, and the worst part isn''t this mask. But rather the fact that their robes are poisonous. Doesn''t that mean that if any of the victim''s weapon scratches on the robes, the poison will get stuck on the weapon!?"

    "Holy shit, there''s no way of escaping death."

    "Yeah. If theymit suicide, you check their face, you die. If you defend yourself, you die. If you get a scratch from them, you die, since if their clothes are poisonous, then their weapons are too!"

    "Yep, escaping his impossible."

    "Well, Senior Brother Jun Xie did check his pulse and is still alive."

    "That''s because he already knew who that man was." Then the disciple lowered his voice and said, "If he was ignorant like Senior Sister Yuan, I am sure we would have more than two dead bodies near the throne in the next minute."

    ˇ­

    While themotion broke out among the disciples, Jun Xie removed the cloth on his fingers using his sword while saying, "This poison can erode anything, so we need to remove the cloth and get a new one."

    And then he took out another piece of cloth, wrapped it loosely around his hand, and moved his hand to remove the mask from the assassin''s face.

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors or typos, pleasement so I can correct them.

 Chapter 125 - The Dangerous Assassination Schemes!

    "And this is how all the assassins look." As the sight of the assassin''s face entered the eyesight of the disciples, they couldn''t help but flinch.

    His face was badly burnt as if someone had poured acid on his face.

    Jun Xie sighed at sight and said, "Even if we, the victims, remove the mask, we will never find out who this assassin was and how he looked like because as soon as hemitted suicide, the poison will also disfigure his face."

    He then looked at the cold-looking Core disciple and said, "This is why, whenever you face assassination, never drop your guard and waste time in looking for clues. These guys are years ahead of us."

    "Who are they?" Yuan Shuchun was also surprised by their unique and dangerous way of doing things.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips and said, "There were rumors of them being part of the Crimson Pavilion, however, this was neither confirmed nor denied by that organization."

    "What?" Yuan Shuchun was surprised by this answer, "Why would a Crimson Pavilion assassine here?"

    Jun Xie gave her a weird look and said, "This is your league. You''re the one who organized this banquet. He was hiding behind your throne. So take a guess who he was here for?"

    Yuan Shuchun shrugged her shoulder, "He could be for anyone, maybe he was here to create chaos in our sect?"

    "No." Jun Xie immediately denied, "He was not here for just anyone. He was after you."

    "How can you be so sure?"

    "Because I saw."

    "What?"

    "As I said, I saw him going for an attack towards you, however, he clearly didn''t do his homework beforeing. He tried to put an illusion in my presence. This guy was either very confident in his abilities or was simply ignorant."

    "An illusion!?" His words surprised everyone on the stage.

    "Yes, an illusion. The earlier me who turned to dust just was attacking you was this guy''s illusion. If I hadn''t detected an anomaly in the surroundings, everyone here would have seen me killing you, and that would have been a big setback to the whole sect."

    ''Holy shit!'' The disciples were astounded by this theory which felt very believable to them.

    If the disciples had witnessed Jun Xie killing Yuan Suchun, there would have been huge chaos in the whole sect and would have most probably led to a big turmoil in the sect''s political scene. However, one fact would be true: The sect would have suffered.

    Yuan Shuchun took a deep breath as she understood what they had just saved themselves from.

    "Thank you, Senior Brother Jun, if not for your timely interference, maybe today''s banquet would have turned disastrous."

    "Ah, you don''t have to say that," Jun Xie shook his head and turned towards Ye Tian Yun who was staring at the corpse with a frown on his face.

    He then said, "If I hadn''t saved you, Junior Disciples Fang Chen and Xiao Ming would have been there to save the day."

    Yuan Shuchun had a surprised expression on her face, "Ah, yes!" She then turned towards the two, and said, "Junior Brothers, this sister thanks you for saving her life, our Sect is blessed to have disciples like you."

    "It was nothing out of the ordinary." Xiao Ming replied with a slight smile.

    "It was just me being me." Ye Tian Yun replied as if it was a matter of fact.

    Yuan Shuchun smiled and then she took out the two elixir bottles and forwarded her hand towards them.

    "These two bottles of the Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid are for you guys." Seeing them not hesitating at all to take the bottle, she smiled a bit more and said, "These two are the most valuable things with me right now, however, I feel that both of you deserve these."

    "Thank you, Senior Sister." They cupped their fists.

    Jun Xie nodded his head and said, "Even though you guys had impressive spirit talent for you to be able to see through the illusion, you guys are stillcking in terms of sword cultivation. Come to Alchemy Hall anytime, I will give you guys a gift."

    While his simple words seemed like a well-wisher, however, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but narrow his eyes when he heard these words. He knew the hidden meaning behind them, however, that was it. He didn''t care about them much.

    Meanwhile, Yuan Shuchun thought was striking while the iron was still hot, "Junior Disciples Fang, Junior Disciple Xiao Ming."

    Seeing them turn their head towards her, she said, "Your act may have been dimmed with Brother Jun''s brilliance, however, no one can deny your talent. Even though I have already rewarded you with the Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid, I feel like it still doesn''t equate to what you have done. Thus I wish to invite both of you."

    Then taking a pause, she continued, "I wish to invite both of you to be nurtured as the next Core members of the Heavenly League. Both of you will receive the best treatment and cultivation resources, and with a little effort from your side, maybe you guys could qualify for the Grand Spirit Hunt?"

    ''Fuuuuuuu..'' Disciples in the hall took a deep breath when they heard her words.

    To be a core member was enough to make everyone jealous, but for them to get the best resources and stand a chance to qualify for the Grand Sprit Hunt turned their jealousy into regret for not seeing through the illusion by the assassin.

    And for the two disciples in question, Xiao Ming and Ye Tian Yun, it wasn''t surprising since this invitation was going to benefit more to Yuan Shuchun herself rather than them, since she would be the one to recruit them and all the investment of the cultivation resources was going to be from the League Treasury rather than her own pocket.

    Just then, a faint shout was heard throughout the hall.

    "Thousand souls to the Demon God!"

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos are errors,ment and let me know.

 Chapter 126 - Another Assasination!

    "Thousand souls to the Demon God!"

    As the sound rang throughout the hall, everyone suddenly turned silent.

    Jun Xie suddenlyughed, "Looks like a disciple got drunk too early."

    Many gave a slight smile, ignoring the shout they looked at Xiao Ming, waiting for his reply.

    ...

    On the other hand, Xiao Ming had already made his decision. He cupped his fists and said, "Thank you for the invitation, Senior Sister Yuan; however, I do not wish to join any leagues and only focus on self-cultivation. Even though your offer is one of the best a disciple could as for, however, I can only reject it."

    Yuan Shuchun was surprised by his rejection.

    She hadn''t expected that he would reject such a lucrative chance.

    ''Am I gonna face the same situation as Jiang Yun? Getting rejected by everyone I invite?''

    Thinking this, she turned towards Ye Tian Yun for an answer, who smiled and said, "Thank you for your invitation, Senior Sister; it''s my lucky day to be a part of your Heavenly League."

    "Ah, yes." Yuan Shuchun''s smile returned on her face as she continued, "Wee aboard, Junior disciple Fang Chen; I am d that you saw the value of my invitation."

    Clearly, herst words reeked of sarcasm, making Xiao Ming roll his eyes backward.

    She then turned towards Jun Xie and asked, "Brother Jun, what should be done with this corpse? Since touching it would mean getting poisoned, and we can''t let it rot here."

    "Don''t worry about that; everything will disappear slowly, including the poison."

    Yuan Shuchun was surprised and confused by his response and asked, "Hmm? The corpse and the poison will disappear?"

    "Indeed." Jun Xie nodded and continued, "Not only the corpse and the poison will disappear, but this whole area will also cleanse itself from any signs of poison."

    "Fuuˇ­" Yuan Shuchun let out a soft breath, "These assassins have a fate worse than death."

    "Well, it was them who chose to be an assassin. And they are the ones who decide to bite the poison in their mouth. So, in a way, we can say that they knew about this fate." Jun Xie wasn''t sympathetic at all; having dealt with enough assassins in his life, he was immune to such situations.

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head.

    It was then a maid suddenly rushed into the hall from the side entrance.

    She came to Yuan Shuchun and whispered something in her ears.

    Yuan Shuchun''s expression transformed from curiosity to shock and then to anger as he heard the maid''s report.

    After the maid had finished, Jun Xie couldn''t help himself but asked Yuan Shuchun, "Junior Sister Yuan, what happened?"

    Taking a deep breath, Yuan Shuchun said, "Senior Brother Jun, I am not the only one who suffered from an assassination attempt."

    "What? Who else?" Jun Xie was shocked by this news.

    Everyone focused attention on Yuan Shuchun as she replied, "Senior Brother Jiang Yun also faced assassination and is currently heavily injured."

    "What!?" Loud exmations rang throughout the hall as the disciples were shocked to hear this news.

    Jiang Yun had just left the hall a few minutes prior and was now lying on his deathbed.

    "Not only that, those darn assassins killed five of the seven disciples from the World League''s entourage. The other two, which included Jiang Yun, were so injured that their survival chances are almost none. And the worst part - it all happened in the sect."

    Yuan Shuchun was breathing heavily by the time she finished her words.

    "What should we do now?" The cold-looking disciples beside her asked.

    "You don''t need to do anything; the elders will handle it now." Yuan Shuchun replied, then turning towards Jun Xie, she said, "We need to get to the Grand Meeting Hall right now and inform you about the incident which happened here."

    "Yes," Jun Xie nodded, "Or else some might put the me on us."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded and then turned towards the disciples, who were still in shock, and said, "Everyone, unfortunately, we can''t continue this banquet anymore. Please head back to your cultivation abodes and keep your vignce high."

    Just as she had said, someone burst into the hall, "No one needs to go anywhere."

    This person seemed to be panting as if he was in so much rush that he depleted too much qi.

    As soon as the disciples saw this person, everyone stood up.

    "Grand Elder?" Yuan Shuchun was also surprised to see her butler objecting to her decision.

    "Mis - cough - Disciple Yuan Shuchun, it''s good that you''re alright," With a pause, he then said, "Take your seats; it''s good that everyone ''s alright."

    He then caught his breath and said, "Everyone. It''s better to stay here. The assassins are still atrge and may create more chaos while disciples get out of this building."

    "Also, it''s best if all the disciples are at one ce; the load on the elders will ease off."

    Suddenly he noticed a ck liquid near the throne. With a shocked expression, he asked, "Is that-!?"

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head, "Yes, Grand Elder, there was one assassin in this hall too."

    "What happened here? Did anyone get hurt?" Grand Elder asked, this time without slipping his tongue.

    "No, luckily due to Senior Brother Jun and these two disciples, I am still breathing, or else, I can''t even imagine what would have happened."

    Grand Elder was shocked by her words and said, "Thank the heavens everything is alright here."

    Jun Xie asked this time, "Grand Elder Xuan, is Brother Jiang alright?"

    "No, he''s heavily injured and may even take months to recover if he doesn''t lose his cultivation tonight." Grand Elder pursed his lips as a worried expression appeared on his face.

    His words shook everyone to the core.

    Was the Gracious Sword Sect going to lose its best disciple tonight!?

    "What should we do, Grand Elder Xuan?" Jun Xie was also now worried for his fellow disciple.

    Even though they had been fighting a cold war and had been rivals to each other, the fact that one of them may not see the next sunrise was a depressing thought.

    It was the same for Yuan Shuchun.. No matter how much she hated everyone who went against her, she was still a human and couldn''t help but sigh at the fate of her fellow disciples.

 Chapter 127 - Jiang Yuns Condition

    Even though tonight''s incidents made Yuan Shuchun''s goals easier to achieve, she didn''t wish for such an easy victory, especially when she could have also been in ce of Jiang Yun, on a deathbed, most probably crippled for life.

    And today''s incident also made her aware of a much more dangerous enemy out there in the dark.

    If Jiang Yun survives tonight, maybe they can work together against thismon enemy.

    However, all this was just a wish because Jiang Yun''s survival was something that no one could predict.

    ˇ­

    As Jun Xie''s voice rang throughout the hall, questioning what they needed to do, Elder Xuan didn''t hesitate and said, "It would better if both of youe with me to the Grand Meeting Hall."

    "You''re the targets of this assassination, so anyone near is in danger, so you definitely can''t stay in this hall. It may jeopardize the lives of all the disciples."

    Yuan Shuchun and Jun Xie nodded in agreement as Grand Elder Xuan continued, "Even though Core Elders will be stationed here, and there''s no need to worry about the safety of the disciples, but we can''t afford to take any risk. Let''s go."

    "Alright," Yuan Shuchun and Jun Xie nodded and came near Grand Elder Xuan.

    "Both of you, follow me," Grand Elder repeated himself, and then turning towards the disciples, he said, "The sect is in an emergency state, and I want all of you to cooperate and listen to the instructions of the elders. Don''t try to be a hero and go out of this Hall until morning."

    He then turned and headed out.

    Yuan Shuchun looked at the disciples and said, "The heavens will grace us, and the trouble shall be vanquished. Don''t panic because the elders will handle everything."

    And then she followed Grand Elder Xuan, who had already gone out of the building by now.

    Jun Xie was about to go when he suddenly turned towards Hu Xing, who was still standing on the tform, and then said, "Junior Brother Hu Xing,e to the Alchemy Hall on the Second Peak, after all this is over."

    And then, without waiting for a response, he turned and left.

    In the hall, now only the disciples remained.

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly smiled and looked at Hu Xing while saying, "Looks like the saying is indeed true, every dog had its day."

    His words created an awkward mood in the hall because the disciples were already stressed from the incidents, and now they didn''t know whether tough or not because Hu Xing wasn''t a nobody anymore but a Seat Candidate for the Nine Supremes.

    There''s a famous saying in the sect that being a Seat Candidate for the Nine Supremes was no different from being a Core disciple of the Sect.

    The benefits one might get may even transcend that of a Core disciple.

    Hu Xing, who had heard Ye Tian Yun''sment, didn''t back down and said, "It''s good to see you maintain the same arrogance like before. I won''t have to pity youter. Things will be easier."

    His words raised the eyebrows of many disciples as they understood the hidden implications behind his words.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, wasn''t affected by this, "Well, be this confident after you be one of the Nine Supremes. You''re just a Seat Candidate; that doesn''t qualify you to talk back to me."

    The arrogance in his voice heightened by the end of his sentence.

    Hu Xing pursed his lips and calmed down. He knew that arguing anymore would be pointless, and the words Ye Tian Yun said were indeed true; he was still a Seat Candidate, his struggles were still going on, his fate was still the same. Butler of the Fang n Young Master.

    Taking a deep breath, he stepped down from the tform and took his seat.

    Ye Tian Yun also didn''t waste any more time and returned to his seat, Xiao Ming following him just behind.

    The cold-looking disciples also took a seat among the older Inner Court disciples.

    And slowly, the hubbub in the hall resumed as the disciples began to discuss today''s events.

    They were also ncing at the top disciples of their peak from time to time.

    Especially Fang Chen, because of his feat of seeing through the illusion, just like Xiao Ming.

    However, the fact that Xiao Ming saw through it wasn''t as surprising as Fang Chen''s deed.

    To the disciples, it was now certain that Fang Chen could rival Xiao Ming, at least in terms of Spirit Sense.

    Some even judged that Fang Chen had a bit higher spirit sense aspared to Xiao Ming because he was closer to the Assassin, thus proving that he arrived earlier.

    But some argued that he was sitting closer to the throne, so of course, he would arrive earlier.

    Though the argument still stood that Fang Chen may have a bit higher spirit sense.

    s, if only the disciples knew that the Fang Chen they are talking about was actually someone else and the difference between his and Xiao Ming''s spirit sense was that of Heaven and Earth.

    The gossip then turned towards Hu Xing, who, even though selected as the Seat Candidate, clearly didn''t have a spirit sense as high as either Xiao Ming or Fang Chen.

    In fact, the fact that the Dreamscape Supreme, Jun Xie, someone who relied on his spirit sense talent, would actually choose his Seat Candidate based on sword talent rather than spirit sense was also weird.

    Near the throne, Ye Tian Yun, unaware of the arguments flowing through the hall, was currently in deep thoughts as he assessed the incident that had happened.

    In fact, too many things had gone awry, and he needed time to think about his next step.

    However, the one thing that bugged him most was Jiang Yun''s assassination attempt.

    How could that even be possible?

    Because he knew that the odorless melted corpse near the throne was actually an assassin sent by Jiang Yun himself!

    So how was it possible that those assassins attacked the one who hired them!?

 Chapter 128 - Assessing The Situation, Planning The Next Step (I)

    Ye Tian Yun was interested in the banquet for quite a few reasons.

    One, he was here for the Arcane Path manual which was in Yuan Shuchun''s possession.

    And two, he was here to stop an assassination.

    And these two tasks were very interrted. Because the only way of getting close to Yuan Shuchun and give her asting impression was to save her from the assassination attempt.

    And thwarting the assassination should havepleted his main objective of getting close to Yuan Shuchun for the manual.

    However, what really happened was something that made the future even more variable. And the reason why things didn''t go as he had expected was he himself.

    As per the reports, this banquet was going to be a major turning point in the future of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Yuan Shuchun was going to be almost assassinated, however, due to Xiao Ming''s higher spirit sense, the assassination would have failed, giving only minor injuries to Yuan Shuchun.

    And it was this encounter that would have started a love-hate rtionship between these two hormone-filled teenagers which would havested for about a year until Yuan Shuchun''s untimely demise by an unknown enemy.

    Xiao Ming, years in the future, would one day reveal the existence of the manual which he got on the night of the banquet as a gift from Yuan Shuchun for saving her life.

    And it was also that day he revealed that he never got to know about this unknown enemy.

    When Ye Tian Yun had heard of this report back in the day, in his life before rebirth, he was intrigued.

    Not by the fate of these two, but it was the organization behind the murder of Yuan Shuchun which intrigued him.

    He sent his followers to the lower heavens to try to find a weakness against Xiao Ming, however, all attempts were fruitless.

    There were no signs of any organization which could take out Yuan Shuchun and was offended by her.

    Yuan Shuchun liked to y safe, however, for her enemy to be so brutal that they didn''t even leave her limbs intact, pointing at the sign that there was a hidden enmity.

    But since his informants couldn''t find any clues about this, the search came up with no result.

    But while investigating, his informants found something weird: The new Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, Fang Chen, had removed all records of Yuan Shuchun from the history of the Sect and warned everyone from ever mentioning her name.

    The girl who had once fought for the sect had be a taboo existence.

    But all this was ''supposed'' to happen and tonight, this future is now officially averted.

    One, Fang Chen has been dead for months now.

    Two, it wasn''t Xiao Ming who had saved her.

    Now there was no reason for her to give the manual to Xiao Ming and her name wasn''t going to be removed from the sect records.

    It was Jun Xie who had saved her life.

    Ye Tian Yun''s focus moved to Jun Xie.

    Why did hee to the banquet?

    Of Course to recruit the disciple with the sword intent.

    However, what confused Ye Tian Yun was that he came for the disciple within a few minutes after Ye Tian Yun lost control over his Sword Domain when he saw Xiao Ming.

    And also the fact that he knew about the disciple being a part of the Seventh Peak was quite surprising.

    ''So the Nine Supremes also have informants?''

    If they had informants within the sect, that meant this league was also stained from the sect politics.

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t sure about this.

    Because the Nine Supremes didn''t remain in existence for more than two months in the Gracious Sword Sect after the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    And since this wasn''t rted to his motives nor were the details of this league important to him, hence he didn''t let his informants waste their time in digging sect records.

    Not only would they waste their time, but the information might also be false.

    As someone has said, ''History is written by the winners,'' and here, the winners were Fang Chen and Xiao Ming, so the sect records were mostly manipted in their favor.

    However, not only Jun Xie knew about the Sword Domain, even Jiang Yun knew about this and came here running.

    In his previous timeline, Jiang Yun did crash the banquet, but it was just to intimidate new disciples against joining the Heavenly League.

    He didn''te to recruit any of the disciples, unlike this time.

    And a few minutes after he had left, Yuan Shuchun was almost assassinated and Xiao Ming was heavily poisoned while trying to uncover the identity of the assassin.

    This incident had led to some serious consequences like the disqualification of Yuan Shuchun from the Grand Spirit Hunt and instability in the Heavenly League.

    It also unknowingly paved a path for Fang Chen''s rise.

    Six monthster, to everyone''s surprise, the assassins were finally traced back after a simr assassination attempt on Fang Chen, at the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    And the follow-up investigation revealed the preparator behind the assassination - Jiang Yun.

    But it was toote by then and Jiang Yun had already be an untouchable existence. Not only for Yuan Shuchun and Fang Chen but for the whole Gracious Sword Sect.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath before continuing to assess his situation.

    Now that Jiang Yun was also ambushed and is now heavily injured, meant that the truth was much more warped than it seemed.

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun felt that his palms were sweaty.

    He frowned and moved his hand, only to find out the elixir bottle in his hand.

    He held the bottle cap with his other hand, while still frowning as he stared at the bottle.

    Then as he put the bottle in his spatial ring, a thought struck him once again, ''Yuan Shuchun didn''t put these things as prizes in the precious timelineˇ­ So why did she do it now?''

 Chapter 129 - Assessing The Situation, Planning The Next Step (II)

    Ye Tian Yun could only guess the reason for her to put out such prizes.

    She wanted to recruit the Inner Court disciples with the Sword Intent.

    Just like Jun Xie and Jiang Yun, she was also after him, since it was him who had broken through the third realm of Sword Intent.

    However, Ye Tian Yun also got to know the influence of the leagues from this incident. It hadn''t been more than an hour before the three top leagues knew about his breakthrough.

    He didn''t know that he was actually overestimating these leagues, because Jiang Yun, Yuan Shuchun, and Jun Xie only got to know about the disciple with sword intent from the Sect Leader or the Grand Elder.

    The informationwork was indeed fast, it was just not as fast as Ye Tian Yun was scaling.

    This could be further proved by the fact that, of the four Top Leagues, only three leagues came to the banquet.

    ''Most probably Jade League also knows about my breakthrough, but they only recruit female disciples, or else, tonight would have been even more interesting.'' Ye Tian Yun still chose the worst possibility just to be careful.

    If the head of the Jade League were toe here, it would have definitely created more drama, however, this league only cared about female disciples, thus it didn''t have much influence outside the Third and Fourth Peak.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun now wanted to think about his next step.

    Tonight''s assassination was definitely not a simple thing. And this may affect his peaceful days since now he was going to be a Core Member of the Heavenly League.

    And why was he sure about himself being a Core Member?

    Not because of Yuan Shuchun''s personal invitation, but the fact that she sensed the little aura of Sword Intent from him.

    He had intentionally leaked the Sword Aura to get her attention because at that time he was unsure if the assassination would even take ce or not because Jun Xie was present at the scene.

    So Ye Tian Yun prepared himself for the worst possible scenario - the assassin backing out - and thus thought of something else to catch her attention.

    Finally concluded that the Sword Intent aura would be enough to get her intrigued.

    However, he didn''t wish to straight-up tell him about his sword intent. There was no benefiting from this.

    So he gestured to Zheng Xiang toe with him.

    And when both of them passed by Yuan Shuchun, Ye Tian Yun released a little amount of his Sword Intent.

    It was just enough to get into Yuan Shuchun''s senses, but not enough to let Zheng Xiang feel it due to his lower sword cultivation.

    Ye Tian Yun was able to confirm that his n was a sess when he observed Yuan Shuchun''s shocked expression.

    She had gotten the hint. But now she was in a dilemma of verifying which of the two disciples had the sword intent.

    And since Zheng Xiang was known for his sword talent, and Fang Chen didn''t have a name in terms of battle prowess, Ye Tian Yun assumed that his n to get close without letting her confirm his identity was going to be a sess.

    But he had to admit. He was lucky. Very Lucky.

    Due to the big difference between his cultivation realm and his sword cultivation realm, his control over his Sword Intent was very weak.

    It could be observed from thest two instances, at the Seventh Peak and the one just before the banquet began. He was not able to control his Sword Intent at any of the instances.

    For things like having control over his sword intent, just having knowledge of previous life wasn''t enough.

    His mentality was strong but his physical body was not.

    His strong mentality was the reason why his soul didn''t scatter when he broke through the Sword Intent. And it was also the reason why he could see through Jun Xie''s illusions.

    His strong mentality gave him an advantage in Spirit Sense.

    However, his physical body was different.

    He had gone through rebirth, so him having the same physical strength was impossible. And currently was just a fifteen-year-old kid. His second growth stage has just started.

    Thus him having perfect control over Sword Intent without practicing was just an absurd thought.

    ˇ­

    His next aim now was to get perfect control over sword intent and devise a n to take out Xiao Ming before the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    He knew the ce where he needed to do this: in the southern province of the Xu Kingdom.

    He knew when he needed to be there: after three months from now.

    But he had no idea what he needed to do, what was ''actually'' going to happen and how was he going to kill Xiao Ming.

    All these questions were interrted and if he were to be confident from the get-go, that would be no different from being conceited.

    He had no idea of the power structure of the Southern Region neither he had any knowledge about the region''sndscape.

    So to get this information, he first needed to get ess to the Heavenly League''s files.

    Yuan Shuchun was not a simple girl as one might imagine. Her ambitions had a much bigger radius and they didn''t just cover the Gracious Sword Sect.

    In fact, the Gracious Sword Sect was just a stop in her path of achieving her true goal.

    And for that, she had created her personal database, and anyone who could get ess to these would be updated regarding the state of the Xu Kingdom within minutes.

    The other option for him to get the information was to visit a Crimson Pavilion tavern, however, they were not nearby, and visiting the tavern would waste a lot of his time.

    He only had three months for the perfect opportunity to prepare a trap. If he didn''t get to the Southern Region in time, he would dy his overall n.

    After all, just like Yuan Shuchun, the Gracious Sword Sect was just a stop for him. Once he finished his objective of being here, he would go after the next target.

 Chapter 130 - Grand Elder Li, Peak Master Of The Second Peak

    Grand Meeting Hall, First Peak, Gracious Sword Sect.

    In the most prestigious ce in the sect, the atmosphere had never been this solemn before.

    There were few people in the hall, twoid and three standing, however, the mood was very depressing and down.

    At the centre of the hall was arge bed, and on it were two disciples in Core disciple robes, lying unconscious with bloodied bodies and deep cuts, beside them were two elders, who were desperately trying to put the bandages over the cuts as fast as they could, and put herb paste on the wounds.

    An elder on each side, mending one disciple each; they did the best they could in their attempt to bring these two disciples back from the death''s door.

    "Don''t forget to put a Heavenly Pilex Forte Essence'' in their mouth. We need to secure their meridians before it''s toote." An aged voice was heard from their left.

    "Yes, master." Both of the elders replied in unison, their tone was filled with respect.

    Soon a white sparkling pill was put in each of the two disciple''s mouths.

    After almost covering their whole body with white bandages, the two elders stepped back.

    One of them then turned towards his left and said, "Master, the external bleeding has now stopped, however, the internal bleeding is still causing problems. I am afraid their meridians might be useless even if they recover back to health after their wounds are closed."

    "Hmm, don''t worry about that. Let me see if I can work on this," The same aged voice replied and seemed to get closer by the end of the sentence.

    He moved a few steps closer to the two youngsters lying on the bed, took out a small vial from his spatial ring.

    The vial shined in the dim room, lighting it up.

    One could finally see the person in this dim hall.

    As light dawned on the person, it reflected on his river-silver hair. His eyes were like that of a jaded crow''s feet, his face was time-ravaged, his gxy blue eyes hinted at his deep wisdom. However, his aged but deep voice could give warmth and calm the listeners'' thoughts.

    The elders behind him were shocked to see the vial.

    "Is this Lighting Jade''s essence?" One of them couldn''t help but ask.

    The old man slowly opened the vial while replying, "Indeed it is. This is the best thing I have to cure their internal injuries."

    And as he finished saying, he moved the vial closer to one of the disciples and holding it just above his lips, he then poured a drop on the disciple''s mouth,

    Slowly, the shining liquid slipped into his mouth.

    The old man then did the same with the other disciples and poured another drop in his mouth.

    He then turned towards the two elders and said, "Go and arrange special quarters for these two. We can''t let them lie here forever."

    The elders nodded, "As youmand, Grand Elder Li," and left the hall in a hurry.

    The old man was the Peak Master of the Second Peak, Li Shoushan.

    One of the most renowned alchemists, not only in the Xu Kingdom but in the whole Lower Heavens, Li Shoushan was known for his deep alchemy knowledge and wisdom.

    This was why, even though he was a Peak Master, everyone referred to him as Grand Elder.

    [Author note: Li Shoushan means ''Longevity; Mountain'']

    He then let out a sigh while staring at the two disciples lying on the bed.

    "Grand Elder Li, can they be saved?" Another voice rang, as a man came closer to him, and observed the two disciples lying on the bed.

    "Sect Leader, the wounds are too deep. Especially Jiang Yun''s. And this is not the worst thing. It''s the poison that worries me."

    "Poison?" Sect Leader asked with a surprised tone.

    "Yes, the weapons of those assassins were coated with an unknown poison and it is so potent that it has already reached Jiang Yun''s heart. The chances of death are low."

    "Hmm? Chances of death are low? Your elixir is quite amazing, but then what''s worrying you?" Sect Leader Su was confused at such a reply.

    "The chances of death are low not because of the elixir I gave him," Grand Elder Li shook his head, and then with a slight pause he continued, "It''s because the poison was never aiming to kill these disciples."

    "Then?"

    "This poison is attacking the heart meridians. And once it damages them, all cultivation will be lost because the Qi path will be blocked. These two disciples will be crippled."

    "What!?" Sect Leader was shocked to hear these words.

    It wasn''t that he hadn''t thought of this possibility, but rather, he was unwilling to even think about it.

    But now, reality had hit him hard.

    His sect''s most prized disciple may be a cripple by sunrise.

    Sect Leader Su moved his neck and looked upwards, put his hands on his waist, then let out a long breath.

    "Is there any way of saving him?" He asked while still staring at the ceiling.

    Grand Elder Li didn''t give an immediate reply but continued to observe the two disciples on the bed before saying, "It''s not in our control. Fate will decide what happens with these two."

    Sect Leader Su let out another sigh and said, "What about Han Zemin? Is his condition also as severe as Jiang Yun''s?"

    Grand Elder Li looked at the disciple lying beside Jiang Yun and said, "He looks much better. From his wounds and cuts, I can easily conclude that he was not the main target. The assassins were after Jiang Yun. Han Zemin would be most probable to survive this ordeal among the two of them."

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips and with a frown, he turned to his right, staring at another person who had been standing near the gate all along.

    "Elder Lai Chang, what actually happened at the scene? How could it be easy for so many assassins to infiltrate our sect, and attack a core disciple right at the base of the most important peak of our sect?"

 Chapter 131 - Elder Lai Changs Recount

    "How is it possible for someone to assassinate our disciples right under our nose?"

    Elder Lai Chang, who had been silently standing all this time, replied, "Sect Leader Su after I informed the Grand Elder and requested him toe here as per your instructions, while returning back, instead of directlying back here, I went back to meet the disciples who had informed me of the incident."

    "I asked the witness disciples to recount what they had seen."

    "One of them said that, while he was passing by the main entrance of the Heavenly League, he suddenly saw Jiang Yun and six other disciplesing out of the entrance. He greeted them and went on his way."

    "However, just after a few moments, just when he had reached the Resource Hall, he suddenly heard panicked and angered shouts from behind and when he turned around, to his shock, he saw three disciples lying on the ground, unmoving. And the other four of the World League disciples standing with their swords drawn out; forming a circle with their backs on each other. However, the next instant, he saw six barrels suddenly fly in the air, directly heading towards them."

    "These barrels were actually the assassins. The surrounding disciples panicked and he rushed inside the Resource Hall, which was the closest building, to call an elder or any senior disciple."

    "And coincidentally, I was in the Resource Hall since morning, meeting the top disciples of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt from different peaks."

    "As soon as I came to know of this, I swiftly hurried for the exit to confront the situation and fire the emergency beacon."

    "I fired the beacon as soon as I got out of the Resource Hall and went to confront the situation. However, only two disciples were standing by that time, Jiang Yun and Han Zemin."

    "Jiang Yun was badly injured and was standing with one knee on the ground. Han Zemin was supporting him, he too had a bloodied figure."

    "Before the assassins could send a lethal blow, I intervened and bought some time for the reinforcements toe."

    "However, to my shock, the assassins were actually Peak Qi Condensation Realm Experts!"

    Sect Leader Su was shocked to hear this, "What? They had such high cultivation!? How did they escape the inspection array system!?"

    Grand Elder Li also nodded his head, "Yes, it is impossible for intruders to escape the array system, unlessˇ­" He raised his head only to find Sect Leader Su staring at him in shock.

    They had thought of the same possibility.

    "Unless they were helped by someone from the sect!" They both shouted in unison.

    Their shocked expression turned into visible anger because this meant that someone ranked at a high and powerful position in the sect was trying to kill the best disciple of the sect. The disciple who would most probably pave the path for the sect''s rise in the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    Grand Elder frowned and said, "It''s time we do some cleaning in our sect. People are doing anything they wish to remove their own sect members who areing in between their goals."

    Their shocked expression turned into visible anger because this meant that someone ranked at a high and powerful position in the sect was trying to kill the best disciple of the sect. The disciple who would most probably pave the path for the sect''s rise in the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    Grand Elder frowned and said, "It''s time we do some cleaning in our sect. People are doing anything they wish to remove their own sect members who areing in between their goals."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and said, "They have forgotten who their real enemy is," Then turning towards Lai Cheng he continued, "What happened next?"

    "Even though I am in the Late Foundation Establishment stage, dealing with four peak Qi Condensation Cultivators wasn''t easy, especially when they weren''t attacking head-on, but rather doing cheap tricks like poison darts and poisonous gas."

    "Fortunately I was able to hold on and the time was enough, other elders soon arrived after noticing the beacon, including Grand Elder, however, before they could judge the situation, the assassins shouted something and jumped into the endless ravine."

    "Grand Elder was able to take out two of them, and one of them was already killed by Jiang Yun, but the other three escaped. In fact, since they jumped in the endless ravine, they are most likely dead too."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "No-no, we have to assume the worst possible situation. We have to take it as if they are still hidden in our sect. Was Grand Elder able to find any clues before sending you here?"

    Elder Lai Chang shook his head, "Unfortunately no, the bodies and the clothes of the dead assassins melted soon after their death."

    "What?" Grand Elder Li frowned when he heard those words, "They melted?"

    "Yes, Grand Elder."

    "Hmm," After a moment of thought, he asked, "You mentioned that they shouted something before jumping to their deaths, what did they shout?"

    "They shouted these exact words, ''Thousand souls in for the Demon God,'' I have never heard of such a sentence before."

    Grand Elder however had a stunned expression over his face, he whispered in a low voice, "Thousand souls in for the Demon God? Are you sure these were the exact words?"

    "Yes, I am very sure. They shouted so loud that everyone at the base of the First Peak heard them."

    Grand Elder''s expression turned even paler when he heard the reply, "We need to evacuate this peak. Fast. No-No, that won''t work."

    He then turned to Sect Leader Su and said, "Sect Leader, the sect is in big trouble. This assassination attempt was just a trigger."

    "A trigger?"

    "Yes, if we don''t do anything right now, there''s a high possibility that more than half of our sect disciples on the first peak won''t see the daylight."

 Chapter 132 - The Yin-Yang Massacre

    "If we don''t do anything right now, there''s a high possibility that more than half of our sect disciples on the first peak won''t see the daylight."

    "What!?" Sect Leader Su was stunned to hear such words, "What are you trying to Grand Elder?"

    "Exactly what you heard," Grand Elder started headed towards the Hall exit in a hurry, while continuing to say, "The sect is in huge trouble right now."

    Sect Leader and Lai Chang hurried to follow him, but then Grand Elder said, "No, if we leave, then the lives of these two disciples will be in danger. The assassins might find a chance to take out Jiang Yun."

    He then looked at Elder Lai Chang and said, "Lai, go and get all the elders here. We don''t have much time."

    Elder Lai Chang nodded and headed to the base of the peak without saying any words.

    Staring at Elder Lai Chang''s back, Sect Leader Su frowned and said, "What is it, Grand Elder Li? Why have you suddenly be tense?"

    Grand Elder pursed his lips and said, "What do you know of the Yin-Yang massacre?

    "Just what everyone knows." Sect Leader Su replied in a matter of factly manner, "Yin-Yang Massacre was an incident which happened about fifty years ago in the now ruined Yin Yang Sect."

    "Tell me everything you know." Grand Elder said.

    Sect Leader Su raised his head, and while looking at him, he said, "Grand Elder, why are we ying a question and answer game?"

    "Just answer my questions. You will know soon enough what I am trying to say."

    Sect Leader Su shrugged and replied, "Well, about fifty years ago, a sect was rising in prominence in the Southern Province of the Xu Kingdom. It was the Yin Yang Sect. It soon became one of the most powerful sects in the Xu Kingdom, their power could be said to be the same as our today''s power. However, on one normal night, there was a sudden attack on the sect and it led to most of the Sect''s top brass and almost all the disciples dead by sunrise."

    "But the worst part was the brutality of the attackers. None of the members of the Yin Yang Sect present at the scene were unscathed, and those who died didn''t even have their bodies intact. The scene was too gory and bloody. It was as if the attackers had ripped apart all the disciples. The Sect''s site was dered a forbidden region. And now, the Yin Yang Sect is just a piece of history, not remembered for its glorious past, but for its tragic end."

    Sect Leader Su let out a sigh as he recounted the tragic incident which shook not only the Xu Kingdom but the whole Lower Heavens.

    "Till today, the preparators of that massacre couldn''t be traced. Even the Oracle Sect or the Crimson Pavilion had no answer to this riddle. It was as if those murderers suddenly appeared out of nowhere, massacred a sect, and disappeared in the dark night, never to show themselves again." Sect Leader Su took a deep breath as he finished his part.

    Grand Elder nodded with a grave expression, and then he asked, "Now think why did I bring this topic up."

    Sect Leader frowned and it didn''t take him long for a dreadful premonition to dawn on him as his face suddenly turned pale.

    He turned towards Grand Elder and asked, almost shouting, "Are you saying that such an incident will repeat itself tonight!?"

    Grand Elder Li nodded his head, with his lips pursed and a severe expression.

    "Why would you think like that? Is it because of those assassins? Because of what they shouted at the end? If yes, then howe I have never heard of such a thing?" Sect Leader Su had many unanswered questions.

    Grand Elder didn''t reply for a few moments and stared at the Sect Leader''s seat at the other end of the hall.

    He finally replied, "Fifty Years ago, two days after the Yin-Yang Massacre, Crimson Pavilion and the Xu Royal n did a heavy investigation on that incident. But there weren''t any big clues. In fact, there was something even more horrifying that was found out, which was never shared to themon popce."

    "What?" Sect Leader Su asked in a confused tone.

    "That day, while looking for the survivors, the members of the Crimson Pavilion and the Xu Royal n''s guards suddenly started to get hallucinations and in no time, they were killing each other."

    "What!?" Sect Leader Su was his eyebrows raised and mouth wide open when he heard of this. This news was definitely something he had never heard of.

    "Yes, a team of the best cultivators of the Crimson Pavilion and Xu Royal n became mindless monsters and were killing each other. But they were shouting something while killing each other."

    And with a pause, he continued, "They were shouting the exact same words that Lai Chang had heard, ''Thousands souls in for the Demon God,'' it was only after a few cultivators escaped the hallucinations were they able to get their superiors on the sight."

    "The cultivators who came this time were at least Peak Core Realm, they weren''t affected by anything and didn''t face any hallucinations."

    "After a few days of search, they found few surviving disciples and a heavily injured elder."

    "When that elder was treated enough to say anything, he recounted the incidents of the massacre''s night."

    "He said there was an assassination, however, before anyone reinforcements could arrive, they running away, but not before shouted the exact words that those mindless monsters and tonight''s assassin are had shouted."

    "The sect began to investigate them. The sect wanted to find the assassins'' origin, but they had just investigated for a few hours when sudden explosions were heard."

    "That elder ran to defend the sect thinking that it was another enemy attack."

    "But when he reached, he found there were no enemies. Neither were they getting bombed."

    "It was their own sect disciples who were exploding.. Killing everyone nearby."

 Chapter 133 - Sleeper Cells

    "What?" Sect Leader Su was stunned when he heard thest part, "Their own disciples!?"

    "Yes, their own disciples were exploding," Grand Elder nodded with a grave expression, "Not all of them, but there would be someone who would explode any time."

    "There was chaos all around. And before the elder could recover, one of the disciples beside him shouted ''those'' words and exploded."

    "The elder then lost consciousness and was somehow saved by the debris."

    Grand Elder took another pause and said, "That is not the end. From the disciple''s shout, everyone investigating the incident was sure that there was some rtion between the assassins and these disciples who exploded."

    "There wasn''t a definite confirmed answer to this rtion. However, someone proposed a theory which almost everyone agreed on."

    "What did the theory say?" Sect Leader Su asked.

    "It was said that the words, ''Thousand souls in for the Demon God,'' were not random nonsense but, in fact, they were actually the triggers. Triggers or, in better words, a switch to make the disciples suicidal. But since not all the disciples exploded, it meant that these disciples were somehow rted to these assassins."

    "As absurd as it sounds, this was the only valid reasoning they could think of. The investigators then termed those disciples as ''Sleeper Cells''."

    "Sleeper Cells?"

    "Yes. To define them, Sleeper Cells refer to an isted group of sleeper agents, that lies dormant until it receives orders or decides to act."

    "None of them even know if each other existed because the disciples who exploded had nomon rtions with each other. All of them were random. They most probably only have amon leader, who is the only link between them. They were most probably brainwashed, and ''that'' line was most probably a switch, trigger, or a signal for them to wake up and do what they are supposed to do."

    "Fuuˇ­" Sect Leader Su let out a long breath, "This theory sounds very hard to believe and there are many assumptions in this. I would be surprised if no one questioned it."

    "Some did, but the further investigation only leaned towards this theory. Though I don''t know much about the next results, but this theory became a fact by the end of the investigation."

    "So, are you trying to say that we have sleeper cells in our sect?" Sect Leader let out the question that was bumping in his head non-stop.

    "Yes, I am." Grand Elder nodded.

    "But we check everyone''s background. It is impossible for someone from an unknown or suspicious background to be a disciple of our sect. This rule was personally made by you."

    Grand Elder nodded his head, "It was indeed me who proposed this rule and even forced the sect to follow it. This rule didn''t strike me for no reason, but it was after the Yin Yang Sects massacre that I was forced to think about a way to prevent such an incident from happening in our sect."

    He then let out a sigh, "Clearly I have failed to stop such a thing."

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips, "If you had told everyone the truth of that incident, you wouldn''t have faced any opposition, especially my opposition. I had thought this was just a waste of our resources."

    "I wish I could," Grand Elder let out a wry smile, "The Crimson Pavilion and the Xu Royal n had made everyone bind fate lines to make us never reveal this secret."

    "Then why did you reveal now?" Sect Leader Su was confused.

    Grand Elder however just smiled and didn''t give any reason.

    He changed the topic, "The elders will soon arrive here, we don''t know who has coborated with the enemies."

    "Yes," Sect Leader Su suddenly frowned at those words, "WE will definitely find out who the perpetrators are. These scheming scum must be forced out in the open and have their heads removed from their body."

    Grand Elder nodded his head and said, "I do have some suspicions on the current infighting going on in the sect, but I just don''t want to ept such a thing."

    Sect Leader narrowed his eyes, "This infighting has gone on for too long now. These elders have started to disobey rules, and those leagues, those damned leagues have gotten too much out of hand."

    "It was you who gave them the power, whyin now?" Grand Elder shrugged at his words.

    "I wanted to see their leadership qualities, however, these kids are already thinking of themselves as above thews and rules of the Sect. They don''t even consider my words."

    "And today, things have gone too far. Only I knew where Jiang Yun was going tonight, but just when he got out of the Heavenly League headquarters, he was ambushed by not one but six assassins. Clearly, they came prepared."

    "But how could they know about Jiang Yun''s whereabouts? His own members leaked it? No, if that was true, then they would still be alive, or they would still be a part of the assassination."

    "It was most likely that someone tipped the assassins about his whereabouts when they saw him in the Heavenly League''s Headquarters."

    "Someone could have seen him enter that building?" Grand Elder interrupted him.

    "No, that''s impossible, because I personally asked Jiang Yun to go in disguise. He removed his disguise in the Heavenly League''s building and that was where someone most probably saw him."

    "And considering his enmity against Yuan Shuchun, I can''t help but be suspicious of her."

    "After all, her enemy gets ambushed just after she met with him in front of everyone. Even if she isn''t directly responsible, someone from her league is. And she will also have to shoulder the me."

    Just then.

    "That''s quite far-fetched logic you have, Sect Leader Su."

    A young voice rang out from behind while a fray of footsteps buzzed in the hall as many people entered the hall.

    Sect Leader Su turned around and his eyes fell on the very person he was ming.

    Yuan Shuchun.

 Chapter 134 - Yuan Shuchun Clears Her Name

    "That''s quite far-fetched logic you have, Sect Leader Su." Yuan Shuchun''s words rang throughout the Sect Meeting Hall as she entered along with the Grand Elder, Jun Xie and other elders whom Lai Chang had called as per the instructions of Grand ELder Li.

    "Master!" Jun Xie cupped his hands towards Grand Elder Li as a greeting.

    "Hmm," Grand Elder Li nodded his head and gestured to him with his hands.

    "What do you mean my words are far-fetched?" Sect Leader Su frowned and said, "First of all, don''t forget who I am. And secondly, Jiang Yun came from your League''s Headquarters. Even if you prove yourself innocent, the initial me and suspicion will be on you and your league. It is inevitable." He reprimanded her with a tinge of anger in his voice.

    However, Yuan Shuchun in return had an expression of irritation on her face as she replied with a frown, "Sect Leader Su, please don''t be childish. Just because someone is killed in front of my house, it doesn''t mean I am the murderer."

    Sect Leader Su was not having any of her answers, "Well, you will be under suspicion if the victim was your mortal enemy."

    "Oh? What if I say, I was also almost killed at the same time?" Yuan Shuchun asked with her arms crossed.

    Sect Leader Su was stunned when he heard her words, "What did you just say?"

    "I said exactly what you heard, Sect LEader Su. Someone also tried to assassinate me when Jiang Yun was under attack."

    "What!?" Both Sect Leader Su and Grand Elder were shocked to hear this.

    They turned towards Grand Elder Xuan and Jun Xie for confirmation, and took a deep breath seeing them nod their head.

    "To think two of our best disciples were almost assassinated at the same time." Grand Elder Li said as he walked towards Yuan Shuchun, and with a confused frown, he asked, "Howe you''re surprisingly unscathed, while Jiang Yun here is half dead?"

    Yuan Shuchun answered with a slight smile, "It''s all because of your disciple Senior Brother Jun Xie. The assassin tried to put an illusion, however, unfortunately for him, Senior Brother Jun Xie was present at the scene and was able to see through the illusion and saved me from getting beheaded. Though it wasn''t quite necessary."

    Grand Elder Li once again turned towards Jun Xie for confirmation.

    Meanwhile, Sect Leader Su asked Yuan Shuchun, "Why would you say it wasn''t necessary? I don''t think your talent lies in spirit sense. I am pretty sure you had no idea when did the illusion trapped you. Then why would you say it wasn''t necessary when Jun Xie was the only one who could save you in that situation?"

    "It was unnecessary because Senior Brother wasn''t the only one who saw through the illusion, there were two other disciples."

    "Oh?" Everyone was surprised when they heard her words, Grand Elder Li asked, "Which Core disciple was also present in the hall?"

    "Not Core disciples, master." This time it was Jun Xie who spoke, "But there were actually two new inner core disciples who saw through the illusion."

    "What!?"

    Loud exmations echoed throughout the hall as everyone was stunned to hear his words.

    "How is it possible for disciples who have not even reached the Qi Condensation Realm to see through an illusion?" Grand Elder Li the most surprised of all.

    "There can only be two reasons, either the two of them were lucky, which seems quit impossible or both of them are very talented in terms of Spirit Sense, and this condition is even more unbelievable." Yuan Shuchun replied to him.

    "Why is the second condition unbelievable? The disciples are definitely very talented in terms of the spirit sense." Jun Xie argued back, having witnessed Ye Tian Yun''s ability to always see through his illusion, he was sure that the disciple called Fang Chen was one of the rarest talents the sect could evere across, and the fact that such a talent knew his identity, made him even more interested in Fang Chen, after all, this was the reason why he didn''t reveal anything about Sword Intent.

    Yuan Shuchun however had different thoughts as she asked him, "If they had such a good talent then why was it not seen in the Sect Entrance Exam, and howe they didn''t see through your illusion, especially Fang Chen."

    "Who!?" Sect Leader Su who was thinking about something else, suddenly looked up when he heard the two words which he didn''t wish to hear in tonight''s incident. His shout attracted everyone''s attention.

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips, ''I said too much,'' however, after a moment of thought, she continued with her eyes narrowed, "Fang Chen, the disciple who was ranked number in the Ninth Peak''s Inner Court Entrance Hunt." n n

    "Oh," Sect Leader Su replied with a calm expression.

    Yuan Shuchun was disappointed when she didn;t get the reaction she was ho[ping for. After all, Fang Chen was his son.

    She pressed the matter, "What happened Sect Leader Su? Do you know him?"

    "Know him?" Sect Leader Su replied with a smile, "Don''t forget what his first name is."

    And then with a cold smile, he said, "The Fang''s are really daring to send their spawn to train in my sect."

    Grand Elder Xuan, who was silent in the whole situation, was currentlyughing at Sect Leader Su, ''I wonder what kind of expression he will have if he knows that Fang Chen is his own son?''

    Yuan Shuchun also found this predicament funny and replied. "Yes, Sect Leader Su, they are pretty daring. Don''t worry, I will take good care of this Fang Chen," By the time she had finished, on her face was the you-know-what-i-mean expression.

    At this time, Peak Master Duan, who was also in the crowd of the elders spoke up, "There''s not much time left.. Let''s discuss such stuff after we find those assassins."

 Chapter 135 - A Fathers Melancholy

    Peak Master Duan, who was also in the crowd of the elders spoke up, "There''s not much time left. Let''s discuss such stuff after we find those assassins."

    "Yes," Grand Elder Xuan nodded his head and continued, "The disciples are all safe in the banquet hall, no need to worry about them, let''s get those assassins."

    No," Grand Elder Li shook his head, "No need to care about those assassins, we need to get our disciples to safety first, let''s go."

    He didn''t waste any more time and headed towards the base of the First Peak.

    Everyone else, except two people, followed him, hurrying to get to the base, though they were confused why they needed to care about the disciples when the assassins were still atrge and might escape if no one searched for them.

    ...

    The two who didn''t follow the elders were Sect Leader Su and Peak Master Duan. Later one stayed back when he saw Sect Leader Su was not moving.

    He came closer to him and said, "Brother Su, that was a close call. It was good that you were able to maintain your emotions when that brat tried to probe your sudden reaction. Now let''s go."

    Sect Leader Su however smiled, put his hands behind his back and with a proud expression, he said, "Brother Duan, did you hear what that girl said?"

    "Uhˇ­ about ''taking care'' of your son?" Peak Master Duan was confused.

    "Hun? No-no, the earlier part. Did you hear what she and Jun Xie said about Fang Chen seeing through the illusion?"

    Peka Master nodded, "Yes," and then with a smile, he said, "My nephew sure is talented. I wonder whose genes are the reason behind his talent? Yours'' or Sister-inw''s?

    "Of course you Sister-inws," Sect Leader Su had an expression of mncholy and regret as he said, "I wish I could go and tell him how proud I am. Brother Duan, will he recognise me?" A tinge of nervousness appeared on his face.

    Peak master Duan couldn''t help but sigh at his senior brother''s fate. As a husband he couldn''t keep his wife safe and now as a father, his son doesn''t recognise him.

    Letting out a deep sigh, Peak Master Duan then put his hand on Sect Leader Su''s shoulders and said, "Brother Su, it''s not the time to think about such things. Don''t forget that your son is also among the disciples down there and the assassins might target them to create a distraction."

    Just then, Sect Leader Su''s face suddenly turned pale as he remembered what Grand Elder Li had told him a few minutes ago.

    The Sleeper Cells among the disciples!

    ''Damn it, how could I get distracted so easily!''

    Without thinking any more, he rushed out of the hall, catching up with the elders who had already reached the base of the peak.

    Being high realm cultivators, it wasn''t a big deal for them to traverse this distance within seconds.

    As they reached the base, Grand Elder Li suddenly turned and said to Sect Leader Su, who had also caught up, "Sect Leader Su, I think we need to scatter the disciples in the group."

    "No-no," SEct LEader Su rejected this idea, "We can''t do that, the disciples being in groups is what they want."

    "Ah, yes," Grand Elder Li started to think about any other way while scratching his chin.

    Everyone other than these two were confused about what they were talking about.

    And it included Yuan Shuchun, however she wasn''t afraid to interrupt and said, "Elders, what are you talking about? Why are we caring about the disciples? They are safe in the Banquet Hall."

    "No they are not!" Both, Grand Elder Li and Sect Leader Su, replied at the same time.

    And then only Grand Elder Li continued, "We need to get the disciples to safety because among them are spies, who will soon explode, killing everyone around them."

    Hissssss

    Everyone else other than these two took a deep breath when they heard of such a dreadful future.

    "What?" Grand ELder Xuan, who was also surprised, had never heard of such kinds of spies.

    "Yes, you heard it right," Sect Leader Su replied, "These spies are called Sleeper Cells. They are brain-washed people who act like normal people until they get a signal or someone presses the trigger. And tonight, those assassins have pressed the triggers, waking up the sleeper cells."

    "Now, those sleeper cells will explode, decimating everything in the vicinity. This means we are about to lose all the new Inner Court disciples and the older Inner Court disciples who are also part of the Heavenly League."

    These words were like a bombshell being dropped over their heads, as everyone present at the scene suddenly got tensed.

    Tonight might possibly be the most tragic night in the history of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Yuan Shuchun suddenly asked, "What is the trigger you''re talking about, Sect Leader Su?"

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips and said, "The sign was the sentence that those assassins shouted before jumping in the endless ravine."

    "What did they shout?"

    "They shouted ''Thousand souls to the Demon God'' before running away."

    Many elders were surprised when they heard this, because they had witnessed those assassins shout these words but they would have never imagined that these seemingly childish and corny words were actually a switch to start a massacre in their sect.

    Meanwhile, Yuan Shuchun and Jun Xie stared at each other in shock as these were exact words that they had faintly heard in the banquet hall!

    ˇ­

    <em>A/n: Hey guy, so I noticed a mistake in previous chapters: the cultivation of those assassins is actually Qi Stabilization Realm (the third andst stage of tri qi realms), not Qi Condensation Realm (which is the second realm). Also, I forgot to mention thest part about the shout which Jun Xie and Yuan Shuchun had heard just after the assassinaion attempt on her, but before Grand Elder''s arrival. </em>

    <em>For non-privileged readers: We will only have one chapter today because something urgent came up and I could only write one and a half chapter, which is now published as a long chapter. Please bear with the slow release rate for two more days till I handle the stuff here.. Thank you.</em>

 Chapter 136 - How To Get The Sleeper Cells Out? (I)

    The shout which Yuan Shuchun and Jun Xie had ignored as someone being drunk was actually a trigger to activate the human bombs called Sleeper Cells!

    Both of them couldn''t help but take a deep breath when they thought such a small thing was actually going to have a disastrous effect on their sects.

    Their shock didn''t go unnoticed by the elders, and Grand Elder Xuan, who only cared about Yuan Shuchun''s safety asked, "Disciple Yuan Shuchun, what happened to you?"

    "That shout," Yuan Shuchun replied, "Just after there was an assassination attempt on Jiang Yun, we heard a faint shouting from outside. It was the same ''thousand souls'' shout which the assassins had said and the one you''re saying is a trigger."

    "Yes," Jun Xie added after Yuan Shuchun finished her words, "At that time we thought it was just a drunk disciple or something, and ignored that shout."

    "Hm?" Sect Leader Su suddenly frowned, "Doesn''t that mean everyone in the hall heard it, and if there were sleeper cells among the disciplesˇ­ they too must have heard it."

    The other elders beside him also nodded because they had also thought of this.

    "We must get the disciples of the hall before it''s toote," One of the Elders spoke, "The hall has too many disciples, and even if there''s only a single sleeper cell, almost half of the disciples will die. This is a loss which the sect can''t afford to suffer."

    "Yes," Grand Elder Li nodded his head, "We need to take out the disciples, but the hard part is how to find those sleeper cells? Because we don''t know who to separate from whom."

    "This is also what is bugging me," Sect Leader Su added, "If we put a sleeper cell among normal disciples, then the lives of those disciples will be in danger."

    "Also, we don''t know how many sleeper cells there are."

    "Why don''t we separate them into peaks?" One of the elders proposed.

    "And how will that help us?" Sect Leader Su rejected his proposal, "There''s no point in separating the disciples based on their peaks or ranks, because, as I have said, any one of those disciples could be sleeper cells."

    "Sect Leader Su, why are we only considering the disciples in the hall? What about the other disciples that were outside the Heavenly League building? Any one of them could also be a sleeper cell."

    Sect Leader Su nodded, "Yes, we can''t deny this possibility, however, sometimes we need to weigh the gains and losses. And tonight, whatever we do, there''s a big chance that we will be the one who will be on the losing side."

    "Are you saying we are not gonna care about the sleeper cells outside the heavenly league building?" Grand Elder Xuan chipped in, trying to put Sect Leader Su in a tight situation.

    Sect Leader Su crossed his arms and replied, "It''s not that this is something I want to do," He then looked at the other elders while exining his thought, "But you see, the disciples in the hall will definitely die tonight if we do nothing because there''s not enough space for them to scatter enough to get hurt."

    "Also, those disciples are much more important because of their potential and talent. Don''t forget that all the new Inner Court disciples of the sect are currently sitting in that hall."

    "And if we don''t do anything to stop the uing disaster, it will take more than a generation to get the disciples back on track. Not to mention the trust we will lose among the ns in our region, will they send their sons and daughters to a sect which couldn''t even protect its own disciples?"

    Many pursed their lips as they had words to argue with the Sect Leader.

    Sect Leader Su then took a deep breath and finished his words by saying, "This is a war we have already lost, and I don''t want our sect to face the worst situation."

    "So what should we do?" Grand Elder Xuan asked, this time he was not in the mood to create trouble for the Sect Leader.

    "We need to make a n to get the disciples out of the hall and find the sleeper cells before it''s toote." It was Grand Elder Li who replied to him this time.

    "And when is that?"

    "When what?" Grand Elder Li frowned.

    "When is ''toote''?"

    "Three hours after the shout is what I know. But I have no confirmation regarding this. The sleeper cells might explode anytime."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and said, "Yes, and that''s why we need to do something."

    After a moment of thought, he said, "How about checking these disciples? After all, there must be some way or some link between them or between their leader?"

    "There''s no way someone could be trained into sleeper cells without formal training. Most probably their master is the same."

    "Hm," Grand Elder Li nodded his head, "We need to find something which connects these sleeper cells to the master or the trigger."

    Jun Xie suddenly said, "Master, I think we can only check each and every one of the disciples inside the hall, once we find some time which is weird butmon in some disciples, they will most likely be the sleeper cell."

    "This sounds usible," Grand Elder Li replied, "However, this is not an easy task. The disciples are so many that we won''t be able to check all of them."

    "We can divide them into groups and then the elders and the core members of the Heavenly League will check the disciples." Yuan Shuchun said.

    "How will we divide them into groups? And why should we not check the Heavenly League''s disciples? After all, anyone from them could also very possibly be a Sleeper Cell." Jun Xie objected to her proposal.

    In his opinion, everyone in the hall was a sleeper cell unless proven otherwise.

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos/errors, please let me know throughments.</em>

 Chapter 137 - How To Get The Sleeper Cells Out? (II) And Ye Tian Yuns Uneasiness

    "We can use the idea given by Elder Tu," Yuan Shuchun shrugged, "We can divide them as per their peaks."

    "And the only reason why I suggested volunteering Heavenly League members for help was to save time. We need to find the sleeper cells as soon as possible."

    "Yes, we can''t trust them. That''s why I will also suggest that we will first search through those disciples who will be helping us. And then, we will start searching through other disciples."

    Suddenly a question struck her mind, she looked at Sect Leader Su and asked, "Sect Leader, do these sleeper cells know that they are sleeper cells? Or they have no idea that they are walking bombs?"

    Sect Leader Su however had no answer to this question, he could only turn towards Grand Elder Li for help, who answered the question, "This isn''t confirmed yet. There''s no proof that the sleeper cells know what they are doing, or if the explosion is spontaneous."

    Grand Elder Xuan rubbed his chin while saying, "I think this reaction is spontaneous, and those disciples have no control over this, nor do they have any knowledge that they are actually human bombs."

    "Why would that be, Grand Elder Xuan?" Peak Master Duan asked.

    "Because if those disciples knew that they were about to explode, then there could only be two oues: they would have exploded then and there when they heard that shout or they would have tried to escape this fate by informing us about this and saving their own lives."

    "Now as Grand Elder Li has mentioned, that we have three hours to find the sleeper cells, it is this thing that stands out the most. Why do we have three hours? If those sleeper cells have free will, then what are they waiting for? When they heard the shout, that time was the best time to explode. The explosion would have most likely caused the death of everyone in the banquet hall."

    "Yes," Grand Elder Li nodded his head in agreement. What Elder Xuan had said did make sense, after all, the main aim of sleeper cells was to kill as many disciples as possible. But then, why didn''t they explode at the right time? Why waste three hours?

    "We can''t take the risk," Sect Leader Su quipped in, and said, "We can''t assume anything positive right now, we need to assume the worst possibility - the sleeper cells know what is going to happen and they are willing to do it."

    Everyone agreed with this point. After all, if anything unexpected were to happen, it would only make the situation worse.

    In such a situation, it was best to assume the worst from the very start so there''s no bad surprise in the end.

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and said, "Alright, then assuming that the sleeper cells know about what they are going tomit, we can''t let them know why we are searching or what we''re looking for."

    "I propose this n: We will divide the disciples into their peaks and assign elders and disciples to check through them for any sign or thing which stands out.

    "We won''t do this in front of everyone, but rather we will have disciplese to the outside of the banquet hall, one by one, then have them scanned, and then send them to the upper floor."

    "Under no circumstances will we tell them why we''re doing this. We will just go and start doing what needs to be done. Can''t afford to waste any more time in the hall. We have already wasted more than ten minutes here."

    Seeing many nod their head to her n, she asked, "If anyone has anything to add or any loophole they can see, please say before it''s toote."

    Peak Master Duan was first to say, "We don''t need to assign the same number of elders and disciples to the groups, but rather, we will assign in proportional to the group size."

    "Agreed," Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "After all, not all peaks have the same number of Inner Court disciples."

    "Why don''t we focus on only the new Inner Court disciples?" Yuan Shuchun added while rubbing her nose, "Since, most of the new Inner Court disciples have only entered the sect five months ago. And if anyone was nning this, then sending sleeper cells through the Sect Entrance Exam was the best choice."

    "As Sect Leader Su had said earlier, let''s assume the worst possibility," Jun Xie who was standing beside her shook his head and continued, "The very definition of a sleeper cell is someone who remains dormant until he is called upon, and no one said there''s a time limit. We can''t assume that those sleeper cells came only five months ago."

    "The enemy is very discreet and they could be nning this for a long time now." He added at the end.

    "Alright then," Sect Leader Su said, "Let''s move out now, first thing to do is call some core members who could be trusted, search them, and then start dividing the disciples as per their peak."

    "Yes!" Everyone agreed and started moving. In no time, they were at the Heavenly League Headquarters Entrance.

    ˇ­

    A Few minutes ago.

    Ye Tian Yun who had been thinking about his n for the future suddenly remembered a small incident that happened earlier during the banquet.

    It was that faint shout which was heard throughout the hall.

    It felt familiar.

    When he heard the shout earlier, he did feel a bit uneasy, however, at that time he suppressed it thinking that it was most probably due to what Xiao Ming was going to answer when Yuan Shuchun invited him.

    He was a bit uneasy because he didn''t wish for Xiao Ming to change his original answer because of his interference with today''s events.

    Fortunately, Xiao Ming did what he was supposed to do. Rejecting Yuan Shuchun''s invitation.

    But the feeling of uneasiness didn''t go away. He could only suppress it by thinking about something else.

    And now, it kept growing. It felt as if the answer was right in front of him, but he just couldn''t see.

    Even though that shout felt familiar, he couldn''t remember from where.

    For the first time after rebirth, he was facing problems in remembering things from his previous life.

    ...

    A/n (same as on ch148): We will be resuming 2ch/d from tomorrow.

 Chapter 138 - Zheng Xiang Acting Weird

    Zheng Xiang was depressed.

    He had a very good pick-up line prepared to impress Bai Qing''er, but he could only use it while heading out of the banquet.

    Thus he decided to think of something else.

    However, anything that came to his mind was too corny for readers to read.

    He didn''t give up and continued to concentrate on his Dao of Flirt.

    But, he came out with nothing. And this made him depressed.

    On his left was Bai Qing''er, and on his right was Ye Tian Yun.

    While Ye Tian Yun was frowning hard, most probably trying to think about something.

    Bai Qing''er however was finding it hard to control herughter. She could only sit with a straight face and lips pursed, trying to appear as normal as possible.

    Why was she having trouble sitting calmly? Because of the guy beside her. Zheng Xiang.

    Due to her ability to know what the people around her were thinking about her, she knew what this guy was thinking.

    She couldn''t believe someone would still try to use pick-up lines at this time. After all, the sect was under attack by unknown enemies and this guy was thinking about how to impress her.

    Either he was an idiot who doesn''t understand the situation, or he was an idiot who now had a crush on her.

    Truthfully, she didn''t care about these kinds of disciples. After all, being the center of the attention of most of her life, she was now very immune to such guys. At least that''s what she thought about this.

    Even though Zheng Xiang was trying to think of pick-up lines, all his thoughts ended up with her name, so she already knew what he was going to say.

    Except for the first line that he was regretting about, she knew all the corny lines he thought of.

    ''Should someone call the elder, because girl, you just stole my heart.''

    Her lips twitched when she heard this pickup line which Zheng Xiang had thought for her.

    Before she could process those words, a new one plopped up in Zheng Xiang''s mind.

    ''Let''smit the perfect crime. You steal my heart, I steal yours.''

    ''Nah, this is not good for her, I need something which will work really well.'' Zheng Xiang thought.

    ''Girl, I wanna go swimming, but I am already drowning in your eyes.''

    Bai Qing''er turned her head to the other side. These were the times when she really wanted to have control over her ability to know other people''s thoughts.

    ''This is awkward,'' She didn''t know what to do.

    Suddenly her eyes fell on the disciples beside her. Xiao Ming.

    It was then she remembered once again that she couldn''t hear the thoughts of these two.

    How did she know that? Because there was no way that anyone who saw her for the first time wouldn''t think anything about her.

    But Xiao Ming''s case was like that. He didn''t think anything about her.

    No. He may have thought of something, but somehow Bai Qing''er couldn''t hear it.

    And when even after sitting beside her, none of Xiao Ming''s thoughts were known to her. Be it something good or bad, there was no way he didn''t think anything about her.

    And to make matters even weird, there was someone else whose thoughts she couldn''t judge.

    Fang Chen.

    The guy sitting on the other side of Zheng Xiang.

    That guy was really low-key. And was also weird in her opinion.

    Because when Zheng Xiang and Xiao Ming argued earlier, Fang Chen interfered and even kicked Xiao Ming.

    Even though his power was surprising, she thought that Fang Chen was being nosy.

    Not that she had any dog in that fight, but she just wanted to state her opinion.

    Tonight she got to meet a lot of weirdos.

    Zheng Xiang was trying to continuously get into her good books.

    Xiao Ming and Fang Chen, whose thoughts were hidden from her. And both of them gave a weird vibe to her. Her intuition told her to stay away from these two.

    And then there was Mu Xing. The only guy in the hall whose thoughts she could hear, but they weren''t about how to make her fall in love with him. Rather, Mu Xing thought of her as a rival.

    Just then.

    "You were really lucky tonight." A voice from her left called out, bringing her out of her thoughts.

    She slightly turned her head towards the source. It was Zheng Xiang.

    He wasn''t looking at her, but rather, Xiao Ming.

    ''He wants another beef, smh,'' She could help but shake her head in her mind.

    Xiao Ming who was also lost in his thoughts turned to his left and frowned at Zheng Xiang.

    "What do you mean?" He asked.

    Zheng Xiang leaned back on his seat, turning a bit to his right, and put his left-hand elbow on the armrest, scratching his chin, he said, "You were lucky that tonight''s banquet took a turn and you easily got out of it without meeting me."

    Xiao Ming had his left eyebrow raised when he heard those words, "Were you sleeping when I kicked that guy''s ass?"

    "That was just a small fry. If you had met me, you would have received a good spanking."

    Xiao Ming smirked, "Oh?" Then he leaned forward a little and said, "You seem to be very confident, why don''t we get on the stage? Let''s see if your sword is as sharp as your words."

    These two top disciples arguing between each other had begun to attract a lot of attention. The disciples had already started to feel bored, and now that there was a good drama to witness, they were definitely not going to miss it.

    Ye Tian Yun who was still trying to figure out why that shout was bugging him, looked to his right with a frown, ''Why is Zheng Xiang trying to create unnecessary trouble? There''s no need to create a drama and if they get on the stage, Xiao Ming will beat the crap out of him.''

 Chapter 139 - Yuan Shuchuns Sudden Actions

    On the other hand, when Zheng Xiang didn''t reply but just smiled at him, Xiao Ming taunted him, "What happened? Weren''t you bbering a lot just now? Let''s get on the stage, we will see who''s sword is sharper."

    Zheng Xiang, with a smug smile, replied, "Sharpness isn''t my ''Sword''s forte, but it''s definitely long and broad. You will know if you hold it."

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips twitched when he heard those words.

    "If your sword isn''t sharp, then what''s the use of it?" Xiao Ming was confused about where this conversation was going.

    Zheng Xiang smirked, "Sharp swords don''t do the trick, since ancient times, it has been stated that a man''s ''sword'' should be long and broad. I don''t understand why you would prefer a shar[ sword."

    There were slightughs heard in the background, while most of the disciples started Zheng Xiang trying toprehend what he had said.

    Like most of them, it didn''t take long for Xiao Ming to get which ''sword'' Zheng Xiang was talking about, feeling embarrassed, he stood up and shouted, "You!ˇ­ -"

    Before he could finish, a shout came from behind.

    "Everyone!"

    The noise attracted many disciples'' attention and when they turned, they found it was Jun Xie and Yuan Shuchun who were standing at the entrance near the throne.

    The hall turned silent as both of them stepped inside the hall.

    Yuan Shuchun walked forward near the stage, and said, "Everyone, tonight''s incident is now resolved. No need to worry about anything, only one assassin is still in hiding. He too, will soon be caught and executed."

    Seeing everyone''s relieved expression, she nodded and continued, "It''s prettyte and tomorrow will be a big day for all the new disciples, therefore it''s time for everyone to head back to your cultivation abodes."

    "But since, there''s still one assassin in hiding, we won''t send all of you back at once."

    "I want you to divide yourself into groups based on your peaks. Be it older or new Inner Court disciples, as long as they are from the same peak, I want them to be standing together in a group."

    "After all this is done, we will then send you out in small subgroups through this way," She gestured her hand towards the side entrance from which she came into the hall.

    The disciples nodded their heads but they were confused about how to form the groups.

    Jun Xie came forward at this time, and looked at the old Inner Court disciples, and said, "The Core Members of the Heavenly League,e forward."

    Some disciples from that side turned their heads towards Yuan Shuchun for her response.

    Seeing her nod her head, about thirty disciples moved and came near the throne.

    Jun Xie nodded his head and said, "First you guys divide yourself as per your peaks."

    And then looking at the other disciples, he said, "Then I want you to join the group these disciples have formed. Enter your own peak''s group."

    The disciples in the hall nodded their heads and moved forward, dividing themselves into groups.

    It didn''t take long for about five groups of Inner Court disciples to form.

    Luckily for Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang, their group was formed at the exact ce where they were seated, thus it was a stroke of great luck for them.

    As for other disciples like Xiao Ming, they went to the other side of the hall to their respective peak''s group.

    The only exception was Bai Qing''er who was the only female disciple in the hall among the Inner Court.

    Fortunately for her, Yuan Shuchun didn''t put her in a plight and called her out, "Junior Sister Bai Qing''er, youe with me."

    Bai Qing''er had nothing to disagree with. In no time she was standing beside Yuan Shuchun.

    "Alright, now silence," After everyone had been grouped, Yuan Shuchun said, "Now that everyone is grouped, don''t mess around, take your seats and wait for your turn to head back to your cultivation abodes."

    After a moment of silence, she said, "Core members of the Heavenly League, follow me outside."

    Yuan Shuchun didn''t wait for any response and headed out of the hall.

    Ye Tian Yun who was in the group of the Ninth Peak''s disciples was considering if he should follow her or not.

    Even though Yuan Shuchun had invited him to the Heavenly League to be a Core Member, he was still hesitant.

    The main reason being Yuan Shuchun faking the invitation. And another being, if he went outside with the group, he would be showing everyone that he considers himself as a part of the Heavenly League now. And that would be a useless move.

    After all, his main objective was never to get into the League and be its Core member. His objective was to stop Xiao Ming from getting his hands on the iplete cultivation manual.

    And he had seeded in his mission. Now there was no need for him to forcefully enter the sect politics or be abor of the Heavenly League.

    Time was limited for him and any distraction would only warrant more hardships in theing future.

    However, there was a bit of a feeling inside him that wanted to follow the core members. Because these sudden actions of dividing the disciples as per their peaks and sending them into groups when there was an assassin hiding in the sect were just weird.

    ''Why are they hurrying for the disciples to get out of this hall?'' He couldn''t help but frown as he thought about the current situation, ''There''s an assassin outside, they should find him first. There''s no need for the disciples to go back to their cultivation abodes.''

    There were many unanswered questions in front of him.

    And as he was about to make his mind and follow the core members, he noticed that Jun Xie hadn''t left the hall!

    ''Oh, instead of lurking around, it''s better to ask him what''s going on.''

 Chapter 140 - Jun Xie And Ye Tian Yuns Pact (I)

    "Brother Fang, did you also notice it?"

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was about to get up and head towards Jun Xie, he heard a faint whisper from his right.

    ncing at the side, he found Zheng Xiang looking at him with a frown.

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Don''t tell me you didn''t notice?" Zheng Xiang was surprised by Ye Tian Yun''s response.

    "Don''t you feel weird about what''s happening? Why are they sending back the disciples when there''s an assassin hiding outside. They should focus on finding that assassin, rather than caring about us. It''s not like we''re little kids and will die if left alone." He slowly whispered with a confused tone.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "I think they are either trying to bait the disciples or there''s another reason which they are trying to hide."

    ZHeng agreed, ''Could be. Let''s see what happens."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and got up from his seat.

    Zheng Xiang couldn''t help but ask," Where are you heading?"

    Ye Tian Yun pointed at Jun Xie with his eyes, "He will know the answers."

    "But why would he tell you about anything?"

    "Just wait and watch." Ye Tian Yun gestured at him and moved towards Jun Xie.

    ˇ­

    Jun Xie was sitting on the throne, with his hand on his chin.

    He hadn''t left the banquet hall with Yuan Shuchun because Grand Elder Li had told him to handle the disciples and be on the lookout for any suspicious disciples.

    The Sect was nning to check all the disciples for any unique signs or things, which could help them identify the sleeper cells.

    And to make this foolproof, they didn''t wish for the disciples to know about it. So they decided to make a ruse of sending them back to the cultivation abodes but in truth, they will check them and send them to the floors above.

    The above two floors would be enough to handle the disciples.

    And they will keep note of anything weird or out of ordinary things they find among the disciples.

    Jun Xie thought that this n was pretty good. But the only disadvantages they had in this n was the time limit and the chance that the sleeper cells were conscious of what they were doing.

    The time was limited so they had to check all the disciples as soon as possible, and if they failed in this, then there won''t be any difference and many disciples, including elders this time, will die.

    The loss will be bigger than when disciples were inside the hall, because this time, there would also be elders present at the scene.

    And if the Sleeper Cells were conscious of what was happening, there was a good chance that they would explode themselves as soon as they understood what was going on. So this made the checkpoint ce the most vulnerable and dangerous.

    Except for these two issues, there wasn''t much problem or loophole in the n that he could find.

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Jun Xie noticed from the corner of his eye that someone was heading towards him.

    He raised his head and saw thest person he wanted to see at this banquet.

    Fang Chen.

    He pursed his lips and suddenly an idea clicked in his mind.

    Before anyone could notice, they were in an illusion that didn''t make many changes but focus more on Ye Tian Yun and him. This illusion made both of them talk normally, but surprisingly, not even the closest disciples to them were able to hear what they were talking about.

    "You are really good at putting illusions. This sound trap illusion is really good."

    Just as Jun Xie had put the illusion on everyone, he heard Fang Chen''sment on the illusion.

    He narrowed his eyes and said, "You are also really good at looking through the illusions. Is this because of your sword talent?"

    "Could be." Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders and took out a chair from his spatial ring.

    He then put the chair in front of Jun Xie and sat on it with one leg above the other.

    Jun Xie raised his eyebrows, and with a light smile, he asked, "Are you not afraid that an elder wille and see through this illusion? Or what if I remove this illusion right now?"

    Ye Tian Yun smirked at him as he said, "Elders won''te this soon. And as for you removing the illusion, well you can. It''s up to you. I don''t really care."

    Pursing his lips, Jun Xie asked, "Then let''s talk. Tell me, who are you?"

    "Fang Chen." Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders, "I won''t believe it if you say you don''t know about me."

    Jun Xie narrowed his eyes at his answer, "Do you really think I am a fool? You''re definitely not Fang Chen. Who are you?" He leaned forward with an intimidating expression over his face.

    Ye Tian Yun only smiled at his words, "I am Fang Chen. I don''t understand why someone would doubt my identity."

    "Then how do you know my n name?" Jun Xie''s expression was severe.

    "I know your n name?" Ye Tian Yun acted cluelessly.

    "Don''t try to be innocent," Jun Xie still had the serious expression, "Don''t forget the only reason why no one knows that you have the Sword Intent is that I didn''t reveal it. Just tell how you know or why you associated me with the Liu n?"

    "Ah, that?" Ye Tian Yunughed slightly, "You don''t have to think much about that. Just know that I mean no harm neither I have any ns toe between your goals."

    Then with a slight pause, he continued, "Just keep your head low. The only reason why I even let you know about my sword intent was that I am interested in what you hold dear."

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments.</em>

 Chapter 141 - Jun Xie And Ye Tian Yuns Pact (II)

    "You let me find out?" Jun Xie let out augh when he heard Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    "It was actually the other way around. You acted arrogantly, and it didn''t take long for me to know about your Sword Intent. Beforeing here someone had already informed about a Seventh Peak''s disciples breaking through the Sword Attainment Realm. I didn''t believe those words, but when you acted arrogantly and even told me that you could see through my illusion, those words became facts."

    "Because it was impossible for someone to see through my illusion when they haven''t even reached the Qi Condensation Realm. No matter how godly their Spirit Sense be, cultivation level difference will always put a cap on its capabilities."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No-no, you took it the wrong way. But I do agree with your thinking. And if you were to be at my ce, I am sure you would have done exactly what I did. You would have revealed the Sword Intent."

    "What nonsense," Jun Xie gave him a look as if he was looking at an idiot, "Do you think I am as stupid as you? Maybe you''re not stupid, but you definitely are inexperienced. You don''t know the value of Sword Intent that''s why you revealed it to me. And just to be clear, if I was in your ce, I would have purposely lost the challenge, and removed suspicion from my head. Thus protecting the fact that I broke through the Sword Intent."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at his words, "Yeah, but that''s not the case here. You won''t understand even if I tell you. Just know that I revealed my power not to impress or show off, but because you and I could be good partners."

    "What do you mean partners?" Jun Xie was confused at his words, "You''re still two realms lower than me, so let''s not talk about the partnership here. First, show me your worth."

    "Here''s the thing," Ye Tian Yun took a slight pause before continuing, "I know what you are here for. And we both can be useful to each other if we cooperate."

    "Oh? You know? Then tell me, why am I here in the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at him, "I wasn''t talking about you being in this sect. Like you, this ce is also just a stop for me. So let me rephrase my words. I know what your aim is bying to the Lower Heavens."

    The air around Jun Xie suddenly changed as there was an abrupt bombardment of killing intent on Ye Tian Yun. Jun Xie leaned forward with an even more severe expression as he said, "Watch your words, boy. Give me a reason why I shouldn''t treat you as a threat."

    Ye Tian Yun was unaffected by his threats and killing intent. Still with the same smile, replied, "You see, I know many things about you, but I have no know intention to use them against you. I want cooperation from your side. Trust me, you will make your search only harder if you make an enemy out of me."

    Jun Xie took a deep breath when he heard the word, ''search'', he stared at the young man in front of him and after a short silence, he continued, "I can''t deny the fact that you know something. But your reply still doesn''t satisfy me. I could just kill you and get done with it. I don''t mind having my search getting dyed a few years."

    "I know you won''t mind, but what about your father?" Ye Tian Yunid out his best card on the table.

    Jun Xie abruptly stood up. His emotions were in turmoil as he heard Ye Tian Yun mentioning the person who was most influential in his life.

    "Let''s talk. What do you want?" He decided to take a step back in this discussion. Fang Chen''s knowledge about him had made him intrigued.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Finally the words that I have been wanting to hear from you."

    "Alright, I won''t ask for much. Just help me out in my goal in the sect, and when the timese, I will give you a hint about the ce where you should go and search for. Trust me, this deal will save you from getting loads of enemies and at least three years of your time."

    Jun Xie sat back on his seat, "Or I could just kidnap and torture you until you tell me everything you know."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Liu Xun, don''t think doing anything stupid."

    He called Jun Xie with his real name.

    If you really think I am stupid enough to sit here and negotiate without having a foolproof backup n, then I must say you''re not acting on the ideals of the Liu n."

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "Alright, we will have a deal. But first, let me see how serious you are about this deal. Answer my few questions. The first one, what is your connection with the Middle Heavens?"

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath, "Liu Xun, you aren''t thinking it right. If you don''t want this deal, we can end it right now. But that will only dy both of us from achieving our goals."

    "So you won''t say, hmm," Jun Xie nodded his head, "Alright, I won''t trust you, but there''s no harm in making a deal. Tell me, what do you need from me?"

    Ye Tian Yun gave him a smile and said, "First of all, tell me what''s actually going on in the sect."

    Jun Xie replied, "Well, half of the sect disciples are about to die and our sect is about to lose its standing in the cultivation status quo of the Lower Heavens tonight."

    Ye Tian Yun was shocked to hear these words, "What do you mean?"

    "There are certain disciples who are called Sleeper Cells. And they are about to explode."

    "What!?"

    The words ''Sleeper Cells'' were like a thunderp in Ye Tian Yun''s ears as everything that was happening started to make sense.

    And that bugging feeling disappeared as these two words made him remember the information that he had previously overlooked.

    ''The Devil Sect!''

    ...

    <em>A/n: I would be really surprised if anyone could guess who Jun Xie''s father is.. And yes, he was mentioned in chapters earlier.</em>

 Chapter 142 - "Dont Try To Be A Hero."

    The Devil Sect.

    Every story has an antagonist, and when the God''s legion began their conquest to conquer the Lower Heavens, they were met by their counterparts, the Devil Sect.

    If Ye Tian Yun was the main boss of the Middle Heavens, then the Devils Sect was the main boss of the Lower Heavens which God''s Legion had to defeat in order to move forward.

    The only difference between Ye Tian Yun and Devil Sect was that this sect was very discreet and never had any clear agenda, on the other hand, apart from the feud which happened between Wang Yao and Ye Tian Yun when they first met, Ye Tian Yun was also after the Emblems which were in God''s Legion members'' possession.

    The Emblems are needed to summon the throne, which will allow its possessor to rule over the Middle Heavens.

    But the Devil Sect showed no interest in this. But somehow they got entangled in the God''s Legion''s conquest and became public enemy number one after their hidden schemes came to light.

    Eventually, the Devil Sect was destroyed but its main members were never killed. They just went into hiding.

    Ye Tian Yun was never interested in them, thus he never tried to find much, neither did he bother to dig any history. In his opinion, this sect was just a coward which could only win using underhanded measures.

    And one of those underhanded measures was the use of Sleeper Cells.

    To be honest, whoever came with this method was no less than a genius.

    This method allowed the Devil Sect to enter their enemy''s base, and destroy it from within without ever letting anyone else find out.

    Ye Tian Yun, in his previous life, may not have been interested in finding out the remaining members of the Devil Sect after their massacre by the God''s Legion, but he was very intrigued by the use of Sleeper Cells.

    And thus, to no one''s surprise, his informants found out about the intricacies of the Sleeper Cells.

    How they are trained, how could such a thing even be possible, how they worked, and the most important of all, how to identify them.

    Ye Tian Yun got to know answers to all these questions.

    And tonight, when he heard Jun Xie tell him about the existence of the ''Sleeper Cells'', all these memories suddenly popped up in his mind.

    Earlier the weird feeling which was bugging him due to the shout which he had heard was now gone as the answer behind the shout wasid out in front of him.

    And he also knew how to identify the sleeper cells.

    Suddenly he looked at Jun Xie''s hands and nodded. ''Alright, at least he''s not a sleeper cell.''

    Jun Xie, who was observing his expression as it turned from calm to surprise, shock, and then enlightenment, couldn''t help but frown when he noticed Ye Tian Yun staring at his hands.

    He asked, "you done looking? So, where was I, ah yes, the Sleeper Cells. You see, they are like suicidal human bombs which will explo-"

    "I know what they are." Ye Tian Yun had a severe expression on his face as he interrupted Jun Xie.

    Jun Xie on the other hand was shocked to hear his word, "You know!? What do you mean you know? Do you know about the Sleeper Cells? But how is that possible? Even the elders didn''t know what they were. I heard it''s ssified information, so how is it possible that a normal Young Master of a n and an Inner Court disciple of an average sect know about these sleeper cells?"

    Jun Xie sent a barrage of questions hurling towards Ye Tian Yun who chose to reply none of them.

    "Let''s go, we need to warn everyone," Ye Tian Yun got up from his seat and was about to head towards the gate on the left of the throne.

    "Wait!" Jun Xie blocked him, "First tell me, how in the world do you know about it?"

    "Trust me, even if I tell you, it''s not gonna be of any use, because for every second you waste, the most chance that we will lose our lives in an hour or two."

    Jun Xie pursed his lips. He wanted to know how nobody like Fang Chen knew so many things.

    He didn''t move aside, but after a pause, he asked, "Do you think anyone will believe you outside? Why should the elders believe you? You''re also under suspicion."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "You don''t have to worry about that. There''s someone out there who won''t let anything happen to me at any cost."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "If you''re talking about Yuan Shuchun then I must burst that bubble of yours. She ain''t gonna help anyone who causes trouble for her."

    "Who said I need her help?" Ye Tian Yun smirked. He didn''t need to rely on Yuan SHuchun when the person with the most authority won''t let anything happen to him. More precisely, he won''t let anything happen to Fang Chen.

    Jun Xie had no idea who he was talking about, "Well, we just made a pact. And you''re literally the only person who knows what I am looking for. So I can''t allow you to be foolish and let you think that you will be a hero by saving everyone. No, you will not. Everyone will be wary of you, even Yuan Shuchun, whose league you were desperately trying to join will treat you with suspicion."

    "We can do this, you tell me what you want to say to the elders, and I will inform them, and give them a reason like I just remembered this information. This won''t bring any suspicion on you, and you will be able to save yourself from a lot of troubles. So, just tell me what is going on in your mind."

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight smile as he replied, "I am not trying to be a hero, I just don''t want to die without even knowing what hit me.. And, You''re really underestimating the Fang n."

 Chapter 143 - Insistance

    Jun Xie took a deep breath as he heard Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    In his opinion, Fang Chen telling the elders about any hidden information about the sleeper cells was no different from hitting his legs with an axe.

    He was digging a hole for himself. The elders, especially the core elders and the Grand Elders, were not nice old people, but they were scheming old bastards who were looking for any way to enhance their hold over the sect.

    And Fang Chen was going to be amb to be ughtered in front of them as soon as he spoke about the sleeper cells.

    First of all, no one knew who is behind the assassination, it could be any of the elders. So, by foiling their n, Fang Chen was unknowingly creating a hidden enemy for himself.

    And the other thing that worried him was that, if Fang Chen gets into trouble, it would indirectly affect his goals.

    Thus, he was very much against Fang Chen going out and bbering about things trying to be a hero of the sect. To him, this was naive thinking.

    But to Fang Chen, or should we say, Ye Tian Yun, it was actually the opposite.

    He wasn''t worried about anyone getting suspicious of him, because of Fang Chen''s background.

    The Fang n is not a simple n. It literally has more power than the Xin Royal n itself. And all the high-ranking powers of the kingdom know about this.

    If not for the fact that the Fang n has never shown any moves against the Xin Royal n and have also be inws with them, they wouldn''t have let it be this powerful.

    In the public''s eye, the Fang n acts arrogant because of its connection with the Xin Royal n, however, in truth, the Fang n has no need to rely on the Xin Royal n.

    In fact, even the Gracious Sword Sect is wary of this n. Thus, Ye Tian Yun could easily use the Fang n as an excuse for his knowledge.

    And even though tonight''s events happened very differently from what they were supposed to go like, Ye Tian Yun was sure that no one of the elders was behind tonight''s incident. Just like he knew that it was Jiang Yun who was behind Yuan Shuchun''s assassination attack, he was sure that this has nothing to do with the elders of the sect.

    Because he knew that no matter how much internal fighting and scheming was going on in the sect, none of the elders would coborate with the outside powers. Even the Grand Elder Xuan who was going against Sect Leader Su at every decision, wouldn''t ask for the foreign powers to help him.

    This was why Ye Tian Yun had no issue in disclosing anything regarding the Sleeper Cells.

    And the reason why he chose to do this was that his life was also in danger. The explosion by a single Sleeper cell was enough to destroy half of the banquet hall. And no one had any idea how many sleeper cells were lying dormant in the sect.

    There was no way Ye Tian Yun would be able to survive this crisis alone. He had to use the information in his head and make a way for himself to survive.

    And the reason for his action was the fact that he had to keep Xiao Ming alive.

    No matter how much he wanted Xiao Ming dead, it was not the right time yet.

    Xiao Ming still hadn''t shown any signs of possessing the Token Of Fate, thus, dead Xiao Ming was equivalent to losing Token of Fate.

    Ye Tian Yun had no other choice but to wait for the right moment to strike and kill Xiao Ming, and get his hands on the Token.

    ˇ­

    He then stared at Jun Xie for a second and said, "You don''t have to worry about losing the clue, let me do what I think is right. The more you stall, the fewer chances of survival we have.

    Jun Xie sighed and just as he was about to snap his fingers, Ye Tian Yun said, "Don''t remove the illusion."

    "Why not?"

    "I don''t know everything about the Sleeper Cells. Like, I am not sure if they are conscious of the fact that they are about to explode. We can''t risk anyone in this hall knowing about what is going on. Keep the illusion as long as you can."

    Jun Xie took a deep breath and nodded his head, "Alright, I will do that. I am not sure how long I will be able to hold on because I will also be heading out of this banquet with you."

    "You won''t have to hold it for long. Let''s go." Ye Tian Yun assured him and headed out of the hall towards the elders who were currently checking the core members of the Heavenly League. He didn''t forget to put his chair back in his spatial ring.

    Jun Xie followed him, however to the disciples in the hall, he was still sitting on the throne, and Ye Tian Yun was standing in front of him as both of them chatted in low voices.

    ˇ­

    Outside the hall.

    The current situation was pretty weird as the elders were having a headache in searching for the disciples.

    It was not only time-consuming, but they also found at least one thing unique among each disciple.

    So now, they didn''t know how many things to take note of.

    At first, it wasn''t an issue, like they took note of scars, tattoos, and moles, but by the time they reached the eighth disciple, they already had a long list of unique things among these disciples.

    And if more than a thousand disciples inside the hall were to be taken into ount, it would take days to identify the sleeper cells.

    Unfortunately, they had less than three hours at hand.

    This was now giving a big headache to all the higher-ups of the sect present at the scene.

    It was at this moment, that they suddenly noticed Jun Xieing out of the banquet hall with an Inner Court disciple.

 Chapter 144 - Persuasion

    The core members of the Heavenly League were at first confused when they were called out of the banquet hall.

    But then they were bamboozled when the Elders suddenly began to check their belongings and their robes.

    It was as if someone among the disciples had stolen a precious treasure of the sect and now they were being treated as suspects.

    One of them tried to ask Yuan Shuchun what was going on but ended up getting shut up by her.

    She seemed unusually strict and stressed.

    Afraid of her having a mood swing, which was no less than a death threat to them, the disciples unanimously decided to keep quiet and follow what they were being told to do.

    ...

    There were only half of the elders present at the scene, the rest of the elders, including the Sect Leader and the Grand Elders, had gone out to round up the remaining disciples on the First Peak who were present at the base when the assassination happened.

    They wanted disciples to get into one ce.

    Thus, they were sending the disciples to the Resource Hall, while the elders who were in the Heavenly League''s Headquarter building were checking the core members.

    But what they didn''t expect was the load of the work. The Elders in the hall were having trouble noting down the unique things or marks on the disciples, while the ones outside were having trouble in getting all the disciples to the Resource Hall, after all, the First Peak is the main peak, thus it''s the most crowded peak of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    And at this time, when the elders were already stressed about the little time they had in their hands, they saw two disciplese out of the banquet hall. One of them was Jun Xie, while the other''s identity was unknown to them.

    Yuan Shuchun was first to recover from the surprise, and asked Jun Xie, "Senior Brother Jun, what are you doing here? DIdn''t we discuss that you would stay inside the hall to keep an eye on the disciples? And why have you brought Junior Brother Fang Chen?"

    Everyone''s attention was now on Jun Xie, who had already expected the questions, "Something unexpected has happened so I had no other choice but toe out and inform everyone about it."

    "What has happened?" One of the core elders asked with a slight frown on his face.

    Jun Xie shook his head, "I can''t tell right now, first we need to call Sect Leader Su, Grand Elder Xuan, and Master here. Alsoˇ­ we need to get the disciples out of here."

    "What?" Yuan Shuchun had a confused expression on her face as she continued, "What are you trying to say? We can''t waste any more time, you know that right? Don''t dy everyone for nothing."

    Jun Xie was about to say something, but Ye Tian Yun interfered and said, "Senior Sister Yuan, this is very important, please call the other elders here right now, the more we dy, the fewer chances of everyone''s survival."

    Yuan Shuchun was surprised at his words, and at this time, one of the elders asked, "Who are you, boy?"

    Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists and said, "I am Fang Chen, Elder."

    "Hmm," the Elder nodded and said, "The Sect Leader and Grand Elder are doing important things right now, we can''t disturb them. If you have anything to say, just say it here right now, it will save time more."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Elder, the Sect Leader and the Grand Elders are most probably trying to gather all the remaining disciples on the First Peak who are not inside the building. However, it will be of no use, and just like it''s giving you a headache, it will be much harder for them to find out the ones who they are looking for."

    Most of the elders were surprised at his words. To be able to deduce this much, disciple Fang Chen in front of them definitely knew what was going on, and wouldn''t try to waste their time, unless he himself was one of the Sleeper Cells.

    "Why should we trust you?" The Elder asked, clearly not wanting to take risk of trusting Fang Chen. After all, everyone inside the hall, especially the new Inner Court disciples were under heavy suspicion and everyone was wary of them. Because anyone of them could be a Sleeper Cell in disguise.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Elder, your suspicion is right, however, this is also the reason why I want to have the Sect Leader and the Grand Elders present at the scene."

    "Hmm," the Elder pursed his lips then turning towards one of the elders beside him, he ordered, "Go and call everyone here, tell them it''s an emergency."

    "But Elder Tu-"

    "Just Go." Elder Tu frowned.

    "Alright, Elder Tu. As you say."

    And in the next instant, that elder had already disappeared from the room.

    "Thank you, Elder." Ye Tian Yun smiled as he continued, "Please send these disciples to any other room. We can''t have them here, at least not yet."

    Elder Tu nodded his head and was about to gesture at them when suddenly a voice rang.

    "No need."

    It was Grand Elder Li, who, alongside Sect Leader Su, Grand Elder Xuan, and other elders, had already stepped inside the room.

    "They are already in an illusion, they won''t know what happened." Grand Elder Li then looked at Jun Xie and said, "Xie''er, don''t strain yourself anymore, I will handle the disciples inside the hall."

    Jun Xie sighed in relief and said, "Thank you, master."

    Grand Elder Li nodded his head and asked, "What is going on here? We have only brought in half of the disciples on the First Peak to the Resource Hall because we can''t announce them to gather at once. So, you better have a good reason for interrupting us because the time in our hand is not infinite."

    "So tell me, what is the emergency."

 Chapter 145 - How To Identify Sleeper Cells?

    "What is the emergency here?"

    Grand Elder Li looked at Elder Tu for an answer, who in turn, replied, "Grand Elder, it was due to Fang Chen and Jun Xie''s persuasion that everyone was called here."

    "What''s the matter, Xie''er?" Grand Elder Li asked his disciple.

    "Master, Fang Chen here has something to say about Sleeper Cells."

    "What!?" It was Grand Elder Xuan who almost shouted when he heard Jun Xie''s words, "What do you mean he has something to say about the Sleeper Cells? First of all, tell me, how does he even know about the Sleeper Cells?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t let Jun Xie speak first, he replied, "Grand Elder, I talked about Senior Brother about what was all thismotion for, and that''s how I got to know about the sleeper cells."

    Many elders frowned at his words, including both of the Grand Elders.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t need a big brain to know what they were thinking, thus he continued, "And elders, you don''t have to be worried about unnecessary things, Senior Brother Jun Xie is a good friend of mine, this is why he told me. He wouldn''t reveal such an important thing to any random disciples."

    Grand Elder Li still had a frown on his face as he asked Jun Xie, "You two know each other?"

    Jun Xie made up a story, "Yes, Master. I met Fang Chen before he even became a part of the Gracious Sword Sect, and was surprised to see him at the banquet today."

    "You just met him, and you already trust him enough to tell him sect secrets?" Grand Elder Xuan wasn''t going to let such a good chance to push down Jun Xie go to waste.

    "No, Grand Elder," Jun Xie shook his head, "I haven''t met him only once, but rather, I have met him in asional incidences and we soon became good friends. And as for the trust, Grand Elder, please don''t forget that I cultivate illusion arts, and knowing people''s nature and heart is the most important thing in it. So, trusting Fang Chen was definitely not without any reason."

    "Hmm," Grand Elder Li nodded, and then looked at Ye Tian Yun and asked, "Speak, what do you want to share?"

    Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists once again and answered, "Grand Elder, I know how to identify the Sleeper Cells."

    His words were like a thunderp to the elders.

    "What?" Grand Elder Li was first to recover from the shock, "You know how to identify the sleeper cells? Tell us, fast."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and said, "A Sleeper Cell''s body prepares itself for the explosion in the three hours after the shout, and we see certain physical signs on the body of the sleeper cells."

    "And among these physical signs, there are two most significant and easily identifiable changes."

    "The first one is that the end of the hand-fingernails of these disciples will slowly sprout a ck shade. This ck shade will slowly increase, and after three hours, the nails will turn half-ck and half-white."

    "The second most noticeable thing we will observe is the bulging veins behind the left ear of the Sleeper Cells."

    "So now, if we can take note of these two things among everyone present on the First Peak, we will be able to find out all the Sleeper Cells in no time."

    Grand Elder Li narrowed his eyes at him and said, "You know quite a lot about these sleeper Cells. The things which you speak off aren''t even known to the Crimson Pavilion, which boasts itself of having the best informationwork in the whole Lower Heavens."

    "Tell us, how do you know about all this?"

    "Grand Elder Li, I am from the Fang n of the Xin Capital City."

    "Ah, yes." Suddenly something dawned upon Grand Elder Li, as most of his suspicion was now gone.

    He knew things about the Fang n which were not known to themon popce, including almost all of the elder present at the scene.

    Grand Elder Xuan was also included among the ignorant people, who now stepped forward and said, "So what if you''re from the Fang n? That doesn''t answer the question. Tell us, how do you know about all this?"

    "Leave it," Grand Elder Li interrupted, and then looking at Ye Tian Yun, he asked, "Boy, what more do you know? We don''t have much time."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and said, "To identify the sleeper cells is pretty easy if we know what to look for," he then took a pause before continuing, "A sleeper cell''s body explodes about three hours after the trigger is turned on, which in case here, was the shout by those assassins."

    "However, the thing is, the body doesn''t explode all of a sudden, it doesn''t st itself as soon as the three-hour timer ends, but in fact, it''s the process of preparing the body to explode is what that takes three hours."

    "The Sleeper Cells should have already exploded as soon as they heard the shout, however, they didn''t, because their body wasn''t prepared yet. By not prepared, I meant, that the thing which made them explode was lying dormant in their body."

    "And when the shout of those assassins reached the ears of the Sleeper Cells, that thing reacted. It tried to explode the body, and the veins which pop out behind the ears of the Sleeper Cells are due to this."

    "But the body didn''t explode, so now it''s preparing the body. And this preparation is what dys the explosion for three hours."

    "This is also a major weakness because while preparing the body for the explosion, some distinct physical signs will appear on the body of the Sleeper Cells. Which are what I mentioned earlier and the signs we need to look for."

    Ye Tian Yun took a pause, letting everyone present at the scene digest what he had said.

    Grand Elder Xuan broke the silence, "I still can''t make myself trust you. Maybe you are giving the right information, but we can''t just believe you because of this. The Sect''s whole existence is at stake. And I don''t want to take any risk by trusting your words."

    "Hn?" Ye Tian Yun had a confused expression on his face, he said, "Grand Elder Xuan, here I am telling everyone a way to find those Sleeper Cells and save everyone''s lives, and you''re saying that I shouldn''t be trusted?"

    Grand Elder Xuan shook his head, "Don''t twist my words boy, I don''t trust you not because I don''t want to believe your words, but because of this question: What if you''re giving us the wrong information, and trying to divert everyone''s attention?"

    Many elders present at the scene silently agreed with Grand Elder Xuan.

    Elder Tu also said, "Yes, Disciples Fang Chen, no one here will trust your words because there''s no base on your words. As Grand Elder Xuan said, what if you''re trying to waste more time by diverting the attention?"

    However, just then, someone stepped forward and said, "I trust him."

    It was Sect Leader Su.

    And he was looking straight at his son, Fang Chen.

 Chapter 146 - The Plan

    Sect Leader Su had a difficult life.

    This simple sentence is an understatement to what he had gone through to reach where he is today.

    Being a disciple with no background, it was hard for him to even get into the top brass of the Gracious Sword Sect, and being its Sect Leader was never in the equation.

    His full name was Su Ming, an orphan.

    And, when he first became a part of the sect, he wasn''t even an outer Court disciple. He was one of the servants in the sect.

    However, unlike his fellow servants, he was hellbent on changing his fate. He didn''t just wish to be a simple servant of a sect; he wanted to be its disciple.

    But how could this be easy? He had no background, so there were no cultivation resources for him. Neither was there any guidance for him on how to cultivate.

    One day, out of pure coincidence, the Previous Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect saw him cleaning Ferghana horses. And no one knows what came to the Previous Sect Leader''s mind that he made Su Ming his disciple.

    But this single decision by the previous Sect Leader not only changed Sect Leader Su''s fate, but it also affected the future of the whole Gracious Sword Sect.

    Su Ming rose to be one of the most renowned sword disciples of the Xin Kingdom.

    He made a name for himself when he proved himself the best and became the number one disciple in his Second Grand Spirit Hunt.

    And after that day, he was unstoppable. He was going to be the first core disciple who was going to directly be the Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    But one day, he met someone who turned his life in a new direction.

    He met a girl.

    That young beautiful girl had charmed him. As a sword cultivator, he had trained his heart and mind to always be calm and focused; however, when their eyes met for the first time, everything was chaotic.

    They soon fell in love and decided to live happily ever after.

    However, life isn''t a fairytale. And before they could even settle down, they were ambushed, and the love of his life was taken away from him.

    He had thought that the assants were mere bandits, but in fact, they called themselves to be guards of the Fang n. And his wife-to-be was their princess.

    Before he could even digest this shocking news, he was beaten to half-death. Barely surviving, he somehow reached his Sect.

    His master was shocked to see his state, but when he came to know it was the Fang n who did this, he chose not to do anything and even warned Su Ming not to do anything stupid.

    But Su Ming couldn''t bear it, and when he tried to go for revenge after he had recovered, his master put some sense into him.

    A n whose guards were alone enough to kill him, how was he going to go against them?

    Then his master warned him not to think about his revenge or else the Gracious Sword Sect would remove him from its sect records. And exile him from the sect.

    This was very disheartening for the young Su Ming. After all, the sect gave him everything. The sect was his home. How could he let himself get exiled?

    But how could he let his wife be in any more danger?

    His master then told him that she was the princess of the Fang n; there was no way anyone would dare to mistreat her in her own home.

    Su Ming calmed himself down. But soon came a piece of news which despaired him even more.

    The Princess of the Fang n was going to get married into the Xu Royal n.

    He could only watch as fate yed the joke on his life, and finally, with no hope, he decided tomit suicide.

    But on that day, he heard another news which put back some life in him.

    It was his master who came running to him to give him this news.

    The marriage which the whole kingdom was looking forward to was suddenly annulled.

    And when he asked why?

    His master smiled and said, "Because the princess of the Fang n is pregnant."

    These words shocked the to-be-sect-leader to his core.

    He couldn''t believe those words. He asked, "Is that really true, Master?"

    The previous sect leaderughed and said, "Yes, it is the truth. You''re going to be a father, ha-ha."

    Su Ming finally saw a reason to live. His future child became his hope.

    After a few months, the Fang n announced the news about their n head''s wife giving birth to a son, who was named Fang Chen.

    But very few people knew the real identity of Fang Chen.

    He was the son of the princess of the Fang n and the Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Su Ming once tried to meet this son of his but was ambushed.

    That ambushed had changed his life, but that''s a story for another time.

    After that ambush, he had gone missing for about seven years, and when he returned, he was at the Peak Of Nascent Soul Realm.

    Unfortunately, that was not enough for him to get back his son and wife.

    This was why he focused on bing the next Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    He didn''t care about the rumors that the Fang n spread about his debauchery.

    He had learned his lesson. In front of true power, everything was useless, just like how even a prestigious sect like the Gracious Sword Sect couldn''t do anything to the Fang n.

    He had now waited for fifteen years, and one day, he received a letter.

    It was from his wife.

    And it stated that their son wasing to the sect. To be a disciple. But he had suffered Qi Deviation for an unknown reason.

    Sect Leader Su didn''t hesitate even a single bit and allowed Fang Chen to cultivate in the sect even though he had failed the sect entrance exam.

    He even secretly protected Fang Chen from any possible schemes and problems. He felt very proud when he heard about the

    Even when he got to know about the sleeper cells, the thing that worried him most was his son''s safety.

    And today, when he saw Fang Chen up close for the first time, he couldn''t help but want to caress his son.

    His son looked so much simr to him and his wife.

    He was overwhelmed with emotions and tried his best to control the urge to hug Fang Chen.

    And when all the elders doubted Fang Chen''s words, he was the first one toe forward and proim, "I trust him."

    The room suddenly turned silent when they heard his voice.

    Grand Elder Xuan was the first one to ask, "Sect Leader Su, how can you take such a big risk? Please think before saying anything. The whole sect is in danger; we can''t take any chances."

    "Do you have any other option?" Sect Leader Su frowned at him, "We at most have only two hours left, and there are more than four thousand disciples who we need to investigate."

    "Do you think we will be able to aplish this?"

    Grand Elder Xuan didn''t have an immediate response to this. He pursed his lips, and after a moment of silence, he said, "But Sect Leader, the whole sect is in danger."

    The Sect Leader gave him an ugly look and said, "You can''t evene up with a better argument. Just move aside and let others do the work. If you don''t like my decision, you may leave this room and go back to your cultivation abode."

    He then looked at Grand Elder Li and said, "Grand Elder, I trust Fang Chen''s words. And I don''t want to waste any more time on chit chat."

    "Alright," Grand Elder Li nodded his head, then after a moment of thought, he said, "I will now propose a n. First of all, I will maintain the illusion for the next hour or so, and in that time, everyone here will check the fingernails of all the disciples present on the first peak. Also, don''t forget about the bulging veins behind the left ear of the disciples."

    Sect Leader Su asked, "Where should we keep the disciples who turn out to be Sleeper Cells?"

    Grand Elder scratched his chin as he said, "How about rounding up all the defaulter disciples near the ravine edges? If they turn out to be the Sleeper Cells, we won''t face any big losses, and one more problem will be solved."

    Sect Leader Su smiled and nodded his head, "Let''s do this then. We will kill two birds from one stone. The problem at the endless ravine edge won''t need sect resources and will now be solved by our enemies."

    He then looked around at the elders and said, "Let''s head out. We need to take out these damned Sleeper Cells before it''s toote."

    ...

    <em>A/n: Guys, unfortunately, something came up all of a sudden, so I could only write one and a half chapter, which is now published as one chapter.. The next two days will have an unstable release schedule.</em>

 Chapter 147 - Taking Out The Sleeper Cells

    The first thing the elders did was to check the signs of sleeper cells among the disciples who were present in the room.

    And soon after that, they entered the banquet hall.

    In the hall, the disciples were standing in a daze, lost in the illusion set by Grand Elder Li.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh when he saw the scene. Even with his enhanced Spirit sense due to his breakthrough in the Sword Intent, it was hard for him to distinguish between illusion and reality.

    Everyone stepped inside and soon came to check the nails and ears of the disciples present in the hall.

    The scene was truly awkward for everyone. But considering the severity of the situation, no one wasughing.

    "Found one!" One of the elders cried out, attracting everyone else''s attention.

    Grand Elder Xuan ran up to him and began to examine the disciple. And sure enough, this disciple had a dark gradient on his nails and even bulging muscles behind his ears.

    Clearly, they had found their first Sleeper Cell!

    The elders didn''t waste any more time and began to examine the remaining disciples faster now that there was indeed someone with features of a Sleeper Cell, as described by disciple Fang Chen.

    Grand Elder Xuan moved the disciple from his seat and took him to the tform at the center of the banquet hall.

    He then said, "We should bring all the Sleeper Cells found in the hall to this tform. After that, we will bring all of them to the ravine edges without affecting the illusion."

    Grand Elder Li nodded his head in agreement and continued to search for more disciples who could be sleeper cells.

    After about half an hour, all the disciples in the hall had finally been inspected.

    And as for the tform, right now, there were eight disciples standing on the stage, dazed and lost in the illusion.

    However, the elders were looking at them with hatred, as if wanting to kill those disciples.

    Elder Tu suddenly asked, "Grand Elder, why not kill these disciples instead of keeping them alive and moving them away from the disciples? Even though we might be able to solve the problem at the ravine by sting that ce using these disciples, the lives of the other disciples would still be at risk due to the explosion."

    "No, we cannot," It was Ye Tian Yun who answered him, "I am not sure about the validity of what I am about to say, but there''s a chance that these disciples might explode if they die.''

    "And if this happens, then all our hard work will be for nothing."

    Elder Tu asked, "Then why did those assassins not kill these disciples? Instead of doing all the shout and drama."

    "Simple because they were confident in these disciples exploding after three hours."

    Elder Tu shook his head and said, "From the mechanisms of this incident, we can conclude that the one who schemed this is definitely someone who is very scheming and good at executing. And for them to activate these Sleeper Cells, they would want to hit our sect with the hardest possible blow."

    "This could be possible only if the Sleeper Cells exploded here, right at this banquet. But no, they decided to have a three-hour gap between the execution and the result. And even targeted Jiang Yun."

    "In my opinion, this was a foolish move on their part. They could have just shouted, and no one would have cared. No one would have known anything, and their Sleeper Cells would have also activated without any hassle."

    "But what they did was, they ambushed Jiang Yun. This alerted not only the disciples but also the banquet to end halfway through, not to forget they also lost many of their assassins."

    Elder Tu''s words put everyone in serious thought, and it dawned upon them how stupid this great scheme really was.

    Not only were they alerting the sect, but they were also losing most of their assets in the sect, and they wouldn''t even have caused much harm aspared to the Sleeper Cells exploding during the banquet, which would have wiped out almost everyone present in the building.

    Instead, what their hidden enemy decided to do was try to assassinate Jiang Yun. This jeopardized their whole n and was now going to give them less than half of the best possible oue.

    All this could have been avoided if an assassin disguised himself as a random disciple, acted drunk, and shouted the slogans at the top of his lungs.

    Everyone would have just called him an idiot, and things would have gone back to normal.

    Grand Elder Li was the first one to break the silence, "Either our enemy is a confident fool, or it''s us who have failed to see their true aim."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and said, "Elders, I don''t think someone who could train Sleeper Cells and even infiltrate a sect like ours would make such a silly mistake. Our enemy must have a different agenda which we''re failing to see here."

    "First, they ambushed Senior Brother Jiang Yun and Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun, then they shouted, activating these Sleeper Cells. But why did they attack the top core disciples? Especially Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun. If they had activated the Sleeper Cells, I am sure they would most likely have exploded after some time, and no one in the hall would have survived, including Senior Sister Yuan."

    "And they just need to activate the sleeper cells by having someone shout at the top of his lungs. There was no need to ambush Senior Brother Jiang Yun."

    Grand Elder Xuan stopped him before he could say anything and said, "We can discuss all this once our task is done. There are still disciples present in the Resource Hall, which we need to check."

    Then pointing at the disciples on the tform, Grand Elder Xuan continued, "Also, find the identities of these eight disciples. We need to be two steps ahead of our enemies and counterattack before they n anything else. We must find out who orchestrated tonight''s incident."

    As everyone nodded, Grand Elder Li suddenly moved his hands and made some weird gestures at the disciples on the tform.

    The disciples suddenly began to move towards the exit.

    Many presents at the scene were impressed by this technique; the most impressed was Jun Xie as he saw the technique which he had always wanted to master y out in front of him.

    To control someone''s dream and desires was impressive, but to control someone using their dreams and desires was beyond one''sprehension.

    As everyone got out of the sect, the elders divided themselves into groups; one group went to collect the remaining disciples who were still present on the base of the first peak.

    Another group decided to follow the Sleeper Cells towards the endless ravine edge.

    And thest and the biggest group went to the Resource Hall.

    Grand Elder Li impressed everyone once again as they found out that not only the disciples in the banquet hall were under an illusion, but rather the whole first peak was under Grand Elder''s illusion.

    Within a few minutes, they had reached the Resource Hall. Everyone met with the familiar scene as they saw the disciples in the Resource Hall standing in a daze.

    Grand Elder Li didn''t wish to waste any more time and gestured to the elders to start checking the disciples.

    This time it took longer because the disciples present at the scene were more than the disciples who attended the banquet.

    In fact, even the disciples who were in the heavenly League''s Headquarters but not present in the banquet hall were currently standing still in the Resource Hall.

    After about an hour, the Elders checked all the disciples, and they found five new Sleeper Cells among the disciples.

    Now a total of eleven Sleeper Cells were found out.

    This amount may seem very less considering the number of total disciples present at the First Peak was in thousands in the banquet hall alone.

    But these disciples were enough to obliterate all the other disciples present at the scene.

    If tonight''s ambush had gone well, the Gracious Sword Sect would have suffered its biggest loss in history.

    Grand Elder Li couldn''t help but sigh as he stared at the disciples who turned out to be sleeper cells.

    Without saying anything, he gestured to the other elders to move, and once again, with his weird hand signs, he made the dazed Sleeper Cells walk out of the Resource Hall.

    However, while they were heading towards the ravine edges, Grand Elder Li suddenly had a bugging feeling, as if he was missing something.

    He tried to think what it was, but he could think of nothing else. This only gave him a bad premonition.

    ''What is it? What did we miss?''

    Suddenly, he heard Ye Tian Yun''s voice from behind, "We still haven''t checked all the disciples present on the first peak!"

 Chapter 148 - The Last Sleeper Cell

    If someone were to ask Ye Tian Yun, what was the most important reason for him to disguise himself and enter the sect?

    He would have undoubtedly said that he did all this for the token and his revenge.

    And now, when Ye Tian Yun decided to save the sect by helping it avoid what could have been the biggest tragedy in the history of the sect, his thoughts while deciding at the beginning were mainly due to him wanting to save Xiao Ming and himself from certain death.

    He was yet to get his hands on the Token Of Fate, so how could he let Xiao Ming die for no reason?

    But when he stepped outside the hall and made his first eye contact with the Sect Leader Su, who was looking at him with a father-like expression, Ye Tian Yun suddenly thought of someone else who also needed to be saved.

    And that person was Jiang Yun.

    Jiang Yun was supposed to be the main architect of the assassination attempt on Yuan Shuchun, but now that he got injured, someone unknowingly had changed the fate.

    Jiang Yun was not only going to be responsible for tonight''s assassination attempt, but he was also going to bring the biggest plot twist in the history of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Bir now, he was lying half-dead god knows where.

    Ye Tian Yun could only pray that he doesn''t die, though all this was most probably a gone case since Jiang Yun''s condition wouldn''t allow him to participate in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Ye Tian Yun had put his thoughts behind his head, but then suddenly Elder Tu made remarks on how stupid tonight''s execution of the n by the hidden enemy was.

    After all, as Elder Tu had said, the enemies could have easily disguised as outer court disciples, made the shout that would have triggered the Sleeper Cells, and then BOOM! The sect would have been in chaos.

    But no. The enemy decided to choose the way which attracted the most attention.

    Elder Tu said that this was a stupid mistake by the enemies, and they hadn''t expected us to know about the Sleeper Cells.

    However, to ye Tian Yun, this was definitely not the case.

    The Devil Sect was very good at nning their missions.

    Even Ye Tian Yun, with his knowledge of the future, would have to be careful if he decided to go against them.

    The Devil Sect was always two steps ahead of their targets, and there was no way that they didn''t think of a more straightforward way of activating the Sleeper Cells. But instead, they chose to target the top disciples.

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly thought of an impossible idea.

    ''What if the Devil Sect was not only targeting the disciples, but also the higher-ups of the Sect!?''

    And without thinking much, he called out, "We still haven''t checked all the disciples present on the first peak!"

    His words attracted everyone''s attention.

    Even the dazed Sleeper Cells hade to a sudden halt. Grand Elder Li''s illusion most probably had be a bit unstable due to his sudden shout.

    And it was Grand Elder Li himself who asked Ye Tian Yun, "Disciples Fang Chen, who did we miss?"

    "The other group came back after bringing all the remaining disciples who were on the First Peak. The whole First Peak has been thoroughly checked. There are no disciples who we haven''t looked at."

    "There are two disciples, Grand Elder," Ye Tian Yun replied and paused for a moment before continuing, "If I am not wrong, there were two survivors in the ambush on the World League''s entourage. One of them was Senior Brother Jiang Yun, and there was another disciple."

    "Ah, those two," Grand Elder Li waved his hand, gesturing to him not to worry about them, "Those two are already at death''s door. Also, they were the targets; it would be absurd if it turned out that they were the sleeper cells. Why would someone attack their own assets? That''s just stupid."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Elder, please try to think it from another perspective."

    "How could it possible that someone who had thought of creating such an intricate n about Sleeper Cells makes a silly mistake? No, it''s not our enemies who are stupid; it could be us who are not seeing the big picture."

    "Out enemies are most likely going to destroy all their assets in the sect, so there''s no way they would only target the disciples. After all, the sect would recover itself after five to ten years. But if this hidden enemy targeted the higher-ups, that would be a big setback for our sect, and maybe, our sect would never be able to recover to its former glory."

    Grand Elder Li stepped forward and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

    "Elders, what I am saying is, at least one of those two disciples who survived the assassination is a Sleeper Cell."

    "What!?"

    "How is this possible?"

    Ye Tian Yun''s words shocked everyone present at the scene.

    "How could that be?" Elder Tu asked, "There''s absolutely no reason for one of them to be the Sleeper Cells? Who would that sleeper cell harm? Everyone''s here."

    "No, Elder," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Everyone''s here only because we know about the Sleeper Cells. And our enemy wouldn''t think about such a possibility because the existence of the Sleeper Cells is not a small secret."

    "Imagine what would have been the actual case."

    "Seven disciples of the World League ambushed in the Sect. Five of them are dead. The remaining two were injured so badly that no one could assure that they would see the next sunrise. And one of these two disciples was the best disciple of the sect."

    "What do you think would happen? Chaos is what would happen."

    "And then, after all the higher-ups knew about this incident, they would immediately go after the assassins and search for them even though they jumped in the endless ravine."

    "Now, fast forward this to three hours. What will everyone be doing?"

    "They would have told the disciples attending the banquet to remain in the hall for the night, and there would be few elders who would be still be guarding and looking for the assassins. But what about the reset?"

    "The remaining elders, including the Sect Leader and Grand Elders, would be standing near Jiang Yun and the other disciple who survived this incident."

    "Now. Imagine. What if one of the disciples lying on the bed explodes. How many elders would be able to survive the st?"

    His words turned everyone silent. All the elders began to think about the consequences of what could have happened.

    Sect Leader Su was the first one to break the silence, "Let''s confirm this first."

    And before anyone could react, Sect Leader Su had already disappeared from his ce.

    It didn''t take long for Sect Leader Su to reappear. He had used his full cultivation prowess to get to the Grand Meeting Hall and return to the ce where everyone was.

    Whoosh!

    There was a sudden gust of wind as he came back, and then, like a sandbag, he threw someone on the ground.

    Plop!

    Everyone looked on the ground to find that it was a disciple.

    It was the disciple who had survived the ambush.

    Han Zemin.

    Grand Elder Li moved forward and moved Han Zemin''s hand to check his nails.

    The nails turned out to be half-shade of ck.

    Shsssss~

    Everyone present at the scene took a deep breath as they saw those nails.

    Their enemy really did turn out to be thinking two steps ahead of them.

    Sect LEader Su crossed his arms and said, "Fang Chen''s words indeed turned out to be correct. This hidden enemy''s real target was never the disciples, but instead, it was the higher-ups of our sect."

    "I can''t even imagine what would have happened to our sect if the enemy''s n had seeded."

    Grand Elder Li also had a grave expression on his face, "Yes, and there would have been no assurity of our survival because we would be in the closest proximity to this disciple. And if we were to fall, our sect would never be able to rise again."

    Many elders couldn''t help but have cold sweat on their back because of what they had just avoided.

    A simple incident like this could have destroyed the sect.

    Sect Leader Su suddenly said, "Let''s not waste any more time. Elders, we need to bring these disciples to the ravine''s edges. There, we will check them and then move away as they st themselves."

    Everyone nodded, and Grand Elder Li once again made few gestures, making the dazed Sleeper Cells move towards their destination. This time, Han Zemin was also among these mindless bodies, walking in a daze, even in a half-dead state.

    ....

    <em>A/n [25/04]: The second chapter may not unlock today because things are quite hectic here.. I will try to work on it as soon as things get settled.</em>

 Chapter 149 - Sect Leader Sus Resolve

    The most bustling peak of the Gracious Sword Sect was dead silent tonight.

    Only rustling footsteps echoed in the far corner of the peak as a group of old and young cultivators walked towards the very edge of the first peak.

    They were heading towards the endless ravine''s edge.

    The deep ditch between the peaks is called Endless Ravines. And to cross them, disciples use chain bridges.

    These ditches are termed endless because no one could see their bottom. And if someone were to fall in it, there was no chance of theming back alive.

    And these Khai''s were not actually human-made by peak cultivators, but rather, these were natural structures that existed for millennia.

    In fact, the main reason for the Gracious Sword Sect to be situated here was because of the ravines, which gave a natural defense against infiltration.

    However, there was one disadvantage that the sect had to suffer from these Endless Ravines.

    On the edge of the first peak, there existed a specific species of poisonous vines. These vines have curved thorns on their branches, which will paralyze the person if theye in contact with human skin.

    Unfortunately, the poison in these vines can''t be harvested, or else it would have given a big boost to the poison arts department of the sect.

    But the worst part of these poisonous vines was that they grow at a rapid rate, and if not removed in time, they might even cover the whole first peak. And to remove them, they need to make the area devoid of any qi and burn the vines.

    However, because they had to make the site bereft of qi, it was impossible to use cultivation techniques to take out this nuisance, and the usual fire didn''t work on these vines.

    That was why, every few years, the sect needed an array to temporarily remove the qi from this region and make a huge st to obliterate the vines.

    The sect had no permanent solution because the vines sprouted once again after every few years.

    Since creating a huge explosion and managing the array took lots of resources, Sect Leader Su suddenly came with the idea of using the Sleeper Cells as the st and removing the vines for the next few years.

    This would save quite a good amount of resources that would have made the bomb that would create the st.

    Thus, under the illusion by Grand Elder Li, the Sleeper Cells were now walking towards the endless ravines, followed by the higher-ups of the gracious Sword Sect and three disciples, Ye Tian Yun, Yuan Shuchun, and Jun Xie.

    After a few minutes, Grand Elder Li, who was just behind the Sleeper Cells, suddenly gestured to the rest of the people behind him to stop.

    And after taking a few steps ahead, he came to a halt, though the Sleeper Cells continued to walk, still with a dazed expression.

    After they hade close to the edge and were standing in the middle of the vines, Grand Elder Li made them stop in one ce.

    The three-hour time limit was about to end, and all the Gracious Sword Sect members awaited to see the Sleeper Cells explode.

    And as the time came closer, Sect Leader Su stepped forward and began to make hand gestures.

    Suddenly, a vast-like dome began to take shape as it illuminated in the night.

    The dome soon covered the whole edge, forming a three-quarter sphere,pletely covering the poisonous vines.

    This sphere was made of yellow lines which connected, forming a huge.

    And after the whole covered the vines, these lines began to shine brightly.

    They shone so brightly that the night turned into the day all of a sudden, and the now seemed like a solid sphere. The lines were indecipherable.

    After reaching what could be called the peak of its brightness, the sphere began to seemingly calm down and started to dim.

    Everyone noticed that this sphere now didn''t have any, but rather, there was a thin yellow screen that formed a sphere around the vines.

    They were able to see through this sphere and could easily understand what was going on.

    "The array has removed all the Qi inside this sphere," At this time, Grand Elder Li spoke aloud, telling everyone about what was going on.

    He continued, "Now, you will see those ntse to life."

    His words confused many, but not for long as the vines in the array suddenly began to agitate and twitch, like a person trying to breathe oxygen in space.

    As the vines began to scrunch, Grand Elder Li suddenly moved his right hand and made few gestures.

    The Sleeper Cells in the array suddenly came back to their senses. He had removed the illusion.

    Han Zemin, who was injured due to the assassination incident earlier, let out a groan as he fell on the ground, unable to control his body due to the intense pain.

    The others also came back to their senses and were stunned to find themselves out in the ground.

    Everyone tried to understand what was happening, just then, one of them shouted.

    "Ah!"

    This no doubt attracted everyone''s attention, and they suddenly found themselves unable to move.

    The vines had wrapped themselves around their legs.

    Few of them while they tried to run.

    And as they began to panic, one of them suddenly shouted, "Look!"

    Turning their heads towards that disciple, they found him pointing straight up ahead.

    When they looked in that direction, they were shocked to see the sect members, primarily elders, standing past a yellowyer.

    One of the disciples recognized Yuan Shuchun, and he called out, "Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun, please help!"

    "Elders! Please help us!"

    "What''s happening!?"

    "Please take us out of here!"

    The disciples began to cry for help, but the people standing outside the circle stood motionless.

    They showed no signs of pity or any gesture of help.

    In fact, most of them were looking at the disciples with intense hatred and anger.

    To them, the youngsters inside the array were not disciples, not even humans, but ticking bombs which their enemy wanted to use on them.

    Sect Leader Su took a deep breath and said, "I can''t help but be disappointed in the vetting system of our sect. These sleeper cells are only the ones who were present on the First peak. And these are from one single enemy."

    "Imagine how many spies are in the sect and how many powers have infiltrated our sect. How could I treat the other disciples inside the sect fairly when I now have this suspicion that they could be a spy."

    "What if there are sleeper Cells from other powers? Though this sounds ridiculous, we can''t deny this possibility."

    "To rise to our current power, the Gracious Sword Sect had faced many enemies and created enmities with many powers. If only one of them can damage our foundation seriously, imagine what other powers could do?"

    "Tonight''s incident is a warning single for us. The only reason why we can normally talk right now is because of our luck. And luck is unpredictable."

    "Our luck will soon run out, and we won''t even get the chance to know what hit us before losing everything."

    "Out sect needs a thorough clean up. Every member of the sect needs to be verified and cross-checked. We can''t let a single spy from our enemies remain in our sect."

    "Grand Spirit Hunt is also approaching. We have already lost Jiang Yun. We can''t lose any more of our core disciples."

    "For the next one month, I want each disciple''s background to be verified. And if I see any of the elders cking in this task, they will be stripped off their position."

    "I don''t want any leechers in this sect. If you still can''t understand the severity of tonight''s incident, the sect does not need you. It''s better than someone who cares about the sect reces you."

    "And I want you to first focus on the new batch of disciples which we recruited in thest Sect Entrance Exam. After that, slowly move upwards in the sect ranks."

    Everyone nodded their head in agreement. The trapped Sleeper Cells were enough to rm them about the hole in the security of the sect.

    No one wanted a simr incident to happen ever again.

    Grand Elder Xuan also nodded and said, "So, Sect Leader Su, we should then cancel all the missions."

    "Of course," Sect Leader Su nodded his head, and while staring at the sleeper Cells in the array, he said, "We won''t give these people a second chance. The Devil Sectˇ­ hmm... Let''s see how powerful they are."

    And without waiting, he turned and started heading back to the sect.

    Others also followed him, and after a few moments, there were sudden cries as the night sky suddenly lit up, turning the night into day with an instant.

    BOOM!

    The Sleeper Cells had exploded!

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos, please let me know through thements.</em>

 Chapter 150 - Aftermath

    The members of the Gracious Sword Sect, including Ye Tian Yun, didn''t turn to look if there were any survivors from the explosion.

    Even if there were someone who survived, he would be taken out by the vines.

    The array was somehow still intact even after getting hit by such a massive force of the Sleeper Cell explosions.

    This array reassured everyone not to worry about the Sleeper Cells anymore.

    Soon, they had left the sight and reached the Resource Hall.

    Grand Elder Li was the first one to break the silence, "Sect Leader, now that we have removed the immediate danger, we should start sending the disciples back to their Cultivation abodes."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and said, "Yes, there''s no need to hold these kids anymore. From tomorrow, we will focus on removing the hidden tumor of our sect."

    Hearing his words, Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips as he thought of possible troubleing his way.

    Beside him was surprisingly Elder Tu. Walking side by side, Elder Tu was moving ahead with a frown and his hands behind his back.

    Suddenly, Elder Tu raised his head and asked, "Sect Leader Su, what should we tell the disciples to exin tonight''s event? We can''t tell them about the Sleeper Cells and all."

    "Don''t worry about that," It was Grand Elder Li who had replied to him, "I have already taken care of this."

    "While we saw reality, I had made the disciples who were under the illusion see a different reality."

    "To them, there was a simple assassination attempt; we called them to the resource Hall or let them be in the Heavenly League''s building, then after some time, we announced that the assassins were caught and executed."

    "After some time, the illusion will end with an order for them to leave the building."

    He then paused for a moment and said, "All this is secondary; we shouldn''t divert our attention from what had happened tonight."

    "And I am sure everyone here agrees with the fact that without disciple Fang Chen''s help and information, we would have most probably failed to find out those Sleeper Cells. His information turned out to be true, and we were able to avoid what could have been the worst tragedy in the history of our sect."

    "Our enemy may still be hidden. However, this time, we were able to counter their attack due to Fang Chen''s help."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by his words as everyone else nodded their head in agreement.

    Even Yuan Shuchun and Grand Elder Xuan were no different.

    In fact, Yuan Shuchun was actually feeling quite proud and delighted since Fang Chen was a part of her league.

    Now that Fang Chen had gained some merit, it would also affect her league. She had decided to make Fang Chen a core member of the league to solidify his tier with the Heavenly League.

    If Fang Chen knew about Sleeper Cells, he definitely knows about some other discrete information, which maye in handy in the future. This alone proved Fang Chen''s worth to be far more than just a random disciple whom she had made a promise to give Core member privileges.

    Besides Yuan Shuchun, there was someone else who was also currently feeling very proud and happy.

    It was Sect Leader Su.

    To him, his son had saved the sect. What could make him more proud than this?

    Since Fang Chen was raised in the Fang n since birth, Sect Leader Su was skeptical that the nature of the Fang n members had affected him.

    Fortunately, tonight''s evidence showed things to be otherwise. His son had given vital information which saved the sect from a significant setback.

    If only Sect Leader Su knew that this son he wanted to dote on so much was actually someone else in disguise and the only reason he had chosen to reveal such information was that he was yet to achieve his goal, and he didn''t wish to get injured.

    If Ye Tian Yun had not revealed anything about the Sleeper Cells, not only would he have lost the Token of Fate, since Xiao Ming would have died, he would have had to release his cultivation and sword intent to save himself. Even then, the chances of his survival would have been minimal.

    But Sect Leader Su didn''t know of anything and didn''t even consider such a possibility. To him, it was his son who wanted to use everything at his disposal to save the sect from bing a victim of the enemy''s scheme.

    After thinking about something, Sect Leader Su rubbed his chin as he said, "You''re right, Grand Elder Li. And I think we shouldn''t mistreat Fang Chen by not giving him any rewards."

    "Fang Chen," Sect Leader Su then called out his son and said, "Come to the Grand Meeting Hall tomorrow morning. I will have a surprise ready for you." He had an expression of a proud father as he finished his sentence.

    Ye Tian Yun felt weird sensing the fatherly vibes from Sect Leader Su. This made him rmed since, as far as he knew, Sect Leader Su spent his life in debauchery and had many sons.

    He knew that Fang Chen was one of those bastard children whom Sect Leader Su had fathered, but he also knew that the Sect would kill any of the bastard children if they were ever found out.

    That meant that all the goodwill that the sect currently had towards him would vanish instantly, and they would treat him like a sword enemy.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun decided to act as normal as possible. "Thank you, Sect Leader Su."

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips as he saw through the hidden wariness in Ye Tian Yun''s eyes. But he didn''t think much because this much wariness was natural since right now, Fang Chen was talking to the Sect Leader, not his father.

    Though he did feel a little down seeing his own son being wary of him.

    ''One day, those eyes will have pride and respect, rather than fear and wariness. One day, he will call me father.''

    Sect Leader Su vowed himself to give the best to his son and get closer to him.

    ˇ­

    The ming sun had brought a new day, and the colorful glow of the morning glow contained new hopes. The trees and mountains were filled with new vitality as the cultivators of the Lower Heavens began to prepare themselves to take one more towards reaching the peak.

    The vast Lower Heavens were home to countless cultivators and an unknown number of sects, organizations, and ns.

    However, the cultivators of Lower Heavens could easily distinguish themselves by their kingdoms.

    There were two Kingdoms in the Lower Heavens - the Xin Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom.

    However, these two behemoths had been sworn enemies of each since time immemorial.

    The Xin Kingdom was the ce where YeTian Yun had decided to make his first move.

    This Kingdom was divided into four regions, based on the directions, with the Capital City as the Kingdom''s center.

    As its name suggests, Capital City is the most important city and is the residing ce of the most powerful cultivators under the Xu Kingdom.

    The powerful Xu Royal n had always ruled the Xin Kingdom with the help of four other ns.

    These four ns are together called the Big Four.

    Namely, they were the Ling n, Fang n, Kang n, Gao n.

    These four ns had power almost equal to that of the Xin Royal n. However, these ns had always shown utmost loyalties to the Xin Royal n and were even connected to them through blood ties due to inter-n marriages.

    The patriarch of the Xin n was also the ruler of the Xin Kingdom, the King.

    And this lofty personality was currently circling in the hall from one side to another, his face carried a tinge of annoyance as he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

    Suddenly he came to a halt and asked, "How did it go?"

    A voice replied, "Your majesty,st night''s mission failed."

    One can''t point out from which direction the voice wasing. However, King Xin was able to see through this trick and stared straight in a certain direction and asked, "How did it fail? What happenedst night in the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    "Your majesty, everything was moving ording to the n. Han Zemin had tagged along with Jiang Yun and other members to a banquet, and while returning, we had ambushed them in the sect. We left only Han Zemin and Jiang Yun alive. Both of them were badly injured, with no chance of recovering before the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "And then the assassins jumped to their death, not before activating out Sleeper Cells by praying to the Divinity."

    "You mean that shouting for the Demon God?"

    "Yes, your majesty. Everything was going ording to n till then, and we were expecting to see huge sts after three hours, which would have destroyed the Gracious Sword Sect''s future."

    "However, the Sleeper Cells never exploded. We waited for a long time, but there was no explosion."

    "What?" King Xin was confused after hearing this, "How could the Sleeper Cells not explode? Did those assassins not shout loud enough?"

    "Your majesty, they did shout aloud; however, for some reason, the Sleeper Cells didn''t activate."

    Just then, another voice came. This one was more overbearing and arrogant.

    "They did explode; it was just that your pathetic cultivation couldn''t see it."

    King Xun turned towards the man who had just entered the hall, and with a slight smile, he asked, "Brother Fang, you got the news?"

    The man who had just entered was the patriarch of the Fang n and the ''father'' of Fang Chen, Fang Yuan.

 Chapter 151 - King Xin And Clan Head Fangs Discussion

    Fang Yuan.

    n Head of the Fang n, and also the prime minister of the Xin Kingdom.

    He was renowned due to his scheming and ruthless nature.

    Ok, he kept his cards very close to himself and was always making schemes.

    With his unknown cultivation, scheming nature, and deep connection with the full powers of the Lower Heavens, Fang Yuan had control over almost anything that happened not only in the Capital City but in the whole Xin Kingdom.

    Even King Xin was quite wary of Fang Yuan''s power; however, he didn''t have any thoughts on depowering the Fang n because he knew one thing, Fang Yuan wouldn''t do anything against the Xin Royal n.

    King Xin knew that Fang n and Fang Yuan were aiming beyond the Lower Heavens.

    This was why King Xin always treated Fang Yuan like a brother, even appointing him as the Prime Minister, and he wouldn''t hesitate to ask for help and advice.

    Like on how to control growing powers, like the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Fifty years ago, they had discreetly taken out the Ying Yang sect with the help of the Devil Sect, which seemed to be at the back and call of Fang Yuan.

    Andst night, they had targeted the Gracious sword Sect, which had been exponentially getting more and more powerful and influential.

    In all the powers of the Xin Kingdom, Devil Sect had infiltrated with their Sleeper Cells. This meant that with just one call from Fang Yuan, those powers would turn into rubble.

    And since Fang Yuan was his brother, King Xin indirectly had control over those Sleeper Cells.

    And he wasn''t hesitant to use those Sleeper Cells.

    With the personal enmity between Sect Leader Su and Fang Yuan, it didn''t take long for King Xin to convince Fang Yuan to use the Sleeper Cells in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    But what he didn''t expect for the Gracious Sword Sect to remain unscathed and the Sleeper Cells not to explode.

    But when Fang Yuan entered the room and imed that the Sleeper Cells did explode, King Xin was quite confused.

    He turned his head towards the spy, who had given him the report earlier, gestured at him with his chin, ''What is going on?''

    The spy replied, "My king, the Sleeper Cells did not explode; we were awake the whole night, waiting for the Sleeper Cells to go off."

    Before King Xin could reply, Fang Yuan shook his head, and with a disdaining tone, he said, "You pieces of trash can''t even tell the difference between real and illusion."

    "Last night, one of the Grand Elders of the Gracious Sword Sect put an illusion over half of the sect."

    "Hun? Why?" King Xin was confused by the Grand Elder''s actions.

    "Of course, to take out the Sleeper Cells who had infiltrated the sect."

    "What!?" Not only King Xin, but even the spy was stunned to hear n head Fang Yuan''s words.

    "How is this possible?" King Xin asked, "How could they even know about the existence of the Sleeper Cells, let alone try to find them!?"

    Fang Yuan shook his head, "Unfortunately, I don''t have any idea about this. Someone most probably warned the Sect and told them how to fish the Sleeper Cells who were going to explode."

    "Who could it be?" King Xin asked in an uncertain voice, "How could someone even know the weakness of the Sleeper Cells?"

    "We don''t know who it was; this could also be a coincidence that they were able to see through the Sleeper Cells."

    "What exactly happened?" King Xin asked.

    Fang Yuan didn''t immediately reply but stared in the direction of the spy.

    The spy understood the signal and said, "Your majesty, Prime Minister, I shall take my leave."

    After the assassin had left, n Head Fang Yun answered King Xin''s doubts.

    "All I know is after about half an hour after the assassination, that Grand Elder put an illusion over the peak, and in no time, they gad found all the Sleeper Cells."

    "But I am not here to discuss how they found out the Sleeper Cells; once we know who that bastard is who leaked information about the Sleeper Cells, I will take care of the rest."

    "What I havee here for is to say is thatst night''s assassination shouldn''t have happened. Instead, I had other ns for Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Oh?" King Xin asked, "What ns? You didn''t inform me about this."

    Fang Yuan took a deep breath and said, "Things are much moreplicated. Three months ago, I sent some guards to the Devil Sect''s outer branch in the Xin-Wu battlefront. However, those idiots offended a recluse cultivator while stopping at the Crimson Pavilion''s restaurant. That cultivator killed those three men, and the information never reached the Devil Sect."

    [Author note: The recluse cultivator was none other Ye Tian Yun in disguise of his butler. Fang Yuan is referring to the three cultivators who decided to robe Ye Tian Yun after he got out of the Crimson Pavilion''s restaurant]

    King Xin sighed for a moment and said, "You could have just told me; I would have tried to do something."

    n Head Fang Yuan gestured with his hands, "It''s alright, we wouldn''t have lost anything if not for the fact that those Gracious Sword Sect people are finding out the hidden Sleeper Cells."

    King Xin nodded and asked, "So, what was your new n? My main aim was to assassinate their top disciple and take out some core elders by exploding a Sleeper Cell in their main hall (Han Zemin). This could have badly not only affected their chances in the uing Grand Spirit Hunt but would have also significantly weakened them."

    Fang Yuan nodded and said, "This was indeed a good n, but what I wanted to do was not assassinate their top disciple Jiang Yun, but rather get him to work for me."

    "That kid Jiang Yun is an ambitious brat, everyone thinks he wants to be the Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, but truthfully he''s after the veins present under the sect. He wants to refine those veins."

    King Xin, "What will he do with those low-level Spirit Viens?"

    Fang Yuan didn''t say anything but only had a slight smile from the corner of his lips.

    King Xin then asked, "So, you wanted to recruit Jiang Yun? What benefits would have that brought us?"

    "He would have betrayed the Gracious Sword Sect at the critical time, and we would have hit the Gracious Sword Sect at its lowest."

    King Xin shrugged and said, "You could have attacked him if the Sleeper Cells had exploded. That sect would have been in an even weaker position then after Jiang Yun''s betrayal."

    Fang Yuan shook his head, "No, this is not the case. Brother Xin, don''t forget what our main aim is."

    "Gracious Sword Sect is only one of the hundred sects in our Xin Kingdom. We need to control all of them, not the Gracious Sword Sect alone."

    King Xin nodded his head, "Yes, but we need to take things one by one. Gracious Sword Sect could have been our first target."

    Fang Yuan pursed his lips and said, "What I was nning was to suppress all the sects of our kingdom at once."

    King Xin shook his head, "That''s too much risk; we don''t need to rush."

    "Also, who was that recluse cultivator that killed out men? We should get him under us."

    n Head Fang Yuan said, "Not many clues, but that cultivator wanted his descendants to join the Gracious Sword Sect."

    King Xin narrowed his eyes and said, "Looks like we may have this unknown enemy to take out shortly."

    Fang Yuan smiled and said, "No need to worry about that. Anyway, I do have a piece of good news for you."

    "Oh? Do tell," King Xin requested.

    "Kang n will now hesitate to join our crusade."

    King Xin asked, "How so? I don''t think Kang Ximing would allow such a thing to happen while he''s the n leader."

    Fang Yuan smiled and said, "He wouldn''t have agreed, but now, he wille to us to help him with his revenge."

    "Revenge? Against whom?"

    "Against the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Against them? Why would he be enemies with that sect? He even sent his son to cultivate thereˇ­ wait, did something happen to his son?"

    n head Fang Yuan nodded his head andsaid, "Yes, his son, Kang Bai, was killed during the Inner Court entrance exam."

    "And he was killed due to a mistake by one of the Core disciples, Yuan Shuchun."

    "Once Kang Ximin gets to know about this unfortunate news, he will go to the Gracious Sword Sect, but he won''t get a satisfactory response, nor will he know who is responsible for his son''s death."

    King Xin nodded his head and asked, "Are you sure Kang Bai died due to a core disciple?"

    ...

    <em>A/n: Second chapter will be dyed by a few hours.. I am not well today, so need to sleep for few hours.</em>

 Chapter 152 - The Butterfly Effect Of Old Deeds

    King Xin asked, "Are you sure Kang Bai died due to a core disciple?"

    n Head Fang Yuan nodded his head, "I am very certain. In fact, one of my men witnessed that core disciple Yuan Shuchun act rashly with the array, and this led to Kang Bai''s death."

    "Oh.." King Xin asked with a slight smile, "Well, once Kang Ximin finds out how his son met death, I am sure he will go berserk. When are you nning to tell him about this?"

    "Not yet," n Head Fang Yuan shook his head, "Tell him everything will be no different than telling him who our spies are, and he won''t believe our word as long as he doesn''t get the proof."

    "Yes," King Xin nodded his head and said, "But if we don''t tell him, why will hee to us before that? He might believe Gracious Sword Sect''s word and would only mourn for his son."

    "And if this happens, then the Kang n will go even more recluse."

    Fang Yuan nodded his head and said, "I understand what you''re worried about, and I have already prepared something about that."

    "That''s good then," King Xin nodded his head, and then after a moment of silence, he asked, "Keeping everything aside, were you able to find that child, the one who came from the Middle Heavens?"

    n Fang Yuan shook his head and sighed, "No, unfortunately, I have no news. Not even a single clue. The n Head of the Great Ling n, Ling Xiao, from the Middle Heavens brought his daughter to the Lower Heavens, but when he went back, his daughter wasn''t with him."

    "I am pretty sure Ling Xiaochun knows about her location," King Xin remarked.

    "Even if he knows, does it matter?" Fang Yuan said, "It''s been fifteen years since this incident, and Ling n n head has never mentioned anything about this."

    King Xin frowned slightly, "Even the Devil Sect failed to find anything about the Ling n''s child. If we had seeded, we would have refined her Heavenly Yin constitution to create Heavenly Yin pills, which would have given a good boost to anyone who took those pills."

    <em>[Author note: If you still haven''t gotten the hint of who these two are talking about, have a look at Chapter 2: Prologue: Before The Beginning (2)]</em>

    "Yeah," King Xin took a deep breath and sighed before saying, "Things don''t always go as we have nned. Life is about surprises. What are your next ns?"

    "Southern Region." Fang Yuan said, "I will be sending my son to the Southern Region. A big opportunity lies there."

    "Son? Fang Chen? Orˇ­"

    "No, not that Fang Chen. He''s not a part of my n, nor does my blood flow through his veins."

    "So, you will be sending your real son? Isn''t that quite risky?" King Xin frowned, "No one knows about his existence, not even your own n."

    Fang Yuan nodded his head and said, "That''s why I am sending him. The whole world will soone to know of his name. I don''t want to taint my name by being known as the father of a kid who isn''t my son and can''t even cultivate properly."

    "There was no need to keep Fang Chen alive all these years," King Xin shrugged as he finished his words.

    "No," CLan Head Fang Yuan shook his head, "We need that boy. I want that bastard Su Ming to suffer the worst possible fate. I want his own son to kill him. That would be an interesting sight to witness."

    "Yes," King Xin smiled at those words, "That sure will be a good day. Let''s hope that kid Fang Cehn doesn''t mess up."

    "He won''t; I already have talked about Su Ming''s rival in the sect, a Grand Elder with the surname Xuan. This Xuan guy will instigate more hate in Fang Chen towards Su Ming. I think he had even started doing it. I also got to know that Fang Chen has joined that guy''s faction in the sect."

    "Oh," King Xin was a bit surprised, "Was it due to your friendship, or did he see something in Fang Chen?"

    n Head Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes and said, "That kidˇ­ Fang Chenˇ­ is now a peak Qi Refining Realm cultivator."

    "What? Peak Qi Refining Realm? He isn''t even fully fifteen years old; how is this possible!?"

    "That''s what I am also interested in," n Head Fang Yuan scratched his chin while saying, "Not only does he have such good cultivation, the guards which I had sent to keep an eye on him have also gone missing. Most probably killed by Fang Chen or our enemy."

    King Xin took a deep breath before replying, "I hope that Grand Elder Xuan can keep a leash on Fang Chen."

    "He will. Fang Chen rebelling and going against me is the least possible oue of all in this situation. No need to worry about it."

    "What we do need to worry about is thest thing that I want to discuss with you."

    "Hm? What is it?" King Xin asked with his eyebrows scrunched lightly.

    "Yesterday, many things happened in the Gracious Sword Sect. But the one important thing that happened was that someone broke through the Sword Attainment Realm."

    "What!?" King Xin almost shouted in surprise, "Which elder? Or was it a core disciple!?"

    "Neither. It was an Inner COurt disciple. The spy I have in the sect reported to me about an incident which rmed his whole peak, and then its Peak Master told them that it was due to someone breaking through the Sword Intent realms."

    "This disciple will be troublesome," King Xin rubbed his forehead, "We must find out who this disciple is. If he doesn''t join us, we will kill him on the spot."

    n Head Fang Yuan nodded his head in agreement.

    Though standing at the peak of the Lower Heavens and high cultivation realm, both of them knew about the danger someone with sword intent can possess, especially if he is their enemy.

    Someone with Sword Intent could easily go against cultivators with realms higher than their own and easily take out powerful foes.

    After some time of silence between them, n Head Fang Yuan said, "Alright, I should get going. I will look into this Sword Intent disciple. To be honest, there''s nothing much to worry about."

    "This disciple is still a bud; he''s most probably in the Qi Condensation or Qi Stabilization Realm at most. There''s nothing to be worried about since the Gracious Sword Sect will turn into history before he even grows. And if that sect decides to send this disciple in the Grand Spirit Hunt, I will make sure that this disciple doesn''t return alive."

    King Xin nodded his head, "That will be for the best. We don''t need to recruit someone who possesses Sword Intent because, within ten or so years, he will have enough cultivation to go against us."

    "Recruiting such a disciple is not different from bringing a snake into the house. We won''t even have the chance to think if he decides to attack us.

    n Head Fang Yun nodded his head, "Yes, that''s why I want this disciple dead more than anything else right now."

    "I should take my leave," Fang Yuan added, "I need to prepare a hint for Kang Ximin. It won''t be easy to gain his trust; after all, both of us have been rivals for a long time. And the worst part was you siding with me every single time." He had a huge smile on his face by the time he finished his words.

    "As if I had any other choice." King Xin wasn''t able to control his eye role.

    ˇ­

    A few minutes ago in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    A new day has begun in the ever-bustling sect, and disciples were now slowlying out of their cultivation abodes to go on their missions, or get resources or just find a good spot to sleep more.

    But not all had gone out; many were still in the Inner Court cultivation abodes and were either taking rest or cultivating.

    On the Sixth Level, room number Forty-Three was the cultivation abode of Ye Tian Yun.

    He had decided to take sleepst night rather than sit and cultivate.

    As his eyes opened, he took a deep breath, drank a ss of water, and prepared himself for a new day.

    A lot of things happened yesterday. Every passing hour turned the situation more and more interesting.

    From Resource Hall, where he received a sudden invitation to the Heavenly League, to the Sleeper Cells'' suicide assassination attack to destroy the whole sect, yesterday''s event was quite overwhelming.

    He knew that he now had one month before he could go out of the sect and head towards the Southern Region, so he was nning to cultivate all the rewards which he had received from the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. Maybe if he got lucky, he might even break through to the next cultivation level.

    Thinking about this, he decided to open the system window.

    However, he ended up seeing a list of huge red notifications.

    [Congrattions, Host, for affecting your fate, you have received 12 Fate Points.]

    [Congrattions, Host, for affecting your fate, you have received 14 Fate Points.]

    [Congrattions, Host, for affecting your fate, you have received 32 Fate Points.]

    .

    .

    .

    Ye Tian Yun''s sleepy eyes opened wide when he saw the long list of rewards.

    ''What in the world did I do yesterday? Some of these are more than what I got when I killed Fang Chen!''

    ...

    <em>A/n: Sorry for the dyed second chapter. There was a long power cut so couldn''t work on this until a few hours back.</em>

    <em>Important: The release schedule will change from tomorrow, and from next month, I am nning to do at least three-four chapters every day.. fingers crossed.</em>

 Chapter 153 - My Rip-Off System (1)

    ''System, what are these rewards for?'' Ye Tian Yun asked the System through his thoughts.

    [Host, you have affected fate and these are the rewards.]

    ''Umˇ­ I know that. Let me rephrase my words. Why am I getting the rewards?''

    [Are you not happy with the rewards?]

    ''Of course, I am, but I should at least know-how and whose fate I have changed. Also, am I going to get rewards for all the people''s fate that changes due to me? Then won''t I be getting unlimited fate points? Since my every action would affect someone''s fate.''

    [Host will only get Fate Points if he changes the original future or if he changes his fate. The original future here means your own future from the previous life]

    ''Aren''t these the same things? Changing my future or avoiding death is almost the same. In fact, I am trying to change my future so I can avoid my death on the Hundred Realm Refining tform.''

    [They are indeed simr, however, changing the future also includes affecting the people around you and diverting their future.]

    ''Oh? So, I changed mine and someone else''s original future? As far as I know, the only thing that I nned to change was stopping Xiao Ming from getting that manual. I seeded in that. But that doesn''t answer my doubt regarding all the other rewards. Why don''t you tell me about this?''

    [72 Fate Points Required.]

    "What the hell!?" Ye Tian Yun almost shouted out loud, "Are you here to help me or to put me in debt!?"

    [System only wants the best for the host. T&C applied.]

    ''T&C? Now, what''s that?"

    [Insufficient Fate Points to answer this question.]

    ''Damn, alright, first show me my status."

    [STATUS]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 8847/20000]

    [Fate Points: 114]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Original): 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 1st Level Of Qi Condensation Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Late Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    [Sword Intent: Sword Domain Realm (1%) (0/10000 Kill Points)]

    [Inventory]

    [Quest]

    [Rewards]

    [Shop]

    ''Why have my Kill Points decreased?'' Ye Tian Yun asked. He remembered thatst night after suppressing his cultivation to the 2nd level of Qi Condensation Realm, the remaining Kill Points were nearly nine thousand.

    [Host needs to keep his inventory upgraded. System has blessed him by renewing the inventory subscription.]

    ''But isn''t that only 75 Kill Points? I have lost about 200 Kill Points here.''

    [System has charged for thest few months too since the disguise was supposed to remain for one month only, however, system didn''t disturb you and renewed the disguise at the right time]

    ''Am I your first Host, System?''

    [Host, System is infinite and universal. Hosts are many, so are Systems. But only one System is supreme. There are many systems, some proim themselves Peerless System, some call themselves Strongest System, some im to be the Ultimate Scheming System, few our ss-based, like Alchemy System, and few are based on species, like Vampire System]

    ''So many systemsˇ­ what about you? I am sure you''re the Rip-off System!''

    [I am the Emblem System. And I am part of this universe.]

    ''This universe? Are there other universes too? How is this possible? Are there any other Systems in the Lower or Middle Heavens? In our universe?''''

    [Host does not have enough Authority to know the answer.]

    ''What? But you just told me such a big secret, what kind of authority is needed for this question?''

    [Host, the question you asked is rted to this universe. System is not allowed to talk about such things without affecting fate.]

    ''Affecting fate?''

    [Yes, Host. The reason why you need fate points is so that you can ask anything without alerting Heaven''s Will. If Heaven''s Will gets suspicious, it won''t hesitate to send a few Heavenly Lightning Tribtions.]

    [And at your strength, it''s just a matter of one Heavenly Lightning to wipe out your existence]

    ''Oh, then leave it. This is not one of my concerns for now; I need to focus on other things. Tell me how I got so many Fate Points. I need to know what I have affected.''

    [72 Fate Points Required.]

    ''It''s alright, just tell me. Hopefully, the information is worth this many Fate Points''

    [72 Fate Points Consumed]

    [Remaining Fate Points: 41]

    [Host, three months ago, you killed three cultivators in the Xin-Wu Battlefront. Your act of killing them directly affected someone''s n against the Gracious Sword Sect and led to today''s assassination. Due to this, Jiang Yun got injured very badly tonight, even though he was supposed to be the one to organize tonight''s assassination.]

    [And now his participation in the Grand Spirit Hunt has be impossible. Since he won''t be able to take part in the Grand Spirit Hunt, he won''t betray the Gracious Sword Sect, but instead would feel indebted, now that the Sect has done its best to save him.]

    [Him not betraying the sect would then change the whole sect''s fate. Thus many disciples would be able to live for far longer than they were supposed to. This would strengthen the Gracious Sword Sect in the future, making them have even better chances of survival when the God''s Legion crusades throughout the Lower Heavens.]

    ''Damn, killing three random cultivators had such a big effect? Sigh, life is unpredictable.''

    After a moment of silence, Ye Tian Yun asked, "I don''t understand thest part; why would the God''s Legion attack here? They and the Gracious Sword Sect were allies in my previous life.''

    ''In fact, the Gracious Sword Sect was the very first allies of the God''s Legion when the whole world was against them. Just the thought that these two could be huge enemies sounds a bit absurd.''

    ''And with the presence of Sect Leader Su, who I am pretty sure is in the Sword Domain Realm, I am sure that in the whole Lower Heavens, the people who could defeat him could be counted on one hand.. God''s Legion will have a hard time if they somehow seeded in forming and going against the Gracious Sword Sect.''

 Chapter 154 - My Rip-Off System (II)

    ''System, is it also due tost night''s events?''

    [Yes, Host. God''s Legion and the Gracious Sword Sect were allies because of Fang Chen and Xiao Ming''s friendship. And now that is just impossible.]

    ''But that doesn''t mean Gracious Sword Sect''s destruction; after all, as I mentioned earlier, there''s still Sect Leader Su.''

    [Heaven''s Will protects God''s Legion members. They will be unstoppable if even half of them form the group.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and narrowed his eyes as he replied, "I will stop them. I do not doubt this. Currently, my race is not against the God''s Legion, but it''s the time whom I need to defeat."

    "I only have four more months before Xiao Ming gets his hands on the Token Of Fate. If he seeded, it would be harder to kill him; that''s why I need to be there at the right time, on the right day, in the right ce, to kill Xiao Ming and take the Token of Fate before it touches his hand."

    "But now we won''t be allowed to go outside for a whole month, that means I can''t go ahead to make any preparationˇ­ waitˇ­ since no one can go outside, doesn''t that mean Xiao Ming will also stay in the sect!? Then how will he get the Token since he would only have three months left and unlike me, he has no knowledge about the Token of Fate''s existence."

    "Damn, this is quite a weird situation. If Xiao Ming didn''t get his hands on the Token Of Fate, it would fall into someone else''s hands, and I would never know who will be this new owner."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while saying, "If only I knew where that - System, can you tell me the location at which Xiao Ming got his Token Of Fate in his previous life?"

    [21 Fate Points Required]

    ''What? Didn''t you just take 72 Fate Points? How greedy do you have to be? 21 Fate Pointsˇ­ that''s a straight-up rip-off!''

    No response came from the System.

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eye and took a deep breath.

    ''Hmm, alright, tell me where and how Xiao Ming got his token in my previous life.''

    [21 Fate Points Consumed.]

    [Remaining Fate Points: 21]

    [Xiao Ming acquired the Token Of Fate in the ck Stone Vige in the Eastern Province of the Xin Kingdom]

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was confused by this, "What do you mean by he got the token in the Eastern Province? As far as I know, he got the Token in the Southern Province. In fact, Xiao Ming never went to the Eastern Province. How did he get the Token of fate if he never even stepped in that ce?"

    [Insufficient Fate Points]

    ''Then you can tell me why my informants found out that Xiao Ming found the Token Of Life in the Southern Province?''

    [Insufficient Fate Points]

    ''Hmm, tell me, where is this ck Stone Vige? It shouldn''t be hard, right? It''s just a vige.''

    [Insufficient Fate Points]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and took a deep breath.

    After a few moments of silence in the cultivation abode, he asked, ''What''s the ce in the Southern Province where Xiao Ming finds out Token Of Fate? I am damn sure it''s in the Southern Province rather than the Eastern Province. After all, there were quite a several witnesses, and the proof that my informants had was substantial.''

    [Insufficient Fate Points]

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but roll his eyes when he heard the same prompt again and again. He continued to twist his questions just to find a breakthrough and get a hint about where he needed to look for.

    ''Damn, what a Rip-Off System; you just ask for Fate Points and more Fate Points. I am your host; you should help me rather than being greedy and keep on cheating Fate Points from me.''

    [Host, the System is the prime example of fairness and would not cheat you.]

    ''Example of fairness my ass! You are the biggest Rip-Off I have ever encountered. You take away almost all of my rewards, and you don''t even give me any information which I can use. All you do is talk in circles, and if I ask you a direct question, you either say that I don''t have enough authority or I don''t have enough Fate Points!''

    Ye Tian Yun was quite pissed off as he said these words. When he had first received help from the system, he had thought that life will now be good and his goal won''t be as humongous as it seemed, but now he couldn''t help butugh at his ignorant thoughts from a few months back.

    Someone made this system to suck out all his resources!

    He was sure that even if there exist hundreds of systems out in the whole universe, none of them would fucking stop their host from possessing a spatial ring and even charge their host to keep the rewards in its inventory!

    This was a clear rip-off!

    And on top of that, if he were to ask anything or about any help regarding his future ns, this god damn system would then ask for payment before helping him.

    Then, after getting the payment, which were the Fate Points, it would only give a superficial reply which would be of no help to its host.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

    He needed to assess his next step since most ofst night''s events were unexpected, and now he needed to understand the possibilities for the uing months, which were uncertain.

    However, before that, he needed to make use of this month and try to break through the next realm.

    And for that, he needed to get all his resources ready. Just then, he remembered about his quest before he went to the banquet. Howe he hadn''t gotten any notification about that yet?

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos or errors, help me in correcting them throughments. ty</em>

 Chapter 155 - My Rip-Off System (III)

    Remembering his mission to get close to Yuan Shuchun, Ye Tian Yun asked, "System, what about the mission which I needed to do in the banquet?"

    [Host was supposed to get close to Yuan Shuchun.]

    ''Well, I am pretty much convinced that Yuan Shuchun will treat me like a core member of Heavenly League from now on. This shouldplete the mission, right? Since the main reason why I needed to get close to Yuan Shuchun was so that Xiao Ming doesn''t get his hands on the iplete Arcane Path Cultivation Manual.''

    ''And as far as I see, I have seeded in both these things - became close to Yuan Shuchun, and prevented Xiao Ming from getting his hands on the Cultivation manual.''

    ''So, I should also get my rewards, right?''

    [Host, You did stop Xiao Ming from getting his hands on the cultivation manual; however you have already received the reward as the Fate Points.]

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, ''The ''rewards'' which you took back by giving me useless information?''

    System ignored hisment and continued,

    [As for the other quest which you received when you went to the banquet, it is not yet judged as apleted quest. Thus, System cannot provide its rewards to you.]

    ''Not judged? What is that supposed to mean? I even took the risk of leaking my Sword Intent Aura when I passed by her on the tform during the banquet, and she invited me to be a core disciple; andst but not least, I even showed off some information about the Sleeper Cells, which they saved the sect from a huge tragedy.''

    ''If even then Yuan Shuchun doesn''t consider myself to be important, then I don''t know what could convince her.''

    ''Anyways, I have no interest in bing a close confidant of her; I only did this for the rewards and to dy Xiao Ming''s rise.''

    ''You should give me the rewards. I can''t miss Kill Points like this. My cultivation is very slow and low. Wang Yao won''t even take six months to reach my level once he gets serious.''

    ''I need to absolutely crush him when we meet.''

    [System understands Host''s emotions. However, System is impartial and fair, it cannot make any exceptions.]

    ''So you think the invitation to be a Core disciple of the Heavenly League wasn''t enough?''

    [Exactly, Host. It wasn''t enough.]

    ''Then how were you going to judge if I have gotten closer to Yuan Shuchun or not? Were you waiting for her to confess her love for me?''

    [Host needed to get his hands on the iplete cultivation manual.]

    ''That''s ridiculous. Yuan Shuchun was never going to give that cultivation manual to anyone. She just wanted to create hype, nothing else. There''s no way anyone would have gotten the manua - wait! How did Xiao Ming get the manual then?''

    [Insufficient Kill Points]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Of course, the Fate Points will be insufficient. System, I am sure I am not the only host you have, tell me, have you always conned your hosts? Or are you too sadistic this time?''

    [System is fair and impartial.]

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and asked, "So then, why do you always give the rewards sote? Even during the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, you gave me the rewards one whole dayte.''

    ''And the reason you gave was that the sect hadn''t confirmed my rank? That was quiteme because if they had any doubt, the elders present at the scene would have already done something.''

    [System is fair and impartial.]

    Shaking his head with a long sigh, Ye Tian Yun thought, ''System, open my inventory.''

    ''It''s time to cultivate. I have one whole month. It would be great if I can focus on cultivation and breakthrough to the next level, the Fourth Level of Qi Stabilization realm.''

    ''If only things had gone as expectedst night, I would have already left the sect by now and refined my Sword Domain. That thing is going to be my trump card once I remaster my control over it with shallow cultivation.''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head while thinking as a virtual screen appeared in front of him, which showed all the resources that he had brought with him from the Middle Heavens.

    Not bringing cultivation resources would have been the most stupid thing to do in his opinion. And the first thing he prepared when he decided toe to the Lower Heavens were the cultivation resources.

    The System had stored his cultivation resources in the inventory, while in his spatial ring were his weapons. Ranging from sword to stone, Ye Tian Yun hade prepared.

    If the Qi density in the Lower Heavens is said to be equal to the air around us, the Qi density in the middle heavens is almost equal to that of an ice b, though not solid.

    This was why Ye Tian Yun knew that he had to take enough cultivation resources with himself or else him going to the Lower Heavens will have an opposite result, since his cultivation speed will be greatly reduced and he would be even lower in the realms when he confronts Wang Yao.

    Collecting his thoughts, Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and sat cross-legged.

    He didn''t wish to waste even a single moment anymore and wanted to only care about cultivation.

    But just them.

    *Bang* *Knock*

    Someone knocked on his cultivation abode.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he got up to open the door.

    Outside the door stood two disciples, and as soon as Ye Tian Yunid eyes on them, he felt a sense of familiarity from them.

    The three Disciplinary Hall disciples whom he and Zheng Xiang had met while visiting the Second Peak came to his mind.

    The two disciples standing in front of him were them.

    "How may I help you, Senior Brother?"

    The one standing at the front was the exact same disciple who had stopped him and Zheng Xiang and was the leader of the three.

    Currently, he had a deep frown on his face as he stared at Ye Tian Yun from up to down and said while scratching his chin, "Are you, Fang Chen? You need to be present in the grad Meeting Hall after an hour from now."

 Chapter 156 - Encounter (I)

    "Are you Fang Chen? You need to be present in the grad Meeting Hall after an hour from now." Without waiting for any response, that Disciplinary Hall member left with his partner.

    Staring at their backs, Ye Tian Yun had a frown while thinking, ''Ah yes, the old man did say something regarding rewardsst night. It slipped out of my mindˇ­ hmmˇ­ looks like half of the day will be wasted in that.''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and returned back to his cultivation abode.

    Changing his robes to the new Inner Court disciple robes and getting ready, he headed out of the Inner Court.

    His cultivation abode was on the Sixth Level, so it took him some time to get to the base of the Seventh Peak.

    However, just as he had stepped out in the open, three disciples suddenly surrounded him.

    His thumb instinctively pressed on the spatial ring in his index fingers as he took a fighting stance.

    He narrowed his eyes at the Inner Court disciple standing right in front of him. This person was releasing unceasing killing intent, which had made Ye Tian Yun instinctively react by taking a fighting stance.

    "You''re good," That disciple said. His tone seemed arrogant as he stood with his chin raised high and his arms crossed.

    "What do you want?" Ye Tian Yun was not going to be polite, "Do you also owe me money?"

    The disciple was surprised with the sudden question, "Uh... No, I don''t - wait - what?"

    "Oh, then why have you blocked my way?" Ye Tian Yun asked with a ''genuinely confused'' expression on his face.

    The disciple narrowed his eyes and said, "Do you remember Du Xiu?"

    "Who?" Ye Tian Yun didn''t recall anyone important by this name.

    "Oh? So now you''re trying to act ignorant?" The disciple, however, thought otherwise, "Let me refresh your memory. About two months ago, you crippled a disciple for mere Outer Court cultivation abodes. That disciple was Du Xiu,, and he is my cousin."

    "And?" Ye Tian Yun tilted his head to the side, still confused at what this guy was trying to say.

    "And? Well, you will know soon enough. I am Du Ming. Let''s see if you still act this arrogant after three months."

    Without waiting for Ye Tian Yun''s response, Du Ming moved and headed towards the Inner Court.

    Just as he was going in, Ye Tian Yun suddenly turned and asked, "Du Ming. Dude. Stop. You need toe up with a much more intimidating way if you want your opponent to feel threatened."

    Du Ming frowned and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Your way of blocking the path and trying to threaten is now some ancient stuff, dude. If you havee alone, it would have been more effective, but you came with backup, that just shows that you were not confident about your own strength."

    "My strength?" Du Ming smirked, "Kid, thest guy who doubted my strength is three feet below the ground right now. And after three months, I will make sure you give him somepany."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply, ''Three feet below the ground? That''s a good line; I should use it somewhere.''

    And while thinking of scenarios where he could use this line, Ye Tian Yun finally headed towards the Chain Bridge through which he would cross the endless ravine and get to the First Peak.

    There were not many people outside since it was still quite early in the morning with the sun still not fully awakened.

    Ye Tian Yun took in a deep breath of fresh air and got on the chain bridge.

    There were few other disciples also present in the Chain Bridge; however, without saying anything, everyone had mutually decided to not to say anything.

    Though Ye Tian Yun did get some surprise reactions from the disciples. Not because of his handsome face, but rather because of his unique Inner Court robes.

    These robes were designed in a unique way for the top-ranked disciples of the peak in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    And these disciples would be the center of attention wherever they went. Well, at least this was what was said. Seeing just a slight eyebrow raise from the disciples clearly didn''t satisfy Ye Tian Yiun even though he had gotten used to any ttery, jealousy, or envy that he had received ever since his birth.

    Still, flexing a bit is always satisfying.

    As Ye Tian Yun took note of the other disciple''s reactions, the Chain Bridge had already reached the First Peak.

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit surprised as he stepped outside the Chain Bridge.

    The atmosphere here was opposite of Seventh Peak. This ce was already bustling with disciples and their stalls.

    Ye Tian Yun took a step, but suddenly, he came to a halt as a particr question shed in his mind.

    ''How do I get to the Grand Meeting Hall?''

    He raised his head and stared at the pagoda at the top of the peak which was the ce where Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, Su Ming, cultivated and the first floor of that pagoda was the Grand Meeting Hall.

    But Ye Tian Yun couldn''t see any stairs heading upwards. As he saw it was a simple peak, with a four-storey pagoda on the top.

    ''Were they expecting me to fly to the top?'' Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    But then suddenly, from the corner of his eyes, he noticed a familiar back.

    ''Zheng Xiang?'' Ye Tian Yun was surprised to see his new acquaintance so early, and he seemed to be talking to a girl.

    And the weird part was he seemed quite close to this girl.

    ''Did he found another Bai Qing''er for himself?'' Ye Tian Yun smirked and headed towards Zheng Xiang.

    He was definitely not going there to mess around with Zheng Xiang.

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any errors or typos, please let me know throughments.</em>

 Chapter 157 - Encounter (II)

    Ye Tian Yun casually walked towards Zheng Xiang and the girl he was talking to, but then he stopped.

    ''I think we''re not that close, are we? We just met yesterday afternoonˇ­'' He found himself in a confusing spot.

    Being an introvert who only cared about cultivation and had always been the one who got approached by others, it was hard for Ye Tian Yun to take a fewst steps and talk to the two disciples in front of him like an average person.

    In the end, he decided not to approach them.

    ''My dao of making friends is still weak,'' Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun diverted his destination to the Resource Hall, which wasn''t far away from him.

    Taking slightly longer strides, he headed towards it to ask about a way to get to the Grand Meeting Hall. The Elders should know how to get there.

    However, just as he was about to enter the building, someone called him from behind.

    "Brother Fang! You''re here?"

    Ye Tian Yun turned around, only to find an unfamiliar person waving at him.

    "Brother Fang, it''s really hard to meet you these days, ah," The disciple approached Ye Tian Yun; his voice was loud and cranky enough to attract everyone else''s attention.

    Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, was quite confused about who this disciple was. He had no recollection of ever meeting this disciple. And he did not doubt that this was their first meeting because no one can forget about this disciple''s weird voice.

    The disciple was soon standing in front of Ye Tian Yun, "brother Fang, long time no see! How have you been? I haven''t seen you in the tavern for a long time now. Is everything alright?"

    Suddenly the disciple''s eyes went on the ps of the Ye Tian Yun''s Inner Court robes, "Oh my, that''s a surprise, Brother Fang. You finally ascended ha-ha! Good to see you in these robes. And you were even ranked first in your Peak? That''s just great. I was sure you would recover from your bad luck and rise back to take your spot of a genius."

    The disciple continued to nod his head even after finishing his words as if everything happened had been ording to his n.

    Ye Tian Yun was very confused right now. First of all, he had no idea who this guy was, and secondly, Fang Chen had always been an introvert and arrogant. He never made friends until he met Xiao Ming.

    So who was this guy? Why was he acting as if he and Fang Chen were old childhood friends?

    Fang Chen''s whole history shed through his mind in a mere second, and he did get some names whom this disciple could be.

    But he had to confirm the name of this guy first. Now the problem was, how should he ask for the name without making things awkward?

    He couldn''te up with a very genius n in an instant, so Ye Tian Yun took the easy way out and tried to find out hints through a normal conversation, "I have been here, just busy with cultivationtely, what about you?"

    The disciple in front of him frowned when he heard Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    ''Shit, I needed to act arrogant,'' An rm went off in his head. There was no way Fang Chen would act his normal self when meeting with others. He was arrogant even when he met Xiao Ming and became good friends with him.

    "What are you waiting for?" Ye Tian Yun redeemed himself by asking in a deeper tone. Raising his chin, he continued, "I asked how you''re doing? And why have you stopped me? I don''t have the whole day for you."

    The disciple nodded his head, "Well, that''s some relief. I thought you had hit your head or something, acting so nice and good. Why haven''t you been to the taverntely?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t know which tavern this disciple was talking about, "I was focused on cultivation, but, tell me, did anything important happen?"

    The disciple shook his head, "Nothing worth noting, Brother Fang. Life''s still the same, in fact, it''s getting better these days."

    "I encountered the love rival that I mentioned, and I beat the shit out of him. Trust me; the whole Xin Kingdom was in chaos."

    His words were loud enough to be heard by surrounding disciples and cranky enough not to make them ignore him.

    Many rolled their eyes when they heard hisst words and chose to step away from his, getting out of his range; enough to avoid his cranky tone.

    ''Bringing chaos in the whole kingdom just by beating your love rival? Who is this love rival? King Xin?''

    For Ye Tian Yun, who was looking for clues to identify this disciple, these words were enough to eliminate most of the names he had on his list.

    And one name stood out the most - Young master of Gao n.

    The young man who had a love rival and if he beat him, the whole kingdom would be in chaos - this sentence could only fit in the profile of Young Master Gao.

    But what confused Ye Tian Yun more was why this guy was in the Gracious Sword Sect? Ye Tian Yun wasn''t supposed to encounter him before entering the capital, but today, out of the blue, he meets this guy.

    ''Am I missing anything? This guy fits Gao n''s Young Master, Gao Xuan, but he shouldn''t be in this sect. If I am not wrong, he''s cultivating in a different sect, and here he''s standing in the Gracious Sword Sect, wearing the disciple robes.''

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while asking, this time with a mellow tone, "What are you doing here?"

    The disciple in front of him shrugged, "Exactly what everyone is doing - cultivate."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No, I am not asking about that, I am asking abou -"

    Suddenly something struck Ye Tian Yun. He remembered a very crucial detail that had slipped out of his mind - the guy in front of him was someone who would one day have the most extensive informationwork in the whole Lower Heavens.

    An organization that could answer any question and gives any information.

 Chapter 158 - Gao Clan Young Master, Gao Xuan

    From a regr young master to be the one holding the most information, Gao Xuan had his own adventurous life.

    He didn''tck in terms of cultivation, and neither did heck in terms of resources. His only problem was his faint heart - he could easily fall in love.

    But even that had stopped after his meeting with a princess of the Xin Kingdom. However, he wasn''t alone chasing the damsel. There was his love rival - the most talented guy in the whole Capital City.

    While his rival was quite famous from a young age, Young Master Gao Xuan was one of the most low profile people in the whole younger generation of Xin Capital City.

    Their rivalry is the only thing he was known for.

    But for Ye Tian Yun, the guy in front of him was pretty important.

    Thest few days had taught one thing to Ye Tian Yun - he couldn''t fully trust the information given by his informants. It wasn''t that they had lied to him or anything, just that even they might have had the wrong information. After all, those guys were tasked to dig out secrets and the past of almost all of the people that Ye Tian Yun had in his to-kill list and including the people who were somehow closely connected to the ones in the list.

    This task was humongous and it would be surprising if they got all the correct information.

    Looking at Gao Xuan, Ye Tian Yun even doubted that the current information he had was probably because of Goa Xuan''s future organization.

    To have his own informationwork spanning the whole realm by the mere age of twenty, this Gao Xuan was someone Ye Tian Yun would rather be friends and be an enemy.

    Ye Tian Yun decided to ask one question to confirm the identity of the disciple in front of him.

    "Choose one - To be a lone wolf or a lone spider?"

    The disciple frowned at his question, but then his expression went from calm to stunned in a mere instant as the meaning of those words dawned upon him.

    His smile had vanished as his expression turned serious.

    This was enough for Ye Tian Yun to confirm that the person standing in front of him was none other than the young master of the Gao n, Gao Xuan.

    Gao Xuan pursed his lips and said, "A lone spider. Lay the trap, lure the prey, then sit back and enjoy as it struggles to escape till death. And atst, enjoy the fruits ofbor."

    His voice now was much different than his earlier voice, which was cranky and attention acquiring.

    Now, he seemed to be his real self.

    Ye Tian Yun could only sigh as he perceived the sudden change, ''These kids really have this weird liking about hiding their real selves. First, it was Fang Chen, then Jun Xie, and now we have Gao Xuan.''

    Ignoring useless thoughts, he then asked, "that''s a good choice. So tell me, are you here toy the trap or lure your prey, or is that you havee to enjoy the meal."

    Gao Xuan smiled, "Enjoying a meal is still a long way to goˇ­ for now, I am onlyying traps in hopes to seed."

    Ye Tian Yun scrunched his eyebrows at him, "I would just say, don''t do anything for now. Things are much moreplicated in the sect."

    Gao Xuan nodded his head, "I know. Last night must have been quite hectic for the sect."

    "Oh, you know?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised by his response.

    He nodded, "Yeah, to know stuff is what I deem more important and... " He then had a slight smirk on his face as he continued, "You had also given some good informationst night. I am surprised you knew this much about the Devil Sect so much, brother Fang Chen."

    If earlier words had surprised Ye Tian Yun, this time he was shocked to hear the next words.

    Gao Xuan knew aboutst night''s assassination and also about how Ye Tian Yun had helped the sect by giving information on how to fish out the hidden Sleeper Cells amongst the disciples.

    Ye Tian Yun was sure that none of the elders would have leaked anything about this to others.

    In fact, he was quite sure that even the preparators themselves wouldn''t know how the sect came out unharmed fromst night''s incident.

    And here, Gao Xuan was hinting to him that he knew the truth about what had happened behindst night''s incident.

    ''He already had this good informationwork? Who''s working for him? Must be someone from the higher-ups because the disciples were under the illusion the whole time.''

    Gao Xuan continued to smirk as he saw YeTian Yun''s expression, "You don''t have to be so surprised... um... well, you can be surprised, you just don''t have to be worried. I am not leaking anything to anyone. Neither do I have any interest in what''s going on with you."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "You won''t leak the information unless someone pays you enough money to speak up or beats the shit out of. I am pretty sure there are many out there who could do any of them both and easily get this information."

    "But, this is not something I need to be worried about. One day or other, the Devil Sect will know that they can''t use Sleeper Cells anymore and who was the one who told everyone about a way to counter this weapon of theirs."

    Gao Xuan nodded his head, "I also have other information which might interest you."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Where is that tavern, again? Let''s talk about this one at ater date."

    Gao Xuan narrowed his eyes and said, "Don''t joke around; you should know that it''s the tavern that will find you, not the other way around."

    Taking a slight pause, he then said, "Well, I should take my leave; it was nice to meet anˇ­ old friend."

    And just as Gao Xuan was about to turn and take his leave, Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and said, "Actually, there is one thing that you could tell me."

 Chapter 159 - Gao Xuan Knows!

    "Actually, there is one thing that you could tell me."

    Gao Xuan stopped for a moment, and then looking at Ye Tian Yun, he asked, "What is it? I have quite a lot of information in my hand. But everythinges at a cost. As long as you can pay, you will get the information."

    Crossing his hands together, he continued, "The only thing stopping you is the ability to buy the information. So, what do you want to know? Is it about how to get close to a female disciple? About any elder in the sect? About any league? About any secret affairs going on in the sect? What is it"

    Ye Tian Yun opened and closed his mouth a few times before saying, "I just want to knowˇ­ how do I get to the Grand Meeting Hall?"

    Gao Xuan, who was expecting him to ask something very crucial, was stumped at those words, "You just need to go to the second floor of the Resource Hall; you will find the way."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Oh, that''s good, I was going do that anyway."

    Then looking at Gao Xuan, he said, "Alright then, it''s time we depart." Taking a slight pause, he continued, "I hope you take the information regardingst night''s incident to your grave. That will be the best oue for you, Gao Xuan."

    And without waiting for any response, Ye Tian Yun entered the Resource Hall.

    On the other hand, Gao Xuan was left stunned by his words.

    It was not the threat that shocked him, but rather, his name came out of Ye Tian Yun that made all his senses stop.

    His expression turned grave as Ye Tian Yun''s words echoed in his head. He let out a long breath and gave a long stare at the Resource Hall.

    With his eyes narrowed, he turned around and headed back. However, the frown and worry on his face were suddenly gone, reced with a slight smirk as he thought of the aim objective for which he hade here for.

    He muttered under his breath, ''Trying to threaten me? This guy is too wet behind his ears; let''s see if you dare to do this when we next meet. After all, even the real Fang Chen didn''t try to be arrogant in front of me, and you''re just someone in his disguise.''

    ''This guy was not Fang Chen. Fang Chen is most probably dead or kidnapped. That''s good; this will make things quite interesting.''

    ''I want to witness the expression of Sect Leader Su when hees to know that it is someone else who is in disguise of his son. And I want to witness panic on Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s face when he knows that his nephew, the pawn which he had sent to the sect, was now no longer under his control.''

    ''I hope Iplete my task here and be a witness of the spectacr uing drama. If I can find out who is in disguise of Fang Chen and what happened to the real Fang Chen, things would be even better for me.''

    ...

    Meanwhile, Ye Tian Yun, unaware of suspicion on him by Gao Xuan, had entered the Resource Hall and was heading towards the counters on the first floor.

    Resource Hall was a two-floor building built on the far-left corner, which, as its name suggested, controlled and distributed resources to everyone in the sect. It also allocated resources needed for big events and missions to the disciples and elders.

    This Hall, unlike other departments, wasn''t entirely controlled by the elders. The ones who took care of everything here were the managers. Managers did not have any political power in the sect and were mainly responsible for wealth management. They worked under core elders and were ountable for all resources.

    The Resource Hall was a two-storey building, with the ground floor for all the resource allocation to Inner Court disciples and the upper floor for the management, core disciples, and elders.

    As soon as one entered the Resource Hall, he would feel like he was in a vast rectangr auditorium, with counters on the opposite end.

    Each counter was adjacent to each other, and the disciples standing in front of them were separated by railings. This made everything much ordered and less crowded.

    Just like yesterday when he hade here for his new Inner Court robes and disciple token, today too, the hall was bustling with disciples; some were here for resources while most of them were here for their tokens.

    The Inner Court Entrance Hunt was not a small event and spanned the whole sect; thus, the number of disciples who got promoted was also a considerable amount in numbers, even though they were nothing aspared to the total number of disciples participating in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    Ye Tian Yun headed straight for the counter to get to the Second Floor of the Resource Hall.

    As soon as his turn came, he brought out his token from his pocket and ced it on the counter, saying, "Here, this is my token, and I have been called to the Grad Meeting Hall by Grand Elder Li."

    The manager at the counter turned serious when he heard Grand Elder Li''s name and began to inspect the token.

    After a moment of silence, he nodded his head, and without looking up, he said, "Be here for a minute; I will be right back."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head as he saw the manager stand up and head towards the Inner Region of the hall, most probably to talk to the supervisor or an elder.

    It didn''t take him long, and soon he hade out from behind the curtain, but along with him was an old elder, who was walking slowly towards Ye Tian Yun with his hands behind his back.

    "Greeting, Elder," As soon as the Elder had arrived near the counter, Ye Tian Yun greeted him without any hesitation.

    The elder nodded his head and acknowledged the greeting by gesturing his hand.

    He then stared at the token for some time and said, "Who told you that Grand Elder Li called you?"

    Ye Tian Yun calmly replied, "A disciple of Disciplinary Hall came to my cultivation abode and informed me about this."

    The Elder nodded and said, "Follow me."

    The manager then swiftly moved and turned the gate into a counter, allowing Ye Tian Yun to cross over and get to the other side.

    He then followed the Elder, who had already started to walk away towards the inner direction without wasting any time.

    While on the stairs, the Elder suddenly said, "Kid, I should thank you for your information yesterday''s information. It saved a lot of things and lives. In fact, if not for your tip, the sect may have lost a lot of disciples or even elders. That would have been a grave tragedy."

    Ye Tian Yun replied without any change in expression, "Elder, I did what I should have done. Any other disciple with the information I had would have done the exact same thing. The sect had given me a lot of things; I can''t just let it disappear if I have a choice. And at that time, I did have a choice, to tell or not tell. And as you can see, I picked the right choice."

    Seeing the Elder in front of him nod his head, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but inwardly roll his eyes, ''I only did this to save my own life and not to let Xiao Ming die. The rest of the sect was just aplimentary bonus.''

    Unbeknownst to Ye Tian Yun''s thoughts, the Elder was very satisfied from Ye Tian Yun''s reply and was now in a good mood; he said, "Boy, you did choose the right option, and we, as elders of the sect, can see that. And trust me, you won''t go unrewarded. You saved the sect; you will be equally rewarded. And if I am not wrong, Grand Elder Li would take you to ''that'' ce."

    "That ce?" Ye Tian Yun asked; he really didn''t like when people tried toe off as mysterious while talking about something. Just say it. It''s not like something would happen.

    "That ce is the best ce our whole sect has to offer to anyone. Even Sect Leaders don''t get much chance to cultivate there, so when the timees, cherish it properly. You might never get another chance like in the near future."

    Ye Tian Yun''s ears perked up when he heard about the word ''best ce to cultivate,'' and he did have a faint idea of what it could be, but he wanted to see it with his own eyes, thus just silently nodded and waited for the time to witness ''that'' ce.

    And in no time, both of them had reached the second floor, where just like yesterday, they found Elder Lai Chang sitting at the table straight in front of the stairs'' exit.

    ˇ­

    <em>A/n: Only a single chapter today because things are pretty busy here.. I will try to write two moreter tonight as soon as I get time to work on them.</em>

 Chapter 160 - Call Me Uncle. I Insist.

    Ye Tian Yun was quite surprised to see Elder Lai Chang still present at the counter, ''This guy is seriously trying to get all the top disciples to join the Heavenly Leagueˇ­"

    Elder Lai Chang, who was lost in his thoughts, moved his head to see the two people who had just entered the second floor.

    Straightening his back, he stood up and cupped his fists while saying, "Greetings, Elder Cui."

    The Elder, who had brought Ye Tian Yun, nodded his head and then gestured his hands towards Ye Tian Yun while replying, "Lai, take this kid to the Grand Meeting Hall."

    Elder Lai Chang nodded his head and looked at Ye Tian Yun, "Ah, it''s disciple Fang Chen; good to see you here, kid, you did a great jobst night."

    Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists and gave him a slight smile.

    Elder Lai Chang then said, "Alright,e with me," And then turning towards the elder; he continued, "Anything else, Uncle-master?"

    Elder Cui shook his head and replied, "Yeah, one more thing, if you meet Duan, tell him to meet me before he leaves for his peak."

    "Will do, Uncle-master," Elder Lai Chang nodded his head and said, "Then we shall take our leaves."

    "Yeah, go," Elder Cui gestured at him and turned to leave.

    Seeing the disappearing back of Elder Cui, Elder Chang frowned for a moment and then turned towards Ye Tian Yun to say, "Kiddo, let''s go."

    ˇ­

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun found himselfing out of a backdoor which led to more stairs.

    While walking through the stairway, Elder Lai Chang smiled and asked, "Not feeling tired yet?"

    Ye Tian Yun was confused at his words, he asked while looking around, "Should I be feeling tired?"

    Elder Lai Chang slowly nodded his head, "You''re walking through one of the most advanced arrays of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Oh?"

    "Yes, and this array is known for its uniqueness."

    "What kind of uniqueness?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Elder Lai Chang smiled but refrained from replying.

    Ye Tian Yun could only let the topic go. However, he felt like Elder Lai Chang was most probably bluffing because Ye Tian Yun couldn''t sense the array surrounding them even with the heightened spirit sense after his breakthrough in the Sword Domain Realm.

    After about ten or so minutes, as they stepped inside a room, Elder Lai Chang, who was moving ahead, suddenly gestured to Ye Tian Yun to stop and said, "We have arrived, now just wait here for the call. The Elders are most probably still in a meeting."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    ''This ce is like a royal court or something.''

    "Don''t be surprised," As if reading his thoughts, Elder Lai Chang continued to say, "This may feel simr to meeting a king or minister. However, this is a custom."

    "What kind of custom is this?" Ye Tian Yun was now getting even more confused at the situation.

    Elder Lai Chang pursed his lips and said, "I told you about the advanced array, right? This custom is for that. You will know more about this once your cultivation realm and status in the sect grows."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders. He wasn''t interested in knowing about an array which he was most probably never going to encounter or would never be of any use to him.

    Silence prevailed in the room for the next few minutes as none of them wanted to waste their energy in useless chatting.

    Just then.

    "Come."

    A voice echoed from behind, and Ye Tian Yun turned around towards its source, which came from the direction of the stairs which they had juste from.

    However, there were no stairs to his surprise, but instead, past the gate was another hall, and at the hall entrance was standing none other than Grand Elder Li himself.

    Both Ye Tian Yun and Elder Lai Chang cupped their fists as a greeting and headed towards the hall.

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun put his feet into the new hall, he suddenly felt light-headed.

    Though it didn''t take him long toe back to his senses due to his high spirit sense, it was enough for him to be on high alert.

    Taking a deep breath, he observed the scene to understand what was going on.

    Ye Tian Yun found himself standing in the middle of a conference-like hall, with the elders sitting opposite him.

    The middle seat was currently empty; it most probably belonged to the Sect Leader Su, while the two seats beside his were upied by two old men, one of which had called him and Elder Lai Chang inside this hall.

    Ye Tian Yun quickly recognized the two Grand Elders, Grand Elder Li, and Grand Elder Xuan.

    Both of them were currently smiling at him, though it wasn''t hard to decipher that each smile had a different meaning behind it.

    Grand Elder Li''s smile seemed to be of the kind which showed appreciation of an old grandfather towards his grandchildren. At the same time, the one carried by GRand Elder Xuan was the all-knowing kind of smile, which seemed much more calctive as if the whole situation was under his control.

    But Ye Tian Yun did find one thingmon between the expression of these two - none of them had any ill intent towards him.

    Grand Elder Li was most probably happy to get a talented disciple like Fang Chen in the sect, while Grand Elder Xuan was delighted to get a talented disciple like Fang Chen in the Heavenly League.

    Besides these two, there were other Core Elders also present at the scene, including Elder Tu, who nodded his head when he made eye contact with Ye Tian Yun.

    These normal expressions gave Ye Tian Yun a bit of reassurance that whatever he was called here for, it definitely wasn''t anything bad for him.

    Grand Elder Li, who was observing his expression, nodded his head from time to time as if he was approving Ye Tian Yun to be his son-inw, suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Kid, do you know why you have been called here for?"

    Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists and feigned ignorance, "Greeting Grand Elders and Core Elders, unfortunately, I am still unaware of the reason behind your call."

    Grand Elder Li gestured with his hands, "Bah, don''t act as you don''t know why you''re here. Of course, I called you to get you rewarded."

    "Just wait for Sect Leader Su to arrive; once hees, we will decide what should be your reward."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    Just then, footsteps rang from behind him, and when he turned his head, he found a dignified middle-aged man entering the hall.

    The man paused for a moment when he noticed Ye Tian Yun and then gave him a gentle smile before walking to the right and taking a seat beside Grand Elder Li.

    After taking his seat, the man said, "So you''re Fang Chen? Well, well, very well," After a few nods of appreciation, the man said, "I am Peak Master of your peak. I am quite impressed by your talent. You can call me Uncle Duan."

    His words surprised everyone present in the hall, including the Grand Elders.

    Even Ye Tian Yun was quite stumped when he heard Peak Master Duan letting him call Uncle.

    He pursed his lips and said, "Greetings, Peak Master Duan." Clearly refraining from calling him uncle.

    However, his words got him a frown, as Peak Master Duan berated, "Hmph, did I not tell you to call me uncle?"

    "But-"

    "No, but! I insist that you call me uncle."

    His words brought an awkward silence in the hall, forcing him to clear his throat and say, "Wellˇ­ you''re very talented, and youˇ­ you''re the age of my nephew!"

    Half of the elders present had to force themselves from controlling the urge to roll their eyes.

    Even Ye Tian Yun could only stare awkwardly at this unknown man trying to be his uncle out of nowhere.

    Before the situation could escte, another pair of footsteps echoed as another man entered the hall.

    As soon as people present in the hall saw him, they stood up.

    The man gestured to them to remain seated and went on to take the seat in the middle.

    Rubbing his hands together, he took a deep breath and said, "Well, what did I miss?"

    Grand Elder Xuan, who was beside him, rolled his eyes, "Do you really think we can start the meeting without you? Of course, you didn''t miss anything."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and finally noticed Ye Tian Yun.

    Taking a deep breath, he calmed his emotions and the urge to hug his son.

    Then turning towards Grand Elder Li, trying to distract himself, he said, "Well, we should start the meeting."

    "I don''t wish to prolong the meeting, so I will propose what I want to reward disciple Fang Chen - one month of cultivation in the Sword Stele."

    His words made everyone, except Ye Tian Yun, have their mouth wide open in shock.

 Chapter 161 - Little Schemes (I)

    "Sword Stele.." Grand Elder Li nodded his head and said, "It should be an appropriate reward. I don''t have any objections."

    "Me neither." Grand Elder Xuan also stated his consent after Grand Elder Li.

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and swept his gaze from one side to the other, one by one from one elder to another.

    All the elders nodded their heads in agreement to allow Ye Tian Yun to cultivate in the Sword Stele.

    Sect Leader Su was very satisfied with everyone''s response, which could be clearly seen from his expression.

    After some time, he said, "Since everyone agrees with my proposal, then we shouldn''t dy things anymore and send him off to cultivate for a month."

    Grand Edler Xuan suddenly said, "The sword stele is the no less sacred grounds of our sect, for disciple Fang Chen to cultivate there, it will give a significant boost to his cultivation and battle prowess, which is something he truly deserves."

    Then he came to the main topic of his thoughts, "But one shouldn''t get carried away, that''s why I propose we make things a bit harsher for disciple Fang Chen and have him cultivate in the second level of Sword Stele. This will make him understand the true value of the reward and treasure this chance to grow stronger."

    His words confused many elders and even Sect Leader Su was out of words.

    Only Ye Tian Yun had a normal expression because he had no idea what they were talking about since the start. He didn''t know what Sword Stele was that they were talking about, much less about it having two levels or something.

    He tried to refresh his memory, but nothing rted to Sword Stele came to his mind. Even though Grand Elder Xuanpared it to the sacred ground of the sect, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t recall any ce or thing called Sword Stele from his memory.

    Thus, he was carefully observing the expressions of others to get any clue of what these people were talking about.

    Elder Tu, who had been silent until then, stood up and said, "Grand Elder Xuan, I am not sure if your proposal would bring anything good out of the situation."

    "First of all, Fang Chen''s cultivation is very low. He shouldn''t even be allowed near the Sword Stele because his unstable and low cultivation base might lead to Qi Deviation.

    And you''re proposing he be sent to the second level... thisˇ­ this is not a rewardˇ­ it''s more of a punishment."

    "If we send him to the second level, it would be like guaranteeing the Qi Deviation. Fang Chen had helped our sect avoid something which could very easily have been the biggest tragedy in the history of our sect. And to make him suffer Qi Deviationˇ­ is not something I would agree upon."

    Sect Leader Su also nodded his head, "Yes, the second level is too risky. Maybe in the future, we might give a chance to disciple Fang Chen, but todayˇ­ it''s too earlyˇ­ it''s not the right time yet."

    Grand Elder Xuan shook his head, "I think you didn''t get what I wanted to say," Staring at Ye Tian Yun, he continued, "I want disciple Fang Chen to cultivate on the second level. I am not proposing him go through the trial which is the main significance of the second floor."

    "But how will he cultivate if he doesn''t attempt the trial?" Elder Tu asked in confusion.

    Grand Elder Xuan nodded his head and replied, "Because he doesn''t need to go through any trial. Tell me, how long will disciple Fang Chen be cultivating in the sword stele?"

    "For a month."

    "Yes, and he will have a whole month before he decides to take part in the trial or not, after that, he will be automatically sent out of the second level."

    Sect Leader Su said, "So, you''re saying that he should go to the second level, and cultivate in the time which is given to the disciples, who take the trail, to decide whether they wish to attempt it or not?"

    Grand Elder Xuan nodded his head, "Exactly, he just needs to cultivate, and not think about the trial. In fact, I don''t want anyone here to speak of the trial anymore, this will help him not focus on the trial, thus preventing the trial from getting started."

    He then looked at Fang Chen while saying, "And I want him to cultivate in the second level because it will not only boost his cultivation, it will also make him stronger due to the tinge of chaotic qi mixed in the second level."

    "I think my proposal will be rewarding and challenging at the same time. And if Fang Chen sessfully cultivated for a month, he will receive a huge boost in his cultivation."

    Grand Elder Li, who had been silent until then, said, "This is not right."

    He waited for everyone''s attention to get to him before continuing, "Let''s not forget that Fang Chen will be rejecting the trial by being on the second level for a month and only cultivating."

    "And if he rejects the trial, he won''t be able to reapply the trial in the next five years. Which will be a bit of a setback, since this will mean that Fang Chen if were to be a top disciple of the sect, won''t be able to get nurtured by the sect."

    "Grand Elder Xuan, your proposal is not good in the long term, though it might bring some temporary benefits."

    Grand Elder Xuan pursed his lips when he heard those words and after few moments of silence, he turned towards Ye Tian Yun and asked, "Boy, tell me, do you want to be the next Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    His words halted everyone''s breath including Ye Tian Yun, who was most shocked by this sudden question.

    Grand Elder Li was the first one toe back to his senses and barely controlled himself from shouting, "What kind of absurd question is that?"

    "It''s a simple question, is he interested in vying for the position of the Sect Leader or not." Grand Elder Xuan shrugged his shoulders.

    Ye Tian Yun, who still didn''t understand the head and tail of the situation, finally couldn''t hold back anymore and asked, "Elders, I do not get why the situation of me getting rewarded and cultivating in the Sword Stele turned towards me trying to be the next Sect Leader."

    "Don''t worry about that nonsense," Grand Elder Li waved his hands and said, "No need to think about useless stuff. Just focus on cultivation."

    Ye Tian Yun could only nod his head.

    Sect Leader Su, who hadn''t said anything on this topic, looked at Fang Chen for a moment and said, "There''s no need for him to go to the Second Floor. He will cultivate on the First Floor for a month, and when the timees, and if the fate ns, Fang Chen will get his chance to challenge the trial on the second floor."

    Grand Elder Xuan objected, "But, why not reward him to our full capacity? Sending him to the second floor will only bring a much better oue for Fang Chen and the sect, so why not allow him?"

    Sect Leader Su shook his head and said, "No, I won''t allow this."

    And then he looked at Elder Lai Chang who was standing at the entrance of the hall and said, "Elder Lai, please take disciple Fang Chen to the Sword Stele and exin to him about everything on the way."

    "Yes, Sect Leader," Elder Lai Chang cupped his fists and waited for Ye Tian Yun toe.

    Sect Leader Su then stared at Ye Tian Yun for a moment before saying, "Cultivate well. Don''t waste this opportunity and focus on getting stronger."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Thank you for this chance, Elders and Sect Leader."

    "Hmm," Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Now go."

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight bow and left the hall with Elder Lai Chang.

    ˇ­

    Looking at the disappearing back of Ye Tian Yun, Grand Elder Xuan narrowed his eyes as the earlier smiling expression once again appeared on his face.

    He then noticed something from the corner of his eyes and when turned his head, he found Peak Master Duan staring dead into his eyes, as if ready to pounce on him at any second.

    Grand Elder Xuan smirked at him and then turning towards Sect Leader Su, he said, "Now that this matter is resolved, we need to focus on the main agenda of the early meeting."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, while, Grand Elder Li asked, "Did anything else happen?"

    Grand Elder Xuan gestured at Elder Tu to speak up and reply to Grand Elder Li.

    Elder Tu stood up from his seat and said, "Everyone, two days ago, on the Seventh Peak, an unfortunate incident urred during the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, and one of the participants lost his life."

    Most of the Elders present at the meeting nodded their heads as this wasn''t really news to them since most of them had heard of the high tier Qi Stealing Mole wreaking havoc in the Inner Court Entrance Exam.

    Elder Tu then took a deep breath and said, "The disciple who died was the scion of the Kang n from the capital city."

    He waited for everyone to digest the news before continuing, "And his father, the n Head of the Kang n, Kang Xumin, is currently heading straight to our sect for ''justice''."

 Chapter 162 - Little Schemes (II)

    "The disciple who lost his life, Kang Bai, was from the Kang n of the Capital City, and his father, Kang Ximin, will be arriving here soon."

    Elder Tu''s words rang throughout the meeting hall as he continued, "The high tier Qi Stealing Mole was killed by Kang Bai before it could hurt anyone else. However, Kang Bai lost his life in the process."

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips and asked, "What actually happened in that incident?"

    Elder Tu took a deep breath and replied, "Actually, as usual, everything was working out fine; the disciples were tasked to hunt down as many Qi Stealing Moles as possible. But after about an hour or so, something happened in the inner region of the Spiritual Medicine Mountain, and one of the high tier Qi Stealing Mole got out of the array bindings and started to wreak havoc."

    "Unfortunately, disciple Kang Bai was within the range of the high tier Qi Stealing Mole and thus went towards the noise of themotion. Sensing danger and assessing the situation, Kang Bai, instead of running away, decided to fight and take down the high tier Qi Stealing Mole."

    "But all this was for a naught because the cultivation difference was too huge, in the end, with no choice left, Kang Bai decided to sacrifice himself and died alongside the Qi Stealing Mole, thus saving the lives of many disciples."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head when he heard those words, and after a moment of thought, he asked, "How did the high tier Qi Stealing Mole even get out of the array system? Did you investigate the situation?"

    Elder Tu nodded his head as he replied, "Sect Leader, we did investigate the situation, and it turns out that the array system somehow failed due to an unknown reason."

    "Investigate further regarding this unknown reason; we can''t have our arrays failing like this. This time it was Kang Bai; next time it would be someone else." Sect Leader Su was not going to take the situation lightly.

    Elder Tu nodded his head and said, "Yes, Sect Leader. Even now, as I speak, elders are investigating the situation."

    "Alright," Sect Leader Su then paused for a moment before continuing, "When will Kang Ximine here?"

    "n Head Kang should be here by evening."

    "Hmm," Taking a deep breath, Sect Leader Su then looked at other elders while asking, "What do you think should be the appropriate answer to him? The situation is still under investigation. We can''t just shift me to anyone."

    "Why do we need to shift me?" Grand Elder Xuan spoke, "That Kang n kid wanted to y hero and lost his life, case closed."

    "Grand Elder, what if someone else was present at the scene? What if the Qi Stealing Mole got out due to human error?" Sect Leader Su asked.

    "So what?" Grand Elder Xuan shrugged, "We don''t need to waste our time in this."

    "We already have the situation - high tier Qi Stealing Mole got out, Kang Bai sacrificed his life to stop it."

    "There''s no need to dig a hole for ourselves by proving this story wrong."

    "But that won''t be right," Sect Leader Su shook his head, "Why should a life of a disciple be wasted for no reason? Why should we suppress this situation?"

    Grand Elder Xuan took a deep breath and said, "I don''t understand why you want to attract more trouble to our sect. Last night''s situation is enough to get our sect very busy for the next few months, and here you''re insisting on investigating the death of an outer court disciple."

    "So what if he''s the son of a big n? What if he was talented? Sect won''t get anything now that he''s dead."

    Imagine this - if we investigate the situation and it turns out Kang Bai got killed due to some human error, what will happen then?"

    "I know what will happen - we will lose a big ally. We will lose Kang n''s support."

    "No, we won''t," Sect Leader Su shook his head, "If there is any injustice in this case, and we manage to uncover it, Kang Ximin would instead feel grateful. But if we tell him that this was a natural incident andter it turns out to be a human inflicted incident, and Kang Ximin gets to know of this - our sect will be in real trouble after that."

    Grand Elder Xuan shook his head and was about to say something when Grand Elder Li, who had been silent all along, opened his mouth about the situation and gave his views, "we should let the investigation go on; we will lose more if Kang Ximin gets to know about the foul y from someone else. And that man has just lost his son. He would believe any nonsense that could justify his son''s death."

    "He''s down, he''s angry, and most importantly, he''s looking for someone to put the me on. We just need to take care that it''s not us who get med."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Exactly what I am thinking."

    Grand Elder Xuan said, "Why are we even caring about a simple n from the capital? So what if they are the big four? I am confident in the capabilities of our sect; we don''t need to care about such ns."

    Grand Elder Li waved his hand, gesturing him to stop, "You do not see the bigger picture. It''s not the Kang n that we need to worry about."

    "It''s the whole capital city."

    "What?" His words confused many elders present in the meeting.

    Grand Elder Li took a deep breath and said, "The political situation between the sects and the ns of the Xin Kingdom is currently in a delicate bnce."

    The top ns, especially the Xin Royal n, are currently looking for an opportunity to create trouble for the sect. They want to suppress the sects and take control over them. However, the problem they face is that not all ns are on the same page or have the same agenda."

    "Like the Kang n. This n does not wish to have anything with the politics and power struggle happening in the Kingdom. But now that they have lost their heir, they are most probably going to join the opposite faction, and directly or indirectly, they are going to affect the current bnce."

    "However, we can stop all this if we calm down Kang Ximin and have him understand the situation."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head at those words and said, "THat''s why we need to investigate the situation thoroughly, and if someone is found guilty, we must punish them. And if the story of Kang Bai is indeed the truth, we must glorify him as much as possible to satisfy the Kang n."

    Seeing otters nod their head, Sect Leader Su then said, "Let''s adjourn the meeting for now. Start investigating this situation, and don''t forget about the thorough checking of all the disciples within one month. We will continue after Kang Ximin arrives in the sect. Hopefully, things don''t escte much."

    Others present in the hall nodded their heads and began to stand up.

    After a few minutes, almost all had left the hall as Sect Leader Su remained seated on his chair, thinking about something.

    "Senior Brotherˇ­"

    A voice brought him back to reality as he found Peak Master Duan standing in front of him with a frown and annoyance written all over his face.

    "What happened, Junior Brother Duan?" Sect Leader Su asked while looking around, only to find that everyone else had left the hall.

    Peak Master Duan pursed his lips and said, "Senior Brother, don''t tell me you didn''t notice?"

    "Notice what?"

    Taking a deep breath, Peak Master Duan replied, "You didn''t notice the tant scheme by that bastard Xuan? You didn''t notice how he almost took away the rights of nephew Fang Chen to be the future Sect Leader of our sect?"

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips and said, "I did. I did see through that little scheme."

    "Then why didn''t you rebuke him? That old dog was trying to clear the way for Yuan Shuchun by removing Fang Chen, who could be the Sect Leader candidate in the future."

    "He wanted Fang Chen to cultivate on the second floor of the Sword Stele and to cultivate. Fang Chen must not ept the trial. But by not epting the trial, Fang Chen was about to forfeit his chance ever to be the sect leader of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Yes, I know, but don''t worry about that. I would have never let this happen."

    Peak Master Duan remained silent for some time before asking, "Senior Brother, if in future, Fang Chen proves himself to be very talented, will you allow him to enter the fight for the position of the Sect Leader? If yes, then what about the Fang n? Don''t forget that Fang Chen doesn''t know about your rtionship with him; he only thinks of himself as the young master of the Fang n."

    "And if your answer is no, then how you will stop him? Will you also suppress him like Yuan Shuchun? But won''t that make him even more averse from you?"

    ...

    <em>A/n: We will go with one chapter per day for few more days and will increase release from the first of the next month. Things have gotten quite busy here, am not even getting two hours to sit and prepare the daily chapters. Please bear with me for some time.. I will publish one long chapter for the next two-three more days.</em>

 Chapter 163 - Problems And Solutions

    Sect Leader Su remained silent for a long amount of time.

    Finally, taking a deep breath, he said, "Fang Chen maybe my son, but that doesn''t mean he will surely be the next Sect Leader of our Sect."

    "I want the next Sect Leader to be someone who can bring our sect one step forward."

    "The only reason why I am opposing Yuan Shuchun''s im over the Sect Leader position is because of her uncaring attitude towards the SEct''s future. It doesn''t need one to have supreme intelligence to know her nature. SHe''s someone with a goal, and that goal doesn''t include anything good for our sect."

    "And as for Fang Chen, well, you said it, he doesn''t know the truth. To him, he''s the son of the Fang n, and most probably it''s future n Head."

    "If he proves himself to be worthy, in terms of both nature and talent, I would not have any problem regarding his im over the Sect Leader position. Just like I had no problem over Jiang Yun''s im over the Sect Leader position."

    "I will choose the disciple who will have the most positive impact over the Sect''s future after bing the Sect Leader. Be it Fang Chen, Jiang Yun, or anybody else."

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head and said, "When are you nning to tell the truth to Fang Chen?"

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips and let out a sigh, "It''s not easy. I want to do it right now, I want to tell him the truth every time I see him, but it''s not the right time yet. It''s not the right time."

    "When is this ''right'' time?" Peak Master Duan asked, "The more you dy, the harder it will be for him to ept you when the timees. You should tell him as soon as hees out of this one-month seclusion."

    Seeing Sect Leader Su slightly nod his head, Peak Master Duan then continued, "Also, how long are you going to allow that Xuan guy to be so rampant? He''s now not even afraid to scheme in front of you against your son."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "The Grand Elder Xuan faction is still too powerful. We can''t take them out one by one; what we need is to trap them in one fell swoop. And as for him scheming to remove the chances of Fang Chen being the next Sect Leader, I am sure he doesn''t know that Fang Chen is my son, and he most probably yed the trick with Yuan Shuchun in his mind."

    Peak Master Duan narrowed his eyes when he heard thest part and asked, "Senior Brother, don''t you feel weird about this situation?"

    "What situation?" Sect Leader Su asked in confusion, "The situation between Fang Chen and Grand Elder Xuan?"

    "No, I mean the situation between Yuan Shuchun and Grand Elder Xuan? Don''t you feel weird seeing how GRand Elder Xuan''s every action somehow benefits Yuan Shuchun? It''s as ifˇ­ as if they master-servant, and the servant is looking out for the master."

    "That''s absurd," Sect Leader Su shot down the possibility, "There''s no way someone like Grand Elder Xuan could be a servant of a girl."

    "And it''s even more impossible when you consider her background. I have read the reports. Yuan Shuchunes from a humble background. And I think the situation is different from what you are assuming. Yuan Shuchun is most probably Grand Elder Xuan''s disciple."

    Peak Master Duan shrugged while asking, "If that''s true, then why is there a need to give subtle support? Grand Elder Xuan only needs to say a word, and the support Yuan Shuchun is getting will be more than double. Why is he not proiming that Yuan Shuchun is his disciple?"

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "I have no answer to this. Maybe there''s something which we''re not seeing, something which is right in front of our eyes, but we''re missing it."

    Then standing up from his seat, Sect Leader Su continued, "Well, this is not something we need to be worried about right now. There are already enough troubles lying in front of us that will keep us busy for the next few months."

    "First of all isst night''s incident. Even though Jiang Yun survived the assassination attempt, and Fang Chen''s information saved the lives of many disciples, we can''t argue the fact that another such incident might happen. We won''t be this lucky next time."

    "Our Sect needs to be well prepared for the next time, in fact, we need to find out the Sleeper Cells and eliminate them."

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head, "Senior Brother, I have an absurd idea to get those remaining Sleeper Cells out of their holes without wasting our time in investigating each of the disciples."

    "Oh? What is it?"

    Peak Master Duan rubbed his chin and said, "Since we know that those Sleeper Cells will activate and explode when they hear the shout regarding the Demon God, which acts as a trigger; my idea is that we shouldn''t wait for our enemies and trigger the Sleeper Cells before them."

    "We should activate the Sleeper Cells before our enemies."

    "What?" Sect Leader stared Peak Master Duan from up to down before saying, "Have you gone crazy? Activating the Sleeper Cells is very risky, and what if they explode? Won''t our disciples lose lives for nothing? We need to find out the Sleeper Cells through any other way."

    Peak Master Duan shook his head as he said, "Senior Brother, listen carefully about what I am about to say."

    "First thing, we know how to activate the Sleeper Cells."

    "Secondly, we know how to identify the activated Sleeper Cells."

    "Now, all we have to do is make a batch of disciples and attempt to activate any hidden Sleeper Cells. After that, we will have the elders search for the signs of the Sleeper Cells."

    "If we find Sleeper Cells, that''s good. If we don''t, then we will try this with the next batch of disciples."

    "Also, from now on, we can make this shout a secret level in the Sect Entrance Exam. This will fish out the future sleeper Cells who would try to get into our sect."

    Sect Leader Su slowly nodded his head as he said, "Good, good, good. This idea is quite viable."

    Peak Master Duan smiled and added, "All we need to know is make an excuse to get the disciples to form a group, then put them into an illusion after activating the Sleeper Cell."

    "This method will save us from wasting any more time to find another way to find those disciples, and this method is also quite foolproof."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "I will have the elders start working on this, but I won''t be stopping the investigation. We WILL check the background and history of all the members, be it core disciples or just a new servant."

    Taking a deep breath, he continued, "This will handle this issue, but there are other headaches too. Especially the one with the Kang Bai''s death."

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head, "Yes, this one is inevitable. And I am pretty sure we will lose the alliance with the Kang n after the uing meeting."

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips, "Not only will we lose the alliance, but we will also create an enemy. Kang n will soon join hands with the Xin Royal n."

    Peak Master Duan frowned and asked, "Senior Brother, is this true that the Royal Family is nning a crusade to suppress the Sects and the other independent powers?"

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head as he let out a sigh, "Unfortunately, this is true. The future of the sects is bleak and uncertain with the rising power of Fang Yuan. King Xin is giving free reign to Prime Minister Fang Yuan, and that guy is someone who wants absolute control over everything."

    "After a few years, I am afraid the current Xin Royal n will be no more than a puppet, dancing at the instructions of Fang Yuan."

    Peak Master Duan shook his head, "I can''t understand why King Xin suddenly has a problem with the Sects, especially in the recent few years. The changes he has brought have directly affected the sects."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Well, this is something we need to care about after the GRand Spirit Hunt. Now we need to think about the solution for the immediate problem - we need someone who can take Jiang Yun''s ce in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Peak Master Duan scratched his chin while thinking, "Don''t we still have Yuan Shuchun? And there are other core disciples too. I don''t think there''s any need to worry about this."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "No, they are not enough. None of them could evenpare to Jiang Yun''s power. We need someone who can lead the other core disciples and suppress all the opponents."

    "It''s time to grind and force out the hidden talents of the sect."

    Peak Master Duan asked, "And how are you nning to do that? Don''t forget that we only have six months left before the first round of the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips and said, "We will make use of the first three months and select three teams which will represent our sect in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "And then, for thest three months, we will have them get the most intense training and best cultivation resources."

    Peak Master Duan pursed his lips, "And how are you nning to do that?"

 Chapter 164 - Sword Stele

    Sect Leader Su remained silent for some time before opening about his ns for theing months.

    "While the investigation is going on, we will start the tournament for the Gracious Sword Rankings."

    "Once this tournament is done, then we will focus on the selected disciples."

    Peak Master Duan frowned, "What''s new in that? Isn''t this the usual n? We will just be doing the tournament for the Gracious Sword Rankings a few months earlier than when they were supposed to be."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "That''s not the only thing I am nning. I am going to change some of the stages of the tournament and focus more on sword Cultivators."

    "Sword Cultivators?" Peak Master Duan frowned, "Why to go for a specific type of disciples this time?"

    Sect Leader Su smiled and said, "Have you forgotten about themotion that happened on your peak yesterday?"

    "Hm? Commotion? Oh, are you talking about the disciple who broke through the sword Intent?"

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and said, "Yes, I was referring to that incident. We still haven''t found out the disciple who broke through the Sword Domain realm."

    Peak Master Duan let out a sigh while saying, "Senior Brother, it won''t be easy to fish out that disciple even though we know who that disciple could be."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well, we do know that the disciple is from the seventh peak due to thatmotion. We also know that the disciple is one of the new Inner Court Disciples in the seventh peak due to that Sword Intent released during yesterday''s banquet."

    "Now, we only need to look into the history of these new inner court disciples. The one who broke through the Sword Domain realm is among them."

    Sect Leader Su frowned and asked, "Remind me why we haven''t suspected the disciple who broke through the Sword Domain to be an older Inner Court disciple?"

    Peak Master Duan replied, "We didn''t consider them because no one could fit the description, and we are keeping track of all the disciple''s progress. Someone from the older disciples can''t be the one who broke through."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "Let''s not rely too much on the reports. We should consider older disciples too. As much as you believe that the disciple is not from older disciples, don''t forget that it''s equally impossible for a new Inner Court disciple to break through the Sword Domain realm."

    Peak Master Duan scratched his chin as he began to ponder on Sect Leader Su''s words.

    After a while, he nodded and said, "Senior Brother, I will follow your instructions and keep note of the older disciples too. But I want to ask, what are you nning for the sword Cultivators?"

    Sect Leader Su slightly smiled while replying, "I have a good assignment nned for the disciples. First of all, we need to filter out the weaker ones; after that, I will start the stage for the sword disciples."

    "Since you''re not telling me what you have nned, I hope it''s enough for that Disciple to show his Sword Domain. But I also hope you don''t forget about one important thing - we can''t let anyone else know about his Sword Intent talent, or else he will also have a simr oue like Jiang Yun."

    Sect Leader Su''s face turned serious as he took a few steps ahead and replied, "Don''t worry, the second stage of the tournament will be secret, and only I will know the result. There''s no way anyone else will find out about that disciple''s identity."

    Peak Master Duan smiled when he heard those words, "Yes, that is what we want. Also, Senior Brother, I hope you give special attention to Fang Chen. Even though he doesn''t know the truth, it doesn''t change the fact that he''s your son and someone who is worth grooming."

    Sect Leader Su''s expression eased at the mention of Fang Chen as a slight smile appeared on his face, "I hope he doesn''t disappoint me and uses this month''s opportunity to get ahead of his peers."

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head and then cupped his fist while saying, "Senior Brother, I should take my leave. I will arrange the things to fish out the Sleeper Cells before the next meeting starts."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head while staring at the disappearing back of Peak Master Duan and thinking about what cultivation realm Fang Chen would reach within this month.

    Meanwhile, the disciple in question, Fang Chen, was currently heading towards the Sword Stele with Elder Lai Chang.

    After taking leave from the Grand Meeting Hall, they had walked through the same stairway through which they hade earlier.

    To Ye Tian Yun''s surprise, this stairway had once again changed, and a new way had popped up.

    The whole stairway scene had changed from decorated walls to a cave-like scene.

    As they headed downwards, both Ye Tian Yun and Elder Lai Chang remained silent for a long time.

    After about ten to fifteen minutes, as they finally saw a huge door at the end of the stairs, Elder Lai Chang broke the ice, "I am surprised you haven''t asked about the array in the stairway. You aren''t intrigued, or you didn''t even notice the change?"

    Ye Tian Yun let out a slight smile while replying, "It''s not that I didn''t notice; it''s just that something else surprised me that took my attention away from the arrays around us."

    "Oh?" Elder Lai Chang asked with an expression of interest, "What was it?"

    "Well, I am more interested in the Sword Stele, what it is, and howe I have never heard of something like it that exists in our sect."

    "Haha, you will know about it once you pass through that door. Although I am interested to know what your guess is on what it could be."

    Ye Tian Yun had an expression of pondering while replying, "Well, from the words of Grand Elder Xuan, I got to know about it having more than one floor, and he also mentioned something about trials."

    "And not forgetting about the cultivation speed that everyone was very confident about, I am guessing that this Sword Stele is like a pagoda and is very close to the spirit vein, which gives the faster cultivation speed. And I have a bad hunch that this pagoda is actually rted to something significant, like the position of Sect Leader."

    Elder Lai Chang let out a slightugh for a while before saying, "Kid, you will be amazed when you get there. Though your guess seems quite valid, it''s also very far-fetched."

    "How could the position of Sect Leader be decided just by a trial? That''s something that only happens in novels. Though I am not saying you''re not wrong about your guesses, what I mean is, your guess is way beyond reality."

    As they got close to the huge door, Elder Lai Chang made some weird gestures with his right hand, and by the time they got near the door, a neat and symmetrical pattern appeared on the huge door as it began to move and opened slowly.

    Elder Lai Chang stopped just outside the gate and said, "Well, here''s the Sword Stele."

    Ye Tian Yun walked forward and was quite surprised to see the scene in front of him.

    On the other side of the door was the scenery that he was not expecting at all.

    He had expected it to be a hall and an underground building where he would cultivate, however in front of him was an underground forest-like garden.

    It did look like a huge dome-like hall; however, one might not notice it due to the vibrant and refreshing greenery that met their eyes.

    After entering the hall, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but feel refreshed throughout his body.

    In front of him was a forest-like view, with a huge waterfall in the center. The waterfall wasing through the ceiling, and what made it the most attention-grabbing ce in front of anyone was that it was in fact shining a lot. It was as if there was a fire under the waterfall and this light was enough to brighten the whole hall.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the waterfall as it gave him a familiar feeling.

    After observing for a few minutes and still with no answer to what that waterfall was and how it wasing from the ceiling, Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and turned around to ask Elder Lai Chang, "Elder, what''s that waterfall? It feels familiar, yet I can''t seem to recall anything about it."

    Elder Lai Chang, still standing outside this hall, replied. "Disciple Fang Chen, this waterfall is quite unique, but I can''t speak much about this right now, maybe one day, if fate has it nned, I will tell you the secrets."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders and began to observe the underground hall. After a few minutes, he asked another question, "Elder, something else is bugging too, can I ask?"

    Elder Lai Chang nodded his head, "Yeah, go ahead."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched the back of his head while asking, "What is this light that''sing from the waterfall? And it''s bright enough to lighten the whole ce, even though we''re underground, away from any natural source of light."

    Elder Lai Chang smiled and said, "Well, that''s an interesting question, but that too will need you to have a certain rank in the sect to know the answer of."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and said, "Alright, let''s hope it''s all worth it."

    Then after looking through the hall once again, he asked, "Elder, where''s the second floor that Grand Elder Xuan mentioned about?"

 Chapter 165 - Sword Stele (II)

    Then after looking through the hall again, Ye Tian Yun asked, "Elder, where''s the second floor that the Grand Elder Xuan mentioned about?"

    Elder Lai Chang replied with the same slight smile, "Well, for this too, you will need to have a higher rank, at least core disciple."

    "In fact, for any query other than how you need to cultivate, you will need to have a higher rank in the sect hierarchy."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a hollowugh and asked, "Elder, then I want to ask about what I need to do here? How and where should I cultivate?"

    Elder Lai Chang raised his hand and pointed towards the waterfall, "The close you cultivate with the waterfall, the more benefits it will bring for you."

    "But you need to be careful because the Qi concentration near the waterfall is too high. Not to mention, some elements of the Chaos Qi are also near this waterfall."

    After a moment of pause, he added, "Chaos Qi is something that can even bring Qi deviation to Half Saints, and you are just a Qi Refining Realm disciple. I have a hunch that you will most probably lose your life while trying to get too close to the waterfall."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "Then why don''t you tell me the exact location where I should cultivate from? Because if I went too close while trying hit and trial methods to find the ideal ce to cultivate, I might get struck from the Chaos Qi."

    Elder Lai Chang shook his head, "Don''t worry about that, the Chaos Qi is not dense enough that it will kill you in an instant, but it is definitely harmful to anyone who stays in its vicinity and cultivates for along time, like you, who will cultivate here for the next month."

    Ye Tian Yun replied with an expression of being enlightened, "Oh, I get it now, I thought the Chaos Qi was too dense here."

    Elder Lai Chang let out a sigh and said, "It''s not very dense. Unfortunately, we can''t sense this type of Qi before cultivating it because of its different nature from the regr Qi."

    After a moment of silence, Elder Lai Chang continued, "Let me tell you something about Chaos Qi."

    "This Qi is called Chaos Qi because of its mysterious and unstable nature. As I said before, we can''t sense this Qi, and one would have to sit and start cultivating to confirm its presence."

    "But this not the only thing that differentiates it from regr Qi; there are many other characteristics which show how malevolent it is."

    "Unlike regr Qi around us, which we cultivate and can sense, Chaos Qi''s nature is opposite. Thus it can cause harm if cultivated like the other processes. Even though we can cultivate it, we won''t get any benefits from it. Though few legends practicing sword in the presence of Chaos Qi will give maximum benefits."

    "However, this had been tested and proven false long ago. There''s no way of cultivating Chaos Qi and getting benefits."

    "But because this ce had something which exponentially increases the Qi density, the cultivation speed here is breakneck, and this makes it worth cultivating here even in the presence of Chaos Qi."

    "Luckily for us, the Chaos Qi density here is very low and wouldn''t give you much harm, but as I said before, you shouldn''t cultivate too close to the waterfall."

    "Also, remember not to try practicing Sword cultivation, those rumors I talked about just now are not only proven false butter found out that Chaos Qi actually harms the Sword cultivators. It''s like poison for Sword Cultivators, and if someone''s sword cultivation is weak and cultivates in the Chaos Qi, it might even cripple his chances to ever break through the Sword Intent. In fact, there''s not even a slight hope left for them to get Sword Intent."

    "And thest thing that I want to talk about is to remind you the importance of this ce and the importance of this opportunity. This is the best ce to cultivate in a radius of thousand miles, if not in the whole Xin Kingdom. So don''t miss this opportunity. You might not get such a chance ever again."

    Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists and said, "Thank you for your instructions, Elder Lai Chang, I will keep them in mind."

    Elder Lai nodded his head and asked, "Do you have anything else to ask? Or should I take my leave?"

    Ye Tian Yun once again looked around the hall, to see if there was anything he needed to ask about, and after a while, he turned towards Elder Lai Chang and asked, "Elder Lai Chang, can you confirm this, that for a whole one month I will be cultivating here, and that I can cultivate at any ce in this hall?"

    Elder Lai Chang nodded his head, "You can cultivate anywhere in this ce, heck, you can even cultivate in that waterfall. But don''t do that. I don''t want to see that waterfall ruined by your dead body. Also, don''t cultivate too far from the hall, even though the concentration of Qi is ten times more than the Qi outside this hall, it would be a waste if you sit and cultivate far away from the waterfall."

    "Remember this: you need to cultivate just at the right ce, not too far away, not too close."

    "And here''s something you can do to know where that ce is: just go five steps away from the waterfall if you start feeling like vomiting."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and replied, "I will keep your words in my mind, Elder Lai Chang."

    Elder Lai Chang nodded his head and then said, "I will take my leave now. You will stay here for a month and focus on your cultivation. After your time here ends, I wille here to get your back. This hall will lockdown as soon as I leave."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and cupped his fists, "Thank you, Elder Lai Chang."

    Elder Lai Chang gave a slight smile and began to make some hand gestures, and after a while, he said, "The gate will now close soon, disciple Fang Chen, you should start looking for a good ce to cultivate as soon as possible and get the best out of this chance."

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun nod his head, Elder Lai Chang also nodded his head and then turned around, heading back towards the stairway.

    Ye Tian Yun watched Elder Lai Chang''s disappearing back as the things that Elder Lai Chang had said about the Chaos Qi began to appear in his mind.

    He took a deep breath and moved towards the wall of the underground hall.

    As the huge gates of the hall closed, Ye Tian Yun sat with his back leaning on the wall and stared at the waterfall.

    He tried to recall the information regarding the Gracious Sword Sect''s importantndmarks, but nothing rted to a waterfall came up.

    ''Why do I feel like I am forgetting something very important?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned as he looked around to see anything out or ordinary.

    After getting nothing, and seeing everything normal, he focused on the waterfall.

    The waterfall was still shining, lighting up the whole hall. Ye Tian Yun continued to observe it, however, he still couldn''t'' find anything odd about it, except its glowing nature.

    ''Is the water golden? Or is there an array inside the waterfall?''

    ''But how were they able to put the array? That would be impossible due to the Chaos Qi being at its highest concentration at that ce.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and leaned a bit more, spread his legs straight, and rxed his body.

    ''It''s not like thinking about the waterfall will bring me any benefits, I should rx a bit.''

    ''Too many things happened yesterday, and too many changes came out of nowhere. To think my little actions affected the future so much.''

    Shaking his head, he then focused his attention towards the Chaos Qi.

    Elder Lai Chang had said that this Qi was not good for Sword Cultivator and there didn''t exist any cultivation method that could help someone in cultivating the Chaos Qi.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but shake his head when he thought howughable these words actually were.

    Chaos Qi is harmful for Sword Cultivators.

    There''s no way to cultivate Chaos Qi which is beneficial.

    Well, both of these are false.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath as remembered the person who had proved the above two statements false and went on to not only cultivate Chaos Qi but conquer half of the continent by using its power.

    The only thing that bugged Ye Tian Yun was that this person was going to be his enemy in the future because the boy who got this cultivation method was going to be a part of God''s Legion.

 Chapter 166 - Chaos Emperor Shi Yan

    Ye Tian Yun, while thinking about the person who could wield the chaos qi, suddenly decided to stand up and head towards the waterfall.

    As he stepped closer to the waterfall, a nauseous feeling welled up in his heart. It was a feeling of restlessness that kept on increasing as he stepped closer to the waterfall.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but frown as the weird feeling kept on bugging him. He began to circte his qi and surround himself with his own aura; this action did somehow calm him down. However, it didn''t remain the same for long, and the restlessness once again began to increase.

    However, this time, he was also beginning to feel like vomiting, and Ye Tian Yun knew that he had to stop here, or his health may get severely affected by this.

    He then looked at the remaining distance between him and the waterfall. It didn''t turn out to be much, with only seven to eight steps remaining between him and the waterfall.

    However, he decided to stop because he didn''t wish to take risks. At least not yet. He wasn''t yet fully prepared, and before doing anything else, he wanted to confirm some things.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and returned back to the ce where he was sitting earlier and once again began to stare at the waterfall.

    The restless feeling had already disappeared by now, and he was currently thinking about why he was feeling that way - it was due to the chaos qi.

    Ye Tian Yun knew many things about this topic. In fact, he was most probably the most knowledgeable person regarding chaos qi in the Lower Heavens.

    It wasn''t an arrogant im or anything, but rather, it was Ye Tian Yun''s advantage of knowing the future that made him the person with most information regarding the chaos qi.

    When Elder Lai Chang was speaking about Chaos Qi, Ye Tian Yun had decided to keep quiet and was trying to gauge how much average cultivators know about chaos qi in the first ce.

    And as expected, Elder Lai Chang only knew the very basics, in fact, the knowledge he had regarding chaos qi was mostly false.

    Ye Tian YUn took a deep breath, and once again, the familiar face popped up in his head.

    This person was someone who could cultivate the Chaos Qi.

    And as mentioned earlier, this person was able to conquer half of the continent due to his ability to control and cultivate the Chaos Qi wherever he stood.

    One must know that chaos qi is very rare. Even in this hall, where the Qi density is at the highest of all the ces Ye Tian Yun had been to ever since his rebirth, the chaos qi here was deficient.

    This alone shows the rarity of the chaos qi, but that person could cultivate chaos qi anywhere.

    ANd his cultivation worked differently from the normal cultivators. Even at Qi Refining Realm, he could go head-on against a peak Qi Condensation Realm.

    That''s one whole realm higher than himself!

    And what made this possible was the Chaos Qi present in him.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh thinking of how troublesome and powerful that person was, and what made it worse was the fact that this person was actually a part of the organization which ruined everything for him - the God''s Legion.

    This also meant that eventually in the near future, Ye Tian Yun would have to go after him, and just like against Xiao Ming, he would have to prepare himself to kill that person and take away the ''plot armor'' that allowed him to cultivate the Chaos Qi in the first ce.

    Ye Tian Yun remembered how powerful that person was, in fact, that person was someone with the highest battle prowess and most achievements in the God''s Legion.

    He was someone who could have easily been their Leader if not for the presence of WAng Yao.

    Even though Wang Yao was very powerful and could evenly match against Ye Tian Yun in their final battle at the Hundred Realm Refining Stage, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t actually afraid of Wang Yao.

    He was rather very confident in his battle prowess.

    However, in the whole God''s Legion, there was one person who made even Ye Tian Yun feel very cautious in battle.

    One must not forget that at that time, Ye Tian Yun was ranked number one in the Middle Heavens Ranking Stele; however, even then, someone from the Lower Heavens made him feel cautious and wary. And this person was from his same generation.

    When Ye Tian Yun woke after his rebirth, he was able to think of many ns and choices to destroy God''s Legion and take their Emblems and Tokens.

    And among those ns, most of them started with him ranking the members with the highest threat to him in theing future.

    Wang Yao was of course ranked his number one target. Not only was his talent high, but his social skills and scheming nature made him a formidable opponent.

    But the person who was always ranked second could cultivate the Chaos Qi and suppress cultivators one realm higher than himself.

    This person was called Shi Yan.

    Born in the Wu Kingdom, this boy, though he had a very tragic and unlucky past, grew up to be one of the most terrifying existences in the whole Lower Heavens.

    Shi Yan had many kills and achievements under his name. And even a single one of them could show how powerful he was.

    In theing future, during God''s Legion''s crusade to conquer the lower heavens, he was going to confront the most powerful organization, the Crimson Pavilion, on his own.

    And he was going to make them bow down to him.

    This alone showed how powerful he was.

    And it was the ability to control and cultivate the chaos qi that made him a fearsome existence,

    After God''s Legion had conquered the Lower Heavens, Shi Yan was proimed as the Chaos Emperor.

    To be called an Emperor was not a joke, nor was it anything that anyone would take lightly.

    One must not forget that under the heavens, there had been only one emperor. The Heavenly Emperor.

    And when Shi Yan was proimed as the Chaos Emperor, it caused a lot ofmotion and stirred in the middle heavens.

    Someughed, some were jealous, but almost all of them were inwardly frowning and angry at this.

    After all, how could they let someone be called Emperor for nothing? Because in the eyes of the cultivators of the Middle Heavens, the Lower Heavens was nothing more than barrennd.

    And any peak cultivator from the Middle Heavens could easily conquer the Lower Heavens; this was why almost no one was happy with a bumpkin from barrennd to be proimed as the Emperor.

    Bing an Emperor was like having the same footing as Emperor Ye, the ruler of the Middle Heavens.

    And of all the people in the Middle Heavens, the person who had most problems with someone else bing the Emperor was none other than Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    Being number one on the Middle Heavens Ranking Stele, Ye Tian Yun himself had the power to conquer the Lower Heavens, but in the end, he controlled himself from challenging this Chaos Emperor.

    After about a yearter, Ye Tian Yun finally had a confrontation with Shi Yan.

    These two were alone, and the biggest coincidence was that Ye Tian Yun was actually in disguise, but having seen Shi Yan''s portrait before, he had recognized him.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun began to trigger him and make him fight him, just so that he could test Shi Yan''s battle prowess first hand.

    And that day became the first day when Ye Tian Yun lost to someone from the same generation as his.

    This put Shi Yan second on his hit list, right after Wang Yao.

    And this incident made Ye Tian Yun do thorough research on Shi Yan.

    He wanted to know everything he could before their next confrontation. And it was through this, he came to know about something vital information that he had, for some reason, previously missed.

    Ye Tian Yun''s informants did thorough research and presented him a report on Shi Yan.

    From this report, Ye Tian Yun got to know that Shi Yan was actually able to cultivate the Chaos Qi!

    This was impossible.

    And the even crazier part was that Shi Yan was a sword cultivator and one of the best ones at that.

    One must not forget that it wasmon knowledge among cultivators that Chaos Qi was not something that anyone could cultivate and would have drastic effects on future cultivation if it was cultivated. And this qi was especially harmful to Sword Cultivators.

    And here someone was cultivating Chaos Qi and was also a sword cultivator!

    And when Ye Tian Yun asked why such information was not mentioned earlier, he got to know that this was actually a public secret in the Lower Heavens and was mostly regarded as a rumor to justify Shi Yan''s battle prowess.

    But the informants were able to confirm it this time somehow, and they had put it in the report.

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun, who was lost in his thoughts, suddenly came back to his senses as a very intriguing question popped up in his head.

    If Shi Yan was this powerful and was also one of the central characters of the God''s Legion, why was he not present when God''s Legion had attacked Ye Tian Yun and beheaded him to help Wang Yao on the hundred realm refining stage.

 Chapter 167 - Chaos Emperor Shi Yan (II)

    If Shi Yan was this powerful and was also one of the central characters of the God''s Legion, why was he not present when God''s Legion had attacked Ye Tian Yun and beheaded him to help Wang Yao on the hundred realm refining stage.

    Shi Yan''s absence when the God''s Legion ambushed Ye Tian Yun was definitely an intriguing thing to think about.

    Ye Tian Yun knew that Shi Yan was a battle-hardened person, and for him not to be present to clear the most important obstacle in God''s Legion''s path was quite out of the ordinary.

    Being one of the most powerful members of the God''s Legion, Shi Yan''s absence in the battle at the Hundred REfining REalm was something Ye Tian Yun really wanted to know about, especially since Shi Yan had once proimed to kill Ye Tian Yun with his own hands.

    Thinking about the incident which led to Shi Yan proiming that he would kill Ye tian YUn at the first chance he got, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh.

    The incident was actually a misunderstanding, and to be honest, Ye Tian Yun did worry about fighting against Shi Yan at that time. Even though Ye Tian Yun was arrogant and was confident in the prowess of Great Ye Empire''s, he wasn''t an idiot who would blindly believe that there was no one more talented and powerful than him in the same generation.

    Especially after he had suffered a crushing defeat from Shi Yan when he had gone undercover in disguise to assassinate someone.

    The threat from Shi Yan was so high that when Ye Tian Yun woke up after his rebirth and began to think about his future ns, the urge to kill Shi Yan and Wang Yao was pretty much equal.

    But he thoroughly suppressed those thoughts, because he knew that it was not the time yet.

    Even though Shi Yan was the most dangerous and important target inthe God''s Legion, Ye Tian Yun still chose to ignore his existence because a dead Shi Yan was of no use to him.

    One might think, if Shi Yan was so much of a threat, then why did he not go after him as soon as Ye Tian Yun came to the Lower Heavens? Whye after Xiao Ming?

    The answer was simple - Xiao Ming was the first one to get the ''plot armour'', while Shi Yan was thest member of the God''s Legion who got the gift from fate which took him to the peak of the world.

    And one shouldn''t forget that getting hold of the ''plot armours'', which were mainly Tokens and Emblems, was the main goal of Ye tian Yun, instead of killing the members of the God''s Legion.

    And Xiao Ming was the first person who got his token, and Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to miss this opportunity.

    Also, if Ye Tian Yun had gone after Shi Yan, who was currently in the Wu Kingdom, he would have either of the two choices, kill Shi yan or wait for the next three years for the day on which he gets his plot armor and take it from him.

    But both of these choices were a loss to him.

    If he chose to kill him, he would lose the chance to get the way to cultivate Chaos Qi.

    And if he chose to wait, he would lose the best time to take out the other members of the God''s LEgion.

    It was quite stupid to waste three years after a single enemy when he could invest those three years somewhere else, like taking out other God''s Legion members.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun decided to go after others before he could confront Shi Yan.

    The other thing that Ye Tian Yun was wary of was the fact that he knew that as soon as Shi Yan begins to cultivate, it won''t take much time for him to catch up with everyone else.

    In terms of cultivation speed, an average cultivator cultivates at the speed of a normal walking human, and Ye Tian Yun cultivated at the speed of an eagle flying. In the sameparison, Shi Yan cultivated at the speed of sound.

    Shi Yan STARTED his cultivation at the age of eighteen. At this age, Ye Tian Yun was already close to the peak cultivation of the Middle Heavens.

    And two yearster, Shi Yan thoroughly defeated Ye tian Yun in terms of cultivation, sword talent and battle prowess.

    This was also one of the reasons why Ye Tian Yun needed the pot armors of his enemies. It was to ovee not only Wang Yao but also Shi Yan.

    His cultivation speed alone showed how talented Shi Yan was. It was just that his aura was mostly suppressed due to the presence of Wang Yao and his own achievements, that the cultivation talent of Shi Yan was never something which he became to be known for.

    However, one yearter, Ye Tian Yun had found out the reason why Shi Yan had such god-like cultivation speed. And the reason was written in the report he got on Shi Yan from his informants.

    It was his ability and advantage over Chaos Qi that allowed him to cultivate much faster and surpass his peers.

    It was Chaos Qi which had boosted his sword cultivation.

    And it was Chaos Qi that allowed him to have battle prowess equal to that of one whole realm higher than his own cultivation.

    And today, this Chaos Qi was currently in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    But having the qi in front of him was of no use. What Ye Tian Yun needed was a way to cultivate this qi. Unfortunately he had no idea what it was.

    However, he did know of the way that could allow him to get benefits in terms of his Sword Cultivation.

    In the reports, this method was very clearly mentioned and even Ye Tian Yun was quite surprised when he found this method.

    He couldn''t help but shake his head as he once again thought of the method. To think of hundreds of thousands of years, no one was able to think of this, and no one could make use of Chaos Qi to cultivate their Sword.

    It was only after Shi Yan that such a thing became possible.

    But currently, on the present day, this method was still unknown. Even Shi Yan didn''t know about this. This method was currently only known to Ye Tian Yun.

    And in front of him was Chaos Qi. And he was going to be here for a whole month.

    This was a golden opportunity for Ye Tian Yun!

    He was not going to miss such a good opportunity to increase his Sword Cultivation.

    Just yesterday he had broken through the Sword Domain realm, and today he got the chance to cultivate inthe presence of Chaos Qi.

    God of Luck was spoiling him too much these days.

    Ye tian Yun hadn''t forgotten the fact that he needed to stabilize his Sword Domain and make it his trump card.

    He knew that no one was going to expect a fifteen year old kid to have Sword Domain. Not even his cautious father, Emperor Ye, would believe such a thing.

    After all, simply the fact that someone had reached the Sword Domain was hard to believe unless witnessed by their own eyes, and to think that a fifteen year old kid had reached that realm, it was simply absurd and ridiculous. No one would believe that.

    And this thing was going to be Ye Tiian Yun''s advantage.

    He understood the chance of people not believing him having a Sword Domain, and it was clear to him how effective a sudden Sword domain attack would be to an unprepared enemy.

    And this was the reason why Ye Tian Yun wanted to cultivate and stabilize his Sword Domain.

    Last night he was worried that he would have to postpone this thing for a month since the Sect was under a lockdown and was currently hunting down remaingin spies in the sect. Thus all the chances of going out of the sect were now impossible.

    However, now when Ye Tian Yun came to know about the presence of Chaos Qi and the opportunity to cultivate in its presence for about a month, his thought immediately went to the person which he had forcefully suppressed from his mind.

    He had remembered the method of how Shi Yan had tremendously increased his sword cultivation with the help of Chaos Qi.

    And today, he had gotten the chance to use that method to prepare a surprise for his enemies in theing future.

    But before he could start using any of the said methods, Ye Tian Yun had many things to confirm.

    He didn''t forget that even though he had a month to cultivate here, there was no way the Sect was going to leave this ce unsupervised with a disciple cultivating close to it.

    And if someone was really watching over this ce and Ye Tian Yun tried to practice his Sword Domain, then not only would his secret be revealed but also the method regarding cultivating the Sword using the Chaos Qi mighte out to the public.

    This was something that Ye tian Yun was very much vary of and also the reason why he was currently leaning on the wall and sitting, and wasting his time.

    The thing was, Ye Tian Yun was actually thinking of what could be the possible problems he needed to make sure didn''t happen before he could start cultivating.

    .....

    A/n: This is a very important note for future readers: next 40 chapters are of training arc in the sword stele.

    Note By other readers: Not rmended to read, might make you feel lose interest in the novel.

    Note by the author: I agree with the criticism I have recieved on this arc, and many of my old readers have even dropped the book at this stage. I was going through lowest point of my life and was writing shit.

    But things are unchangeable now, however, I promise you that none of the future arcs will be this boring.

    You can skip the chapters by reading chapter titles.. Just don''t miss stuff rted to Kai Yang, because that introduces new character.

 Chapter 168 - Reassurance

    There were many problems that Ye tian Yun needed to take note of before starting his cultivation in the hall.

    First and foremost of all was to check whether he was being spied upon or not.

    After all, this hall was one of the most important ces in the Gracious Sword Sect, so how could it be left unguarded, especially when a disciple is cultivating inside.

    This was what worried Ye Tian Yun. If someone was indeed looking after this ce, then there''s no way Ye Tian Yun would try to cultivate his sword intent.

    He wasn''t stupid enough to reveal his trump card so soon. He would instead let go of this opportunity to cultivate sword intent in the presence of Chaos Qi.

    But before making any decision, he wanted to confirm if there was really someone looking at his actions or not. And for that, he didn''t need to do anything unique.

    He had the system. That would be enough to clear his doubts.

    ''System, can you scan this ce for spying arrays or any cultivator?''

    [120 Kill Points required]

    ''What?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''What did you just say? Why would you need Kill Points for this?''

    [System cannot scan without consuming Kill Points.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his aid while saying, ''No that''s not true, you were able to scan before without the need of Kill Points, why is that this time you need Kill Points?''

    [Host, System can''t doplicated things without the use of Kill Points, if it doesn''t consume Kill Points, it may give false results.]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and said, "Remember a few months back when I woke up after my rebirth, and I heard you for the first time?"

    "On that day I went to meet my father to take his permission to leave for the Lower Heavens, and after meeting him, while heading back to my manor, you suddenly warned me about the guards that were following me, now tell me, you didn''t need kill points at that time, why is it that now you need Kill Points and if you don''t get them you may give false results?"

    There was no response from System for some time, but eventually, it replied.

    [System judged the situation and chose to help the Host on its own ord.]

    "So you can scan without Kill Points?"

    [System needs Kill Points to give urate results. It only helped the Host at that time becauseˇ­ the host had no kill points, and it took pity on him.]

    Ye Tian Yun was speechless when he heard the reply, "You took pity on meˇ­?"

    [Yes]

    "Why don''t you take pity on me now?"

    [...]

    "You know, my Kill Points are not unlimited, and you always try to rip off those points. You should instead try to help your host, not go after his kill points, trying to loot his little earnings. Also, don''t forget that I rarely get any chance to umte Kill Points; they don''t grow on trees."

    [Host, what will you do with the Kill Points if you are not going to use them for yourself by giving them to the system?]

    "Wellˇ­ I will save them for the futureˇ­ I will use them when I have no other choice."

    [Do you have any other choice right now? Can you scan without the help of System?]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and took a deep breath. He knew his own situation and the fact that he was quitecking in things like scanning the surroundings for potential enemies because his cultivation was still low.

    And he couldn''t use his spirit sense in fear of making the enemy know of its existence and make him vary.

    "But System, don''t you think 120 Kill Points are too high?"

    [System doesn''t judge the cost, it''s your question or goal that marks the price.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and said, "Alright then, use the Kill Points and scan everything around here for any cultivator or an array which could be spying on me."

    Ye Tian Yun crossed his arms and waited for the system''s reply.

    After a few seconds, the system gave its report.

    [System had scanned the hall and had found no cultivator in it, nor in its surroundings. It has also not found any array which could potentially be used to check what;s happening in the hall or to spy on you.]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned when he heard those words, ''How could the sect leave this ce unguarded? THere''s not even a single person in the vicinity, not even an array?''

    He asked the system to get reassurance, "System, are you saying that whatever I do here cannot be seen or heard or sensed by anyone else through any means possible?"

    System didn''t immediately give a reply; thus, Ye Tian Yun could only wait for its response.

    After a few minutes, it finally gave a reply.

    [Affirmative, Host. No one can sense, hear or see how you''re cultivating here.]

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh of relief when he heard those words.

    From System''s response, Ye Tian Yun was reassured that there was no elder or any other member of the Gracious Sword Sect who could see whatever he was going to do in this hall.

    This also gave him a reassurance that he could finally cultivate in the full capacity and thus focus thoroughly on his cultivation.

    This thought put a smile on Ye Tian Yun''s smile because it had been months since he had cultivated his full ability.

    Thest time he had cultivated with all his might was when he had ordered his butler, Butler Liu, to prepare Qi strengthening Pills and Seven Treasure Body Tempering Liquid.

    And after that, he got the chance to cultivate when he snatched a cultivation abode in the Outer Court of the Gracious Sword Sect. But there, he forced himself not to go all out because he may unknowingly cause amotion and get himself in trouble even before taking the first step towards his goal.

    It was only now that he had an excellent chance to cultivate non-stop and increase his cultivation and stabilize his Sword Domain.

    This would not only give him a good lead over Xiao Ming, but it would also give him a head start over his other enemies, especially Shi Yan and Wang Yao, both of whom would soon start their cultivation but will catch up in no time if Ye Tian Yun cked even a bit.

    The first thing that he needed to cultivate was his Sword Intent. He needed to make his Sword Domain as stable as possible and get to the point where he could control it at will and not go let it go berserk when he tries to unleash it.

    But before doing anything else, he first needed to make sure of onest thing from the System.

    ''System, if I were to unleash my Sword Intent, and set lose my Sword Domain, will Sect Leader Su or anyone else be able to sense? Even though no one knows what I am doing or how I am cultivating, I can''t take the risk of releasing the Sword Intent only for the Sect Leader or anyone else to sense it and find out about this."

    "So, system, I will need reassurance regarding this too."

    Just like the previous time, the System went silent for a few minutes before replying.

    [Host does not need to be worried about someone sensing the Sword Intent. Fortunately for you, this hall actually has arrays that suppress any kind of aura and locks it inside the hall.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head when he heard System''s reply.

    It wasn''t hard to understand why there would be arrays here that could suppress any aura and lock it inside the all; after all, this hall had the sword stele.

    And this Sword Stele was actually a waterfall that gave out high-density Qi, allowing anyone who cultivated in the vicinity to have very fast breakthroughs.

    The Sect wouldn''t want anyone to sense this ce by coincidence. They would rather lock down everything, even the aura, thus giving their best to hide this waterfall from the public eye.

    They needed to do it because this ce was simply too valuable, and if its existence gets leaked, it would only bring trouble on the GRacious Sword Sect as almost any power in the Lower Heavens would want to get this waterfall in their hands.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head as he thought of how easily the Sect Leader trusted him to see this ce and even cultivate here. ''Did these people not have a thought that I might leak the existence of this ce? And I would if in future therees a day when I feel it''s worth leaking outˇ­."

    While Ye Tian Yun was gloating over how easily GRacios Sword Sect let him know of the existence of such an important ce, he suddenly heard a notification.

    [120 Kill Points Consumed]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 8727 ]

    This brought back Ye Tian Yun to reality as he stared at the notification in front of him.

    Looking at the Kill Points, a thought popped us in his head.

    He already knew the way to cultivate his Sword Intent with the help of Chaos Qi; however, he had no knowledge regarding how to increase his cultivation with the help of Chaos Qi.

    When Shi Yan cultivated with the help of Chaos Qi, he cultivated at the fastest speed and became Half Saint after mere two years of cultivation.

    On the other hand, it took Ye Tian Yun more than ten years of cultivation to reach that same realm and not to forget that he had the best possible cultivation resources.

    Clearing his throat, Ye Tian Yun asked, "System, do you know the method to increase cultivation with the help of Chaos Qi?"

 Chapter 169 - How To Cultivate Chaos Qi?

    Clearing his throat, Ye Tian Yun asked, "System, do you know the method to increase cultivation with the help of Chaos Qi?"

    [There is no cultivation method to increase cultivation through Chaos Qi]

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was shocked when he heard the system''s reply.

    "What do you mean there''s no such method? You said you know everything that happened with me in my life before rebirth, so you must also know about Shi Yan."

    "That guy cultivated Chaos Qi and his cultivation increased at a lightning speed. It was said that he had the way to cultivate the Chaos Qi, and I believe some part of this is true at least, because there''s no smoke without any fire."

    "And here you''re saying there''s no cultivation method to cultivate through Chaos Qi?"

    [System does know about Shi Yan, however, it would still stand with its previous response: There is no cultivation method to increase cultivation through Chaos Qi]

    "Then how did Shi Yan cultivate the Chaos Qi, why were there rumors regarding him having this method? In fact, I am pretty sure they weren''t just rumors. There has to be another side of the story which I am not aware of."

    [Host does not have enough Fate Points to know about Shi Yan''s cultivation method.]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and asked, "How many Fate Points do I need?"

    [320 Fate Points]

    ''Fuuuuu'' Ye Tian Yun let out a deep breath when he heard the required fate points, "System, these are more than double of the total Fate Points I have ever had, why are you always trying to do a rip-off?"

    [System is fair and impartial. It had already told the host -]

    Ye Tian Yun waved his hand and interrupted the prompt, "Yeah-yeah, I know the price is dependent on the questions asked by me, but three hundred and twenty Fate Pointsˇ­ that''s too much."

    "I got only one hundred forty-something Fate Pointsst time, and that took the Gracious Sword Sect''s whole existence to be on the line."

    "I can''t imagine what I will need to do to get more than three hundred fate pointsˇ­ I have a feeling that even killing Xiao Ming wouldn''t be enough."

    Just as he said, System replied with another prompt.

    [Killing Xiao Ming may get you enough Fate Points for your answers, Host]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and looked at the waterfall, "I don''t know if after killing Xiao Ming, is it worth it toe back to this sect and wait for the chance to cultivate here once again."

    "I don''t want to waste much time, and if Ie back after finishing Xiao Ming, I will be forced to go to the Grand Spirit Hunt, and that would just be stupid."

    "There''s no need for me to join thatpetition. My main goal was never to make a name for myself. Plus, the rewards from Grand Spirit Hunt are not more lucrative than the chance to get my hands on the Tokens and Emblems."

    "And if I did return here, the chances of meing back to this hall would be non-existent. Because it''s not every day that Sect would suffer from assassination incidents and I would save lives of thousands of the disciples, making the sect reward me with a chance to cultivate here."

    "It would be better if I go after my next target as soon as I am done with Xiao Ming. There''s also Wang Yao who would start cultivation around the Grand Spirit Huntˇ­ if Uncle Ye was not present around him, I would have gone after him on the very day that I woke up."

    Ye Tian Yun then took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling of the hall. There was actually an array on this ceiling, and it was evident from the fake clouds that were present. The clouds above, the trees, and the waterfall gave a simtion of a forest to anyone who was present in the hall.

    After a few minutes of silence, Ye Tian Yun asks, "System, is there really no way of increasing cultivation through Chaos Qi? I won''t get another chance toe back here."

    [There is no cultivation method to increase cultivation through Chaos Qi]

    "Same reply... " Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh when he heard those words.

    He was sure that getting another chance to visit this hall would be impossible and there was no other ce he knew of where he could cultivate Chaos Qiˇ­ well, if this was Middle Heavens, he might have asked Butler Liu to find one for him, but he was currently in the Lower Heavens.

    A battleground that he wasn''t much familiar with.

    Even in his life before rebirth, Ye tian Yun''s total number of visits to the Lower Heavens could be summed up on one hand.

    Suddenly he remembered a tab in the System interface that he had previously ignored.

    Without hesitating, Ye Tian Yun asked, "System, show me my status."

    [STATUS]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 8727/20000]

    [Fate Points: 21]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Original): 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 1st Level Of Qi Condensation Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Late Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    [Sword Intent: Sword Domain Realm (1%) (0/10000 Kill Points)]

    [Inventory]

    [Quest]

    [Rewards]

    [Shop]

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the veryst option on the prompt in front of him.

    [Shop]

    As he thought about the tab, another prompt appeared in front of him.

    [Shop is now open]

    [What would you like to buy, Host?]

    "What are the avable items in the shop?"

    [System has many avable items for you to purchase, however, it cannot list them.]

    "What do you mean you can''t list them? Isn''t this a shopˇ­ a shop is always properly arranged and every item in it is properly ced with a price tag. Why is it not here?"

    Hearing no response from the System, Ye Tian Yun continued, "You should call this treasury instead of a shopˇ­ wellˇ­ never mind that," And then he straightened his back and rubbed his hands together while asking, "Why don''t you show me the best items you have in the shop?"

    [Host does not have enough Cumtive Fate Points]

    ''Fuuu... " Ye TianYun let out a breath when heard the very familiar denial from the system.

    "I am surprised I still found you very useful, System. Even though you try to rip off my Kill Points and Fate Points, then you don''t even answer half of my questions, because apparently, I don''t have ''enough'' Fate points."

    "Sigh, I don''t know for how many chapters I am gonna rant about you, in front of you."

    [System is fair and impartial. It cannot judge things based on emotions or situations.]

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but roll back his eyes when he heard those words, "You''re quite impressive in terms of acting like a ''system'', you know that?"

    "Well, I will ask the important thing now, and you better give me a good reply, at least don''t shut me down just because I don''t have enough Fate Points."

    "Tell me, how much does a method to increase cultivation faster with the help of Chaos Qi cost in the Shop?"

    [Nine Heavens Chaotic Matra - 9 Million Kill Points.]

    "Whatˇ­" Ye Tian Yun had his mouth wide open as soon as he saw the prompt in front of him.

    "What in the worldˇ­ nine millionˇ­ that''s.. that''s just absurdˇ­ and didn''t you say that there''s no method to increase cultivation through Chaos Qi? I was just asking randomly and you''re now presenting a cultivation methodˇ­"

    [Host, the items in the Shop are not part of this universe, even though they exist in this universe]

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked in a confused tone.

    [Host, the ''items'' are not from this universe. Like the Qi Strengthening Pillsˇ­ even though such pills exist, those pills that System gave you, were not part of this universe. Though, this fact doesn''t have any effect on its efficacy.]

    "Ohˇ­ but that doesn''t exin why you didn''t tell me about this cultivation method earlier.."

    [This cultivation method is not a part of the universe. It''s from the System shop. Earlier, when you had asked about a method to cultivate Chaos Qi, you have only included this universe, you didn''t include any other, nor did you include the System Shop.]

    "..." Ye Tian Yun found himself quite speechless when he heard this prompt.

    "You included this universeˇ­ I wasn''t thinking about any other universeˇ­ I didn''t include the System Shopˇ­ sigh, why do you think I would care about a cultivation method in any other Universe? Can I get it? Can I go to another universe and get a cultivation method?"

    [If you have enough Fate and Kill Points then yes.]

    "..."

    "Don''t you understand sarcasmˇ­ sigh."

    "Well, never mind this, I don''t understand why am I not shocked or surprised at the mere mention of the existence of any other universe than mine aloneˇ­"

    "I should at least feel somethingˇ­ but I am justˇ­ I am just not ''surprised'' from the existence of any other Universe."

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun then asked, "System, this method that you have shown me, it doesn''t exist in my Universe?"

    [Insufficient Fate Points to answer your question, Host.]

    Pursing his lips, Ye tian Yun then said, "At Least tell me this, is there any other way to get my hands on this cultivation method?"

    [Yes, there is a way.]

    "Oh, that''s good. I was expecting you to say there''re insufficient Fate Pointsˇ­ Anyways, tell me the method."

    [Insufficient Fate Points.]

 Chapter 170 - Loosing Time

    [Insufficient Fate Points.]

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the System prompt for a good long five minutes before even thinking about anything to say.

    In the end, surprisingly he didn''t start another rant but said, "I should have expected this, raised my hopes for nothing."

    [Host, the question you ask is rted to your fate, there is no way the System can reveal the answer without you sacrificing loads of Fate Points.]

    "How many fate points do I need?"

    [Host needs One Thousand Fate Points]

    "That''s a lotˇ­ one thousandˇ­ I don''t know when I will umte this many.. when will I get to know the answers on Chaos Qiˇ­"

    [No, Host, you don''t need One Thousand Kill Points to know about the Chaos Qi cultivation method. You need One Thousand Fate Points to know how many Fate Points you need to get to know about the Chaos Qi Cultivation method.]

    "What in the world- what kind of crazy price is that? You are really gonna ask for One Thousand Kill points just so I can be eligible to know the answer? Why don''t you just say you don''t want to tell meˇ­?"

    [Host, System is here to help you in the quest for the Emblems and Tokens, but that doesn''t mean it will give you a shortcut to your goal. System does not have this power. At least not yet.]

    [Also, you won''t lose those One Thousand Fate Points, but rather, it''s just how much you need to get the answer. System won''t take those fate points from you.]

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes in suspicion, "Is this your new scheme to loot me?"

    [System will get nothing from looting the Host.]

    "Then why do you ask for so high Fate Points and Kill Points?"

    [System has the power to know the answers. But it doesn''t know the answer beforehand. The Fate Points are mainly for the System to see the answer to the Host''s questions.]

    Still, with the same expression of suspicion, Ye Tian Yun said, "Most of the Fate Pointsˇ­ so you keep the remaining part to yourself? Hmm?"

    [,,,]

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun continued, "System, looks like there''s no point in asking you about the cultivation technique from my universe. Why don''t you tell me about the cultivation technique that you just showed me in the shop? What was it called?"

    [Nine Heavens Chaotic Matra]

    [Allows the cultivator who practices this art to make his physical body and the soulpatible with the Chaos Qi. Then, the cultivator is able to cultivate the Chaos Qi once his physical form is ready. Once the physical form is ready, this mantra then helps in the flow of the Chaos Qi through the body of the cultivator.]

    [This method then helps to increase the cultivation at a very fast speed, depending on the ability of the new physical body or form. The Chaos Qi is not treated as an impurity by the body if it''s cultivated after practicing this cultivation art.]

    [Cost: 9 Million Kill Points]

    Looking at the description and the price, Ye Tian Yun asked, "System, can you at least tell me how effective the cultivation technique is in our universe as opposed to this method?"

    [Cultivation method to cultivate the Chaos Qi in this universe is one of the very best that has evere into existence.]

    [Nine Heavens Chaotic Matra is just an average cultivation techniquepared to the Cultivation method of this universe]

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh when he heard those words, "So, you''re trying to say that Shi Yan''s plot armor is literally one of the best things in the world?"

    "I have a feeling that Shi Yan''s cultivation technique was somehow more valuable than the token and emblems. System, can that be true?"

    [No, Host. The Tokens and Emblems are supreme artifacts even in other universes. Although the cultivation technique is indeed quite interesting and somewhat valuable, it''s not much more than the Tokens and Emblems.]

    [Host should not forget that the main strength of this Cultivation technique is also its main weakness.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "I can understand what you''re trying to convey. The cultivation manual is written based on Chaos Qi, and it helps in cultivating this qi. Thus, increasing the overall cultivation speed of the one who practices this technique. But there''s one problem - Chaos Qi is not easy to find. This cultivation technique is wasted if there''s no Chaos Qi, no matter how valuable it is."

    "This reminds meˇ­ System, do you have any guess how Shi Yan was able to cultivate or sometimes even control the Chaos Qi wherever he went?"

    [Insufficient Fate Points to know the answer]

    Ye Tian Yun let out a breath and asked, "I didn''t ask you to look for an answer; I just asked for a guess."

    [Host, System thinks that the answer is simple, Shi Yan had an Emblem, Chao Emblem.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "That''s impossible. There can''t be two same emblems at once. Chaos Emblem was in possession of my Father, and Shi Yan never had this emblem."

    "You should know about this. I am surprised by your guess."

    [Host, I do remember your Father admitting to the fact there he had the Chaos Emblem in his possession. However, he just said it; he didn''t prove himself. And System does not believe in his words without witnessing the Chaos Emblem in his possession, which it never did.]

    Ye Tian Yun had a weird expression on his face, "You are kidding me, right? He is my Father and the Ruler of the Middle Heavens; why do you think he will even need to prove himself?"

    [...]

    "His words arew, how could anyone question him? Doubting his words is no different from asking for early death." Ye Tian Yun shook his head as he finished his words.

    Taking a deep breath, he then said, "Also, if he did possess the Chaos Emblem, it would have already been known to everyone through his ability over the Chaos Qi. Not to mention the fact that he was a part of the God''s Legion, where almost all the members either had tokens or emblems. But it was never proved that he had Chaos Emblem."

    "And from the attention that God''s Legion got, there was no way that Shi Yan having the Chaos Emblem could remain hidden from everyone."

    "Let''s assume that it was a tightly kept secret. But there was no way Shi Yan didn''t tell about the token to his God''s Legion brothers whom he trusted with his life. However, they had no knowledge about this."

    "Remember Jiang Chen, whom I killed for the Token Of Life? I tortured that guy so much that he was begging for his life. And he even gave me major secrets of the God''s Legion. And it was his words that assured me that Shi Yan did not have Chaos Emblem."

    "That Jiang Chen had quoted, ''Shi Yan is the only member in the God''s Legion who is considered a member but does not possess any Token or Emblem."

    [Host, that''s just his words. As long as you don''t confirm, you shouldn''t believe him.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders, "How else am I supposed to confirm? The only foolproof way of confirming him not possessing the Chaos Emblem was by killing himˇ­ and do you think I didn''t want to try that?"

    "To be honest, I can''t help but regret the fact that I have to hold myself back from going after Shi Yan."

    "That guy is too much of a big threat to be left alive. But for the chance to get my hands on the cultivation method to control the Chaos Qi, I have no other choice but to wait."

    "In the meantime, as I told earlier, I will prepare myself."

    Then staring at the waterfall in the center of the hall, he continued, "I might have a chance to break through one more realmˇ­ I still have two-three years before Shi Yan starts cultivation. I want to reach the Half Saint realm by that time."

    "I am currently in the Qi Stabilization Realm, and with my cultivation speed, if nothing unexpected urs, I will be able to break through the Foundation Establishment Realm in a year."

    "But that won''t be enough. I need to break through the Foundation Establishment in eight months. I only have two-three years in my hand to reach Half Saint Realm. I will have to cross three whole realms, the Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and the Nascent Soul realm."

    "Not to forget that the higher I go, the slower my cultivation speed will be. Even though the speed would be amazing in the eyes of normal cultivators, inparison to Shi Yan and to what I need, it''s just too slow."

    "The only way I see in which it can help me to increase my cultivation speed as fast as possible is by collecting Tokens, as many as possible. And once I get at least four tokens, I will be able to summon an Emblem, which would double the boost and exponentially increase my battle prowess."

    "Tokens and Emblemsˇ­ I am yet to get even the first one. With the sect going in lockdown, I will have to find one way to get out of this ce and head towards the Southern Province."

    "And I need to reach there before Xiao Ming, so I can make enough preparations to ambush him at the right time. I will only get this one chance.. And there''s no way I am going to let it be a waste."

 Chapter 171 - Acupuncture

    <em>A/n: Please read the previous chapter again. I uploaded two chapters today, one of them was to rece the wrong chapter from a few days back. The bug is now removed and the chapters are now shifted one-up. Read the previous chapter first, because that''s fully new now. </em>

    <em>If you don''t see any changes, please clear the app cache from phone settings. Sorry for the inconvinience.</em>

    <em>...</em>

    "To prepare, I''ll first need to go to the ruins of the Yin Yang Sect. I really want to witness the ce where the whole sect was massacred in one night, known as the Yin Yang massacre."

    "But all of these still have a long way to go. First, I need to focus on increasing my cultivation and stabilizing my Sword Domain."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while thinking about his ns for the cultivation.

    He was not in a mood to waste such an excellent chance to increase his cultivation. Moreover, there was also his Sword Domain which he needed to take care of.

    But before that, he needed to make one thing clear, "System, what do you think will happen if I release my whole Sword Domain? Are you sure no one outside will get affected?"

    [Host, as I said earlier, you can practice Sword Intent with all your might, and no one outside this hall would feel anything or sense it.]

    [However, I would suggest that you take things easy and not go berserk while releasing Sword Domain. Try to release it as slowly as possible. Even though there are arrays on this hall to suppress any aura or intent as to make it remain inside, you should not take any risk.]

    [You have one whole month, it would be enough for you to stabilize your Sword Domain while also increasing your cultivation realm.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head while replying, "I understand. I won''t take the risk of releasing the Sword Domain in one go; it''s too dangerous. I am sure that at least someone in the sect would feel suspicious about the disturbance, and they might even pinpoint it to here. Where will I hide then?"

    After a moment of thought, Ye Tian Yun asked, "System, who do you think has the most chances of sensing my Sword Domain in the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    [Host, the Sect Leader Su is most likely to be the person who can sense your Sword Domain]

    "Oh? What''s his Sword Intent realm? Did he break through the Sword Attainment Realm?"

    [Host, Sect Leader Su is at the Sword Domain Realm of Sword Intent]

    "Sword Domain Realm!" Ye Tian Yun was shocked to hear those words, "How could that be possible?"

    "As far as I know, if Sword Domain reaches the peak, one can easily fight head-on against a cultivator in the Half Saint Realm. Doesn''t that mean that Sect Leader Su is almost near the Half Saint Realmˇ­ System, what''s the cultivation realm of Sect Leader Su?"

    [Host, Sect Leader Su is indeed a Half Saint Realm powerhouse]

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath when he heard those words, "And I killed his son."

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun continued, "There''s no way I am gonna let Sect Leader Su find out that his son is long dead and was murdered by meˇ­ at least not for now."

    "But I can''t believe that that old man is in the Half Saint Realm. How in the world were Fang Chen and Xiao Ming able to kill him in my previous life?"

    "A Half Saint Realm powerhouse is the peak of the Lower Heavens, and two kids in the Foundation Realm were able to kill a Half Saint."

    "Either those two had some extraordinary help, or this Sect Leader Su was only brawns, no brains."

    Scratching his chin, he thought, ''I should have had my informants work on the past of this Sect Leader Suˇ­ It looks like I will have to find things on my own.''

    Finishing his thoughts, Ye Tian Yun leaned his head and pushed himself up to stand on his feet.

    In the next instant, a sword appeared in his hand.

    "Even though I don''t know how to increase cultivation from Chaos Qi, I at least know how to use it to boost my Sword Intent."

    Then he asked, "System, do you have any pills that can temporarily cripple me?"

    [Host, for how long do you wish to stay in that state?]

    "As long as I stabilize my Sword Domain, I want to remain in the crippled state."

    [Host there are Qi Stripping Pills, they can suppress Qi and turn any cultivator in a mortal for fifteen days.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I don''t want anything with a fixed time. Is there a method where I can remove my cultivation for as long as I want?"

    [No Host, there are no pills or treasures like this. They all have a fixed period in which they will work.]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips when he heard the System''s response, "Looks like I will have to use my own skillsˇ­ System do you have acupuncture needles?"

    [Yes, Host.]

    [Nine Phoenix Feather Acupuncture Needles - 120 Kill Points]

    [Made from the feathers of the legendary beast, the Phoenix, these acupuncture needles have the ability to bring someone back from the dead. The user''s skills are the limit.]

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised when he saw the price, but the description managed to shock him, "Bring someone back from the dead? That''s just absurd."

    "System, why do I feel as if these needles are not going to be as amazing as it says in their descriptionˇ­ to bring someone back from the deadˇ­ that''s just too much of an arrogant im."

    [Host, it''s the user''s skills that are the limit. These needles have unlimited potential]

    "Unlimited potential? User''s skills are the limit?" Ye Tian Yun crossed his arms and asked, "If these are true, then why is it that you''re giving it for so cheap? What''s the catch?"

    [These are one-time use. And the cost shown is per needle.]

    "I knew it," Ye Tian Yun smirked, "I knew you wouldn''t miss an opportunity to rip off my Kill Points. Show me something cheap. I don''t need god-level heavenly needlesˇ­ I just need a basic acupuncture needle to stop my Qi flow and turn myself into a mortal."

    [...]

    [Host, you could have asked this earlier and saved both of our time.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I just wanted to see if you have anything better and affordable. My acupuncture skills are not heavenly. I just know a few important skills; I am not a master."

    "I thought if you have something which could provide better results with lesser risk, it would be great."

    "After all, acupuncture is not a joke. Doing it on someone else is hard enough; imagine doing it on ourselvesˇ­ it''s too risky."

    "That''s why I was looking for an alternative."

    [There is not an alternative, Host. I can only show you cheap acupuncture needles.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yeah, show them."

    [Cheap Acupuncture Needles: 5 Kill Points each]

    "..." Ye Tian Yun stared at the prompt, speechless.

    "You literally named it cheapˇ­ wow."

    Breathing out from his mouth, Ye Tian Yun continued, "I need thirty-three acupuncture needlesˇ­ that would be one hundred and sixty-five Kill Points?"

    [Yes, Host. Thirty-three needles will cost you one hundred sixty-five Kill Points.]

    "Well, buy them," Ye Tian Yun wasn''t going to waste more time haggling with the System. He knew no matter what he said or how much he pleaded; the System would only try to take away his Kill Points at every chance it got.

    [Bought Thirty Three Kill Points]

    [Consumed Kill Points: 165]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 8562]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head while looking at the remaining Kill Points and then suddenly felt something in his hand.

    Raising his hand, he found thirty-three thin needles packed in a bundle.

    Nodding his head, he put them on the ground and began to remove his Inner Court disciple robes.

    Acupuncture was mainly a form of technique that involved inserting fragile needles through a person''s skin at specific points on the body to various depths. The needles were specially made so that they could pass through the skin, but they wouldn''t harm the meridians.

    When they were inside the body, these needles then reached the meridians. But instead of passing through the meridian and harming the person, these needles actuallypressed the meridian, effectively blocking the Qi flow through the meridians.

    Thirty three needles, and thirty three points to block the Qi flow. After the Qi flow was fully blocked, he could remove the acupuncture needles after an hour.

    And one would find that the Qi flow remains blocked even when the needles were removed.

    And this was what Ye Tian Yun was nning to do, and thus he removed his upper clothing so that needles didn''t face too much trouble in passing through the skin.

    After a while, once he had removed the upper clothing and was only in the upper and undergarment, Ye Tian Yun took the bundle and removed its transparent cover. Then he slowly took out the needles while being careful not to touch the tip of the needles.

    He then sat on the ground and stretched his legs straight.

    He was going to start with his legs and slowly move upwards toward his forehead.

    Selecting a random needle from the bundle, Ye Tian Yun carefully put the needle in between the gap of his right foot''s toe and index finger.

    There was a slight pain as the needle went in, and suddenly, the right foot began to feel numb as he could feel the sudden pressure from the Qi flow build-up due to the immediate blockage, which happened as the needle pressed the meridian.

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments, so I can correct them as soon as possible. ty</em>

 Chapter 172 - Mental Anguish (I)

    <em>A/n: This chapter is in remembrance of one of the top authors of this website. Smh.</em>

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly stopped feeling his foot as a deep sense of numbness prevailed.

    The foot slowly began to bulge out like a balloon and stopped only at the point where any more could literally make his foot explode.

    There was surprisingly no pain. Maybe because he was not feeling anything except the numbness.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, didn''t waste any time admiring his bulging right foot, and instead focused on his other foot.

    Simrly like before, he took a needle and pressed it right between the thumb and the index finger of his left foot.

    This time too, he only felt a slight pain when the needle passed the outeryer of his skin, but after that, as the acupuncture needlepressed his meridian, all the feeling slowly vanished and this leg too began to numb, as if the leg didn''t even exist.

    Ye Tian Yun then used his hands to straighten the legs carefully as not to disturb the needles and harm himself.

    By this time, the right leg, which had earlier bulged like a huge pumpkin due to the blockage of Qi flow, was now slowly returning back to its original shape and size, like an inted balloon.

    As the right leg''s size decreased, the left leg''s size began to increase. Now, this one too bulged outwards.

    Ye Tian Yun waited for a few minutes to let the left foot also regain its original shape.

    Though both of the legs were still numb and he wasn''t feeling anything, Ye Tian Yun was still getting a weird feeling.

    This feeling slowly began to creep up and increase with every passing moment. All of a sudden, it seemed to reach a breaking point and suddenly, Ye Tian Yun felt like thousands of knives were stabbing his feet.

    He tightly closed his eyes as he felt intense pain from his previously numb legs.

    The pain seemed toe from inside his legs, it was as if the outeryer of his skin didn''t even exist.

    This sudden painsted for a few seconds and began to slow down and finally died out, giving some time to breathe to Ye Tian Yun.

    ''That hurt like hell, it was more than I had expected. Hopefully, I can survive this, almost my whole body is still left."

    Letting out a breath from his mouth, Ye Tian Yun then took another needle, and this time he pressed it in the area of his Achilles tendon.

    By putting it here, he wanted to effectively block the Qi flow through his foot.

    Thest needle had helped him lock the Qi Flow, and this needle was like a cap on the bottle and was making the legs turn Qi-less, if there existed a word as such.

    The major difference this time was that there was no bulging and no pain except for the time when he put the needle through the outeryer of the skin.

    He kept his leg in a sideways position, so as to keep the needles safe from falling off.

    Then taking out another needle, he then did the same with his other foot.

    In no time, both of his feet were effectively blocked from having any Qi flowing through them.

    Putting both of the legs sideways, so that the toes were in the opposite direction to each other, Ye Tian Yun then put his attention on the next body part.

    His knees.

    Ye Tian Yun began with the left knee and took out another needle.

    What he needed to do was put the needle behind his knees.

    This was quite risky as his legs were now getting into an even more awkward position.

    But eventually, Ye Tian Yun managed to put the needle, but this time it wasn''t painless, rather it felt as if the pain which was missing when he put the needles in the Achilles heel, was now added this time on his knees.

    Ye Tian Yun was forced to bite his tongue as the feeling of getting stabbed by a thousand times came back, this time with a lot more force. It was as if the knives were longer and sharper. It was too painful to bear.

    And the knees also began to bulge, not from behind, but rather as a whole. The knees were already in the shape of a small ball, but now, it had bulged from all directions making it look like a huge ser ball.

    Ye TianYuan tried to think of something else just so that he could distract himself from the intense pain. He thought, ''What in the world is a ser ball? Why did such a word pop up in my head?''

    He had no answer to this question, but this was enough to distract him and reduce his pain, though not much in terms of measure.

    Slowly the knee returned to its original shape and size, still numb and with the needle stuck in it.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh of relief as the pain subsided but winced once again when he noticed that there were still thirty more needles left.

    This was mental anguish for him because the pain would only increase as he moves closer to his eyebrows.

    Shaking his head, he then took out another needle and began to put it on his other knee.

    This time, however, instead of putting it behind the knee, Ye Tian Yun put it on the front.

    He did this because it was his left foot and in this foot, the meridian was easy to reach if the acupuncture needle is inserted from the knee cap side.

    But this time, the pain came before the needle could even reach the meridians.

    It was so intense that he had to stop pushing the needle and leave it hanging mid-way as his eyes were now forcefully closed due to the intense pain.

    All this was intense mental anguish.

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments. ty</em>

 Chapter 173 - Mental Anguish (II)

    One might argue that a cultivator isn''t born with the knowledge of how to cultivate Qi, he learns it as he grows older and for about ten years, he doesn''t cultivate because of his very young age and weak meridians.

    But this fact doesn''t mean there''s no Qi in his body, in fact, the body of a cultivator is naturally sensitive towards Qi and automatically absorbs it even though it doesn''t make him cultivate or increase his cultivation.

    There''s always a little flow of Qi even through the body of a toddler. Ye Tian Yun blew out air from his mouth as the pain slowly subsided.

    But he knew it wasn''t gone for good, but rather it was only stopped because the needle was not moving. As soon as he touched his acupuncture needle again, the pain would start once again, and as he got closer to the meridian, it would only increase more in terms of intensity.

    Ye Tian Yun scrunched his eyebrows and ignoring this mental anguish, he pushed his morale up and moved his hands towards the needle.

    As his hands came close to the needle, his whole life shed in front of him, ''Damn it, getting beheaded didn''t hurt as much as this acupuncture. If only I had paid attention to the teachings, I could have done all this without feeling a tinge of pain.''

    And as expected, as soon as his hands touched the needle, the pain came back.

    The one thing interesting about all the pain that Ye Tian Yun was going through was that it also gave him a weird feeling that he was just imagining all the pain.

    It was as if he was hallucinating all this pain and this only made things harder for him.

    All this pain that he was feeling was due to two reasons:

    The blocked Qi flow creating pressure on his meridians.

    And his body not being used to the sudden absence of Qi.

    A cultivator''s body could never exist without Qi, and thus it''s hard for him to live like a mortal. And this was one of the reasons why if someone was crippled, he became weaker than even regr mortals, even if his physical body was in top condition.

    And this flow is what determines one''s talent. The faster one''s body can prepare itself to get used to the Qi flow, the earlier he can start cultivating.

    Usually, it takes about ten years for an average cultivator, while geniuses like Ye Tian Yun can get their body in top shape to start cultivation by the age of six.

    Even then, the cultivation remains slow and it takes time for exponential growth in cultivation speed.

    But the Qi flow is the main difference that makes someone a mortal or a cultivator.

    And right now, as Ye Tian Yun pushed the needle close to the meridian, it showed how painful it was for someone who gets crippled.

    One knee was enough to make someone like Ye Tian Yun wince in pain, the intensity of pain when someone gets crippled and loose Qi flow from all the meridians at once is something that''s hard to imagine.

    However, the human body somehow also has an emergency n for such a scenario. And Ye Tian Yun was currently waiting for it to start.

    What the body does is that it forces itself to go through an adrenaline rush which then diminishes the intensity of pain the cultivator is about to go through due to the crippling of his Qi flow.

    Ye Tian Yun was currently waiting for his body to react on its own by sensing the blocked Qi flow. Once the body feels that if the Qi flow is not lost, it would put the body in the adrenaline rush.

    This adrenaline rush is important for Ye Tian Yun because he will get some relief from the mental anguish. This can relieve him from the hallucination of the pain and it will also save a lot of time because acupuncture is a long process due to the pain and physical changes, like the bulging of the meridians due to the blocked Qi flow.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a deep breath as the needle was finally put in ce and the Qi flow below his knees was not effectively blocked.

    He couldn''t help but sigh in relief as the pain slowly began to subside. Suddenly, he couldn''t help but smile as he saw the position of his legs.

    He had one needle between the thumb and index toe on both of his feet. Then there were also two more needles on his achilles'' tendons, the muscles behind his foot, and in the end, he had one needle behind his knee while the other was through the gap through his knee cap.

    With these needles in awkward ces, Ye Tian Yun also had to keep them from moving, thus he couldn''t let them touch the ground. This made him put his legs in an awkward position.

    But Ye Tian Yun didn''t mind this, it wasn''t as if all this came as a surprise. Except for the intensity of the pain, he had already expected everything else, even the resulting awkward pose of his legs.

    Letting out a sigh, Ye Tian Yun then took another needle and continued on the remaining parts of his body.

    The next ce he needed to put the needles was at the edges of his pelvis bone. This would then block the Qi flow in the lower half of his body. And if things go right, his body should react to it.

    And just as he had expected, as soon as he put two needles on both sides of his pelvis bone, his body suddenly reacted.

    It froze all of a sudden and in the next instant, it felt as if he was about to explode!

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t need to use his brain cells to understand that he was currently going through an adrenaline rush!

    ...

    <em>A/n: There have been fewins regarding too much fillers in this arc. About this, I want to assure you that I have no other choice but to point things out beforehand to make future plot easier to happen.. These chapters are to remove possible huge plot holes for the future.</em>

 Chapter 174 - Adrenaline Rush!

    Adrenaline is also known as the "fight-or-flight hormone." It''s released in response to a stressful, exciting, dangerous, or threatening situation. Adrenaline helps your body react more quickly. It makes the heart beat faster, increases blood flow to the brain and muscles, and stimtes the body to make sugar to use for fuel.

    When adrenaline is released suddenly, it''s often referred to as an adrenaline rush.

    Ye Tian Yun''s body was currently going through an adrenaline rush. It wasn''t a bad thing per say, in fact, the adrenaline rush rather helped the person from going through immediate pain.

    The adrenaline rush was like a distraction to the body. The pain was there, it was just that the body wasn''t focused on it. That''s why the intensity of the main became minimal.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t let himself be distracted for long. He knew that his body had assumed that it became crippled forever and thus reacted with the sudden adrenaline rush. And this was his chance to put the acupuncture needles in the right ce before the adrenaline rush came to an end.

    As long as he seeded in blocking the Qi flow before the end of the adrenaline rush, he would be able to save himself from loads of pain.

    Thus, without wasting any more time, Ye Tian Yun took out another needle and pressed it straight through his stomach.

    This time, as expected, he felt no pain, neither did his stomach bulge.

    And just like that, he ced six more needles at different meridians on his stomach.

    With thest needle in ce, he was able to sessfully block the Qi flow through his body below the lungs.

    But now came the hardest part of this acupuncture - the heart.

    The heart is the central and one of the most important parts of the human body. And what made this phase of acupuncture the hardest was the fact that the heart was like a crossroad of meridians.

    A lot of meridians converged and passed through this ce, and this made doing any kind of acupuncture, be it healing or temporarily crippling the body, the hardest.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t dare to take deeper breaths as he slowly pushed a needle through the skin over his heart and sent it directly towards the deepest meridian first.

    The deepest meridian was also the closest meridian to the heart, and even though the needle isn''t harmful to the meridians, it doesn''t spare any other organs or flesh. This technically put Ye Tian Yun in a life-and-death situation because the needle was so close to his heart, a single mistake and the needle would pass through his heart, effectively killing him forever.

    Luckily for him, it wasn''t his time to die yet, and thus the needle was ced securely over the meridian, blocking the meridian.

    Ye Tian Yun still didn''t dare to rx because there were still about sixteen more needles that he needed to ce over his chest.

    And without dying for anything, he started to carefully ce the acupuncture needles over the meridians.

    After about five minutes of struggle to keep his body still, Ye Tian Yun was able to sessfully ce the needles at the right ce.

    If someone were to see his condition right now, he might think that someone had struck thin arrows on Ye Tian Yun''s chest. Lots of arrows.

    Ye Tian Yun, still keeping his body as still as possible, began to focus on thest two needles on the ground.

    He needed to put these needles on the meridians to block his Qi flow through his head and hands.

    But just two needles might seem insufficient, because his chest alone needed seventeen needles, however, the hands and the head of the body had a special condition over them.

    For each of these body parts, Ye Tian Yun only needed to block one meridian, which would then stop the whole Qi flow.

    He then looked at the needles and took out the short one.

    The needles used in acupuncture are usually the same shape and size, with the expectation of a single needle.

    The needle in the hand of Ye Tian Yun wasn''t the exception in the bundle, in fact, it was actually the same size as the other needles that Ye Tian Yun had used.

    It was the longer needle that was the exception. Ye Tian Yun hadn''t touched it yet because he was going to need it at the veryst step of acupuncture.

    Currently, he was focused on the shorter one. He ced it in between his index finger and the thumb, and then carefully pressed the needle right between his eyebrows.

    The meridian at this ce, if blocked, was enough to stop the Qi flow of his whole head.

    And as expected, the Qi flow did stop, which was evident from the swelling of the skin around the needle.

    In fact, it was not the skin, but rather all the meridians on his face began to swell, making his face be flushed red.

    Luckily for him, except for the feeling that his head was about to explode, there was no other feeling of pain or hallucination.

    Fortunately, it didn''t take long for him to get his face back to normal shape. It was mainly due to his body still being in an adrenaline rush, even though it had now toned down a lot.

    Inwardly sighing in relief, Ye Tian Yun then focused on thest needle on the ground.

    This needle was the longest of all the needles and was easy to get noticed. But earlier, Ye Tian Yun had chosen to ignore it because he was focused on cing the other needles to block the meridians.

    Now, with thirty-two needles pressed at the right ces, the Qi flow through his torso and upper body were now sessfully blocked.

    The only body part that still had Qi flowing through it here was his hands.. And the single needle lying in front of him was enough for him to block the Qi in both of his hands.

 Chapter 175 - Becoming A Mortal!

    The only body part that still had Qi flowing through it here was his hands. And the single needle lying in front of him was enough for him to block the Qi in both of his hands.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the long needle with his eyebrows slightly creased in a frown.

    In his opinion, the needle which was hardest to put in ce was this one, not the ones on the heart.

    In the case of the meridians on the heart, it was hard not because there was a single meridian, but because there were a lot of them, this increased the chances of creating a mistake and putting the life at risk.

    However, when it was the case of hands, there was only a single meridian, but the main problem was that he had to use this one needle to block meridian on both of his hands.

    And if this was not worrying enough, the position of the meridian was also at quite a unique ce.

    The meridian was in between his index and middle finger.

    This meant he had to put the needle in the right ce, but the troublesome part was that he was not able to hold it properly at this position.

    Also, since a single needle was going to be used to block the meridian of both hands, it meant that the needle was pointed from both of its ends.

    Ye Tian Yun blinked his eyes as he stared at the needle. Then he let out a deep breath. This was thest needle. Gathering his concentration on the final piece of needle, he slowly pressed it in between the index and middle fingers of his left hand.

    After holding it tightly in between those two fingers, he then let go of the needle from his other hand. Next, he put the index and middle fingers of that hand on the other end of the needle.

    Now the needle was bnced between the index and middle fingers of both hands.

    And slowly, Ye Tian Yun pressured his hands, and in the next instant, the needle had pierced through the skin between the fingers, on both of his hands.

    Ye Tian Yun flinched at the sensation of acute pain. He could barely control his hands from trembling as the needles passed through the flesh and soon were pressing on the meridians.

    After a few seconds, Ye Tian Yun''s hands be numb. This meant the meridians of his both hands were now sessfully blocked, simr to the rest of his body meridians.

    And just like earlier instances, his hands too began to bulge and bloat like a balloon. However, he didn''t feel any pain this time, even though the adrenaline rush had almost entirely died out.

    Within a few minutes, his hands returned back to normal, and now, Ye Tian Yun had sessfully be a mortal with no cultivation.

    He remained leaning with his back on the wall of the hall as he waited for his body to stabilize.

    Now that he had temporarily crippled himself, he needed to wait for the body to adapt and remain steady without the presence of Qi.

    Ye Tian Yun stayed still as he thought about the next steps that he needed to follow.

    He did this acupuncture so that he could follow the method to Cultivate Sword in the presence of Chaos Qi and stabilize his Sword Domain.

    For this, first, he needed to cripple his body and stop the flow of Qi temporarily. This would help him to put a new Qi through his body, the Chaos Qi, without getting it mixed with the normal Qi.

    Even though the meridians through which both of Qi flow are different, there are certain intersections, like the heart, where these two kinds of Qi be mixed with each other.

    And after getting mixed, both of the Qi treat each other as impurities, which makes the Qi flow unstable because of the reaction due to them mixing for the first time.

    However, there were still some problems that needed to be addressed when using this method. For example, how was it possible for the Chaos Qi to flow through his body if there were going to be intersections between the normal Qi and Chaos Qi meridians? And we know that normal Qi meridians are now blocked, so that also meant that Chaos Qi was going to face trouble in its flow, especially when flowing in the heart.

    And at the heart region, the meridians of both Qi''s are not just intersection, but, in fact, they be amon meridian, and the first needle that Ye Tian Yun had put in, was actually one of such intersections, that is, themon meridian for both Qi.

    This problem was also the main reason why Chaos Qi just couldn''t be cultivated by anyone.

    However, Ye Tian Yun didn''t need to worry about this - he was not going to cultivate Chaos Qi, but rather, he made himself temporarily crippled so that he could work on his sword cultivation and Sword Domain.

    He just needed a slight flow of Chaos Qi through his meridians, and then he would start practicing by releasing his Sword Intent and stabilize his Sword Domain.

    Before doing all this, he needed to make sure that his body was now getting ustomed to the absence of Qi flow. And for that, he only needed the numbness throughout his body to leave.

    Since this method of acupuncture gave him the ability to remove the temporary blockage over Qi at his will, he now just needed to focus on his sword cultivation. As soon as he reached a level where he could say that his Sword Domain was stable enough for him not to go berserk and crazy, he could then reopen his meridians and focus on increasing his cultivation realm.

    Soon as Ye Tian Yun was guessing how much time it would require him to stabilize his Sword Domain, his legs suddenly twitched.

    This made him put a smile on his face because now, he had finally be a mortal.

 Chapter 176 - A Friend

    Now that Ye Tian Yun had temporarily crippled himself, he was going to focus on cultivating his sword techniques and working on his Sword Domain. Once he stabilized his Sword intent, he would then focus on his cultivation realm.

    As for how was he going to return back to being a cultivator?

    He already had a method for it, and it was also quite a simple one. Thus, this was the least of his worries.

    For now, he needed to focus on slowly removing the acupuncture needles so he could properly stand up.

    And since he wasn''t feeling the numbness all over his body and was able to regain his sense of touch, it gave a clear sign that he was now a mortal.

    Thus, he began to slowly remove the needles, first of all, he removed the longest pin that was being bnced between the index and middle finger of his hands. And then he began from his feet, then knees, pelvis bone, and so on as he moved upwards towards thest needle between his eyebrows.

    Of course, the hardest to remove were the needles that were lodged near his heart. However, it wasn''t as stressful as it was while putting the needles in.

    After about ten minutes of slowly removing the acupuncture needles, Ye Tian Yun finally got the chance to sigh in relief.

    Taking a deep breath, he couldn''t help but feel a bit proud of himself because temporarily crippling oneself is not an easy task; it''s risky and requires a certain skill level.

    Ye Tian Yun was a cultivator. And he had spent all his current life, and previous life focused on increasing his cultivation and battle prowess. He hadn''t worked on alchemy or any other craft.

    For him to seed in acupuncture proved his talent and ability to have a sharp memory.

    After all, this method of crippling someone or oneself was not easy to learn because any mistake could cause permanent damage, relieving the person of his cultivation forever. And it became exponentially harder when it was performed on ourselves by us.

    Ye Tian Yun had learned of this method from one of his friends.

    To call a person a friend, one needs to have a certain level of trust and relying on that person.

    And for Ye Tian Yun, who, in his previous life, had always considered trusting others and making close friends a huge risk and burden to himself for his end goal to crown himself the Heavenly Emperor.

    One shouldn''t forget that Ye Tian Yun was at the peak in terms of talent and status in both the Middle and Lower Heavens. This fact itself made Ye Tian Yun an intimidating and untouchable figure, and with his upbringing by a cold and emotionless father, Ye Tian Yun never had the chance to make friends to begin with.

    Andter, as he grew up, the only thing he saw the kids of his generation as either trash or as rivals. Most of the time, they were trash to him.

    After he got older, Ye Tian Yun came to an understanding that everyone was after his position as the most talented person of this generation. This conclusion wasn''t due to any baseless reasoning, but from the fact that he never heard any good news or anyone talking good about him whenever his informants reported him about the secrets chats between other young masters and princes of his generation.

    Having informants at every corner of the continent gave him ess to the deepest secrets of the young masters of the Middle Heavens and their thoughts regarding him.

    Those kids hated him. They hated him for his power. They hated him for his talent. And they hated him for his indifference.

    Thus, Ye tian Yun forced himself to think of others as a burden to his own future, and this reasoning somehow made him a person who wasn''t always looking for a friend or an ally.

    Ye Tian Yun had forced himself to be capable as a lone person. After all, it wasn''t easy being at the top ever since one''s birth.

    However, there alwayses an incident that somehow makes us oppose our ideas and thoughts. And this was something that happened when Ye Tian Yun made his first friend.

    This person, who Ye Tian Yun had considered close to himself, was an alchemist and poison master at the same time. And one of the best ones of his generation.

    Just like Ye Tian Yun, who was at the top of the list when it came to cultivation talent, this new friend of Ye Tian Yun was at the top in the alchemy world.

    And Ye Tian Yun had even made an exception and trusted him so much that he allowed his friend to perform acupuncture on him, just so that Ye tian Yun can verify the news about the method which Shi Yan used to increase his Sword Cultivation with.

    This trust shows how much Ye Tian Yun valued this friend, and it was from him that he learned a few tricks and techniques, acupuncture being one of those few.

    And today, lucky for him, this method hade to his use when he had received a chance encounter with the chaos qi and also an opportunity to cultivate here for a month.

    However, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t feeling thankful or happy when this friend''s face appeared in his mind.

    As stated earlier, a friend is someone who we can trust and whom we can rely on in our tough times.

    And what was the tough time in Ye Tian Yun''s life?

    The arrival of the God''s Legion in the Middle Heavens.

    That was the time when things began to go downhill and he felt helpless for the first time in his life.

    In such times, whom does the person turn towards?

    His family and friends.

    But for Ye Tian Yun, both were missing.

    On the day of his final battle, his father didn''t interfere to save him, and his only friend betrayed him.

 Chapter 177 - Resolve

    There were many questions that were still unanswered, and honestly, Ye Tian Yun felt that he was just not ready to face the bitter truth.

    It was not that he had no allies, but the reality was that none of them were present when he needed them the most.

    Even though these allies were mostly the servants, Ye Tian Yun was alone when the time came.

    Even though he was able to confront Wang Yao and might have even seeded in defeating him.

    But there was one thing that Wang Yao had the advantage of - he had friends.

    Wang Yao had friends and allies; they were there to help him in any difficulty. And when the time came, Wang Yao''s friends jumped on the stage to help him.

    The members of God''s Legion came out of nowhere during the final battle of Ye Tian Yun. It was unexpected for Ye Tian Yun.

    Not because he had delusions that God''s Legion wouldn''t interfere, but because he had made enough arrangements to stop them from interfering.

    However, Wang Yao''s friends still came to help him, and as for Ye Tian Yun?

    He was alone.

    His father, who could exterminate the God''s Legion on a whim, didn''t interfere.

    His friend, who had all the alchemists under the heavens at hismand, wasn''t there to help him.

    His mother, who was a renowned cultivator, remained in the supposedly closed-door cultivation.

    His butler was long dead, and his other servants had run away.

    Even with the best cultivation resources, and the most powerful background, Ye Tian Yun was alone in thest moments of his life.

    Thinking of the helplessness that he felt during his battle, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but let out a sigh.

    He forced his thoughts and tried to distract himself from such thoughts.

    These thoughts were something that Ye Tian Yun didn''t want to put his mind on.

    He didn''t wish to know the whereabouts or the reason behind his family and friends not being present when he needed them.

    Because any reasoning would just be an excuse.

    He knew they had the ability; he knew that they were aware of his circumstances, and yet they chose not toe to his help.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to know why. Even if the reasons were valid, he just didn''t wish to know.

    To him, it was a betrayal.

    It was a betrayal of trust, confidence, and rtionships.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun returned back to his senses.

    He knew that no matter how much he cared or thought about his past - nothing would change. It would remain the same. His regret and the betrayals that he had faced wouldn''t change.

    For now, he had another chance. He had to treasure it. He had to make it worthwhile.

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t someone ignorant. He knew the value of the chance he had received. It wasn''t every day that someone would go through rebirth and would return to his past.

    He knew the value, and he was going to make the best use of it.

    He was going to kill the very friends that Wang Yao relied on. And he was going to make himself so capable that he wouldn''t need ''friends'' or ''people who would have his back.

    Ye Tian Yun was going to make himself the Heavenly Emperor, ruling over everything under the heavens.

    This was his resolve. This was his mission. And he was hell-bent on making this his destiny.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes; calmed his thoughts and mind.

    To change his own future, Ye Tian Yun had to think first before taking any actions. He had to make his moves carefully and make use of every second he got.

    He had to move towards his goal, one step at a time.

    And thus, without wasting any further time, Ye Tian Yun stood up and started to stretch his body. He wanted to make himself ''feel'' normal without the presence of Qi in his body.

    After all, only once before in his life, he had had the feeling of getting crippled, so it wasn''t something that he was very much used to. Thus, Ye Tian Yun wanted to take his time and get ready as he rxed and stretched his body.

    After a few minutes, taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun finally felt that it was time.

    It was time to start his Sword Cultivation and work on his Sword Domain!

    And with this thought, he took out a sword from his spatial ring and formed a body posture as if he was about to attack.

    First, he started with the very basics and put his focus mainly on simple sword moves.

    With his body ustomed to a Qi-less environment, he was now trying to get used to practicing Sword moves without the presence of Qi flow in his body.

    Every sword cultivator must learn three basic sword moves before even calling themselves a sword cultivator.

    These are basically,

    Lunge ˇŞ the basic attacking move. The sword arm is extended fully, while the back leg remains stationary as the front leg moves forward.

    Parry ˇŞ a defensive action where the fencer blocks the opponent''s lunge. When parrying, only the de should move, while the arm should be kept as straight as possible.

    Riposte ˇŞ a counterattack by the fencer who has blocked the opponent with a parry.

    After making the body used to these simple moves, the cultivators focus on two things - speed and sharpness.

    They want their attacks to be as swift as possible. During a battle of life and death, a single instance could give the result. And in such cases, the faster one is the one who wins, unless the cultivation gap is too overwhelming.

    And as for sharpness, well, this is a no-questions-asked requirement. However, this sharpness isn''t the sharpness of the sword or how well it cuts; rather, it''s about how well the cultivator can perform the sword moves.

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments, so I can correct them. ty

 Chapter 178 - "It Was An Illusion!"

    If a sword cultivator can perfectly perform the sword moves, and also has enough speed in his moves, then he has the ability to challenge the cultivators with even a higher realm than his own.

    This is one of the main reasons why Sword Cultivation is one of the most preferred ways of cultivation among all the cultivators.

    To get a good sharpness in the moves, a cultivator must perform the sword moves as much as he can, and as perfectly as he can.

    In this case, the speed of the moves doesn''t matter. What the cultivators go after is getting the moves and attacks right.

    Once this thing is set, then they can focus on speed.

    Sword Cultivation Manuals are designed in such a way that the closer a cultivator gets to perfecting the sword move, faster he can perform it.

    Thus, perfection in sword moves also results in better speed.

    It can be even said that these two main factors, speed and sharpness, are very much dependent on each other.

    And as of right now, Ye Tian Yun was working on getting as close as possible to his regr state in performing sword moves, albeit without any Qi flow through his body.

    After gettingfortable with the three basic sword moves, lunge, parry, and riposte; Ye Tian Yun then began to focus on performing them faster.

    He knew of the way to stabilize his Sword Domain, and for that, he didn''t need to do any fancy sword moves with cool-sounding names.

    He only needed to focus on the basics and slowly integrate his Sword Intent in these basic moves.

    The more he integrated, the better and easier it would get for him. After all, stabilizing his sword domain was just another phrase for how easily he could release and control it.

    The more his control got over his sword domain, the better his chances of survival became if he ever faced enemies with higher cultivation, which was kind of inevitable.

    And thus, Ye Tian Yun continued to perform the basic sword moves, very slow at the start, picking up speed as time passed.

    It didn''t take him long to getfortable with the sword moves even without Qi flow through his body, after all, he had been performing the same moves ever since he was a kid. The moves were now embedded in his muscle memory.

    If not for the absence of Qi, Ye Tian Yun was confident that he could perform these basic moves even while he was drunk.

    After about an hour since the start, Ye Tian Yun slowly began to increase his speed of performing the sword moves. The faster he got, the morefortable he felt.

    And at one point he subconsciously began to release Sword Intent.

    Sword Intent is something that relies on experience and mastery over the sword.

    Sword Intent contains the belief of the sword and this power was disyed through spirit energy to sh through the void. When one hadprehended something simr to the Sword Intent, they were the bane of spirit energy techniques.

    A good example is Ye Tian Yun''s ability to see through Jun Xie''s illusion techniques.

    It wasn''t something unique to Ye Tian Yun, in fact, anyone with a good understanding andmand over Sword Intent, or someone with high spirit sense could see through the illusion techniques.

    However, such people were as rare as the phoenix.

    After all, there are millions of cultivators on the continent, but the cultivators with Sword Intent were so rare that all the power would fight to death if they ever got a chance to recruit a disciple with such high talent in Sword.

    And this is also the easiest way of making enemies with others in power - the one who has disciple with talent in Sword Intent, was usually the center of vile attention - it would only bring them more trouble because others in power wouldn''t want to see them grow.

    This was one of the main reasons why Sect Leader Su was not doing a public investigation to find the disciple who broke through the Sword Domain.

    He wanted to do it as discreetly as possible and wasn''t even nning to tell the other higher-ups of his own sect.

    After all, a disciple who can reach the Sword Domain realm at such a young age has infinite potential, and he alone could one day change the destiny of the sect - for good or for worse.

    Sect Leader Su, of course, wanted to find this disciple and make close ties with him, maybe even ept him as his sessor or personal disciple, just so that this disciple could get closer to the Gracious Sword Sect in his heart.

    After all, Sect Leader Su wouldn''t get any personnel benefits by making that disciple his sessor. He was doing this for his sect. He was doing it for the future.

    However, if only he knew that the disciple that he was searching from in every corner of the sect, was currently cultivating in the Sword Stele Hall, and not to forget that this disciple was sent here by Sect Leader Su himself.

    Unbeknownst to Sect Leader Su, Ye Tian Yun was the one who had broken through the Sword Domain realm.

    And with twists of fate, Sect Leader Su didn''t know that the disciple that he was searching for and wanting to make his sessor, was the one who had killed his son and was currently in his son''s disguise at his own sect.

    And as for the disciple in question, Ye Tian Yun, he was unaware of the fact that the news of his breakthrough in the Sword Intent was now known to at least four other people in the sect.

    He was ignorant about this and was currently releasing Sword Intent while performing the basic sword moves.

    After releasing a considerable amount of Sword Intent, and feeling a surge in confidence, he focussed on his spirit sense and started to release his Sword Domain.

    However, just then!

    To his shock, everything around him began to disappear!

    And only four words rang throughout his mind as he froze at one spot, "It was an illusion!"

 Chapter 179 - Another Illusion?

    In the Grand Meeting Hall when Sect Leader Su had first mentioned Sword Stele, Ye Tian Yun was inwardly surprised by this name, not because it was anything special, rather, Ye Tian Yun had never heard of this to ever exist in the Gracious Sword Sect, be it in this life, or his previous one.

    And even at that time, he chose to ignore this part and thought that Sword Stele was something very tightly hidden secret of the Gracious Sword Sect. And as its name suggested, this ce was most probably something rted to increasing Sword Cultivation and helping breakthroughs in the Sword Intent.

    Butter, when Ye Tian Yun came to the so-called Sword Stele, he was even more surprised to find out that as per Elder Lai Chang, this ce had nothing to do with Sword Cultivation, but rather, here, the qi density was so high that if someone cultivated here, their cultivation would rise at a tremendous speed.

    At first, when he had heard of this description, Ye Tian Yun immediately had a guess of what this ce could be.

    But his guess turned out to be wrong because the Sword Stele was actually an underground hall, which was so scenic that it was like a pic spot for anyone. Even though this ce had high qi density, the source of this qi was very different from what Ye Tian Yun had guessed.

    It was a waterfall.

    This waterfall wasing from the ceiling above and anyone in the hall could sense that this waterfall was the reason why this ce has such high qi density.

    If all these things were not surprising enough, Ye Tian Yun also got to know about the presence of Chaos Qi, mixed in the normal qi,ing from the waterfall.

    However, even though Chaos Qi was very helpful in increasing sword cultivation, this fact was only known to Ye Tian Yun, not to sect leader Su.

    So, how could they name this ce ''Sword Stele'', when there''s clearly nothing else rted to Sword in this ce?

    This question did appear in Ye Tian Yun''s mind, and this made him feel suspicious that the Sect was trying to hide something in here. And the exact same guess once again appeared in his mind.

    This was also the reason why Ye Tian Yun wanted to be doubly sure if there were any spying arrays or someone looking after this ce and his actions, in this hall or outside it.

    To make the Sect hide its true purpose, Ye Tian Yun had a feeling that this ce was quite important to the Sect, and this was also the reason why he thought that there was most probably going to be someone spying on this ce.

    But to his surprise, the System confirmed that this ce was unmonitored, and no one was recording or spying on his actions.

    This made him doubt his suspicions, but he didn''t think much and focused on preparing himself to practice Sword Intent.

    Soon, after performing acupuncture on himself, Ye Tian Yun began to practice sword moves and focus on slowly releasing his sword intent.

    But all this came to a sudden halt as everything around him began to disappear and only one thought appeared in his mind - "It was an illusion!"

    It took some time for Ye Tian Yun to recover himself from the shock and surprise as the whole greenery slowly disappeared, along with the waterfall at the center.

    The source of this hall''s high qi density actually turned out to be an illusion.

    If this wasn''t enough to make him question what was going on, the qi density in the hall remained the same!

    This meant that the source of all this was actually not present here!

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he stared from one corner of the hall to the other.

    Everything in front of him had changed. The trees were gone, the grass was gone, the waterfall was gone.

    Even though the hall was someone still lit and Ye Tian Yun could clearly see everything, there wasn''t actually much to see from.

    The hall had suddenly turned into a cave.

    With stone walls and sand all over the ce, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh as he found himself in this situation.

    ''Howe I didn''t notice this illusion earlier?''

    Ye Tian Yun asked the question to himself, and he did have a guess for this question.

    ''Was my natural spirit sense not enough? Because the illusion only disappeared after I began to release my Sword Domain.''

    This guess seemed quite valid to him.

    The natural spirit sense was the spirit sense that Ye Tian Yun had without releasing and focusing on his Sword Intent.

    And when Ye Tian Yun began to release his Sword Domain, his spirit sense also began to increase and soon reached a level where it was enough for him to see through the illusion present in the hall.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath as he thought of the current situation. With the illusion disappeared, he felt that he suddenly got more space to cultivate and practice his Sword moves.

    However, before doing anything, he needed an answer to a very important question.

    ''System, since everything here was an illusion, why didn''t you tell me about it? Or is it that you couldn''t see through this illusion?''

    [Host, System only answered the doubts and questions you asked. It so no importance in telling you this was an illusion]

    ''No importance? How could you say that?'' Ye Tian was confused by System''s reply.

    [Host, the reason was simple - if there is an illusion of not, it wasn''t going to harm you, neither was it going to affect your cultivation]

    ''Well, this may be true, but aren''t you here to help me? I don''t think it wasn''t much of an effort for you to tell me this was an illusion or not. What if someone attacked me? I was in an illusion that this ce was a jungle, and I wouldn''t even know how I died if someone really decided to attack me in this situation.''

    [Host does not need to worry about such situations. If such a situation did ur, System would have long since warned you about it and helped you save yourself from an early death.]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and asked, "Also, what about the answers you gave me, are you sure that no one can sense or spy on my actions and sword domain?"

    [Host, System can reassure you that there''s no one seeing your actions or sensing your cultivation. However, it would also suggest that you don''t let go of Sword Domain at once, and take things slowly. Releasing the Sword Intent at once might create big changes in the surroundings, and someone with a high realm of Sword Intent, might sense your Sword Domain.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "I will take care of that."

    Then, he asked, "Also, System, what do you think is the source of this high qi density? Is it what I think it is?"

    [What do you think, Host?]

    "Hm? DIdn''t you once say you can hear my thoughts? Howe you can''t tell my thoughts right now?"

    [Host, it''s not that System is aware of all your thoughts and ns, it just sees your actions and it can only know the thoughts that are directed towards itself.]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he heard the System''s response, "You can hear only the thoughts that are directed at you? It''s hard to believeˇ­"

    [Host, it is not an impossible thing to know only the thoughts other people have regarding us. In fact, there is at least one cultivator in every generation who can do this.]

    "There''s one in every generation!? Who''s the person in my generation who can know the thoughts of others around him or her?"

    [Insufficient Fate Points.]

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes when he heard the response, "I should have expected this," Then, scratching his chin, he asked, "To be able to hear what others think about usˇ­ doesn''t that make it hard for anyone to scheme against them since this person will also know what our ns are?"

    [Yes Host, this person will indeed be a tough enemy]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Well, we will see if we ever encounter such a person. For now, it''s time to go back to cultivation."

    He then once again looked around but saw nothing which could help him identify the source of the high qi density.

    But then, another question appeared in his mind, ''Don''t tell me this is another illusion?"

    How could there be high qi density for no reason? There has to be something behind all this, and there weren''t even vents at this ce which could allow the qi to seep in, not to forget that there were instead arrays which stopped anything from outside to enter and anything from inside to get out of the hall.

    Thus the question arose in Ye Tian Yun''s mind, "Is this another illusion?"

 Chapter 180 - A Delicate Balance

    In thest twenty-four hours, Ye Tian Yun had seen too many illusions.

    First, it was Jun Xie, then Grand Elder Li, and earlier the stairway to the Grand Meeting Hall and now the Sword Stele.

    It seemed as if the Gracious Sword Sect and its people have a special liking for illusion techniques and arrays.

    And how was he going to confirm if this was indeed an illusion or not?

    Of Course by his own plot armor - The Rip-off System.

    "System, why don''t you confirm that things here are another illusion or not?"

    [There is indeed another illusion array in this hall, Host doesn''t need to think much about it, after all, you haven''t unleashed your whole Sword Domain. Once youpletely let it go, you''re in for a surprise.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and began to once again get in the flow with his sword moves.

    After a few minutes, he was slowly unlocking his Sword DOmain, and soon it reached the previous peak, however, as nothing happened, he continued to practice his Sword Moves while also slowly releasing his Sword Domain.

    However, after about ten more minutes, Ye Tian Yun suddenly began to have a bad premonition as an uneasy feeling crept on him.

    He tried to stop his Sword Domain, however, it somehow was not in his control!

    All of sudden Ye Tian Yun felt a burst from within, and his Sword Domain unleashed at an unprecedented rate.

    Ye Tian Yun began to feel as if someone had hit his head with a boulder as an intense amount of pain almost made him lose all his senses.

    He let go of his sword as he fell on his knees while clutching his head.

    [Host, System has no other choice but to intervene.]

    Thest thing Ye Tian Yun heard was a notification as he lost his consciousness and his Sword Domain disappeared all of a sudden.

    ˇ­

    Grand Meeting Hall, First Peak.

    Sect Leader Su suddenly stood up.

    He had felt it. He had felt the exact same Sword Domain aura fromst night.

    In the next instant, he was high in the clouds as he overlooked the whole Gracious Sword Sect.

    With a deep frown on his face, he stared right at everyone below.

    The Sword Domain he felt just now was too powerful.

    It came all of a sudden and went away in the next instant before he could even understand what was even happening.

    If not for himself being in the Sword Domain Realm, Sect Leader Su was sure that he wouldn''t have even noticed this fluctuation.

    It was just for an instant, but he felt it.

    ''Where did thise from?''

    Sect LEader Su felt that if that aura had remained for another instant, he would have definitely found out its source and by now, would have known who this mysterious disciple was.

    Unfortunately, he didn''t even have time to think before the Sword Domain aura was long gone.

    He couldn''t even sense its general direction. But he did know that it came from somewhere below him.

    But how was this fact of any help?

    He was sitting at the highest ce in the Gracious Sword SEct, anything that happened was technically below him.

    This meant that disciple could be from any ce in the Sect and taking note of thest night''s clues, this disciple could be any new Inner Court disciple from the Seventh Peak.

    Sect Leader Su took a deep breath and returned to his seat. Maybe next time he won''t miss it.

    Soon, as he slowly stepped down on the surface, he put this Sword Domain disciple issue behind the back of his head and focused on something which currently needed most of his attention - the Kang n.

    The Kang n is one of the big four ns of the Capital City of the Xin Kingdom and helps the Xin Royal n in ruling over half of the continent.

    However, the one thing that makes this n stand out the most is its political views.

    In the Xin Royal Kingdom, there are many factions and many cliques, however, all these factions and organizations are dividing themselves to form two big factions.

    The Royal n faction and the Sects.

    Xin CLan, which rules over this Kingdom, is the head of the Royal n Faction and is hellbent on making the Sects serve the states and make them a part of his rule, enforcing the rules of the Kingdom upon these organizations.

    While the Sects faction has a bit of aplicated goal. This faction is divided into two sides - one wants to remain independent while the other also wants to remain independent but this group wants to remove the royalty and make the sects have more say and power in this half of the continent.

    Almost all the powers of the Xin Kingdom are aligning themselves with either the Xin n or the Sects, and the current situation is at a delicate bnce.

    Both factions have almost equal power and if a powerful n or sect were to join any of these factions, it would be the start of the war and end of the preparations.

    Both sides will put all their resources in the purge and the Xin Kingdom will fall under chaos.

    However, there are very few powers that could make a difference and break this bnce, and the most significant of them is one of the big fours of the capital city.

    The Kang n.

    This n is known for its political neutrality and viewpoint and is also the only n in the big four that doesn''t go after any political power in the kingdom nor does it have any agenda of its own, at least not a publicly known one.

    However, what this n does have is its immense strength that could even rival the Gracious Sword SEct on its own, and thisparison only includes its known strength to the public.

    Apart from being one of the most powerful and politically neutral ns, the Kang n is mostly known for its assets - it had loads of properties under its name, be it auction houses, brothels, or restaurants, the Kang n has its roots in every corner of the Xin Kingdom.

    And these assets are the ones that create the most threat for anyone who chooses to go against the Kang n.

    If this n were to join any of the factions, not only would it disrupt the bnce, it would also exponentially increase the strength of that faction.

    This would mean that there would be no holding back and an all-out civil war in the country.

    A civil war was not something that Sect Leader Su wanted to see in this country. He was one of the few peoples in the Sect faction whose only aim was that they wanted to keep their independence and didn''t wish to have anything to do with the politics going on in the Kingdom.

    Unfortunately for him, the civil war was inevitable if the bnce was broken, and he was very well aware of the situation.

    Even though he wanted to keep this bnce for as long as he could, it looked like a small incident was going to change the fate of the kingdom.

    Two days ago, in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt of the Seventh Peak, a high-tier Qi Stealing Mole suddenly went berserk and was only stopped by a disciple who ended up sacrificing his life.

    This disciple, Kang Bai, chose to explode himself just so he can kill the Qi Stealing Mole and save the lives of the other disciples - at least this was what the report told him.

    And as his surname suggested, Kang Bai was actually a part of the Kang n. In fact, he was one of its heirs and was the son of the Kang n n leader, Kang Ximin.

    Sect Leader Su very well understood the pain of losing a son and he knew that today''s meeting was going to go awry, but somewhere in his heart, he had a little hope that there would be a solution to this situation.

    ''To think a death of an outer court disciple in my sect might lead to civil war in the kingdomˇ­ fate really knows how to y its game.''

    Just as Sect Leader Su was lost in his thoughts and ns on how to handle the situation, the gates of the Grand Meeting Hall were suddenly pushed open.

    Sect Leader Su raised his head and found Peak Master Duan staring at him with a solemn face.

    Peak Master Duan pursed his lips and nodded at Sect Leader Su while moving towards his seat.

    Sect Leader Su''s expression turned serious, because he knew that Kang Ximin was right now very close to the Gracious Sword Sect and would be in the Grand Meeting Hall in any minute.

    Taking a deep breath, Sect Leader Su straightened his back as he got ready to face a meeting which would decide the fate of not only the sect, but the whole Kingdom.

 Chapter 181 - Kang Ximin

    Gracious Mountain Range.

    Whip. Wishh. Whip.

    Several figures shed through the forest as the wind from the movement made the leaves p each other.

    About six men were heading towards the inner region of the forest, moving in a v-shape formation.

    Their steps were heavy, and they were getting faster as they approached their destination.

    The one leading them had an expression of urgency and distress. Just as they crossed a stream, one person from behind broke the silence, "n Head, we''re about to reach the Gracious Sword Sect. Please think carefully and don''t let your emotions get into your head."

    The person leading them nodded his head, though he refrained himself from saying anything.

    Seeing him nod his head, the person from earlier continued, "Today''s meeting will affect the future of not only our n and their sect, but the whole kingdom. And whatever your final decision be, I will reassure you that the whole n will stand with you and follow your lead."

    Just as he had finished, the person leading them came to a halt.

    He took a deep breath and, without saying anything, moved towards a nearby tree and sat down while leaning on it.

    With one hand holding his head, he finally spoke, "Elder Kai, I don''t know what the oue of today''s meeting will be. I don''t know what they did to my son. I don''t know who is at fault. I don''t know what I will do. I don''t know what I will say."

    As his eyes moistened due to grief, he continued after a short pause, "Elder Kai, they took my son. They took Kang n''s heir. How could I let things go? When I heard the news, I wanted to destroy this goddamn sect, but I didn''t let my emotions take over my senses."

    Elder Kai, the person who had spoken earlier, replied, "n Head, we understand your grief, and I have assured you before, whatever your decision be, everyone will follow."

    n Head Kang Ximin nodded, "I have already lost my son. I can''t lose anyone else. My son was as dear to me as any other n member. If I were to join politics, not only would it harm our n''s future, it would also put its the current generation in danger."

    Elder Kai shook his head, "But n Head, I don''t feel like we have any choice in this. If you choose to forgive and forget, our n will be aughing stock. But if we chose to argue and fight, it will destroy the bnce in the kingdom, and everything will fall in chaos."

    n Head Kang Ximin closed his eyes as he leaned the back of his head on the tree trunk, "This is what worries me. I don''t understand how things will turn out."

    Just then, one of the other four members of the entourage spoke, "n Head, I suggest that you don''t think much of this. Put this decision on the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Hmm?" n Head Kang Ximin frowned, "What do you mean, Elder Du?"

    "n Head, what I want to say is, we should decide after looking at Gracious Sword Sect''s response and their seriousness towards the incident."

    "Also, n Head, soon someone will join us ande with us to meet Sect Leader Su."

    "Who?" n Head Kang Ximin asked.

    Elder Du replied, "Someone from the Heaven Oracle Sect."

    His words put an expression of surprise on everyone''s face.

    "Someone from Heaven Oracle Sect?" n Head Kang Ximin nodded his head and stood up.

    Taking a few steps ahead, he continued, "Let''s put the decision on the Gracious Sword Sect then."

    "Whatever I say, however, I react, don''t interfere. We will see what''s Gracious Sword Sect''s behavior is and we will see what this master from the Heaven Oracle Sect has to say about this situation.

    And with that said, they resumed their journey towards the Sect.

    This time, with a less distressed expression.

    ˇ­

    Grand Meeting Hall, Gracious Sword Sect.

    The atmosphere in the most crucial ce of the sect was quite serious today.

    Almost all of the core elders and Peak Leader were present in the meeting, including the Sect Leader and the Grand Elders.

    They had a solemn expression as the hall remained veiled in silence.

    Grand Elder Xuan, the only person in the room who seemed to have no worries at all, spoke, "I don''t understand why do you people even care about this Kang n."

    "They are just a n, but we? We are a sect. And not just a random sect; we''re one of the most powerful sects in this Kingdom. I don''t think we need to give any more importance to this n."

    "Also, who cares about this ''bnce'' in the Kingdom? Everyone''s just making a mountain out of a molehill."

    Sect Leader Su frowned as he heard those words, "Grand Elder Xuan, why don''t you act more sensible and less ignorant? Do you really think the Kang n is ''just'' a n? And don''t you understand the situation of the whole kingdom?"

    Grand Elder Xuan snorted, "I understand the situation way better than anyone else in this room. And trust me, Kang n is the least of the things that our sect needs to worry about."

    Sect Leader Sur shook his head but didn''t say anything. He had already put his thoughts on the table; saying any more would only increase the argument.

    Grand elder Xuan, however, continued to bber, "Let me tell you why I think we shouldn''t care about this single n - because we are not alone. There may be more ns than sect, but the sects and ns are an integral part of each other."

    "For generations, the ns have sent their children to the sects to train and grow, and when those children be adults, they send them to the secs to learn cultivation. This cycle has continued for eons, and to my surprise, everyone''s now dividing this Kingdom into two factions of the ns and the Sects. How did these two entities turn into factions in the first ce?"

    "You guys are worrying for nothing. When the timees, it won''t be other sects that wille to our aid, but it will be the ns who have grown with the help of our sects that will put forward their hands to help us."

    "The ns faction that everyone worries about is just pure nonsense, in my humble opinion. The ns would never get united. It wasn''t King Xin who trained them or their kids; it was us. And we didn''t even ask for anything, but rather, the King puts taxes and other things in the name of running the Kingdom."

    Grand Elder Li, who had been silent all this time, raised his hand and said, "Xuan, you do not see reality. Your points may seem very valid, but the reality is very different from this. Especially your opinion about the nsing to our help."

    "What''s wrong with that? Don''t tell me those useless ns won''te forward? Don''t tell me they will forget how much they owe to the sects?"

    Grand Elder Li let out a sigh before replying, "Xuan, even if they don''t forget, they won''t have a choice. And let me remind you that if things were to go in the wrong direction today, it would be us who will be at the center of the storm. And at that time, neither ns nor the other sects wille to our help. It will be the doom of our sect."

    Grand Elder Li''s words put everyone in silence. At this time, Sect Leader Su added, "Also, those ns that you think that they owe us, well, they don''t owe us anything."

    "We may have taught them cultivation and gave them enough resources, but the disciples also perform enough missions and put their lives online for those resources. The disciples earn them. We don''t gift them for free."

    "And don''t forget, these disciples are part of ns before they are disciples here. If they have to choose between sect and ns, they won''t hesitate to return back to their ns."

    "What will our sect do without those disciples? What meaning will it have?"

    Silence prevailed once again as Sect Leader Su finished his piece.

    Grand Elder Xuan also became silent and decided not to say anything.

    The future ahead was unpredictable, but most of the oues were not in favor of their Sect.

    After a few minutes, the gates of the Grand Meeting Hall were pushed open as an elder hurried inside and announced, "n Head Kang Ximin and six more people from the Kang n have arrived in the sect."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and said, "Escort them here with all the respect."

    The Elder nodded and left.

    Sect Leader Su then gazed from one side of the hall to the other before saying, "Fate always ces its game at unexpected times. Who knew the idental death of a disciple would lead to such a situation. Even though everyone here is very sensible, I will still request you not to antagonize our guests."

    Everyone nodded their head in agreement, and after a few more minutes, the gate of the hall was once again opened.

    And the person who stepped inside first was none other than the n Head of the Kang CLan, Kang Ximin.

    The meeting was now about to begin.

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you have forgotten about the Heaven Oracle Sect, give the synopsis a read. </em>

    <em>Also, if you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments so I can correct them. ty</em>

 Chapter 182 - The Meeting (I)

    <strong>Some readers found thest chapter to have the wrong content. Please clear the app cache and reopen that chapter.</strong>

    Sect Leader Su stood up from his seat, and so did everyone else.

    "Wee to my humble Sect, Brother Kang." He spoke.

    Kang Ximin nodded his head, and without beating any bush, he came direct to the topic, "Where''s my son?"

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips and let out a deep breath, "Brother Kang, Nephew Bai sacrificed himself. He gave up his life so he could save other disciples'' lives. He sacrificed himself for the sect."

    Kang Ximin shook his head, "Do you really think I will believe this bullshit story? Sacrificed himself for the sect? That''s straight-up nonsense."

    "How long has my son been part of this sect? Let me tell you - three years!"

    "My son was here for three years, he worked harder than anyone else, but his cultivation speed wascking. And what did the sect do? Did you people help him? Did any one of you in this hall give him cultivation resources? Any one of you could have easily promoted him to be an Inner Court sect, but did you? And you say he became so loyal to the sect that he even sacrificed his life for it? Give me one reason to believe your story."

    Sect Leader Su replied, "Brother Kang, I understand your anger - "

    "You don''t understand shit!" Kang Ximin almost shouted, "What do you know about losing a son? As far as I know, you are just a hedonistic hormone-filled horny excuse of a human! I have heard you have your spawns in every city that you have ever visited. And you have never even met any of them. And you say you understand? You understand nothing. My son lost his life, goddammit! If you don''t give me an exnation, you will be the one to take responsibility for the consequences."

    Sect Leader Su frowned at Kang Ximin''s words. He controlled his urge to shut him up by telling him the truth. But he knew it wasn''t the time yet. So he took in a deep breath and gulped the frustration.

    Then he spoke, "Brother Kang, we won''t get anything by hiding the truth from you. In fact, if there''s anyone who is responsible for what happened with nephew Bai, then we will be more eager to find this person and hand it over to you."

    Kang Ximin shook his head, "Your words amount to nothing. There''s no way an array will go at the exact time when my son was in the visiting, releasing a high-tier spirit beast. And on top of that, instead of running away, my son would choose to sacrifice his life. That''s just too many coincidences to happen at once."

    Sect Leader Su replied, "But this was exactly what had happened. You can evene with us to the sight of the incident. Even though we have cleaned the ce after investigation, you can stille with us if you think there could be any more clues left."

    Kang Ximin nodded his head, "of course I want to see that ce. And don''t you worry about cleaning that ce, we have note alone," Then, turning towards one of the members in his entourage, he continued, "We havee prepared and will leave after knowing the truth."

    EVeryone''s attention fell on the young man in the Kang n''s group at whom Kang Ximin had just turned his head.

    Finding himself at the center of attention, the young man let out a slight smile and said, "Greetings everyone, I am Qin Wentian from the Heavenly Oracle Sect."

    His words shocked everyone as many cupped their fists as a greeting, with a respectful expression on their face.

    Nodding his head, Qin Wentian said, "Everyone, we should head to the ce of the incident."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and moved from his seat.

    Soon they were all heading straight towards the Seventh Peak Underground Hall.

    While on the way, Kang Ximin said, "Sect Leader Su, we first want to visit the array mechanism room."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "As you wish, Brother Kang."

    They went through the stairway, and soon at the end, they came close to a gate.

    Grand Elder Li stepped forwards and made some hand gestures as the gate slowly opened on its own.

    This gate was simr in size to that of Ye Tian Yun''s encounter while entering the Sword Stele Hall and it opened with simr hand gestures.

    But the surprising thing was that instead ofing outside the Grand Meeting Hall, this gate had actually led them straight to a big hall.

    As everyone entered, Grand Elder Li said, "We''re now in the Seventh Peak. Let''s head to the underground Hall."

    Everyone from the Kang n was surprised that they suddenly came to a whole different peak just by walking through some stairs and passing a gate.

    And what made things interesting was the fact that there were no visible connections between the peaks except for the chain bridges due to the endless ravine between the peaks.

    However, this was not the time to ask any questions regarding this, thus everyone maintained silence while heading towards the other side of the hall.

    In the way, they encountered many disciples, most of whom were pretty shocked to see almost all the higher-ups of the sect at once.

    It even led to a minimotion as many disciples came out to see what had actually happened.

    After some time, someone recognized Kang Ximin, and soon it swept through everyone that they were here Kang Bai.

    This all happened within a few minutes of them entering the Seventh Peak, and the news was spreading like wildfire.

    After about ten or so more minutes, everyone from the Grand Meeting Hall had finally stepped in the Underground Hall where the Seventh Peak had its Inner Court Entrance Hunt just two days ago.

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, leave ament. ty

 Chapter 183 - The Meeting (II)

    ...

    After entering the underground hall, they first headed towards the array mechanism room, which was on the left of the entrance to this hall.

    This was the hall where the three elders had supervised the second round of the Inner Court Entrance Hunt which was to hunt down as many Qi Stealing Moles as possible.

    As soon as they entered, Kang Ximin turned towards the young man from earlier and said while gesturing with his hand, "Master Qin, please."

    Qin Wentian nodded his head and began to inspect the arrays, with his hands behind his back.

    They continued to inspect the mechanisms. Suddenly, his eyes stopped at a red button. With a frown, he asked, "What does this button do?"

    Sect Leader Su gulped his saliva before replying, "Itˇ­ It releases the higher tier Qi Stealing Moles."

    Qin Wentian smirked as he shrugged at Kang Ximin, who was staring at Sect Leader Su with his eyes wide open.

    "So there''s a button which can release those high-tier Qi Stealing Moles, and you''re ming it on the array going crazy!?" Kang Ximin asked, loudly.

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "That bottom is there doesn''t mean that it''s for killing our own disciples. It has its own purpose. The array did go out of control that day."

    Kang Ximin turned his head towards Qin Wentian who still had a frown on his face. However, he didn''t pursue this topic and said, "LEt''s go to the site where Kang Bai and the high tier Qi Stealing Mole fought."

    Sect Leader Su nodded and everyone headed inside the maze where the disciples had once fought the Qi Stealing Moles for their beast cores.

    After a few minutes, they had soon arrived at the ce where Ye Tian Yun had killed Kang Bai and the high tier Qi Stealing Mole.

    Just as they were about to reach the exact spot, Qin Wentian suddenly raised his hand and said, "Everyone stop!"

    Sect Leader Su turned towards him with a questioning look on his face, however, Qin Wentian didn''t reply but stared straight at the broken wall of the maze.

    He stepped forward, gesturing with his hand to everyone to remain at their position, he slowly walked towards the broken wall.

    With a deep frown on his face, he stared from one corner of the scene to the other.

    Pursing his lips he took out a piece of red clothing from his spatial ring and began to scribble some words on it.

    Behind him, everyone else was quite confused as to what was going on.

    Sect Leader Su turned towards Kang Ximin with a questioning gaze, who replied with a shrug.

    He himself was quite confused as to what is actually going on in Qin Wentian''s mind.

    On the other hand, after a few minutes, Qin Wentian suddenly stood up and began to pace around from one side to the other.

    "Impossible - how could he be here? This is just absurd." He mumbled while continuously shaking his head.

    Sect Leader Su asked with a frown, "Who?"

    Qin Wentian raised his head and replied, "No, you wouldn''t know him. Not yet. But why is his aura present here. This is just impossible. Why would hee here?"

    Sect Leader said, "Master Qin, if you tell us who you''re mumbling about, maybe we could be of any help."

    Qin Wentian pursed his lips, "Sect LEader Su, tell me, other than thepetition which happened here, who else entered this ce?"

    "No one," Sect LEader Su shook his head, "Only Kang Bai was here after he followed themotion from the high tier Qi Stealing Mole, and other than him, it was three elders and another core disciple who came to stop the Qi Stealing Mole, but they were toote."

    Qin Wentian frowned at the reply, "Who was this core disciple?"

    "This core disciple goes by the name Yuan Shuchun."

    "What is his cultivation realm?" Qin Wentian asked.

    "Yuan Shuchun is in Qi Stabilization Realm, but it''s a she, not he."

    Qin Wentian frowned as he heard thest words from Sect LEader Su, "A girlˇ­ that''s impossible... "

    He then began to search for more clues and after a few minutes, shook his head and returned to the group.

    "n Head Kang, the Gracious Sword Sect is not at fault here, it was Kang Bai''s own sacrifice that led to this incident."

    Everyone was surprised at Qin Wentian''s judgment. Many wanted to ask how he came to this conclusion, but they didn''t dare to.

    After all, Qin Wentian represented the Heaven Oracle Sect. And no one questions the Heaven Oracle Sect''s words.

    Kang Ximin tightly closed his eyes and pursed his lips. After a few moments, he let out a deep breath and said, "Well, since Master Qin has said it, I have no other choice but to believe in the Gracious Sword Sect."

    He then turned towards Sect Leader Su and said, "Brother Su, I hope you can bring me everything that my son has left behind. I would like to take his things back and give him a proper funeral in the n."

    Sect Leader Su nodded with a serious expression and replied, "Yes, Brother Kang, all of nephew Bai''s belongings are kept carefully with the sect. I will get them for you."

    He then gestured to a Core Elder with his hand who then brought out a spatial ring and handed it over to Kang Ximin.

    Kang Ximin clenched the ring in his fist and took a deep breath.

    A few minutester, the Kang n entourage was heading out of the sect.

    The higher-ups of the Gracious sword Sect stared at their back as they left the sect.

    Grand Elder Xuan has a big smile on his face.

    When Kang Ximin announced the presence of Qin Wentian from the Heaven Oracle Sect, Grand Elder Xuan had be quite nervous because he knew that there was a huge possibility that the truth mighte out and Yuan Shuchun might get into trouble.

    Fortunately for him, this meeting turned out to be quite short and went without any major hups.

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Grand Elder Xuan heard, "Wasn''t this meeting supposed to decide the future of this Kingdomˇ­ why do I feel I was expecting too much?"

 Chapter 184 - "Kang Bai Was Murdered."

    "Wasn''t this meeting supposed to decide the future of this Kingdomˇ­ why do I feel I was expecting too much?"

    It was Sect Leader Su who had said this.

    Everyone nodded their heads when they heard his words.

    They, too, had expected something big to happen, but Master Qin abruptly gave his judgement and avoided the whole drama from ever happening.

    "Maybe it was because of Master Qin that we arrived at the truth?" Grand Elder Xuan remarked, "After all, if Master Qin wasn''t present at the scene, Kang Ximin wouldn''t have believed anything we said. But since Master Qin was the one who verified the truth, and adding the fact that he is from the Heaven Oracle Sect, I think Kang Ximin had no other choice but to believe the truth."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Yeah, this could beˇ­ but I still don''t understandˇ­ Did Kang Bai really sacrifice himself for the sect? He owed nothing to the sect. Why would he do that?"

    Grand Elder Xuan waved his hand, "Ah, don''t think too much about this. Kang Bai was a good soul; we shouldn''t doubt his sacrifice, but instead, glorify him so he can be an inspiration to all our disciples, be it the current or those who will join us in the future."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, and seeing that the Kang n''s entourage had disappeared from the sight, he began to turn around and head back to the first peak.

    Just then.

    "I don''t think today''s meeting was as simple as it looked."

    As everyone heard those words, they turned towards the source and found it was Grand Elder Li, who had a deep frown on his face.

    He continued, "When Qin Wentian arrived, he was calm and rxed. He was neutral. But when we reached the site of the incident, he suddenly became impatient and wanted to leave as soon as possible."

    After taking a slight pause, he further added, "I feel like there''s a bigger troubleing our way, something more troublesome than the civil war in this kingdom."

    Sect Leader asked, "What do you mean, Grand Elder Li? I do agree with the fact that Qin Wentian was acting weird, butˇ­ isn''t that how everyone from Heaven Oracle Sect is?"

    Grand Elder Li shook his head, "No, that''s not what I meant. It seemed like Qin Wentian came here to find one thing, but he got something else. And this something was so important that he decided to ignore his main objective."

    "Don''t you remember how he suddenly made everyone halt and began to look for something around every corner?"

    Grand Elder Xuan shrugged, "Wasn''t he looking for clues regarding Kang Bai?"

    "No, he was not," Grand Elder Li shook his head, "I can''t believe none of you noticed anything odd about that guy''s behaviour. Qin Wentian came here to find clues regarding Kang Bai''s death, but he found clues of someone else."

    "He clearly said something along the lines, ''How could it be possible for him to be here?'', Who was this ''he'' that Qin Wentian was referring to?"

    None of the Elders present at the scene had any clues regarding this.

    Sect Leader Su opened his eyes wide open as something dawned on him, "Doesn''t that mean if the person whose presence this Qin Wentian found was actually an enemy, then there would be a big chance that our Sect might get embroiled in this sh?"

    Grand Elder Li nodded his head, "Exactly, that''s what I want to say. You see, the person whose presence Qin Wentian found was certainly an important figure. Because for someone from Heaven Oracle Sect to lose their cool at the mere chance of this person''s presence, this person certainly has a huge background."

    Grand Elder Xuan asked with a frown, "Then who could it be? And he also specifically mentioned that this person was a male because he rejected the possibility of this person being Yuan Shuchun."

    Grand Elder Li nodded, "Yes, and this also means that there''s a high chance that Qin Wentian lied to everyone and gave a false judgement, just so he could leave at the earliest from this ce."

    "He lied?" Elder Tu, who had been silent all along asked, "Grand Elder, how did youe to this conclusion?"

    "There were only four people who ever went to that ce, two elders, one core disciple, and the victim, Kang Bai. No clue showed that someone else was also present at the scene, but Qin Wentian''s words confirmed that this was not the case. There was a fifth person. Someone with very high cultivation and a huge background."

    "What I think is, this person was easily able to kill the high-tier Qi Stealing Mole, and Kang Bai must have witnessed this scene. So that person silenced Kang Bai." Everyone froze hearing Grand Elder Li''s words.

    Even Sect Leader Su was tongue-tied after hearing this far-fetched but highly possible theory.

    "Grand Elderˇ­ thisˇ­ isn''t this a bit too far-fetched? You know, this person could have been in that ce before that incident took ce? We may never know."

    Grand Elder Li shook his head, "No, that person was present at the scene, because if he wasn''t, the Qi Stealing Mole''s self explosion could have wiped out his lingering aura, but yet it remained. This means that this unknown person was present at the scene even after the incident."

    "And ever since the elders arrived at the scene, there has always been someone keeping an eye on the site, so there''s no way this person could havee toote after the incident."

    "So the only opening is between the incident happening and the elders and Yuan Shuchun arriving at the scene."

    "And from the importance that Qin Wentian put on this person, clearly showed that this person had the power to stop Kang Bai''s death. But he didn''t."

    "This means that Kang Bai was most probably murdered by this person to keep things under the radar."

 Chapter 185 - Kang Ximins Decision

    Grand Elder Xuan frowned at Grand Elder Li''s words and stated his opinion, "Grand Elder, what if this person came there after hearing themotion but left just before the elders'' arrival?"

    "As you said earlier, this person must have had a huge background. And for him to kill a mere disciple just to hide his presence seems unnecessary. I don''t think someone would be so ruthless as to kill a person without any reason. He could have just given some benefits to Kang Bai, and this matter would have closed down."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "This could also be a possibility. Unfortunately, we can never know and only judge this as the worst possible scenario. I will try to see if we can find any clues regarding this person''s identity. If we can, that would help us judge whether he''s an enemy or a friend of the Heaven Oracle Sect."

    "If he''s a friend, it may benefit us in the future, but if he''s an enemy, we might be facing big trouble soon."

    "And as for the case of Kang Bai, we will still do our own investigation. Even though Kang Ximin agreed to Master Qin''s verdict, he wasn''t satisfied with it. I am pretty sure they must have also noticed the weird change in Master Qin''s behaviour. This may make them go against their words."

    "Nah," Grand Elder Xuan shook his head, "Kang n will need lots of guts to go against Heaven Oracle Sect''s verdict. No matter how much-hidden power this n has, they don''t amount to anything in front of a peak power from the Middle Heavens."

    Grand Elder Li nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, whatever may be the case, the Kang n can only hold a grudge over this matter. They won''t dare to do anything rash. At least not for the next few years."

    Sect Leader Su once again stared at the direction in which the Kang n''s people had left and said, "Few years of time is what we currently need. The sect faction will be much more powerful and united by the time the war begins."

    Everyone nodded their head and returned back to the sect.

    ˇ­

    Gracious Mountain Range

    The Kang n entourage was currently heading out of the forest, but most of their faces were gloomy.

    They weren''t happy with what had happened.

    Everyone had thought of many possibilities of how the meeting would go, but contrary to their expectations, it didn''t evenst for half an hour and the verdict was given.

    The Elder who had called Qin Wentian from the Heaven Oracle Sect was the one with the most gloomy expression. He had thought that this Master Qin would reveal the farce that the Gracious Sword Sect was trying to make and tell everyone the truth regarding Kang Bai''s death.

    Instead, what they got was a result that had no validity, and they had no choice but to swallow it.

    After about ten minutes since entering the forest, everyone came to a halt and turned towards Qin Wentian, who then cupped his fists and said, "Elders, I will take my leave from here."

    The Kang n''s people cupped their fists but just as Qin Wentian took the first step, he turned around and said, "n Head Kang, today''s result may not be to your liking, but it was the truth."

    Kang Ximin nodded his head with a sigh as they watched Qin Wentian disappear behind the trees.

    After a few moments, Elder Kai said, "That was bullshit! This Master Qin got distracted into something else when we all reached the site. He''s clearly trying to hide something."

    Kang Ximin lightly closed his eyes and nodded, "But what can we do? Do we have any other choice? This matter, the Kang n will remember."

    Elder Kai asked, "Why can''t we do anything? Let''s beat the shit out of this bastard and make him spit the truth! We will just kil-"

    "NO!" Kang Ximin suddenly shouted, "No, don''t say it! Keep your mouth shut. We can''t do anything. At least not yet. We can''t hurt Qin Wentian, nor can we do anything to him. The Heaven Oracle Sect is too powerful for us to go against head-on."

    "Then we just have to swallow this incident, n Head?" One of the other members spoke.

    "No, no, we don''t. Let''s change our destination. I want to visit Fang n first. It''s been a long time since I saw Fang Yuan."

    "But n Head, if we visit Fang n just aftering out of the Gracious Sword Sect, isn''t that equal to announcing to everyone that we have now joined the n Faction? And even if this is not our intention, you should know what kind of person Prime Minister Fang is. He will definitely me some rumors regarding this matter and create trouble for us."

    Kang Ximin nodded, "Yeah, this is also true. That bastard is even more untrustworthy than the Gracious Sword Sect. We can''t visit openly. I will go alone. You guys get back to the n."

    "But n Head - "

    "No buts, just go. I won''t stay in the Fang n for long. I just need to have a small chat with Fang Yuan. Now go."

    ˇ­

    Purple Lake Town, Eastern Border of Gracious Mountain Range.

    This was a small town at the outskirts of the mountain range and one of the most bustling ces because it was also one of the four direct ways to visit the Gracious Sword Sect.

    And in this town, the Blue Spring Tavern was one of the most famous and luxurious buildings.

    However, contrary to the bustling environment outside, the current mood here was very solemn and depressing.

    There were only three customers in this tavern, and the whole tavern was currently serving them.

    The waiters and maids were standing on their heels, their hands trembling from uncertain fear.

    The three customers sitting on the table at the center had the opposite expression - they seemed quite jovial; however, there was an unmistakable mark of arrogance written all over their faces.

    Just then, as one of these young men finished a ss of vine, he asked, "How long will it take Senior Brother Qin Wentian to return? I don''t want to stay anymore in this shitty ce."

 Chapter 186 - Qin Wentians Restlessness!

    "How long will it take Senior Brother Qin Wentian to return? I don''t want to stay anymore in this shitty ce."

    "He will be back soon," One of the other two young men replied, "Do you really think he''s interested in staying here for long?"

    "Of course he''s not, but why''s he even interfering with things here? There was no need to go to this backwater sect." The first guy remarked.

    The other two nodded their heads as one of them said, "Well, I do agree on this part. Staying here any longer just makes me feel sick. Not to forget that there was basically no need to be a good samaritan. After all, Senior Brother wasn''t going to get any rewards from these poor peasants."

    As he finished, thest person who had been silent all this time opened his mouth and said, "Both you are acting like arrogant young masters. I don''t understand why the Sect sent you two with us."

    "Dare to say this again!?" One of the earlier guys almost shouted as he stood up from his seat. The atmosphere at the table had taken a sudden turn.

    The third guy rolled his eyes when he saw the two in front of him get infuriated over his words, "I can say this a hundred times - both of you are just a fucking burden. But even then, you''re still a part of the Heaven Oracle Sect, so let me give you a little warning - Don''t bitch about Senior Brother Qin''s decision. He can do whatever he wants. You don''t get to question his decisions. Just finish your meal and get the hell out of here."

    Just as the other two were about to snarl at him, the tavern''s gates were pushed open.

    Everyone''s head turned towards the gate. A young man entered the hall.

    The three at the table stood up and simultaneously greeted, "Wee back, Senior Brother Qin."

    "Hmm," Qin Wentian nodded his head and said, "You three stay here," And then he looked at the tavern owner who was standing motionless behind the desk and said, "And you, get out of this building, and take your people with you. Don''t let anyone get close to within fifty meters of this building."

    "Yes, Master." The tavern owner hurriedly shouted at the servants, "Didn''t you hear the Master''smand? Get out of here!"

    After a few minutes, only the three young men and Qin Wentian remained in the building.

    The three of them had cleaned themselves and the table by then. As Qin Wentian came close to it, he took out a piece of paper from his spatial ring and put it on the table.

    This was the same thing on which Qin Wentian had scribbled something at the site of Kang Bai''s death.

    The other three stared at the paper with confusion, and one of them asked, "Senior Brother, what happened? What''s making you so restless?"

    Qin Wentiam let out a deep breath and said, "You will know soon. First, bring me themunication talismans."

    Soon five ck orb-like things were ced on the table in some kind of formation.

    Qin Wentian took out some high-tier Qi stones and began to arrange a mini array.

    It didn''t take long for the table to lit up as the array had been sessfully set up, and after a few minutes, a bust of an elder began to materialize like a projection above the ck orbs.

    "What happened, Tian''er?" An old voice rang throughout the hall.

    "Greetings, Master." As Qin Wentian greeted the old man''s projection, the other three disciples immediately kneeled on the floor.

    "Hmm, tell me what''s so urgent? Did something go wrong in your mission?"

    "No, Master. The mission was quite sessful. However, the incident that happened while heading back is what made me disturb your cultivation."

    "Oh? Tell me everything." The old man spoke; this time his tone wasced with intrigue.

    Qin Wentian nodded his head and said, "Master, yesterday while we were heading back to the Middle Heavens after finishing the mission, I suddenly received a simple request from an old friend."

    "He told me that the young master of his n met an untimely death during an exam at a sect. The sect was iming that the death of that youngster was due to coincidence, and there was no human involvement. My friend wanted my help in verifying this im. Thus, we detoured a little bit and came here to this sect to inspect."

    "About an hour ago, I went to that sect to assess the situation. I was told that this youngster had lost his life while trying to stop a high-tier spirit beast. However, this story seemed too good to be true. It even made me suspicious towards the Sect."

    "Later, I noticed that there had been few changes in the array system which was ced to entrap the high-tier spirit beasts - clearly, someone had messed up with the array mechanism. My suspicions were turning out to be true, but to confirm onest time, I asked the Sect Leader to take me to the location where the incident had taken ce."

    "After we reached the site, to my surprise and shock, I found something that just shouldn''t be possible to exist in this ce. It made me so shocked that I almost lost my cool. My mind became distracted. I closed the case in a hurry and came back here straight to summon you as soon as I can."

    "Oh? What was it that you found?" The old man frowned.

    Qin Wentian took a deep breath and said something which shocked everyone present at the scene, "Master, I have found traces of Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun!"

    ...

    <em>A/n: Guys, I want to give you advance notice regarding mass release on the 31st of this month. I am still stockpiling chapters and the expected number of chapters for the mass release should be about 8-10 (this is my target haha) *fingers crossed*</em>

 Chapter 187 - The Discussion Between Master And Disciple

    Qin Wentian took a deep breath and said, "Master, I have found traces of Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun!"

    The hall suddenly turned silent as even the breathing of the other three in the room came to a halt.

    The old man in the projection had his eyes wide open in shock as he shouted, "Impossible!"

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun can''t be there. Maybe this was just a coincidence, nothing else," The old man continued to deny the possibility.

    Qin Wentian shook his head, "No master, I confirmed it," He then raised the piece of paper from the table and showed him to the old man, while saying, "Master, see these, the traces and signs match exactly to that of Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, there''s no way his aura can be hidden from the Heaven''s Will."

    The old man pursed his lips as he heard Qin Wentian''s response, "This is just too absurd. Everyone knows that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is under an important seclusion. His butler confirmed this himself. How is it possible that the Prince suddenly appeared in the Lower Heavens?"

    Qin Wentian nodded his head, "Yes master, and the weirdest part is the ce where I found Crown Prince''s aura. It was not a public ce after all. So, I can''t think of any reason why the Crown Prince woulde here."

    The old man narrowed his eyes and said, "Did you only find the aura in just one ce?"

    Qin Wentian replied, "Yes master, this is also one of the things that puzzled me. How is it possible that Crown Prince''s aura was only present at the specific site but not anywhere else? Can this be even possible? Did he somehow manage to teleport himself to that ce? But why would he do that? Just to kill a high-tier spirit beast and a disciple? There are too many unanswered questions here."

    The old man scratched his long beard as he fell in contemtion. Qin Wentian didn''t speak anything, lest he disturbed his master''s thoughts.

    The situation was indeed quite puzzling.

    First of all, it was the presence of the person with the highest talent and the most powerful background, Crown Prince of the Great Ye Empire, Ye Tian Yun, to be in this backwater sect''s dungeon.

    And then, the mystery behind this presence being at only one ce in the whole sect.

    Last of all, was the unknown reasons for which the Crown Prince hade here.

    After a few minutes of silence, the old man said, "I can''t think of any more profound reasons, but I highly suspect that this whole situation has a bigger motive. We need to clear this mystery as soon as possible. I will visit the Imperial City right now to confirm Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun''s presence.

    If Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is in the Imperial City, then it means all this was just a coincidence, but if he''s not, then you must stay in the Lower Heavens for some more time and get to the bottom of this situation."

    Qin Wentian cupped his fists and said, "As you wish, Master."

    The old man nodded his head in approval and continued, "Try not to be too open about this situation. Keep a low profile. We can''t let anyone else know of this matter. It will only bring us more disadvantages."

    Qin Wentian frowned slightly and asked, "Master, I don''t have any issue with staying here for longer and investigating the current situation but, I want to ask, is it imperative for us to keep track of Crown Prince''s doings?"

    The old man nodded with a serious expression on his face, "Yes, it is important. Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun will most likely be the one to summon the Throne and crown himself as the Heavenly Emperor."

    Qin Wentian frowned as he heard those words, "But Master, Crown Prince is only ''most likely'', his seeding the Throne is not confirmed yet, why do we need to put him at such a high pedestal?"

    The old man smiled and replied, "I like it that you aren''t jealous of the Crown Prince, but instead, it''s your curiosity that''s making you ask so many questions. Let me tell you one thing; it is confirmed that Heavenly Emperor will appear in this generation, be it Crown Prince Ye or anyone else."

    "However, the reason why we are paying so much attention to Crown Prince Ye is that all the signs are pointing at him to be the one who will rule the heavens. There''s not even a single blemish in his path, and it''s crystal clear. This is what makes us old fogies believe in the Crown Prince."

    "And don''t forget that whatever we do, we''re doing this for the sect''s future. If by any chance, we''re able to help the one who will one day be the Heavenly Emperor, I see it as a great investment."

    Qin Wentian asked one more question, "Master, what if, by any chance, Crown Prince Ye fails to be the Heavenly Emperor? What if someone else summons the Throne? Won''t that make all our hard work go to waste? In my opinion, we should stay neutral in this conquest."

    The old man in the projection had an even bigger smile this time as he said, "Tian''er, don''t worry about anyone else bing the Heavenly Emperor. The Sect is paying special attention to the Crown Prince, but it doesn''t mean that it''s ignoring other prodigies in the Middle Heavens."

    "We''re keeping track of any youngster in the Middle Heavens who shows talent and skills which can give the slightest sign that they might one day get into the race for the Throne."

    Qin Wentian asked, "Then Master, what about the Lower Heavens? Are we not going to focus here?"

    The old man suddenlyughed out loud, "Ha-ha-ha, Tian''er are you trying to make a joke? Youngsters of the Lower Heavens will have to first get to the Middle Heavens before even thinking about vying for the Throne. And I don''t think there exists anyone in this ce who has the slightest chance of bing the Heavenly Emperor."

    ˇ­

    Hundreds of miles away, in Crimson City.

    In a huge mansion with a huge word ''Wang'' written in exquisite design, a youngster suddenly sneezed while drinking wine.

    "Who the fuck is talking bad about this young master!"

 Chapter 188 - The Discussion Between Master And Disciple (II)

    The tavern in the Purple Lake Town was covered with deep silence.

    The projections of the old man at the center of the hall let out a sigh, "Tian''er, you stay in Lower Heavens for some time. It will take me a few days before I can confirm if Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is in his mansion or not. Meanwhile, you should go to this sect and do thorough research. But don''t let the news of your presence get out of the sect."

    Qin Wentian asked with a frown, "Should we go in disguise, Master?"

    The old man shook his head while replying, "No need for that, no one can recognize you anyway. By now, I think the higher-ups should know who you are, so going in disguise will only be a waste of effort. It would be better if you go and start investigating the situation, just tell those people to keep their mouth shut, or else they will face big trouble."

    Qin Wentian nodded his head in affirmation.

    The old man continued, "Also, don''t tell them about your objective. Just use the excuse of that kid who died, tell them you are here to investigate the situation."

    Seeing Qin Wentian nodded his head again, the Old man turned his head and nced at the other three disciples in the hall for the first time ever since he appeared.

    The three disciples were still kneeling, but seeing them, only a frown appeared on the Old Man''s face.

    "Ji Yi, don''t create trouble for your Senior Brother, stay with him and help him with the situation."

    All three of them replied, "Yes, Grand Elder."

    The old man''s frown deepened, this time annoyance could be perceived from his tone, "I was only talking to Ji Yi, why are both of you shouting? Did I call you two?" He was staring at the two disciples who had shown arrogance earlier while having their meal.

    The two disciples kneeled even more, almost as if they wereying on the floor, and simultaneously said, "I apologize, Grand Elder."

    "Hmph! Both of youe back to the sect. Don''t stay any longer in the Lower Heavens. With your arrogance, I am sure you will only cause trouble and hindrance in Tian''er''s investigation. Juste back. And let me give you a warning - don''t you dare to mention anything that happened in this meeting to anyone. Don''t even discuss between each other."

    "As youmand, Grand Elder." Both of the disciples immediately cupped their fists while still kneeling.

    The old man nodded his head and turned towards Qin Wentian, "Tian''er, I will take my leave for now. Arrange this array again after two days. For now, take Ji Yi with you to that sect, investigate that ce, and collect any possible clues regarding Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    "Yes, Master."

    The old man nodded and in the next instant, the projection was dissipated.

    Qin Wentian let out a deep breath and fell in a thought.

    Ji Yi, the disciple who was told to remain with him, stood up and said, "Senior Brother Qin, what is it that''s troubling you? Don''t tell me you''re intimidated by Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun''s presence, haha?"

    Qin Wentian let out a smallugh and replied, "Nah Kiddo, it''s not that I am intimidated, the truth is, I am quite confused with the situation. This Prince''s aura appeared at such a weird ce, and that too for seemingly no reason - my confusion is definitely reasonable."

    Ji Yi shook his head, "Senior Brother, I don''t think someone with a huge background woulde here of all ces for no reason. There must be something that we are not seeing. Maybe there''s someone or something in the sect that could y a huge role in theing future?"

    Qin Wentian nodded his head, "Could be."

    Taking a seat at the table, he then looked at the other two disciples who had stood up from kneeling and here stretching their body, to get rid of the fatigue.

    Sensing someone''s gaze, both of them looked up and found Qin Wentian staring at them.

    Qin Wentian pursed his lips and after a few moments of silence, he said, "Junior brothers, you should head back to the sect. Since Master hasmanded, I can''t keep you here anymore."

    Both of the disciple''s faces suddenly turned bright as they happily nodded and one of them said, "We will leave right now, Senior Brother, take care."

    Qin Wentian raised his eyebrows in surprise as he saw the two disciples act like they had been freed from prison and were going to live a luxurious life forever.

    After a few minutes, both of the disciples had left the tavern. The people standing outside the tavern were surprised to see them suddenly leave.

    Before the tavern owner could say anything, those two had already run away from the scene, clearly in a hurry to get back to the Middle Heavens.

    The tavern owner could only sigh at his luck and wait outside in silence.

    Inside the tavern, Ji Yi almost facepalmed seeing the actions of those two disciples.

    He then looked at Qin Wentian and asked, "I still don''t understand why you had to bring these two for the mission? Well, never mind, who cares? The important question is, when should we head for the sect?"

    Qin Wentian let out a slightugh and suddenly pulled Ji Yi''s hand, making him fall straight on hisp!

    His sudden actions startled Ji Yi, who got flustered and tried to stand up but was pushed back on thep by Qin Wentian.

    Letting out a slight smirk, he then gently rubbed the lips of Ji Yi with his thumb and said, "What''s the hurry to get to that sect? We don''t get much time alone, we should treasure this opportunity."

    Ji Yi frowned, "What if someonees in? What will people say when they see a young man sitting on yourp and you caressing his face with your hands?"

    Qin Wentian rolled his eyes, "You? Young man? I don''t understand why you want to remain in this disguise? You like acting like a boy or what?"

 Chapter 189 - Heaven Oracle Sects Puppet

    Heaven Oracle Sect, Middle Heavens.

    This was one of the most well-known and prestigious ces. It was said that this sect was the ears and eyes of the future.

    And on this bustling day, the atmosphere in one of its halls was quite gloomy.

    Just a few minutes ago, there was a projection of four disciples, one of them had given the information regarding Crown Prince of the Great Ye Empire, Ye Tian Yun.

    Currently, the old man who had attended the call had a severe expression on his face as he thought about the variables that had appeared from the report that he had just received from one of his best disciples, Qin Wentian.

    After a few moments of silence, the old man suddenly said, "Do you guys have any guess what Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is doing in the Lower Heavens?"

    As he finished his words, he raised his head and stared to his right. Surprisingly, there were two more old men sitting silently in this hall, and from their expression, it was easy to tell that they had witnessed the whole meeting that had just happened between the Master and the disciple.

    One of the old men, let out a deep breath and said, "Let''s note to conclusions that Ye tian Yun is in the Lower Heavens. I feel like there''s more to this situation, maybe this is a trap to distract us? After all, whatever just happened was too coincidental."

    "What are the chances of our sect disciple to get a sudden call from an old friend, and when he visits this old friend, he finds the presence of someone with the biggest possible background in the Middle Heavens? I feel like it''s just a little trick by our rivals to remove our focus from the real issues."

    Qin Wentian''s master shook his head, "Brother Shu, I know this sounds very coincidental and questionable, but that piece of paper won''t lie, you should know very well."

    The old man from before pursed his lips and said, "I know, who am I kidding? Sigh, this situation is too weird. I even feel like we''re just giving it too much attention, but at the same time, there''s also a feeling that is trying to tell me that this incident is quite important and we must focus on Ye Tian Yun''s whereabouts."

    Qin Wentian''s Master nodded his head and said, "Yes. this is what I am afraid of, I am also getting the same weird hunch as yours, it''s just I don''t understand if we should ignore this incident or give attention to it."

    Just then the third old man, who had been silent till now, gestured with his hand and said, "You two, don''t forget the reason why Ye Tian Yun is important. We must keep track of all his moves and always have someone keeping an eye on his whereabouts."

    "In fact, we''re already doing this," The old man paused for a brief moment before continuing, "Yet Ye Tian Yun was able to get to the Lower Heavens, and we didn''t even get a hint. If not for today''s incident, we may have never gotten the knowledge of this."

    Qin Wentian''s master nodded his head and said, "Yes, Brother Ping, I can''t fathom what game Heaven''s Will is trying to y here. It let us know about Ye Tian Yun''s hidden n, it''s wanting us to dig more into this, I am just not sure if this is what it wants."

    Old man Ping nodded his head and said, "I think we should dig deeper into this, Ye Tian Yun is too important for us. If he''s trying to do anything in secret, we must know. Or if it was just a coincidence and Ye Tian Yun is still in the Middle Heavens, then I don''t think we''re losing anything here."

    The other old man with the surname Shu also nodded his head and said, "Yes I also support this call, we should dig deeper."

    Qin Wentian''s Master pursed his lips and replied, "Since both of you have agreed, I don''t think there''s any reason for me to say no. I will get to know what''s going on in the Crown Prince''s mansion at the earliest, and then we will have Qin Wentian find out more clues regarding Ye Tian Yun''s ns."

    "If he fails to find out anything, we will just use Heaven''s Fortune Spell and get some clues."

    "Yes," Old man ping agreed, "Ye Tian Yun is important for us. He''s the face that we have given to the world and made him the focal point so that the real Heavenly Emperor can focus on his growth."

    Qin Wentian''s Master nodded his head, "Indeed, we must keep Ye Tian Yun in the limelight as much as possible. Heavenly King Wang from the previous generation will soon return back to the Middle Heavens, that will be the day when the battle for the Throne of the Heavensmences."

    Old man Ping smirked, "Yes, there''s still time for that day toe. It''s best to put the heat on someone else, and there''s no perfect target other than Ye Tian Yun."

    "With his talent and background, who wouldn''t believe that he can be the next Heavenly Emperor? Haha!"

    Qin Wentian''s Master nodded his head, "Yes, we just need to keep on glorifying him as much as we can. But before that, we must keep track of all his actions."

    "He''s in the Lower Heavens, and there''s a high chance that he mighte across future Heavenly Kings, that will create too many variables for us."

    "Therefore, if he''s indeed in the Lower Heavens, we must find a way to get him back to the Middle Heavens, away from the chaos that is about to begin in the Lower Heavens."

    "After all, Ye Tian Yun is the face of our Heaven Oracle Sect. Or in other words, the Puppet of our Heaven Oracle Sect, ha-ha."

    Loudughter echoed throughout the hall, as their most explosive secret discussion came to an end.

 Chapter 190 - A Crazy Idea

    *cough*

    *cough*

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly woke up and began to cough up violently.

    After a few minutes, his breathing began rapidly as he felt the clot in his throat disappear.

    He looked around after he calmed himself, ''Where am I? Fuck! Where''s my cultivation!?''

    Just as he asked a question to himself, his mind shed with memories of something regarding Sword Stele, then him trying to do acupuncture and making himself a mortal, and finally losing consciousness after sudden release of his Sword Domain.

    Ye tian Yun then looked at the ground and picked up his sword. Taking a deep breath, Ye TIan Yun began to move the sword in the air with random sword moves.

    With every passing move, he began to increase his speed and tried to release Sword intent.

    But to his surprise, he couldn''t even sense his Sword intent!

    He immediately stopped and calmed himself, and then tried again.

    This time too, there was no Sword in, much less a Sword Domain

    He frowned at what was happening, he had no idea what was going on, but he did knew who could give him the answers.

    ''System, what''s going on with my Sword Intent?''

    [Host, it''s the System''s doing. A while ago, when you tried to release your Sword Domain, you suddenly lost your control over it and ended up overwhelmed by the sudden influx of Sword Intent.]

    [To save your life and to prevent others from finding out about your secret, System had no other choice but to once again interfere and subdue your sword domain.]

    [System has put a cap over theSword intent, thus temporarily locking it within your body. Release it again, will only give the same results, and you would once again lose your consciousness. This time you might not be as lucky as your earlier attempts, and someone might find out about your Sword Intent.]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned while asking, "But didn''t you say no one will be able to sense my Sword Domain? Why are you saying it''s otherwise now?"

    [System did say that there''s a high chance nonoe else will sense your sword Domain, however, it failed to correctly guess the intensity of your Sword Domain. THe intensity was so much at it overpowered the arrays surrounding this room and the sWord Domain went beyond this hall]

    "Oh? Then did someone sense it?"

    [Sext Leader Su might have sensed your Sword Domain, however he wasn''t able to pinpoint the direction of the source of this aura, thus there''s nothing to worry about, at least for now.]

    YeTian Yun nodded his head and asked, "THen what should we do? If my Sword Intent remains locked, doesn''t that mean I won''t be able to practice Sword In? How will I work on my Sword Domain if that remains to be the case?"

    [Host, you will have to solve the problem of your Sword Domain going berserk, before you start practice Sword moves.]

    Ye tian Yun shrugged his shoulders, "How can I solve it? AS far as I know, me losing control over Sword Domain is mainly because I am trying to bite more than what I could. You should know, I have very low cultivation, and in my cultivation realm, controlling over Sword Domain is just too much from my physical capacity. I am not getting any idea on what we should do."

    [Host, System will advise you to focus on the nature of your Sword intent, that might help.]

    ''Nature of the Sword Domain? Hmm, isn''t the nature of my Sword Domain, Killing Intent?''

    [Yes, Host. It is indeed Killing Sword In that''s makes the basis of your Sword Domain]

    ''Hmm, how do I work on that? Killing Intent is something thates as a natural progress. Unlike Sword intent, it can''t be cultivated anytime, to increase and cultivate Killing Intent, one must kill.''

    ''And I can''t even kill a single ant in this ce. I am alone here.''

    ''We will have to look for any other solution, let me think..''

    Ye Tian Yun sat down and began to think for possible experiments that he would do to help him increase his Sword Intent.

    Suddenly, an absurd idea shed in his mind. He got up from his ce and firmly held his sword.

    Taking a deep breath, he began to perform Sword Moves.

    This time however, he wasn''t focusing on the basic sword movies, but rather, he was performing the only Sword Technique that he had ever perfected - One Sword For All.

    This technique was already in thete stage, two more stagester, it would be at the same stage at which Ye Tian Yun had it when he was in his final battle on the Hundred Realm Refining STage, against Wang Yao.

    This Sword technique, One Sword For All, is called the jack of all trades, that is, it is one of the very best Sword Techniques, and could be used in any form of sword cultivation and in any kind of fight.

    THe best thing about this technique, is that it only has about three moves.

    When ites to Sword techniques, the moves that they have in them are not the directions on how to move the sword, but instead, it''s about how to raise the inner sense of sword.

    Thus, with only one move, One Sword For All is able to ignite the inner sense and increase the battle awareness of the cultivator to a very high degree.

    If this is not enough to increase interest of someone in this Sword Technique, another thing that this moves helps in is - cultivating Sword Intent!

    This technique is one of the best and the very few, which upon cultivating can guarantee the cultivator to reach the Sword Intent realm. Only the time taken to reach that stage might differ because that depends onprehension talent.

    This is what Ye tian Yun was after -prehending the Sword In.

    He was going to once againprehend his Sword intent and get to the Sword Domain Realm!

 Chapter 191 - A Crazy Idea (II)

    As absurd as it might sound, this is the crazy idea that Ye Tian Yun hade up with.

    In fact, this was the only way that seemed feasible right now - to cultivate Sword Intent all over again.

    And something inside made him feel that he might actually seed in doing so.

    Ye Tian Yun mainly wanted to do this because he wasn''t sure if the system''s help alone would be enough.

    After all, the Sword Domain Realm that he had reached was only due to the system''s help. There was noprehension of his own. Even his previous life''s experience wouldn''t matter, because his cultivation realm right now was too low.

    Cultivation realms define how hard something will be, especially inprehension-rted subjects.

    Everyone has a different experience of breakthrough to a new stage ofprehension, at different stages of cultivation.

    In his previous life, when Ye Tian Yun reached the Sword Domain Realm, he was already at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm. Such high cultivation made it much easier for him to control his Sword Domain.

    But this time, he had reached this stage too early in his cultivation stage. He had reached the Sword Domain realm at mere Qi Stabilization Realm.

    This was just too low and unstable to control Sword Domain, unless there was a miracle, it wouldn''t be easy to control it.

    Another thing that was different was the nature of his Sword Domain - Ye Tian Yun''s Sword Domain in his previous life was different from the one he got with the help of System in this life.

    In his previous life, Ye Tian Yun hadprehended one of the rarest Sword Domain - Lighting Sword Domain.

    However, in this life, he had received the Killing Sword Domain.

    Both very rare, and hard toprehend. This also meant both would have different levels of difficulty in terms of subduing.

    With these two factors in mind, Ye Tian Yun decided to rebuild his Sword Domain from scratch.

    What he was attempting was crazy not only because of the end result that he was hoping for but also the conditions in which he was trying toprehend Sword Intent.

    First of all, he had a low cultivation realm. This meant, even if he seeded, it wasn''t a sure fact that he would be able to control his Sword Domain.

    And another thing that was challenging was - time.

    He was in the so-called Sword Stele of the Gracious Sword Sect. Even though this was the best ce to cultivate, he was only going to be here for a month.

    After a month, he had to leave. This meant that he had to not onlyprehend a whole new concept of Sword Intent, he also had to take it to the Sword Domain Realm, and then stabilize it.

    Once this was all done, he had to also work on his cultivation realms. After all, this ce had the highest Qi density in the Sect, if not in the whole Lower Heavens. Therefore, this was the best ce to cultivate.

    Ye Tian Yun was already risking a lot by wasting his time in focusing his mind only on the Sword Intent. Though it wasn''t really a waste, after all, in the long term, it would be his Sword Intent that will help him more.

    Thest thing that was challenging was the fact that Ye Tian Yun didn''t know which nature of Sword Intent would beprehended. If he got a weak Sword Intent, it wouldn''t be worth the time that he was wasting inprehending it.

    Though regarding this, he had high hopes, because there was one thing that would give him an absolute advantage in this situation - the Chaos Qi.

    The Chaos Qi was still present in the surroundings, and since Ye Tian Yun was starting from the very basics, this meant that he was going to get a chance to integrate his Sword Intent with the Chaos Qi from the very start.

    This would make his Sword Intent a lot more potent and stronger, giving him an absolute advantage over his peers.

    If he got lucky, he might even receive something more powerful than the Killing and Lighting Sword Domains.

    Taking a deep breath, with high hopes, Ye Tian Yun continued to focus onprehending Sword Intent.

    The very first step ofprehending this fabled intent is to understand the flow of the sword - to be one with the sword.

    This meant, there should be a unique sense of naturality in the way one performs sword moves.

    It would not only make it easier to do sword attacks, the lethality and effectiveness of his attacks would also be exponentially increased.

    For Ye Tian Yun, this was the easiest step. The only reason why it was taking time was that he was in a mortal state and he himself was trying to dy it as much as he could by giving Chaos Qi more room and time to get it integrated into his meridians.

    It took him about two to three hours to finally reach the stage where he could do the moves of the One Sword For All sword technique without facing many inconsistencies.

    With every second, his flow in the moves was increasing and his sword moves were getting stable.

    The next step thatid in front of him was to work on ''sensing'' the Sword Intent inside himself.

    This is one of the direct ways toprehend the Sword Intent.

    Normally, a cultivator gets enlightened while practicing Sword andprehends the Sword Intent, but there''s another way toprehend the Sword Intent, which is to try and sense it on their own.

    But this method depends on one major thing - how close the cultivator is to the ''One with the Sword'' stage.

    The closer he gets, the easier it is to sense the Sword Intent.

    And this was what Ye Tian Yun was trying to do.

    If he is able to Sense the Sword Intent, it wouldn''t take him much time to directly jump to the Manifestation Realm of the Sword Intent!

 Chapter 192 - Comprehending Sword Intent Once Again!

    *swish!*

    Just as Ye Tian Yun practiced the first move of the One Sword For All technique, he suddenly felt as if the sword had be lighter!

    Usually, a sword would weigh a few pounds to save and increase the momentum of the sword attacks; however, at this time Ye Tian Yun suddenly felt as if the sword in his hand had turned into a peacock feather - light and long.

    But he didn''t let this bother himself and continued to practice the next sword moves - he knew that he was close to his goal.

    The feeling continued and it moved throughout his body as for the third time in his life, Ye Tian Yun felt the euphoria of being an all-powerful being.

    Ye Tian Yun had sessfullyprehended a new Sword Intent!

    And he had aplished this in mere two-three hours of time!

    One must not forget that it takes a whole lifetime for cultivators even to have hope toprehend Sword Intent.

    Here, Ye Tian Yun had aplished this within a few hours, and he did it without the presence of Qi flowing through his body!

    After two hours of utmost concentration, Ye Tian Yun entered the Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent.

    Even then, he showed no signs of stopping as he continued to practice his sword technique without giving any rest to his body.

    He already had the momentum in his practice; if he stopped or slowed down, he might lose the best opportunity to break through once more in the Sword Intent Realm!

    The next stage was the Sword Attainment Realm - one of the crucial and most challenging to reach realms in all the Stages of Sword Intent.

    One might argue that the higher we go, the harder it bes to breakthrough.

    This statement is indeed true in almost all cases; however, in the case of Sword Intent, there''s an exception.

    The Sword Attainment Realm.

    This is the second realm of the total four known realms of Sword Intent, and is the hardest to reach.

    If breaking through the Manifestation Realm ispared to climbing the highest mountain, unlocking the Sword Domain would be like circling to the moon.

    But, before that, reaching the Sword Attainment Realm would be no different thannding on the sun!

    This was how hard it was to get to the Sword Attainment Realm, and almost all the cultivators who reached the Manifestation Realm remained stuck on this realm forever.

    The cultivators who reached the Sword Attainment Realm were as rare as the phoenix''s hair, and this is what makes them very precious.

    Even in the Sect, when Yuan Shuchun learns that there''s a disciple who had reached this realm, she immediately wishes to find him and even made up her mind to cancel the banquet, which could decide her league''s future because it was a chance to recruit most of the new top disciples of the Inner Court.

    Still, Yuan Shuchin wouldn''t regret canceling the banquet because a disciple in the Sword Attainment realm of Sword Intent is too precious for anyone.

    The reason why this makes them precious other than their rarity is the fact that this realm is also called the ''genuine'' Sword Intent Realm.

    Those who have reached this realm have genuinelyprehended the Sword Intent.

    Those who are still on the Manifestation Realm are considered to be ''on-the-way'' in terms of Sword Intentprehension.

    But because it''s very rare and almost impossible to get to the Sword Attainment Realm, cultivators also put a realm before it, the Manifestation Realm, so that the cultivators have a sense of aplishment and don''t feel disheartened.

    The reason why this realm is considered to be the ''genuine'' Sword Intent Realm is because it is this realm that concludes the nature of one''s Sword Intent.

    What Ye Tian Yun was targeting was a continuous breakthrough and reaching the Sword Attainment Realm.

    However, as stated earlier, it wasn''t an everyday thing to be able to reach the Sword Attainment Realm. Thus, even though Ye Tian Yun was feeling confident in himself, he knew that it wouldn''t be easy.

    He continued to practice, each move was faster and sharper than thest one, but there was nothing that he sensed which could have helped him to know that he was getting close to reaching the second stage of Sword Intent.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t know what kind of nature would his Sword Intent have. Will it be powerful like his previous two? Or will it be just a regr one that wouldn''t be as effective as the Sword Domains that he would face in theing future?

    After all, this era was the one with the most talented geniuses. Ye Tian Yun wasn''t going to be the only person who would seed in reaching the Sword Domain Realm.

    In fact, there would be even more terrifying talents in terms of Sword Cultivation, someone would seed and reach the stage where they could be vying for the Throne of the Heavenly Emperor, but there would also be many who would die before even reaching their full potential.

    Ye Tian Yun was very well aware of this fate. In his previous life, he was lucky to have the backing of the best background in the Middle Heavens. But in this lifetime, he had left all this behind ande to the Lower Heavens on his quest for the Tokens and Emblems, which would one day decide the fate of this world.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun calmed his mind and continued to practice moves from the One Sword For All technique.

    He wanted to focus as much as he could, just so that he could increase the chances of himself achieving the rarest possible Sword Intent!

    Thus, without distracting himself, Ye Tian Yun continued to focus on his Sword Moves.

    After what felt like an eternity, Ye Tian Yun finally felt a sizzling sensation throughout his body.

    He knew that he was close to getting to the second realm!

 Chapter 193 - Nature Of The New Sword Intent?

    A sizzling sensation spread throughout Ye Tian Yun''s body as he tried to control his actions.

    The sword suddenly fell from his hands as he tried to bnce himself due to the sudden sensational feeling.

    It was as if there were thousands of needles passing through his skin, but weirdly it felt alright.

    Calming himself, Ye Tian Yun picked up his sword again and continued without wasting any time.

    He knew that the sudden loss of flow due to the abrupt sensation had, in fact, put him one step backward.

    Without thinking more about the situation, Ye Tian Yun resumed practicing his sword moves.

    This time, he was not going to lose his bnce and disrupt his focus if he were to feel the sensation once again.

    And this was what happened; after a few minutes, the sudden sizzling sensation returned once again. From the tip of his hair to his toes, Ye Tian Yun began to shake as if he had a sudden seizure.

    However, he forced himself to remain in bnce and continue to practice his sword moves.

    Thanks to his efforts, the euphoric feeling of a breakthrough once again passed over his body.

    With a wide smile on his face, he made a few final moves of the sword technique and came to a halt.

    Ye Tian Yun had broken through the Sword Attainment Realm of the Sword intent.

    If this were known to anyone outside, it would most probably shock them to death!

    After all, within a few hours, Ye Tian Yun had not onlyprehended the fabled Sword Intent, but he had also sessfully reached its second stage!

    In just about five hours, Ye Tian Yun had aplished something that an ordinary cultivator might take more than one lifetime to reach.

    After a few minutes, as his breathing calmed down a bit, Ye Tian Yun took the sword in his hand and once again began making sword moves.

    He wanted to see the nature of his Sword Intent and understand his new situation.

    However, the proud expression over his face didn''tst long as he suddenly felt something weird.

    No, to be more exact, he wasn''t sensing it!

    He wasn''t able to sense the nature of his Sword Intent!

    Without thinking anything, ye Tian Yuj began to perform his sword once again and tried to do it as fast as he could.

    He tried to regain his Sword Attainment Realm and sense the nature of his Sword Intent once again, however, it all came to a naught, as even though he felt the new level of Sword Intent, he wasn''t able to sense its nature.

    This confused him a lot, he wasn''t as panicked as he should have been. With a level-headed mind, he tried once again to release his Sword Intent.

    This time too, he felt the new level of power of the Sword Intent after breaking through the Sword Domain, but he didn''t find the answer to what he was looking for.

    Taking a deep breath, he tried again, this time too, there were no results.

    After many more tries, and releasing Sword Intent in different ways, slow, fast, instant, in parts, there was no answer to the question he was looking for.

    What was the nature of his new Sword Intent?

    Was it one of the general Sword Intents? Like Water, Fire, Earth, or Air?

    Or was it a rare type? Killing, Time, Chaos, Blood?

    Ye Tian Yun had no answer to their questions, nor did he have any way of finding the answers on his own.

    Thus, he turned to the only thing that could answer these questions. Most Probably.

    ''System, do you know the reason as to why I can''t sense my Sword Intent?''

    Ye TianYun waited for some time, however, he didn''t get any response from the system.

    ''System? You there?''

    [Host, System is trying to understand the situation, please hold on for a few more minutes]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and began to think of various possibilities on his own.

    ''What if there''s actually no nature of the Sword Intent that I have unlocked? But that would be absurd, how could that even be useful?''

    ''What if my Sword Intent''s nature is so good that it needs a higher level of Intern''s realm for me to be able to use it?''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head as he thought of various possibilities, but he couldn''t get a definitive answer which could make him nod and say that yes, this could be one of the possibilities.

    After a while, he heard the mechanical voice that he was waiting for.

    [Host, System has looked through the situation and hase to a very definitive answer.]

    ''Oh? Do tell, and don''t you ask me for any Kill Points or Fate Points!''

    [Host, System won''t ask for anything, in fact, it can''t ask you anything about it regarding things rted to your own cultivation.''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and said, "Well, leave this aside and tell me, why can''t I sense the nature of my Sword Intent? It''s just too weird. What''s your definitive answer?''

    [Host, System hase to a conclusion that it doesn''t know the answer to your question.]

    ''What?'' Ye Tian Yun was confused by this response, ''What do you mean you don''t know? Aren''t you an all-knowing being? Did the problem that I am facing never happen with anyone else?''

    [Unfortunately Host, this is the first time it has ever happened. There has never been any case, in any era or any universe, where there wasn''t nature or trait of the Sword Intent that a cultivator releases.]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''So, you''re basically saying that what I am facing has no solution? Did I receive a natureless Sword Intent? But how is that possible? And the most important question, how will that help me in my battle? With no nature, I won''t be able to know how I will be able to make use of Sword Intent in my fights.''

 Chapter 194 - Hit And Trial Method

    How will I use my Sword Intent if there''s no nature, trait, or element in it?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as this question appeared in his mind.

    There were not many things that he could do in this case; after all, all the methods there are regarding the Sword Intent are based on the assumption that there would be a certain nature of the cultivator''s Sword Intent. So, what should one do when there''s no nature?

    Never had Ye Tian Yun heard that there was a cultivator without having a nature or special trait in his Sword Intent. It just wasn''t possible. But today, Ye Tian Yun himself was standing in this situation.

    ''What if there''s actually not a big difference and the cultivation method is the same for all cases, be it with a nature or without one in the Sword Intent? Maybe he can continue his cultivation in the same way?''

    Ye Tian Yun thought of this question as he once again tried to sense the nature of his Sword Intent by performing his Sword Technique.

    With the same result as his every other try, Ye Tian Yun finally stopped moving his sword and asked, ''System, what are your thoughts on this situation?''

    [System has already stated that this case had never happened; thus, it can''t give information regarding it. And since this has never happened, the System can only say that the Host has to find his own path and search for a possible way. System will help you wherever it can.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head as he thought of trying to find any other possible ways to cultivate this new kind of Sword Intent.

    The first option that he had was cultivating this Sword Intent just like how a normal Sword Intent is cultivated.

    However, there was one problem - the very first step of this method is to sense the nature of the Sword Intent in our surroundings.

    But the Sword Intent of Ye Tian Yun had no nature, so how was he going to ''sense'' it?

    Another problem that he was facing was that sensing nature was very important because this is what makes the Sword Domain in theter stages.

    A Sword Domain is like an invisible dome with the cultivator at its center, giving absolute control over the Sword Intent''s natural trait within the dome to the cultivator.

    Supposedly, someone''s Sword Intent''s nature is Fire. When this cultivator breakthroughs into the Sword Domain realm, he will be able to form a dome around himself. And in this dome, he would have absolute control over fire - he could make it appear out of nowhere; he could make it move, and he could perform attacks, for example, a fireball attack.

    Just like that, Ye Tian Yun''s lighting element and killing intent type of Sword Domains were able to give him absolute control over these two natural traits within his domain.

    While the Lightning element gave him power over lightning itself, he had no idea how powerful his Killing Intent-based Sword Intent was; after all, he couldn''t even control it, much less use it in a battle.

    Right now, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t think of any possible way to use the first method. Thus, he had to think of something else.

    The second method that he came up with was to focus on powering up his Sword Intent rather than wasting time on thinking about the nature of the Sword Intent.

    He was secretly hoping that the raw power of Sword Intent should have significantly increased since the other advantage of having a nature in the Intent was now lost.

    As long as the raw power was high, he wouldn''t need to be worried about not having a nature or trait in his Sword Intent.

    But above all these reasons, the most important reason why he wasn''t panicking was because getting a new Sword Domain was never his aim.

    The nature of the Sword Intent would decide what kind of Sword Domain one would have; what Ye Tian Yun was looking for was having a mastery over the Sword Intent.

    Through, he was hoping for a rare nature in the Sword Intent, but that was mainly so that he could try to use it with his existing Sword Domain and increase his overall power, rather than having a new Sword Domain.

    He already had a Sword Domain; what he needed was an ability to control it.

    Thus, he began to focus on this part and got into a fighting stance.

    Ye Tian Yun was going to use his Sword Intent and gauge its power by attacking on the opposite wall.

    The basis would mostly be a guess, as he hadn''t used his first Sword Intent on the opposite wall, but he still wanted to do this so that he could know the Sword Intent''s power.

    Ready in the fighting stance, Ye Tian Yun began to slowly perform his sword technique, One Sword For All.

    He began at a low pace because he wanted to gain a stable momentum slowly and not rush in this experiment.

    After more than a few moves, Ye Tian Yun''s sword moves had significantly increased in terms of speed and sharpness.

    Tightening his grip over the sword, Ye Tian Yun increased his speed more than ever and made one of the most lethal blows of his sword technique.

    "One Ray Of Cold Light.." Ye Tian Yun let out a long, drawn-out chant as he unsheathed his sword with a loud ''ng''. The look in his eyes instantly became sharper than the sword light, "One Sword For All!"

    A loud bang was heard as the sword light spread around. It carried a fierce, raw power that exploded through the air and struck straight on the wall opposite him.

    As soon as it made contact with the hall, all Ye Tian Yun heard was a loud ''boom!''

    And before he could regain his senses, a shining light entered his eyes, instantly blinding his vision.

 Chapter 195 - Crazy Idea 2.0

    Ye Tian Yun slowly closed his eyes, and to his surprise, the blinding light was gone!

    Calming himself, he stared at the wall in front of him; however, the wall was surprisingly intact!

    Earlier, when he had shed towards it with his sword, he had clearly seen a huge cut on the wall, which led to the appearance of the blinding light ray.

    Ye Tian Yun was confused at the sudden changes in the hall - not only was the light gone, but the wall was also undamaged and intact.

    It was as if Ye Tian Yun didn''t even make his attack.

    Confused, he asked, ''System, what''s wrong with this wall? And what was that light?''

    [Host, this wall is covered with a protective array, this array is powerful enough to recover the wall as soon as there''s any harm done on it]

    ''Oh? There are arrays like this too?'' Ye Tian Yun''s frown deepened.

    The array function seemed quite simple. But in fact, it was actually much moreplicated and powerful than it looked.

    To be able to repair a broken wall was not something a simple array could do.

    ''System, what kind of array is this? It repaired the wall too fast.''

    [Host, this array is one of the very high tiered ones, it''s not yet named.]

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised to know that such a powerful array didn''t even have its own name. But the surprise didn''tst long as he remembered that everything that''s too powerful is usually unnamed.

    Removing useless thoughts, he focused on the question that was bugging him the most - what was this array doing in the Gracious Sword Sect?

    This sect wasn''t a hegemon in terms of its powers, and the average cultivation level of the disciple wasn''t also very high.

    Except for a big history, the Gracious sword Sect was an average normal sect at most. Only in the Xin Kingdom could it be said to have some influence. But in terms of the whole Lower Heavens, it would be ced among the average powers at best.

    However, this sect seemed to have more than what it should possess.

    At first, it was the Gracious Sword Technique and the Sword Itself. Then this Sword Stele Hall with such high-density Qi, and finally, the intense number of high-level arrays present in the whole sect.

    Almost everything that Ye Tian Yun had visited had an array, either big or small; they were there. And they were always running.

    But the question arises - how does an average sect in the Lower Heavens run so many arrays at once and for days non-stop?

    It would need a lot of resources to keep them running, yet it seemed like the Gracious Sword Sect was never affected.

    Ye Tian Yun had a guess for this question. But he wasn''t sure if his guess, or in clear terms, the information that he got from his informants, was legit or not.

    More than once, he had been proved wrong, and this was making him uncertain about trusting his informant''s reports.

    Even though only a few details were out of order, all of them were very essential and could have easily ruined Ye Tian Yun''s ns if not for his nning and luck.

    Keeping aside the question of how the sect was managing so many things, what bugged Ye Tian Yun most right now was that he wasn''t able to judge the power of his Sword Intent''s sh.

    Thus, he decided to attack once more on the wall.

    Once again, Ye tian Yun took a fighting stance and tightly gripped the sword in his hand.

    After a few minutes, his surroundings were once again affected as he put forward another powerful attack, straight at the wall!

    But the next thing that happened surprised Ye Tian Yun even more!

    This time his attack didn''t even scratch the wall!

    ''What? Howˇ­ did this happen?''

    ''Myst attack clearly made a big crack on the wall, but this didn''t even put a scratch? This is quite strangeˇ­''

    ''System, don''t tell me this is due to the array too?''

    [Indeed, Host, it is the array that had made your attack bearable for the wall.]

    ''How?''

    [The array is such that it will create a new one after its first wall is broken. But this new wall will actually be more sturdy and powerful than the previous version, making it harder to break.]

    ''This array is quite powerfulˇ­ but why is it hereˇ­ oh wait, that light, don''t tell me it''s to protect the source of that light?''

    [Insufficient Fate Points]

    ''So it is indeed to protect that source, hmm.''

    [...]

    ''Well, my Sword Intent is more important than this wall. Since I can''t gauge the raw strength of my Sword Attack, I only have one more method leftˇ­''

    ''I should try tobine my old and new Sword intent and use both of them to counter each other and create a much more powerful end result.''

    ''Before that, I need to get myself familiarised with the new Sword Intent.''

    ''Time to practice for a few more hours. Thest thing I want is to get cked out once again while trying to release my Sword Domain.''

    Clearing his thoughts, Ye Tian Yun once again began to practice his sword moves.

    From slow and steady to swift and sharp, Ye Tian Yun kept on increasing the intensity of his Sword moves.

    After a few hours of practicing, Ye Tian Yun felt much morefortable with his new Sword Intent.

    Catching breath, Ye Tian Yun asked, ''System, remove the caps on my old Sword Intent; it''s time to try something even crazier.''

    [Host, are you sure you want to do this? Please keep in mind that if you end up losing control over the Sword Domain once again, it might get into Sect Leader Su''s radar, and your secret might be out too soon.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded but insisted on his earlier dialogue, "System, I understand the risk, but we neither have any other way nor do we have much time, that''s why I want to try this method.''

    ''I want tobine both of my Sword Intents and make something I can control even with such low cultivation.''

 Chapter 196 - Lightning!

    ''I want tobine both of my Sword Intents and make something I can control even with such low cultivation.''

    ''System, release my Sword Intent on my signal.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and prepared himself while getting into a fighting stance.

    With the sword held tightly in both hands and one leg ahead while the other a step behind, Ye Tian Yun was ready to practice the sword moves.

    This time, however, he was going to work on the basic moves.

    After a while, with his mind fully focused on the three basic moves, he called out in his mind, ''System, now!''

    And in the next instant, Ye Tian Yun was performing the three basic moves of Sword - Lunge, Parry and Ripostle.

    He continued for a few seconds, before noticing something strange - System hadn''t released his Sword Intent!

    Frowning, he stopped the moves and asked, ''System, what''s the matter? Why didn''t you release the Sword Intent?''

    [Host, System was doing its calctions and assessing the chances of you seeding in your endeavor]

    ''Oh? So, what did you find?''

    [What you are nning is to use your nature less Sword Intent and restructure your existing Sword DOmain with its help so that you can easily control your Sword Domain Even with your low cultivation, right?]

    ''Exactly, this is what my n is, even though I don''t know what are the chances of this to work out, but I still want to try this. What do you think about this n though? Will it work?''

    [As per the System''s assessment, the chances of this working out are very low]

    ''Ah! How so?''

    [The answer is quite simple, it won''t work out because two different natures of Sword Intent just can''t work out together. There never has been such a case. Even though your new Sword Intent doesn''t have any nature, it''s still a kind of a Sword Intent, and two kinds of Sword Intents just don''t mix up.]

    ''Oh, I know about this, but I still want to take the risk and try my best. I can''t think of any other way. I can''t go ahead and cultivate a Sword Domain from my new Sword Intent because I can''t sense its nature.''

    [Host, System has an idea about this. Why don''t you recreate your older Sword Intent?]

    ''Older Sword Intent? Do you mean the one with killing nature? Orˇ­''

    [The lightning nature Sword Intent. You should try that.]

    ''Hm? But why and how? If this was even possible, we wouldn''t have struggled this much and tried to get a new Sword Domain.''

    [Host, it wasn''t possible earlier; but now, the System thinks that there''s a good chance for this to work out.]

    ''Oh? How''s that?''

    [Right now, what you have is something that''s unheard and unseen before. And everything that you have thought about it is just an assumption. Why don''t you think of it the other way? You should know that along with mastery andprehension in the Sword, the other thing that''s important to cultivate Sword Intent are your thoughts and the way of the heart.]

    ''Hmmˇ­'' Ye Tian Yun frowned and began to think about system''s words.

    However, it''s not easy to just rinse every thought we have regarding someone or something. Thus, Ye Tian Yun was not able to get to a clear-headed state on this topic.

    He asked, ''System, why don''t you help me find a direction? How should I start with my thoughts?''

    [Host, why don''t you assume your new Sword Intent to be a nk te?]

    ''A nk teˇ­ hmmˇ­'' Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and continued with his thoughts.

    ''If my new Sword Intent''s nature is like a nk teˇ­ doesn''t that give me the ability to modify and shape it into what I want? Won''t I have full control over its state and directions? Maybeˇ­ I can even give nature of my own?''

    ''But these are also just assumptionsˇ­''

    [But it''s better than just going in the wrong direction and doing something that might even have very drastic consequences. The chances of things going in the wrong direction are higher if you try to use your Killing nature Sword Intent with your newer Sword Intentˇ­ it might have the opposite reaction.]

    ''Hmmˇ­ I understand the reaction.. But how will I get the new Sword Domain from a natureless Sword Intent?'' Suddenly something dawned on Ye Tian Yun, ''Oh wait, I understand now why you suggested me to focus on the lightning nature Sword Intent from my previous life.''

    [Yes Host, it''s good that you understood my intentions]

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, ''Hmm, if I assume my Sword Intent to be like a nk state, then I can draw anything on it, I can try to make sense of a different Sword Intent. But since I have experience of only two Sword intents, I can''t only work on them.''

    ''In fact, I don''t need to send arrows in the dark and try to gather something senseless, it would be better if I can try and sense my first Sword Intent, the lightning Sword Intent.''

    ''There''s no point in trying out my killing nature Sword Intent because I already know what will happen with it. It''s better I try something that I have already controlled once and don''t have it with me right now.''

    With a goal in his mind, Ye Tian Yun began to focus on how he needed to get the lightning nature of Sword intent.

    In his previous life, Ye Tian Yun did get the lightning nature of Sword Intent, but that was like a stroke of random draw luck just like how everyone else gets it, based on hard work and talent.

    There''s no foolproof method to get a Sword Intent of a specific nature.

    But Ye Tian Yun was able to think of a way that seemed feasible and possible.

    Taking a deep breath, the first thing he needed to do was to calm his mind and focus on what he needed most right now.

    Lightning.

 Chapter 197 - Combing Hair To Create Lightning! (I)

    To sense lightning what he needed to focus on was the surroundings.

    He was currently in an underground hall - there couldn''t be the worst possible ce to try to sense the lightning element.

    But there was no choice for Ye Tian Yun, he couldn''t go out for the next one month, and if he did go, he wouldn''t be able to get back here.

    It wasn''t worth it, because stabilizing his Sword Domain wasn''t his only goal. He had one more thing to do.

    And to achieve both of these goals, this was the best ce to cultivate for Ye Tian Yun.

    Due to the already existing arrays, no one outside the hall can know what''s going on; and what and how Ye Tian Yun was cultivating and making use of his time inside this hall.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun had to try and focus on the lightning element through his surroundings.

    With a clear-headed mind, Ye Tian Yun focused on the very basics of what is needed to create lightning through his surroundings.

    But this isn''t something that a crown prince ever learns. Thus, Ye Tian Yun asked, ''System, what makes lightning, a lightning?''

    [Host, lightning is hard to understand but quite easy to make]

    [First, you need to understand what actually lightning is.]

    [As per the old records, lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbnces between storm clouds and the ground, or within the clouds themselves. Most lightning urs within the clouds.

    There''s a mysterious phenomenon called the "Sheet lightning", it describes a distant bolt that lights up an entire cloud base. Other visible bolts may appear as a bead, ribbon, or rocket lightning.

    During a storm, colliding particles of rain, ice, or snow inside storm clouds increase the imbnce between storm clouds and the ground, and often negatively charge the lower reaches of storm clouds. Objects on the ground, like steeples, trees, and the ground itself, be positively chargedˇŞcreating an imbnce that nature seeks to remedy by passing current between the two charges.

    Lightning is extremely hotˇŞa sh can heat the air around it to temperatures five times hotter than the sun''s surface. This heat causes surrounding air to rapidly expand and vibrate, which creates the pealing thunder we hear a short time after seeing a lightning sh.]

    ''Uh.. oh..'' Ye Tian Yun gave a nk expression, ''That didn''t seem hard, but, there''s no storm in this underground hall, do you have a way to create lightning? Even a small spark will do.''

    [Host, what you need to do is pretty simple.]

    [You need cold air and warm air. When they meet, the warm air goes up. It makes thunderstorm clouds! The cold air has ice crystals. The warm air has water droplets. During the storm, the droplets and crystals bump together and move apart in the air. This rubbing makes static electrical charges in the clouds.]

    ''Tell me something which I can do right now.''

    [Host, why don''t youb your hair?]

    ''Combing my hair? How will that help?''

    [Host, the logic behind this is a piece ofmon knowledge in one of the other universes]

    ''Hm? Do tell.''

    [91 Kill Points needed.]

    ''...'' Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, ''Alright, you better give me something worth knowing.''

    [91 Kill Points consumed]

    [7168 Kill Points remaining.]

    [Host, Everything we see is made up of tiny particles of matter called atoms. The atoms are made up of even smaller parts called protons, electrons and neutrons. An atom usually has the same number of protons and electrons, but sometimes electrons can be moved away from their atoms.

    If youb your hair,for example, electrons leave the atoms and molecules in your hair and travel to the sticb. Theb, covered in negatively charged electrons, bes negatively charged as well, and your hair is left with a positive charge. This "separation of charge" is the reason for the collection of effects we call static electricity.

    If two objects have different charges, they attract (or pull towards) each other. If two objects have the same charge, they repel (or push away) from each other. After you''vebed your hair, every single hair has the same positive charge. Since things with the same charge repel each other, the hairs try to move away from each other by standing up and away from all the other hairs, resulting in you having a very funny-looking hairdo!]

    ''Don''t tell me this is the reason why my hair always stood up like spikes whenever I used my lightning element?''

    [Yes, Host. This is exactly what happened. Though it didn''t affect your battle prowess, not it mattered at that time.]

    ''Ohˇ­'' Ye Tian Yun nodded and rubbed his spatial ring in the index finger with his thumb, ''Let''s see how things work out. Time tob my hair.''

    Soon, Ye Tian Yun had ab in his hand and a long upright mirror in front of him.

    Removing the buckle through his hair, Ye Tian Yun let go of his long flowing hair.

    Long hairs in men was a prettymon sight be it in the Lower Heavens or the Middle Heavens. The only reason why people kept such long hair was that they never bothered to cut them.

    And also because they looked kinda cool with their cultivator robes.

    Though the real reason was due to a very ancient custom and saying, ''Your hair and body is given by your parents, you shouldn''t damage it.''

    This saying seemed quite absurd and more of a sarcasticment.

    Because one shouldn''t forget that this is a cultivation world and here, the strong rule supreme.

    How could it not be possible to damage one''s body at all in the bloody battles and fights that a cultivator faces in his lifetime?

    In fact, if someone has a scarless body, he will be looked down upon by the other.

    To cultivators, even with high cultivation, where they can easily recover and treat themselves, the scars are like prizes from the battles they have fought.

    Thus, they would rather keep them on their chests and back.

    ...

    <em>A/n: Mass Release Tomorrow</em>

 Chapter 198 - Combing Hair To Create Lightning! (II)

    Ye Tian Yun was currently relentlesslybing his hair to generate something called ''friction'', which would then help in the flow of ''charge''.

    To Ye Tian Yun, words like friction and charge were alien. If not for System, he may have never heard or understood a different meaning of these words.

    Before today, the only other meaning that he thought of charge was to attack or charge at enemies.

    As for friction, Ye Tian Yun had never used this word; thus, it was more of a new term for him.

    His current goal was to generate a spark of lightning. But this didn''t seem like an easy task to him.

    After all, how is it possible to create lightning from ab? This was unheard of.

    But on System''s insistence, Ye Tian Yun began to concentrate on this task andbed his hair, softly and swiftly.

    The System had told him to wait till a certain point when taking theb close to the hair, but not touching them would make the hairs move.

    As long as he reached this stage, there was a chance he could generate a small spark through the air, and that spark would be enough for him toprehend something, at least he hoped so.

    As long as he seeded in this endeavor, Ye Tian Yun would be able to work on the next steps and would be able to seed in creating a lightning Sword Domain.

    Though all this seemed quite far-fetched, lightning Sword Domain from a spark betweenb and hair, it seemed feasible to the System. m

    As for Ye Tian Yun? To him, it was like something out of the world.

    He was secretly hoping to make fun of the system once he''s donebing, and there''s no spark. After all, how could there be sparks on the head just bybing? It seemed utterly impossible.

    As if reading his thoughts, the System made a prompt in front of him and exined what was going on through his hair as hebed them. m

    [Host, when ab is run through your hair, charges pass between your hair and theb, so theb bes charged either positively or negatively, and the hair gets charged oppositely. When theb is brought close to the hair, an opposite charge is induced in the hair, and the opposite charges attract. The charges move from one instor to another on vigorous contact (i.e. by rubbing) to produce the two oppositely charged objects.]

    Ye Tian Yun gave a weird expression while frowning, ''Will you stop reading a book and tell me in simple words? What''s an instor? What are the charges? How can charges exist? What do you mean they flow? Isn''t myb a solid object? How could anything flow in it?''

    [Host doesn''t need to worry about these many questions; you just need to follow System''s instructions. To make you understand the basics behind this principle, it will waste time for all three of us; why not just skip over it then? It''s not like you will be harmed from this.]

    ''Three of us!?'' Ye Tian Yun''s heart jumped, ''What three? Is there anyone else here?''

    [The three are you, me and them, the omnipotent overseers.]

    ''Who are they? Omnipotent Overseers?''

    [They are those who want to know about this multiverse and are currently reading whatever I say.]

    ''Reading what you''re saying?'' Ye Tian Yun gave a nk expression, ''Here I was hoping this day can''t get weirder than what it already was.''

    ''Combing hair to generate lightning, people interested in the multiverseˇ­ don''t they have other things to do?''

    [Host, there''s one thing I would correct you about: You aren''t generating lightning. That''s impossible.]

    ''What? But didn''t you say we''re gonna make a spark?'' Ye Tian Yun asked with a confused expression on his face.

    [Host, the spark can''tpare to the lightning. This spark that System had talked about is something very simple and something with so low power and charge that you won''t feel or see it.]

    ''Hm? Then how will it be helpful to me?''

    [Host, you might ''hear'' it. And that''s what we''re looking for. As long as you hear it, you will be able to sense lightning.]

    ''Oh... '' Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, ''Things are just getting more and more iprehensible.''

    Without any more words, he continued to brush andb his hair for some time, before he suddenly felt his hair begin to ''weigh'' and they felt ''heavier'' than usual.

    But the most important thing was the hair seemed to havee to life and was trying to stick to theb whenever it was brought close to Ye Tian Yun''s head.

    Just then, the system prompted.

    [Host, please start practicing your sword moves, but make a slight change, instead of a sword, use theb in your hand.]

    ''What? Practice sword using ab? Are you crazy?'' Ye Tian Yun inwardly looked from top to bottom at the system, confused and surprised at what the System had just said.

    [Yes, Host. You currently have a positive charge in theb and a negative charge in your hair. There''s not enough power to generate lightning, so what you need to do is work on your new Sword Intent and focus on cultivating Sword Domain.]

    ''Alright, let''s try this then.''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun took a fighting stance and got ready to make a sh and use his Sword moves while releasing his Sword Intent slowly and integrating the charges between theb and the hair and creating a slight spark which would in return, help him increase his cultivation.

    With his mind focused on the Sword Intent, and ab held tightly between his hands, Ye Tian Yun began to practice his sword moves.

    He started with the basic moves and increased speed while releasing the Sword Domain at a very high speed.

    After about half an hour, Ye Tian Yun suddenly saw a bright sh of light and loud noise echoing through his ears.

    Boom!

    The sudden disturbance made Ye Tian Yun stumble upon his steps before recovering his posture a few momentster.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun stared at his surroundings; finding nothing out of the ordinary, his attention went to his own body, and the first thing he noticed was the raised thin hairs on his arms!

    A smile appeared on his surprised face as he was quite shocked to see the very familiar scene. Just like how his arm hairs were right now, they were also exactly the same in his previous life - whenever he used his lightning Sword Domain!

    This ''hair-raising'' sign was enough for him to know that he was pretty close to his goal.

    Without wasting any more time, Ye Tian Yun began to once again focus on his work and started to cultivate. The only difference was this time, his confidence had now increased a lot after seeing the unexpected result of his previous attempt.

    He continued to use theb like a sword and followed the sword moves and techniques, from the very basic moves to the One Sword For All, Ye Tian Yun was trying all the moves that he knew of.

    Just then -

    *zip*

    Ye Tian Yun heard something. This caused a slight disturbance, but it managed to boost his confidence and made him focus even more as his moves became faster and sharper than ever.

    Without even wasting time on breathing, Ye Tian Yun continued to make the sword moves.

    asionally he would hear the sound that only added to his excitement.

    *zip*

    *zap*

    *zing*

    Ye Tian Yun clearly knew what was making this noise, which was also the reason for the broad smile on his face, which had never been this confident since thest time he killed someone.

    However, he knew that this wasn''t enough. These sounds were just from slight sparks that wereing due to his good flow in the sword moves, which wasplementing the charges in his hair and theb.

    Just as he made his next move, he heard another prompt from the system.

    [Host, be ready to switch theb with your Sword Intent, and release your whole Sword Intent at once, without any fear of the consequences. Leave that to the System.]

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly nodded his head and continued to make sword moves without wasting any thoughts.

    After about what seemed like an eternity, the zip zap sounds began to get frequent and louder.

    Ye Tian Yun would even see asional shes of light and sparks through the air.

    Everything told him that he was getting closer!

    But, slowly fatigue began to creep up as he found it harder to concentrate; however, Ye Tian Yun kept on pushing himself for one move after another.

    As beads of sweat flowed through his forehead, it became clear that he was getting closer to his limit with every passing instant and might copse anytime now.

    However, every time he felt like he couldn''t do it anymore and should take a break, Ye Tian Yun forced himself to raise the mentality once again and pushed himself forward.

    As for his motivation to do all this? The people he knew - be it his friends or foes.

    Ye Tian Yun knew that he didn''t have much time; every day, every hour, every minute, every second was important to him.

    He had many things that he needed answers to. He had many enemies that he needed to kill. He had so many goals that he needed to aplish.

    ...

    <em>[Mass Release]</em>

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    <em>Another important announcement: The price of privilege will be changed, and a new Special Discount Tier will be released. It will be 4 chapters ahead of the regr release, and it will only cost 2 coins! And the best part: All chapters will cost 1-2 coins at most [99% Discount].. This tier is exclusive to very few webnovels, including this novel. Show your support to this novel and to the author by unlocking these discounted chapters in theing month!]</em>

 Chapter 199 - An Important Question

    Ye Tian Yun knew that he didn''t have much time; every day, every hour, every minute, every second was important to him.

    He had many things that he needed answers to. He had many enemies that he needed to kill. He had so many goals that he needed to aplish.

    And all these became his motivation to continue and strive hard. Push himself every passing instant and aim for his goal.

    His hard work and concentration slowly began to pay back as the spark noises began to be so frequent that now they seemed to be consistent.

    The continuous zip zap sound also turned into a hidden push from behind, a much-needed push for Ye Tian Yun to continue with the sword moves.

    After an unknown amount of time since he had heard the first zap, Ye Tian Yun felt he was closer to his goal than ever as the noise and the bright shes began to increase in frequency and intensity.

    Ye Tian Yun wanted to give himself a final push and get to his goal.

    And what was this final push?

    The sudden prompt from the System!

    [Host, switch yourb with a Sword right now!]

    The System''s voice was very clear in Ye Tian Yun''s ears even after the booming noise from the sparks around him.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t hesitate, and within the next instant, theb in his hand ''turned'' into a sword!

    Well, theb didn''t really transform into a sword. It was more of a very fast switch. His fingers were in direct contact with theb, while on his index finger, was the spatial ring.

    Thus, as soon as Ye Tian Yun heard the system''s prompt, he instinctively put theb into the spatial ring and a sword appeared at its ce.

    All this happened so quickly that it made it seemed like theb had transformed into a sword!

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t dare to waste any time and continued with his sword moves, faster with every passing instant.

    One thing that was quite surprising was the fact that the sparks around him actually increased even more after the switch instead of decreasing.

    If he can make these sparks appear at the same time, it will eventually create a dome shaped structure around him.

    Even though this dome was just a few meters in diameter, this was exactly what Ye Tian Yun was aiming for.

    As long as he seeded in making a constant lightning dome, he could expand it even more and make it much more integrated with his sword; thus, forming a Lightning Sword Domain!

    Ye Tian Yun knew that he was very close to this goal. Thus, he decided to expand the types of moves he was performing, from the basic techniques to other techniques that he had learned since childhood.

    Even though the One Sword For All sword technique was the only sword technique that Ye Tian Yun used, it didn''t mean that he hadn''t learned other sword moves.

    In fact, to learn this legendary technique, Ye Tian Yun had to practice quite a lot of other sword techniques to make his sword moves faster and sharper.

    With the increased amount of sword moves, Ye Tian Yun was now moving a lot in the hall, and surprisingly, the dimmed dome around him was also following his movement, always covering him.

    Just as he had finished one of the moves that he learned from the Imperial Library, Ye Tian Yun suddenly felt a crackling sensation throughout his body.

    As he tried to bnce himself, a screen suddenly appeared in front of him, and before he could process what had just happened, the screen suddenly moved!

    The white screen was blinking with different shades of lights and it was moving away from Ye Tian Yun!

    He moved his head to see the other sides, however, as expected, the white screen was present at all sides and was moving away from him!

    This meant this was not actually a screen, but more of a dome! And this dome was moving away from him, expanding at every instant!

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly felt a surging powerful feeling through his meridians as the dome kept on expanding with him at the center.

    After a few seconds, the dome hit the wall just behind Ye Tian Yun, which was also the closest of all the others. A portion of the dome disappeared as if it was absorbed by the wall.

    Then, as the border of the dome kepting in touch with the dome, it disappeared every time, as if the disappeared portion had not gone out of the hall.

    Finally, after a few minutes, the dome was gone from all sides, except the top.

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head and looked at the ceiling, only finding it made of a white-silver screen and rising in height with every passing moment.

    It was easy to notice that this dome had gone out of the hall and was only visible on the ceiling because the top of this dome was yet to cross it.

    Finally, as expected, the dome suddenly disappeared and the ceiling returned back to normal.

    Not only the ceiling, but the whole hall returned to normal.

    Ye Tian Yun put his hands on his knees as he bent down slightly while panting heavily.

    He had lost track of time since he started practicing his sword moves and was currently very tired.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun plopped on the ground andid down t.

    He was too fatigued to even move anymore, continued practicing and the strange phenomenons had taken a good toll on his body.

    Maybe if he had a bit higher cultivation, things would have been easier, but right now, Ye Tian Yun was too tired to even think about anything.

    It took a while for his breathing to return to normal as he raised his torso and slowly stood up on his feet.

    Pursing his lips, he began to practice once more, but this time, he released his Sword Intent at a very slow rate.

    And after a few minutes, when he almost reached his peak, Ye Tian Yun suddenly felt that his body became ''rxed'' and his surroundings became ''spacious''.

    *ckle*

    *zip*

    *boom*

    *zing*

    Different sounds entered his ears as the bright sh once again appeared in front of him.

    This time too, it was a dome and it continued to expand and was soon out of the dome.

    And just like thest time, Ye Tian Yun lost the ''connection'' with this dome.

    ''System, is this what I am thinking it is?''

    [Indeed, Host. This dome is a basic skeleton of Lightning Sword DOmain. YOu''re pretty close to achieving this domain.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head. He was finally close to achieving one of the most difficult goals for any other cultivator.

    ''System, what should be the next step? Should I fully develop this domain? Or should we now try to integrate it with my other domain?''

    [Host, there''s no need to hurry about anything, you should strengthen this domain as much as possible, this would help you a lot to bnce out the other domain. After all, the Killing Sword Domain is too strong, it might overwhelm your existing domain and all the hard work upto this point will go to waste if this were to happen.]

    Ye Tian Yun agreed, ''Well this is true, I should first focus on increasing the intensity of my Lightning Sword Domain, and then we will focus on integrating both sword domains.''

    He wasn''t worried about perfecting his new Sword Domain, because now, this was the easy part for him.

    After all, he had spent a lot of his teenage years in his previous life perfecting the Sword Domain.

    The only thing that was making a hindrance was the fact that it wasn''t easy to get the Lightning Sword Domain, but now that this problem is resolved, all he needed to do was focus on improving his Sword Domain, and making it as stable as possible.

    But before starting anything, Ye Tian Yun had an important question in his mind.

    Pursing his lips, he asked, ''System, even though I have got the lightning Sword Domain, what if I end up losing control over this Sword DOmain too? Won''t this also make all the hard work go to waste?''

    [Host, this most probably won''t happen. It''s because what you currently have is a raw Sword Domain, you can improve it at your own pace, as for the other Sword Domain, it''s System granted, even though it''s now a part of your prowess, it didn''te to you by grinding and working hard with your sword.]

    ''Hm? Aren''t you saying things a bitˇ­ controversial? By your words, you are trying to say that System granted things won''t be as strong if I achieve them through my hard work? Doesn''t that mean that the cultivation realm increased due to kill pointsˇ­ could have given me a lot more power if I had increased my cultivation through patience and hard work, just like other cultivators?''

    ''I mean, aren''t you saying that I am weaker than the cultivators with the same cultivation as mine, because my power is from you, the System, and their power is through hard work?''

    ''If this is trueˇ­ doesn''t that mean that I am digging my own grave?''

    ...

    <em>A/n: The training arc will soone to an end. I hope you don''t mind a bit of info dump here and there, it''s mostly so I can remove big plot holes.. Especially the one that Ye Tian Yun just asked.</em>

 Chapter 200 - Lightning Sword Domain! (I)

    ''I mean, aren''t you saying that I am weaker than the cultivators with the same cultivation as mine, because my power is from you, the System, and their power is through hard work?''

    ''If this is trueˇ­ doesn''t that mean that I am digging my own grave?''

    [Host, cultivation realms and intents are different things.]

    ''Well, I know the difference, but here, one thing ismon, that is, both of them were given by you.''

    [The truth is pretty simple, cultivation realms increased with the help of the system will give you the same power if you were to cultivate by yourself.]

    ''So then what do you mean?''

    [ Host, the only advantage you have here is that, with the help of System, you''re saving a lot of your time.]

    [However, when ites to Intents, like the Sword Intent, it needs you to be mentally and physically prepared. And even then, there''s a chance that you might fail to handle your Sword Intent.]

    ''Hmm ˇ­ I know that much-''

    [Host, think of the Sword Intent that you get from the system to be a mystery box. You will either have the ability to control, or you won''t.]

    ''... Your wordsˇ­ don''t give me enough reassurance.''

    [Host, the System won''t give you anything that will or may harm you, after all, without the Host, the System won''t be able to grow itself.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''You can easily find a new host, don''t think I am a kid.''

    [Finding a host is not an easy task. Just like how you received a Sword Intent which you couldn''t control, the hosts are also a surprise for us.]

    [The System didn''t choose a host, it was a predefined process, which neither of us had any control over. This is true for any other system out there.]

    ''Doesn''t that mean you might get weak hosts too? But I don''t think people with systems could be weak.''

    [Host, it''s not the power and talent that''s the issue. These things can be controlled and improved by the systems themselves.]

    [However, there''s one thing that the system has no control over, that is - Host''s intelligence.]

    ''Huh?''

    [Over the generations and throughout many universes, there have been a lot of Systems that were very powerful, but the host was a pure idiot with a lot of potential and luck.]

    ''Ohˇ­ what about now? What do you think about me? Do you think you got an intelligent host or an idiot?''

    [It is too soon to judge, you''re too weak and haven''t faced any big challenges that would force you into making tough decisions.]

    ''But stillˇ­. What''s the judgment till today?'' Ye Tian Yun smiled wide, ready to listen to some uplifting praises.

    [Host, till todayˇ­ you haven''t shown or did something very intelligent. Everything you have done is average at most. In my opinion, it''s your luck that has brought you here, or else, people would have already found out about your secret and many other marks and clues that you have left behind.]

    ''What?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned and shook his head, ''I know I am not the most intelligent being in the universe, but I don''t think I have done just ''average'', I feel like I have done quite a lot better than any other cultivator who could have been in my ce.''

    [Host, it''s not that you have made any stupid or impulsive decisions, the problem is, you haven''t taken things seriously enough.]

    ''What do you mean not seriously enough? Every passing second I think about my goal, my enemies, and what I should be doing next! Why would you say I am not serious about my goal?''

    [Host, I didn''t say you aren''t serious about your goal, what the System meant was that you aren''t serious about the way and the ns that you make. You aren''t taking into consideration the butterfly effect that''s about to cause chaos in the whole Xin Kingdom.]

    ''Hmm? What do you mean?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, raising his right eyebrow in confusion, ''How in the world could anything I have done cause problems in the whole Kingdom? I haven''t even gone out of the sect!''

    [Host, System can''t tell you more about this, however, it does have good advice for you - always think of every possible consequence and make use of every piece of information that you have about the Lower Heavens from your informants. Not one or two, but your three simple and ignorant decisions have already caused a lot of changes in this timeline.]

    ''Hm? I did something wrong? That too three times?'' Ye Tian Yun''s eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise, ''Woah,I had no idea! Can you at least tell me what they were? You don''t have to tell me about the butterfly effect that it had over the timeline, just tell me which three decisions you''re talking about.''

    [System will inform you about these when the timees, it can''t tell you anything more because it will need a lot of Fate Points to hide it from Heaven''s Will. So the required Fate Points are so many that the Host won''t be able to repay in four lifetimes at his current speed.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders, ''What can I do about the speed? Just look at the things that happened just within this little time before I entered this hall to cultivate.''

    ''Time seems to have slowed down when you notice that so much has happened without any break. I have no control over the plot and the problems thate towards me.''

    [...]

    *Cough* ''At least, I am not knowingly creating trouble for myself.'' Ye Tian Yun changed his words as he remembered the ''three decisions'' that have changed a lot of plot for him.''

    ''Alright, this much rest should be enough, it''s time to resume practicing Sword Domain.''

    With that thought, Ye Tian Yun got up from the ground and took the sword in his hand.

    He wanted to repeat the earlier dome phenomenon and take it to the stage where he could summon it at will, even without the presence of a sword.

    However, before doing anything, he needed to ask onest thing from the system.

    ''How much time have I spent getting to this stage?''

    [It''s been almost two days since you entered this hall, Host.]

    ''What?'' Ye Tian Yun was quite shocked, ''Two days already? So quickly?''

    Letting out a sigh, Ye Tian Yun startedmenting, ''Isn''t this a bit fast? Earlier it felt like the day was nevering to an end, and now, two days have passed while I was waving a sword in the air.''

    [ ˇ­ ]

    ''Anyways, back to the topic, I still have four full weeks before. I should have enough time to focus on my cultivation once I am done solving my problem with the Sword Domains.''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun got into a fighting stance and began to practice sword moves.

    Now that he was pretty close to Sword Domain, Ye Tian Yun was back into practicing the three basic sword moves - Lung, Parry, and Riposte

    As he continues to increase the speed and sharpness of his Sword moves, Ye Tian Yun didn''t forget to also slowly release Sword Intent with every move.

    It was a slow process, mainly because Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to hurry and ruin things for himself.

    He understood that he had a low cultivation realm and controlling a Sword Domain was not going to be an easy task at this stage, thus he wanted to reform and recreate his Lightning Sword Domain as slowly and carefully as possible.

    But releasing slowly wasn''t enough, because there woulde a stage which would act like a threshold, passing that mark would be a very risky decision because if he wasn''t careful enough, he might lose control over this Sword Domain too and history might repeat itself by him fainting due to ''overload'' of Sword Intent through his body.

    Ye Tian Yun was aware of the risk, however, did he have any choice?

    No, he didn''t, nor was there any better way to increase his cultivation faster. Thus, he continued to focus on his Sword Intent and form his Sword Domain, albeit slowly.

    After an unknown amount of time, the white dome formed once again, however, this time it wasn''t actually pure white, but rather, sizzling and crackling sparks could be seen forming throughout this screen.

    Ye Tian Yun continued to practice more and as soon as the dome disappeared through the hall, he came to a halt.

    Catching his breath, he resumed practicing from the very first step and once again stopped only after the dome had formed and it had gone out of the hall.

    Ye Tian Yun continued to do this non-stop. Taking a slight break after every cycle, he would once again resume his practice and focus on creating the dome.

    However, there was one thing that was worth noticing - every time the dome formed, it would be ''less white'' than the previous one.

    The most noticeable thing in this sword domain would be the fact that the density of this sword domain would decrease, and the number of visible sparks would increase.

    And soon a stage came where the ''white screen'' was reced by crackling sparks, as if there was a shield made of lightning forming on all sides, with Ye TianYun at its center.

    Seeing these changes, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smile because he was now only two steps away from forming his Lightning Sword Domain!

    ˇ­

    ...

    A/n: 200 chapters! xd

 Chapter 201 - Lightning Sword Domain (II)

    To get the Lightning Sword Domain, Ye Tian Yun subconsciously divided his goals into three stages.

    The very first stage that he needed to get to was to convert the pure white dome into a lightning dome.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t know what the dome was made of, but in his previous life too, he had reached the step where he got the dome.

    Every dome, which we will now call a domain, from any Sword Intent, has very specific characteristics.

    For instance, the Fire nature Sword Intent has yellowish-red domains, water nature Sword Intents have blue-green domains, and just like these, the white domain signifies the lightning Sword Domain.

    Once a cultivator gets to this stage where he has the domain respective to their Sword Intent, they then focus on getting the domain more in line with the type they are based on.

    Thus came the first stage of Ye Tian Yun''s ns - he needed to convert this white dome into a lightning dome and as a consequence, create a very basic level of Sword Domain.

    For this, he practiced and was sessful after many tries.

    The next step thates to get to the final goal is to control this domain at his will.

    Up until now, Ye Tian Yun had no choice but to slowly release the white domain so as to not let things get out of his control.

    But now, what he needed to do was to make this white domaine under hismand and have the ability to control it at will.

    Once he is able to control it at will, Ye Tian Yun will be able to release the dome whenever he wished, with or without his sword and he will also be able to control how much of his domain he wanted to release.

    This step was also the stage which he was having trouble with whenever he used his other Sword Intent, the killing nature Sword Intent.

    Since he was not able to control his other Sword Intent, the intent usually ''overloaded'' and that led to him fainting on stop.

    To control his sword domain at will was the second stage, and to get there, all Ye Tian Yun needed to do was to practice Sword Intent and release it as fast as he could.

    Once he reached a considerable speed, he would then practice it without the presence of a Sword.

    Without the sword will be the most important part because this will give him the ability to have a better control over his Sword Intent and also allow him to summon it at his will.

    However, before he started to practice for the second stage, Ye Tian Yun needed to refine and make the white domain as much lightning based as he could.

    In other words, he wanted to make his sword domain as pure as he could.

    For this, Ye Tian Yun needed to use the one thing that he had put at the back of his mind - the Chaos Qi.

    This Qi, as stated earlier, is the best support one can get whileprehending and stabilizing their Sword Intent.

    And Ye Tian Yun was lucky to have this Qi right here in the hall.

    The only thing he needed to focus on now was cultivating it and flowing it through his veins so he can easily release the sword intent and make it easier for him to control the lightning domain.

    Even though Sword Intent is not something rted to the physical body; however, cultivating Chaos Qi helps a lot and tightens the cultivators'' grasp over their Sword Intent, sometimes even drastically increasing its prowess.

    For Ye Tian Yun, this was a golden opportunity since he already had the Chaos Qi around him, thus, he first began to cultivate it and tried to smoothen his ability to release Sword Intent as much as he could while the main benefit was to increase the ''lightning'' in his domain, and make it less of just a white screen.

    After taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun began to focus on flowing the Chaos Qi through himself while also releasing the Sword Intent.

    Hence, he resumed practicing once again- taking a fighting stance and slowly releasing the Sword Intent.

    As he slowly released the Sword Intent, he soon reached the stage where the domain appeared, this time with more lightning and sparks than hisst try.

    Ye Tian Yun continued to practice. The basic things that he was doing were releasing his Sword Intent a bit faster than his previous attempts and also grasping his control over the lightning domain and increasing the density of lightning sparks.

    The most important thing that Ye Tian Yun was hoping to do was to get to half of the second stage.

    Since the second stage was to control the Sword Intent at will, Ye Tian Yun was preparing himself for it.

    As he cultivated the Chaos Qi with his Sword Intent, it made it easier for him to release this Sword Intent and increase the speed at which he was able to release his sword intent, as a result, giving him more power and control over the Sword Intent.

    And with this in mind, Ye Tian Yun kept on practicing sword intent and creating the lightning domains one after another.

    After about hundreds of domains, Ye Tian Yun finally felt like the whole domain surrounding him was purely made of lightning sparks, rather than an opaque white screen.

    The other benefit that he got was the fact that now he was able to release his Sword Intent at a faster rate, allowing himself to have better control over it.

    With these two goals achieved, Ye Tian Yun now was halfway through achieving the final form of his Lightning Sword Domain, which he would then integrate into his other Sword domain.

    The next thing he needed to do was focus only on releasing his Sword Domain, rather than the lightning domain!

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments so I can correct them. ty

 Chapter 202 - Lightning Sword Domain (III)

    The next thing Ye Tian Yun needed to do was focus only on releasing his Sword Domain, rather than the lightning domain.

    Unlike his previous tries, where he first slowly released the Sword Intent and then focused on forming the dome, this time, he needed to remove thest step and only focus on releasing the Sword Intent.

    To release the sword intent, the first thing that Ye Tian Yun needed to focus on was his own sword moves.

    Once he had his full concentration, the Sword Intent would subconsciously start spreading throughout the surroundings. And at that time, Ye TianYun would have to change the center of his focus and put his attention on the Sword Intent itself and try to change the directions and the shape of the Sword Intent.

    As stated once earlier, the Sword Intent is not a physical thing; therefore, it can''t have shape or size like regr things. However, Sword Intent can be ''felt'' and can also cause harm to enemies once they get into its ''contact''.

    Thus, it can also be said that Sword Intent lies in the grey area between physical and non-physical things.

    And what Ye Tuan Yun needed to do was to control this Sword Intent and make it easier for himself to pinpoint it towards any direction or ce.

    The more easily he is able to change the course of his Sword Intent, the easier it is for him to control his Sword Intent.

    To start, Ye Tian Yun first began to slowly practice his sword technique, ''One Sword For All'', and began to perform its basic moves.

    As he practiced, Ye Tian Yun tried to release the Sword Intent at his own will, rather than getting to a stage where it subconsciously appeared around him.

    After a few tries, he was able to release his Sword Intent at will and the next thing he needed to do was to have control over his Sword Intent.

    And how was he going to do this?

    Ye Tian Yun thought of a very simple way to assess his control over the Sword Intent- he was going to stop himself from forming the lightning domain.

    Usually, once Ye Tian Yun would reach a certain mark or stage, his Sword Intent would turn into a Sword Domain on its own. He had no control over this change.

    So, what Ye Tian Yun was first going to do was stop or dy this change as much as he could.

    And then he would do the opposite, make his Sword Domain appear at will.

    To stop the Sword Domain from appearing, what Ye Tian Yun was thinking of doing was to focus on directing his Sword Intent towards the things around him.

    Basically, he was going to attack the walls with his Sword Intent, but he would target a very specific region on the wall.

    This would strengthen his control over the Sword domain and get him one step closer towards the Lightning Sword Domain.

    With this in mind, Ye Tian Yun began to practice his Sword Intent and put all of his focus on directing his Sword Intent towards the wall whenever he felt like he was getting closer to the lightning domain.

    It wasn''t an easy process as in most of his early attempts, Ye Tian Yun failed to control the conversion of his Sword Intent into the Lightning Domain.

    It felt like he was pushing a wall at first, but finally, after many tries, Ye Tian Yun was able to control, or more specifically, dy the formation of his Lightning Domain.

    And he sent his whole Sword Intent straight towards the opposite wall just when he felt that the lightning domain was about to appear in front of him.

    The Sword Intent struck the wall, and all of a sudden a blinding light appeared in front of Ye Tian Yun!

    He staggered at his feet while covering his eyes.

    By the time he recovered, everything had returned back to normal!

    Ye Tian Yun frowned while staring at the wall.

    After a few moments, he shook his head with an expression of regret. He had missed seeing what was behind the wall once again!

    The light that came after he struck the wall made Ye Tian Yun very curious about the thing that was hidden and protected behind the wall.

    ''System, did you notice what it was?''

    [Insufficient Fate Points]

    ''What?'' Ye Tian Yun made an ugly expression as he heard the three cursed words of his life.

    ''Looks like whatever that thing was, it is quite precious enough to make you even ask for Fate Points,'' Ye Tian Yun thought while squinting at the wall in front of him, ''Well, whatever it is, I need to first finish my Sword Domain.''

    ''The process is much longer than I had initially thought, I have literally lost track of time, hmmˇ­ System, how many days have passed since I entered this hall?''

    [It''s been Five Days and Four Hours since you first stepped inside the hall.]

    ''Wow, never imagined time would fly this fast. I am still a long way from aplishing all my tasks before my time in this hall ends.''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun once again began to focus on his Sword Intent and began to hit the wall in front of him.

    However, this time, his attacks didn''t even scratch the wall.

    It was mainly because of the reason stated by System when Ye Tian Yun had first encountered the light.

    His attacks couldn''t harm the wall once again because the array present on the wall had strengthened the wall even more, thereupon, the attacks within the range of his earlier attack wouldn''t harm the wall anymore.

    However, one upside of this part was that it allowed Ye Tian Yun to only focus on his Sword Intent, without any distractions.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun continued to practice his Sword Intent and the control over his Sword Intent gradually increased at every stage.

 Chapter 203 - Lightning Sword Domain (IV)

    Ye Tian Yun continued to practice his Sword Intent, and his control over it gradually increased at every stage.

    Now that he was able to redirect his power towards the wall and stop himself from creating a Sword Domin, the next thing Ye Tian Yun needed to do was actually the opposite - he had to now focus on creating his Sword Domain.

    However, there was one thing different this time - he was going to release everything in one instant rather than doing it slowly.

    What Ye Tian Yun was aiming for was to make his lightning domain appear at his will. He wanted to remove the time wasted while he released the Sword Intent slowly and waited for the Sword Domain to form on its own.

    After all, in a battle, life, and death, victor and loser can be decided instantly. If Ye Tian Yun had to wait for his lightning domain to appear every time, instead of it forming within a moment''s notice, the result of the battle would be decided before the fight could even start.

    Ye Tian Yun would lose his life.

    Of course, he would want to avoid such an oue. Death was not good for his health.

    Thus the next thing that Ye Tian Yun needed to focus on was to get his lightning Domain to appear at will.

    If he seeded in doing this, it would be a big step for him to get the Lightning Sword Domain.

    However, it wasn''t going to be as easy as it sounded.

    The first thing Ye Tian Yun needed to do was basically to release his whole Sword Intent at once. This was a very risky move.

    After all, he had already lost control over his other Sword Intent more than once, and every time, he had lost his consciousness. If not for the system, everyone in the Lower Heavens would have found out about his Sword Domain, and he wouldn''t even know how he would die because the whole world would think of him as an enemy.

    After all, how could they let a disciple from a different power and with Sword Domain live?

    All the sects, ns, and organizations want to be a peak power on the world stage. However, how could this be possible?

    There are two simple ways - cultivate a talented disciple or kill the talented disciples of other sects.

    This was why, if anyone were to find out the Sword Domain within Ye Tian Yun, it would only bring him trouble, and death would be the least of his worries.

    This was the reason why Ye Tian Yun was currently very hesitant to release all his Sword Intent at once.

    If he failed, the whole world would know about his Sword Domain by the time he regained his senses.

    However, if he seeded, he would be able to increase his power and have a very powerful trump card under himself.

    And what choice did Ye Tian Yun have at this stage? Well, there was never a choice for him.

    His other Sword Domain was not going to help him any time soon. If he were hesitant in stabilizing his new Sword Domain, it meant that he would not only lose a powerful trump card, but he would also end up losing the time that he had invested in getting the new Sword Intent.

    The only way to confirm or get reassurance without trying it by himself is to ask his ''partner''.

    ''System, what do you think are the chances of me losing control over my Sword Intent? Will I faint once again? If yes, then do you have any other way to get around this situation?''

    [Host, anything System answers about your question would only be a spection. However, from what it has observed up until now, it can be easily seen that there''s a high chance that you might seed in forming the lightning domain at your own will.]

    ''Oh? How did you deduce that?''

    [Host, the most important factor is the fact that you were able to stop the lightning domain from forming, this means that you can try to stop and invert the domain formation if things did indeed seem to go out of hand.]

    ''Hm, then what do you think are the odds of my sess?''

    [We will find out once you try it for yourself.]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and nodded his head. There was no other way to find out without trying to release the Sword Intent on his own.

    Thus, he once again took a fighting stance for the millionth time and began to practice his sword moves.

    After about ten or so moves, Ye Tian Yun suddenly pushed his will and released all of his Sword Intent at once.

    An overwhelming force spread through his body, as it felt like sting from the force within him.

    Ye Tian Yun''s body right now was like a dormant volcano that was now about to explode. However, he had more things to worry about.

    The Sword Intent that he had just released was so intense that he had lost control over it, and it gave him a feeling of being in a whirlpool with the pressured Sword Intent released throughout his surroundings that its force almost cost him his life.

    However, all this rush onlysted for a moment as in the next instant. Ye Tian Yun suddenly got back the reins back in his control as he felt his body rxed and a lightning domain forming around him.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun calmed himself down and tried to maintain the lightning Domain as long as he could.

    Unfortunately, the lightning domain didn''tst for long, and Ye Tian Yun could only sigh as it disappeared into nothing.

    However, it wasn''t a sigh of disappointment but rather a sigh of relief.

    Ye Tian Yun was on thest step of getting his Lightning Sword Intent!

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments. ty</em>

 Chapter 204 - Lightning Sword Domain (Final)

    Ye Tian Yun knew that he was on the veryst step of getting to the Lightning Sword Intent.

    How was he so sure? Well, it was an instinctive feeling.

    He had been practicing for days now, and it was at this moment that Ye Tian Yiun felt that he was just one step away from getting the Lightning Sword Domain.

    Ye Tian Yun began to resume practicing his sword moves without wasting any time and once again focused on his Sword Intent.

    This time he didn''t wait to get into the flow and released his Sword Intent from the get-go.

    Just as he was expecting, the Sword Domain formed without any big issue.

    Ye Tian Yun was quite satisfied with this surprise. He was able to have control over his new lightning domain in just a second try.

    Just to make sure it wasn''t a fluke, Ye Tian Yun thought of trying it once again.

    Getting into a fighting stance, Ye Tian Yun released his Sword Intent once again, and the lightning domain appeared very smoothly.

    Ye Tian Yun tried a few more times so that he could remove the slightest doubt in himself and increase his confidence.

    Fortunately for him, not a single problem or inconsistency appeared, and he was easily able to create the lightning domain.

    At this stage, he hadpleted two of the three stages to getting the Lightning Sword Domain.

    The first one was changing the white screen dome into a lightning domain.

    The second was to control the lightning domain at his will and create it whenever he wanted.

    Now came the final stage - he needed to convert this lightning domain into a genuine Lightning Sword Domain.

    To understand in simple words, one first needs to understand the difference between the current lightning domain that Ye Tian Yun had and a genuine Lightning Sword Domain.

    The basic difference is that a Sword Domain is something that is not visible to one''s eyes!

    Unlike the current lightning domain, one can''t see a genuine Sword Domain. It''s invisible to the eyes. Cultivators can only sense it, even if they have considerableprehension of Sword Intent by themselves.

    The other difference is that a cultivator can ''use'' the nature of the Sword Domain in offense, while in a normal domain, like the lightning domain that Ye Tian Yun currently had, one can''t use it to add any offensive power.

    Within a Sword Domain, one will have absolute control over the type of nature that domain belongs to, with or without the presence of a sword.

    These basic differences are the ones that separate a genuine Sword Domain from a normal domain.

    The lightning domain that Ye Tian Yun currently had was more like an unfinished product.

    What Ye Tian Yun needed to do right now was to focus on perfecting his lightning domain and convert it into a genuine Sword Domain.

    The first thing he needed to do was make his lightning domain invisible.

    How was he going to do this?

    The mostmon approach is to use the sword in his hand and concentrate all the Intent ''on'' the sword after creating the lightning domain.

    This approach is quite simple and easy to perform. The only thing that Ye Tian Yun needed to take care of was not to trip and lose focus.

    With this in mind, Ye Tian Yun subconsciously nodded his head and prepared himself for the next step.

    A few momentster, Ye Tian Yun was standing in a fighting stance, ready to make his moves, and in the next breath, he moved his sword.

    Within an instant, the lightning domain appeared, and as soon as it appeared, Ye Tan Yun used all his focus into concentrating the domain on the tip of his sword.

    Suddenly he felt a shock through his body when the lightning struck his sword.

    In the next moment, Ye Tian Yun was thrown away from his position and directly hit the wall behind him.

    ''Ugh..''

    Gritting his teeth, Ye Tian Yun stood up and looked at the ce where he was standing a moment ago.

    The ce was currently charcoal ck and the sword that was in his head was lying on the ground, broken into pieces.

    Letting out a long breath, Ye Tian Yun geared himself up once again and took out another sword from his spatial ring.

    Without any more dys, he once again created a lightning domain and tried to concentrate it on the tip of his sword.

    This time, however, with the wall just behind his back, Ye Tian Yun was able to withstand a lot of force and sessfully ''trapped'' the lighting in his sword.

    ''Trapped'' because the lighting around him had disappeared all of a sudden, however, Ye Tian Yun could still ''feel'' the presence of his Lighting Domain!

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh of relief at his own sess.

    Just like the previous time, the first thing Ye Tian Yun did was to try once again.

    And to his surprise, the lighting domain did appear; however, this time, he couldn''t see it, only felt its presence.

    The best part about this domain was that unlike the earlier state of the white dome, which continued to expand non-stop, but for this one, Ye Tian Yun was able to control the size, thus allowing him to assess his own situation properly.

    Now that the domain was transparent, thest thing Ye Tian Yun needed to do was to ''create'' lighting within the domain.

    For that, Ye Tian Yun had to concentrate on his sword and focus on the Sword Intent on its tip.

    As ridiculous as it may sound, this was one of the easier and foolproof methods to pass this stage.

    And so, Ye Tian Yun once again stood up properly and held out his sword.

    This time he didn''t take any fighting stance as his only focus was on the tip of his sword.

    The next thing he knew, there was a huge thunderbolt striking the ground nearby him!

    Witnessing this, Ye Tian Yun smirked as he had finally achieved his first goal!

    ''Ah, this is the feeling I have missed so much. The feeling of Lightning Sword Domain!''

 Chapter 205 - [Host, It Is Not Lightning Sword Domain.]

    [A/n: Check paragraphment to see Lightning Domain.]

    *zing!*

    *bam!*

    *Zzzz!*

    *Pat!*

    Sounds echoed throughout the hall as Ye Tian Yun continued to practice his newfound lightning Sword Domain and used his sword to direct the lightning at the opposite wall.

    The lightning strikes, however, didn''t cause any harm to the wall, clearly indicating that Ye Tian Yun hadn''t unlocked the full potential of his new power.

    Taking a break, Ye Tian Yun calmed his heartbeat and once again continued the barrage of attacks on the wall.

    The reason why he hadn''tunched a full power lightning attack was because he was trying to get used to this familiar power.

    Even though it had been only six months since he had gone through rebirth, it felt like it had been a lifetime since he used these lightning attacks; thus, he was more enjoying the moment rather than practicing.

    A few minutester, after striking the wall many times, Ye Tian Yun''s excitement finally calmed down.

    Now that he had the Lightning Sword Domain ready, the only thing left was to integrate this domain with his other Sword Domain and see the oue.

    Nodding his head, Ye Tian Yun first decided to smoothen his control over the new sword domain before integrating both of the sword domains.

    And to smoothen his control, the only thing he could do was practice in different ways and get as close to thest form as possible.

    However, just as he took a fighting stance, System made a prompt in front of him.

    [Host, it''s not rmended that you waste too much on practicing your control over this Sword Domain.]

    ''Hmm? Why shouldn''t I? Didn''t we discuss that this ce is the best to cultivate Sword Intent since there''s a good density of Chaos Qi in this hall? Then why are you telling me it will be a waste of time?''

    [Host, the answer is pretty simple - you can focus on smoothening your control after you have integrated your Sword Domains.]

    ''But wouldn''t that be hard if I don''t have good control over my new Sword Domain? Don''t forget that I can barely control my other Sword Intent, and now if I don''t even focus on this new Sword Intent, wouldn''t that only bring trouble for me when I start integrating two ''uncontroble'' Sword Intents?''

    [Host, fortunately for you, this won''t be the case. Because your Sword Intent would be easy to control.]

    ''Hm? How will it be easy? Even though I had a lightning Sword Domain in my previous life and I am very familiar with it, I still need some time for my physical body to get used to this power.''

    [You''re thinking it wrong, Host. You don''t have Lightning Sword Domain. What you have is a Natureless Sword Domain.]

    ''What!?'' System''s reply confused Ye Tian Yun even more.

    Clearly, he had been practicing and trying toprehend the Lightning nature Sword Domain, so how is it natureless?

    [Host, System is referring to the real nature of your Sword Intent. You have a natureless Sword Intent. So how could you have lightning Sword Domain?]

    ''Uhˇ­ the lightning that I attacked that wall withˇ­ was that not enough to prove?''

    [Don''t forget the reason why you ''focused'' on creating a lightning Sword Domain.]

    ''The reason? Hmm, I focused on Lightning because my Sword Intent had no nature. This made it impossible for me to create a Sword Domain.

    ''However, I thought of my new Sword Intent to be a clean te on which I can draw anything I want. Thus, I changed my focus on Lightning nature because I am familiar with this nature so it would be easy toprehend and control.''

    [Yes, Host. This means you ''assumed'' your Sword Intent to have Lightning nature; it doesn''t mean that your Sword Intent''s nature ''turned'' into lightning.]

    ''Hm?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''If it didn''t turn into Lightning nature, doesn''t that mean that everything I have gained right now is not real? Wouldn''t that mean we have wasted our time for nothing?''

    [No Host, you haven''t wasted your time or anything, you have actually gained a lot - you started with the assumption of Lightning nature, and luckily for you, you seeded in creating the Lightning Sword Domain.]

    ''Only an assumption?... Doesn''t that meanˇ­ that I will be able to create any other nature''s Sword Domain too!?''

    [Only if you canprehend its Sword Intent.]

    ''Damn! That''s still too big of a power-up for me! Imagine having a Sword Intent of all types of natures and integrating them! How powerful would that be!?''

    [Hostˇ­ please don''t make it a goal for yourself. As amazing as it sounds, it''s also hard and almost impossible.]

    [Average cultivators take a whole lifetime toprehend one kind of Sword Intent, and here you are talking about getting all of them? First of all, you don''t have that much time, and secondly, it''s just a pipe dream. Just forget it, don''t waste your time unless there''s a sure-fire chance to get another Sword Intent without wasting much time.]

    ''Sure-fire chance? Are there ways to get Sword Intents easily?''

    [Hostˇ­ it''s still too early for you to know about these. Maybe after you reach the apex of this Universe, you might stand a chance to know some good secrets.]

    ''What would I do by knowing the secrets after reaching the apex? What would be the use?''

    [Host, the apex is just another beginning. The universe is infinite, and fate is limitless. You will understand once you get to the peak of this world.]

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, ''It''s too early to discuss such a thing. And I have no reason or motivation to go beyond the universe. What will be the use? Why should one be the ruler of the heavens? What makes cultivators want to go after immortality? Is it for power? Is it for authority? Is it for women? Is it eternal life? What is it, System?''

    ...

    <em>A/n: Any typos? Doment.</em>

 Chapter 206 - What Just Happened?

    ''What is it that makes everyone want to get to the peak of the cultivation realm?''

    [Host, the question you have asked has a pretty vague answer. Every cultivator has a motive. Just like how your motive is to annihte God''s Legion, all the cultivators would have a goal to achieve.]

    [Some have their childhood sweetheart taken away, some want to get back to their family which abandoned them, some do it for revenge to destroy the supreme powers of the Multiverse, some do it just for universe domination.]

    ''What about after they achieve their goal? - scratch that - my main question is, What about me once I reach my goal? What if, by the luck of myst eighteen generations, I seed in killing Wang Yao? What will I do after that? Won''t I seed in finishing my motive?''

    ''After all, Wang Yao is the only opponent who can stop me from getting to the Throne. Me killing him would also mean I will get the Throne. Once getting the Throne, what will be the motive?''

    [Host, don''t you want to conquer the heavens and rule the universe?]

    ''Bah! This is bullshit. I am thinking of roaming the world in disguise once I get my revenge. Wouldn''t that be pretty cool?''

    ''I would love to disguise myself and open a restaurant to be a hidden bigshot. This will be much cooler than bing a Heavenly Emperor.''

    [...]

    ''What? No need to prompt me with your speechlessness. I am not kidding, I don''t want to rinse and repeat my life. I will get my goal and live a leisurely life.''

    [Host, it''s better to leave this to the future and focus more on the current situation.]

    ''I know- I know, I am not a delusional kid, I understand what my priorities are, don''t worry about that.''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun stared at his sword, ''System, since you said that there''s a good chance that I might be able to have even more Sword Intents, but I have a simple question to ask, and it''s been bugging me for quite some time now. Why is it that I didn''t lose control in thest stages at all? In fact, everything went too smoothly and too fast; it''s still hard to believe that I seeded inprehending the new Sword Domain and can even control it without fainting on the spot.''

    [Host, there''s not a real answer to this. System can only specte about this, and the only conclusion it can have is the unknown part of your power - the Natureless Sword Intent]

    ''I guessed this too but was hoping if you could have any answer. By the way, didn''t you once say you will be able to answer anything with Fate Points?''

    [Host, the questions you askˇ­ usually need so many Fate Points that even the System is embarrassed to put a prompt.]

    ''Uhˇ­ what can I do? I am dirt poor in this part,'' Ye Tian Yun shrugged while turning his head the other way.

    ''Anyways, do you have anything which can help me in integrating these Sword Intents? I have no idea how to do thatˇ­''

    [System doesn''t have any idea either.]

    ''Uhˇ­'' Ye Tian Yun gave a nk stare, ''Then how are we supposed to integrate these Sword Domains? And don''t you tell me to do a hit and trial method, we can''t take the risk of releasing the other Sword Intent; it''s too risky.''

    [Host, you can try forming a Lightning Sword Domain first and then slowly release your other Sword Intent and try integrating them?]

    ''Did anyone ever do this before?''

    [No]

    ''...''

    [You will be the first.]

    ''Alright, someone has to be a man and do it. Let it be me then.''

    [...]

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and got into a fighting stance.

    In the next instant, lighting covered his sword, as the Sword Domain had already spread throughout the hall.

    Ye Tian Yun performed some sword moves and waited for his Sword Intent to get into the flow.

    After a few moments, he suddenly shouted, ''Now!''

    An erupting force spread throughout Ye Tian Yun''s body as the lightning around him suddenly went, poof!

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t even have the time to pay attention to this as he staggered and fell on one knee.

    An intense pain wrapped his body while he felt as if he might explode any minute now.

    Suddenly, his eyes started to feel heavy, and his body became lighter.

    He was fainting!

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and punched the ground with all the force to return to his senses.

    However, it wasn''t much of a help as his punch became too light before it could even touch the ground.

    In the next instant, Ye Tian Yun fell with his chest on the ground.

    His headache increased, his eyes felt heavier, making him feel like he was about to reach the limit.

    ''Damn, I can''t faint,'' Ye Tian Yun was giving his all to keep his eyes open.

    But every passing instant felt like hours; he didn''t know how long he could hold on against the intense pain.

    His arms were too weak to get him up; his chest was too weak to make him turn.

    His whole body was too light for him even to move an inch.

    But just then, it felt as if an electric current passed through his body, reviving him.

    Next thing Ye Tian Yun knew, he was standing on his feet, with no weakness whatsoever.

    Frowning, he asked, ''System, what just happened? One instant, I couldn''t even move, and in the next, I found myself standing energized more than ever. What in the world happened just now?''

    [Host, it looks like there''s been some change in your Sword Intent. System can''t tell if it''s a good thing or bad because it is hard to judge.]

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments.. T y.

 Chapter 207 - The Outcome

    [Host, it looks like there''s been some change in your Sword Intent. System can''t tell if it''s a good thing or bad, because it is hard to judge.]

    Ye Tian Yun subconsciously nodded his head as he took out another sword from his spatial ring.

    ''Alright then, I will form my Sword Domain once again, let''s see what changes.''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun swung his sword in the air. And with the swing came an intense wave of Sword Intent, spreading throughout the underground hall.

    It hadn''t even been an instant since the Sword Intent was released that Ye Tian Yun tried to change it to Sword Domain.

    But as soon as Ye Tian Yun tried, he felt as if he hit a hard wall as the Sword Intent around him suddenly disappeared.

    With the whole aura and momentum now lost, Ye Tian Yun shook his head with a frown and began to try this once more.

    This time, Ye Tian Yun''s expression turned even more serious as he took the fighting stance and began practicing.

    The same thing happened as he hit this invisible wall once again.

    Confused, Ye Tian Yun asked, '' System, what''s going on?''

    [Host, from the looks of it, it seems there''s a high chance you have failed to integrate the Sword Intents.]

    ''What!?'' Ye Tian Yun was shocked to hear this response, ''What do you mean I have failedˇ­ how couldˇ­ waitˇ­ you never said anything about this process failing?''

    [Host, it would be conceited for you to assume you can''t fail. To seed or to fail are two sides of the same coin. You won''t get the same result every time you toss it.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''No, I am not asking ''how can I fail?'', rather, my question is, ''How did I fail?'', I want to know what I did wrong.''

    [Host, for this, System has no answer. After all, if System knew the oue, it would have already stopped you long ago.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, ''Fair enough, but is there anything we can do?''

    Suddenly an idea dawned on Ye Tian Yun as his eyes opened wide, ''Maybe this can workˇ­''

    ''System, don''t interfere unless you''re sure that there''s no other way.''

    [Alright, Host]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and tightened his grip over the sword.

    What he was going to do was pretty simple - he was going to do the same thing once again, but just from the other side.

    A few minutes ago, what he did was that he first focused on his Lightning Sword Domain. However, he felt like something was blocking it, as if he was hitting a wall whenever he tried to release his Sword Domain.

    This time, however, he was first going to only focus on his Killing Nature Sword Intent, and just when he''s about to lose control, he would release his Natureless Sword Intent.

    The only thing he needed to be very careful about was to release his new Sword Intent at the right time, or it would be toote for him to do anything. If things spiraled out of control, someone like Sect Leader Su might even sense his Sword Domain. That would be like inviting big trouble for himself.

    Removing useless thoughts, Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and focused his mind on the Sword Intent.

    He tightened his grip around the sword even more, and in an instant, Ye Tian Yun''s hair began to flow in the air!

    As if there was a huge st at the ce where he was standing, all the dust around him was ''thrown'' away due to ''aftereffects''.

    Ye Tian Yun felt a strong power flowing through his body as he felt his sword slipping through his hand!

    Tightening the grip more than ever, Ye Tian Yun held on to it very firmly and tried his best not to let it go.

    The power inside him kept on increasing, and it soon reached a breaking point.

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and thought, ''Now!''

    Boom!

    In the next instant, an intense amount of Sword Aura spread throughout the hall!

    Ye Tian Yun felt his body getting heavier, and his eyes began to close.

    He suddenly lost his grip over the sword, and it flew away from his hand!

    Once again, Ye Tian Yun found himself on one knee, losing his strength with every passing moment.

    ''Not again, once more, I am so fucking close this time,'' Ye Tian Yun fell on both knees with his hand supporting his body from falling t on the ground.

    Taking long breaths, Ye Tian Yun tightened his fists and pushed himself up. However, it just wasn''t enough.

    Nothing came into his mind as he once again felt himself getting weakened.

    Just then -

    [Host, release your Natureless Sword Intent!]

    As soon as he heard these words, Ye Tian Yun''s eyes opened wide, and he took a deep breath and shouted, ''AAHHHHHHHHH!''

    The shout was so intense as if it shook the whole hall.

    And in the next instant, Ye Tian Yun felt another power surging through his body, as he felt his strength return back to his body.

    Panting, Ye Tian Yun slowly stood up on his feet.

    Lighting shed around him as a smile appeared in front of his face - he was able to release two Sword Intents and still withstand the impact on his body.

    Ye Tian Yun continued to recover his strength as the lightning around him continued to sh non-stop.

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun spread his arms wide open, took a deep breath, and shouted, ''AA-AAAAAAH!''

    Limitless power surged through his body as he felt his body almost explode from the intensity of his own strength.

    Ye Tian Yun tightened his fists as the lightning around him increased so much intensity that everything turned white!

    Unfortunately for Ye Tian Yun, his eyes were tightly shut as he gritted his teeth while releasing both of his Sword Intent.

    Boom!

    Bang!

    Zip -

    Boom!

    Lighting struck every corner of the hall as Ye Tian Yun clenched his fists, standing straight.

    Suddenly he raised his left arm straight in front of him, and in the next instant, another sword appeared in his hand!

    Lightning wrapped the sword as soon as it appeared.

    This time, however, Ye Tian Yun''s grip over the sword was very light as he slowly waved his sword.

    BOOM!

    A single wave of the sword released a lightning attack so intense that it ckened a sidewall.

    BOOM!

    Ye Tian Yun waved his sword once again as it hit the same spot; this time too it had struck the wall very fiercely.

    Just then, he heard another prompt from the System -

    [Host, this is the best chance to integrate your Sword Intent, release the full power of your Sword Intents!]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and moved his left leg behind.

    Gripping his sword, Ye Tian Yun waved his with all his strength, putting all his Sword Intent in the strike; he hit the wall at his side!

    BOOM!

    This time the whole hall shook as soon as the strikended on the wall.

    Ye Tian Yun saw a huge crack forming on it as the dust around it settled after a few moments.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and prepared for another strike.

    However, this time he felt something strange!

    As he prepared himself to strike, instead of feeling two separate powers, Ye Tian Yun felt a single unit, surging rapidly through his body and passing straight through the sword.

    The Lightning covering his sword disappeared!

    And in the next instant, it appeared once again; however, this time, there was a huge difference!

    The lightning was ck in colour!

    And Ye Tian Yun could still feel the power of the lightning, even though it wasn''t striking him!

    Nodding his head, Ye Tian Yun moved his sword, and once again, the lightning shed and struck the wall opposite to him like a whip.

    BOOM!

    The noise once again echoed through the hall as soon as the strikended on the wall.

    While the previous attack had only made a crack on the wall, this time, the hit was so strong that it destroyed it!

    Debris flew in front of Ye Tian Yun as he witnessed the wall turning to dust!

    ''Oh shit, I got carried away.''

    Instant regret shed through Ye Tian Yun''s expression as he put down his sword and scratched his head.

    The Sword Intent around his disappeared as he asked, ''System, please tell me we can repair this wall.''

    [Host, everything is possible as long as you put in enough Kill Point]

    ''Can''t you do a goddamn favour?''

    [Host, System is fair and impartial.]

    ''Never mind, at least tell me my situation, did I seed?''

    [Host, System would suggest that you don''t keep it a surprise and tell what you''re nning to do beforehand. Things could have gone wrong, and System wouldn''t even know what was going on.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged at this warning and asked once again, ''Was this experiment a sess?''

    [Host, it most probably was a sess. Why don''t you release the Sword Intent and see it for yourself?]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and without hesitation, released his Sword Intent!

    To his surprise, this time there was no oppressive power surging through his body; rather everything felt very normal.

    However, that was only on how Ye Tian Yun was feeling because everything else around him was far from normal!

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments. ty</em>

 Chapter 208 - New Sword Domain And Taking A Step Ahead

    Ye Tian Yun was quite surprised to witness the scene in front of him.

    As soon as he had released his Sword Intent, he had also created his Sword Domain.

    The Sword Domain was also the usual one - it couldn''t be seen, but it could be felt.

    However, the thing that surprised Ye Tian Yun was the lightning striking the floor within the domain.

    It was pure ck!

    Earlier, when Ye Tian Yun had made hisst attempt tobine the two different Sword Domains, he had caught a glimpse of this ck lightning. However, at that time, he had thought it was just an illusion or his brain was ying a trick because too much was going on at that time.

    But now that everything had calmed down and he wasn''t facing any difficulties with his Sword Intent, Ye Tian Yun was sure that he wasn''t hallucinating or anything.

    The lightning was indeed ck, and the aura it gave off was pretty frightening as well.

    ''Did this lightning turn ck because I have sessfullybined my Sword Intents?''

    Looking around, Ye Tian Yun soon nodded his head on the hypothesis.

    The ck lightning was indeed due to the two Sword Intents integrating with each other.

    The reason why he was affirmative was the presence of killing intent throughout the hall.

    At first, Ye Tian Yun was quite surprised that he failed to detect the killing intent faster; however, it seemed logical that he wouldn''t be able to easily sense the killing intent because it wasing from himself.

    Other than ck lightning, there wasn''t anything that seemed out of the ordinary except for one feeling.

    The feeling of power.

    Ye Tian Yun was feeling the power running through his veins. It was so much that there was a confident expression all over his face for no reason.

    He just felt that his sess in integrating the Sword Domains had helped him power up a lot, and now all he needed was someone to test his power.

    However, before that, Ye Tian Yun had to ask something, ''System, what do you know about this ck lightning?''

    [Host, ck Lightning is one of the rarest and most powerful types of lightning. It was once said that if one can understand the power of this lightning andprehend the principle behind it, he will be able to traverse through the continents within minutes.]

    [However, this is all but a rumor. Though, it being one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, types of lightning, is not a big secret because there have been many cultivators in the different eras who have been fortunate enough to possess its power.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''System, even if ck lightning is very powerful, is there a chance for me to hide it or separate my killing intents once again?''

    [Why, Host? Why would you want to separate your killing intent?]

    ''Of course, to get one more trump card.''

    [Ah, so you''re looking for another secret identity you can use?]

    ''Indeed,'' Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''You see, if I can separate andbine my Sword Intents at will, I will be able to use them separately in different battles and easily disguise myself. After all, no one has ever had two Sword Intents, at least not in my knowledge.''

    [Host,bining these Sword domains almost killed you, and you now want to get to the stage where you canbine and separate these two at your own will? You''re just going to waste your time doing this.]

    ''Waste time? I thought you would be able to show me a way to get there,'' Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    [Host, it''s not that what you are trying to do is impossible, the problem is it''s impossible to separate these Sword Intents. At least not before you form Nascent Soul. And with your cultivation speed, there''s a long way to go before you reach that cultivation realm.]

    ''Nascent Soul?'' Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while replying, ''This will indeed take some time.''

    Then looking at the hall around him, he continued, ''With the Qi density at this ce, I might get to the Foundation Realm in half-year. Unfortunately, I can''t stay here more than that.''

    ''This reminds me, System, how many days have we been here?''

    [It''s been almost three days since you first entered this hall, Host]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Well, not much time has passed, but still, a lot of my time is wasted here.''

    [...]

    System was quite speechless when it heard Ye Tian Yun''s reply.

    [Host, even with the time lost, you''re forgetting how much you have gained in such a short time. It''s a miracle that you were able to get to the Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent, much less be able toprehend a whole new Sword Intent and integrate it with your existing Sword Intent.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders, ''I don''t like to brag, but I am just too good for this world.''

    A/n: Check paragraphment here.

    He then lowered his gaze and stared at his sword, ''Let''s practice for some more time.''

    However, just as he held his sword, an idea dawned upon him as a big smile appeared on his face.

    He raised his head and stared straight at the wall in front of him.

    ''System, what do you think about my new Sword Domain''s power? It is enough to break that wall?''

    [Yes, Host, breaking that wall shouldn''t be very hard. But it will repair itself and be even sturdier, so you won''t be able to have much time to know what''s behind the wall.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Is there any way of dying that wall repair?''

    [There''s no way because the array is on the other side of the wall, you will need to pass through this wall before you have the ability to control this array.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded once again with a frown as he began to think of any possible way to keep that wall open for enough time for him to pass through it.

    Suddenly an idea popped into his mind, making his eyes wide open.

    ''System, what if I attack first with enough power to just break the wall and attack once again with a little more power? Will that dy the array?''

    [Theoretically, this should be the case. However, from a practical point of view, it''s almost impossible.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Yeah, it will be quite hard. There are just too many variables in this method.

    ''The first problem will be to find the exact power in the attack, which will be just enough to break the wall. The second would be to attack with more power than the first one, but the gap shouldn''t be too much. And the third would be time; if I get dyed by a single instance, everything will go to waste.''

    [Host, this way might work, but as you said, the problems that you face are too hard to solve. You should think of another way.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''I can''t see any other way out of this situation.''

    He was very interested in seeing what was actually behind the wall; he wanted to know the source of the light.

    He had a guess, but he just didn''t wish to believe it because the answer in his mind was just too precious to be left open like this.

    ''System, can you help me calcte how much power would be enough for me to break the wall on my first try? And we mustn''t forget that we need to attack continuously on the wall and keep on increasing the power on every attack.''

    ''That would mean there should be a considerable power gap between my first attack and the final attack. This will also be hard to manage.''

    ''Also, I will start closer from the wall, so I can take a step ahead every time I put in an attack, and then attack once more, then take one more step, and continue to repeat this process.''

    ''So, first of all, I need to know how much power I need.''

    [Host, calcting the power you need isn''t very hard, you only need to start from low-level attacks and slowly increase the power in your attacks, and soon you will get to the point where one hit will break the wall. After that, you just need to continue the same thing. The only difference would be that you will be taking one step closer to the wall every time you attack.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Well, this solves problem number one. The other one is, how to have the maximum possible gap between my first attack and my maximum power attack?''

    ''Because we don''t know how much power we will need to break the wall, what if my first attack needs power almost as much as my maximum current strength? What should I do after that?''

    ...

    <em>A/n: Mass release tomorrow!</em>

 Chapter 209 - Returning Back To Becoming A Cultivator (I)

    ''What should I do if the power gap between my first strike that breaks the wall and my maximum current power is very low? Won''t that make it impossible for me to get to the wall because I would reach my limit before I seeded?''

    Ye Tian Yun questioned himself and continued to think of a way to remove this variable.

    ''What I need right now is a boost in my powerˇ­'' He thought as he looked around, ''Cultivating here won''t be enough. I will need a whole month to break through to the next stage.''

    ''Is there any other way rather than just cultivating more?'' He frowned and suddenly remembered something important.

    ''Oh, I forgot! I have locked my Qi flow! So all the power that I have right now is that of a mortal!''

    ''What if I unlock my meridians? Wouldn''t that be a big boost to my strength?'' Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin.

    ''I also need to get my body ustomed back to the Qi flow and not to forget that my Sword Domain has changed. I will need to get my Qi and Sword Domain in sync once again.''

    ''Yeah, that''s what I need to do,'' Ye Tian Yun subconsciously nodded his head.

    Now that he had aplished one of the two main goals, to stabilize his Sword Domain, Ye Tian Yun had no other reason to be in the mortal state.

    He was very fortunate that thest stage of integrating his Sword Domain went too smoothly, and he had no issues when he released his Integrated Sword Domain once again in the hall.

    This was partially because of Chaos Qi''s presence around him and because of his Natureless Sword Intent.

    Ye Tian Yun was now ready to remove the blockage over his meridians and let the Qi flow resume through his body with his goal aplished.

    He wanted to test his new Sword Domain in the presence of the Qi to see how powerful he would be once he fully got used to the new state of his body.

    Subconsciously nodded his head, Ye Tian Yun moved his hand on his spatial ring to put the sword in his hand back to the spatial ring.

    However, just then, an intriguing question dawned upon him, ''Why is it that I can use my spatial ring without any problem, even though I do not have any Qi flowing through my body?''

    This question stopped all other thoughts passing through his head as a frown appeared on his face while staring at the spatial ring in his index finger.

    ''Is it because of Chaos Qi? After all, Chaos Qi is also a type of Qi, even though it''s not suitable for increasing cultivation.''

    ''System, do you know why I can use my Spatial Ring?'' Ye Tian Yun asked to confirm his reasoning behind this intriguing question.

    ''System, do you know why I can use my Spatial Ring?'' Ye Tian Yun asked to confirm his reasoning behind this intriguing question.

    [Host, you''re indeed thinking the right way. The reason why you''re able to use your spatial ring is because of the Chaos Qi. Even though you''re not using it to cultivate, it is still flowing through your other meridians.]

    [As the system stated once earlier, Chaos Qi has a different meridian than the normal Qi. There are few intersections, which are also why it is not possible to cultivate Chaos Qi.]

    [However, controlling the Spatial Ring is not a big deal and could be done with a minimal amount of Qi, be it normal or Chaos Qi.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, ''Well, this should be the case because there''s no other valid answer to this.''

    After putting his sword back in the spatial ring, Ye Tian Yun raised his head and asked, ''System, give me the acupuncture needles.''

    [33 Acupuncture Needles.]

    As soon as the prompt appeared, Ye Tian Yun felt the needles appear in his head.

    Scrunching his eyes brows, Ye Tian Yun asked, ''System, is the inventory really necessary? Why not just allow these items to be put in my spatial ring?''

    [Host, there are several reasons for that, the first would be that the item''s existence is against Heaven''s Will.]

    [Even if these are just ordinary needles, the problem still lies that these shouldn''t exist. And if they are put into a spatial ring, Heaven''s Will may detect this anomaly, and you will be in trouble.]

    ''But this doesn''t justify the reason for you to ask me the kill points to keep my inventory for anything I get from the system.''

    ''I buy anything from the kill points through you, and you then make me pay extra for the inventory. Aren''t you supposed to be fair and impartial? Why are you always trying to rip me off?''

    [Host, the System is here to help you grow, however, it can''t tantly support you. And all the prices and charges that System asks for, it has no control over them, so there''s no point inining about the price every time you ask for help]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders and put his attention on the needles in his hand.

    He took a long breath and sat down on the ground.

    He stretched his legs straight and began to prepare for the acupuncture.

    ˇ­

    [Mass Release]

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments, ty

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 Chapter 210 - Returning Back To Becoming A Cultivator (II)

    A few days back, when Ye Tian Yun did acupuncture to himself, he had sessfully blocked the Qi flow through his body, allowing him to use the Chaos Qi. This helped himprehend and stabilize a whole new Sword Intent within a very short amount of time.

    Chaos Qi also yed a major role in integrating his two Sword Intents, which allowed him to take a huge leap in his strength, giving him a powerful trump card.

    Subconsciously nodding his head, Ye Tian Yun began first to assess the situation of his meridians.

    When he had performed acupuncture on himself, the basic goal was to put pressure on the meridian, which will block the Qi flow through his body and allow him to be a mortal.

    Now, he needed to get back to his former stage and resume the flow of Qi through his body.

    For that, Ye Tian Yun needed to release the blocks, but there were many other things that he needed to be careful of.

    Unlike how he blocked the Qi flow from the tip of his leg toes to his forehead, where everything was a step-by-step process, this time, there were many other things that Ye Tian Yun had to be careful about.

    First was that unblocking the meridians was not a step-by-step process, but rather, all the meridians would unlock at once. This would create a lot of rush as all the pressure on the meridians would be released at once.

    If he wasn''t careful enough, he might create bigger trouble for himself and may end up hurting his own meridians.

    ˇ­

    The process of unblocking the meridians is pretty simple, and all a cultivator needs to do is unblock the very first meridian.

    Once he seeds in this part, Ye Tian Yun will have to prepare himself for the volcanic eruption-like feeling through his body.

    The reason behind it would be pretty basic: Since the first meridian is unblocked, it would pressure the next meridian and force it open.

    Because there won''t be any needle present on that meridian, it would easily get unblocked, and the Qi will then flow towards the next meridian.

    And just like this, the Qi flow will force open all the meridians one by one. However, the force through the meridians would increase rapidly, which is the most dangerous aspect of this method.

    The meridian would unblock on their own. This didn''t happen earlier when Ye Tian Yun was doing acupuncture for the first time. After putting the needles in ce, he didn''t remove them; instead, he kept pressuring the needles on each of the meridians until he had sessfully blocked thest meridians: The ones in his hands.

    After putting all the needles in ce, there wasn''t any room for Qi to flow through his meridians, which remained to be the case because all the meridians were now closed, so the Qi couldn''t enter the meridians properly.

    This continued even after he had removed the needles and sessfully turned himself into a mortal.

    Right now, what Ye Tian Yun needed to do was to loosen up the blockage on the meridians in his hands and allow the Qi to create pressure on both sides of his body - left and right.

    The pressure would be the same because Ye Tian Yun needed to unblock both arms at once so that the Qi flow would add up and increase a lot in terms of the force and flow rate.

    This would make it easier for his meridians to unblock because the force would still be enough even after reaching thest meridian in his toes.

    The process of unblocking the Qi flow through his hands was exactly simr to how they got blocked in the first ce.

    Ye Tian Yun needed to take the longest needle and put it between his index and middle fingers of both hands at once.

    However, there was one slight change - the meridian on which Ye Tian Yun needed to use force was not the blocked meridian, but in fact, it was an adjacent meridian that would then put pressure on the blocked meridian.

    This pressure would then lead to unblocking of that meridian. The flow of the Qi would be so fast that it would reach the heart within an instant and meet the flow from the opposite side, thus unblocking all the meridians surrounding his heart, and then the Qi flow will go to both side - towards his head and the toe.

    In the end, all his meridians would be unblocked, and the Qi flow would resume throughout his body.

    ˇ­

    With a clear map of how things will go, Ye Tian Yun first lies on the ground on his back.

    And raised his hands in the air to start the process.

    However, just then, Ye Tian Yun heard a sudden prompt from the System,

    [Host, System would suggest that you follow your method while standing up, rather than lying on the ground.]

    ''Hmm?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''Wouldn''t that make the Qi flow erratic? There would be a high chance of my meridians getting hurt if I were to do this while standing on my feet, right?''

    [Host, actually no, all of this is just an assumption, and no one had ever tried in fear of losing their lives. However, if you were to do this while standing up, it would be more beneficial for you.]

    ''Ah? Is that so? But can you exin to me how?''

    [Host, the reason behind this is a mysterious force that attracts everything towards the ground. This force doesn''t have a source. However, the whole earth is its source.]

    [It''s called Gravity.]

    ...

    <em>A/n: Please update your webnovel app to thetest version!</em>

    <em>The price of privilege will be changed, and a new Special Discount Tier will be released.. It will be 4 chapters ahead of the regr release, and it will only cost 2 coins! And the best part: All chapters will cost 1-2 coins at most [99% Discount].</em>

 Chapter 211 - Returning Back To Becoming A Cultivator (III)

    [It''s called Gravity.]

    ''Gravity? Weird name, what is it?'' Ye Tian Yun asked with a curious expression over his face.

    [Gravity is the universal force of attraction acting between all matters. The matter is a term for everything that exists in existence.]

    ''It''s a force? Howe I have never felt it?''

    [It''s the weakest natural force out there, Host. you didn''t feel it like a ''force'' because it seems too natural and lowkey, then it took a heavenly encounter between a man and an apple that they seeded in discovering this.]

    ''An apple and a man? That''s a weirdbo. It must have been a crazy day for that guy,'' Ye Tian Yun shrugged, ''However, how is this gravity going to help me?''

    [Host, as mentioned earlier, Gravity is a force of attraction between matter. And the matter is everything - you, the Qi inside you, and everything around you. This means there''s a force attracting everything towards each other.]

    [However, this force is proportional to the mass of that matter. For example, the mass difference between you and your sword isn''t much. Thus, you can''t feel this force; however, the mass difference between this whole continent and you is so much that the force is very high.]

    [This is the reason why no matter how high you can jump, you will fall back to the ground. And this force is going to be useful for you right now.]

    [You see, just like how there''s a force of attraction between you and the ground. Simrly, there''s a force of attraction between the Qi and the ground.]

    [If you were to lie down and unblock your meridian, this force will be perpendicr to the force of Qi flow, this will flow parallel to the ground, through your body. This means you will lose a lot of momentum due to these perpendicr forces.]

    [Thus, it is rmended that you stand up and unblock your meridians so you can make better use of gravity and add extra momentum to the Qi flow, making it easier for you to unblock all your meridians, with certainty.]

    Ye Tian Yun had a nk expression by the time System finished exining everything, ''System, most of the stuff went above my head, but you sounded quite intelligent, and my intuition tells me to trust you on this.''

    ''Well then,'' While standing up, Ye Tian Yun continued, ''Let''s do everything while standing.''

    Ye Tian Yun then took the longest needle and put it between his index and middle fingers of both hands, easily bncing it.

    What he needed to do next was to move his hands and adjust the needle between his fingers on the right meridian, which would direct the force on the blocked meridian when pressured, thus forcing the meridian to unblock.

    With these thoughts, Ye Tian Yun began to follow these steps practically.

    Soon he felt the meridian he was looking for, and with the needle between his hands, he pushed the needle from both sides, which in turn put pressure on the meridian.

    A significantly visible bulge could be seen near the tip of the needles, as Ye Tian Yun slowly increased the force and pressed the needles even more.

    Soon came the breaking point as Ye Tian Yun felt a sizzling current pass through his body, shaking his hands from the sudden shock due to the released pressure.

    Plop!

    Ye Tian Yun felt like his hands had exploded!

    Before Ye Tian Yun could even assess the situation, he ''felt'' something rushing through both of his hands, straight towards his chest!

    Plop!

    Plop!

    Plop!

    Irregr beats echoed in Ye Tian Yun''s ear as he felt his meridians unblock!

    Suddenly came an intense pain around his heart, as the force from both sides collided and the meridian wrapping the heart bulged!

    This didn''tst even for an instant; however, Ye Tian Yun saw his whole life pass in front of his eyes.

    Before his hand could even clutch his chest, the pain was already gone!

    But the weird sensation was still there, and just then, Ye Tian Yun felt like a double-sided cylindrical bomb sting through his body, as he felt mysterious force passing through his body!

    One force went towards his head, while the other went down. Before he could even bnce himself, the intense pain returned once again. However, this time it was between his eyebrows!

    Ye Tian Yun felt his forehead bulge as if it would explode at any moment.

    Plop!

    Just then, a popping sound echoed through his ear, and he felt his head get lightheaded.

    Before he could enjoy this rxed state, Ye Tian Yun''s leg muscles suddenly cramped, almost making him fall to the ground.

    Somehow bncing himself, Ye Tian Yun kept standing, trying his best not to mess up his posture.

    The cramp also didn''tst long, and soon Ye Tian Yun felt himself getting freed, and lightweight as the most rxed feeling ever passed through his legs.

    ''Fuuuuuuˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and sighed in relief, as all his meridians were now open and working!

    A smile naturally formed on his face because now, he had officially finished half of his task!

    Plop!

    Ye Tian Yun felt tired and rxed as heid down on the ground, his legs and arms stretched wide open, his chest heaving up and down as he calmed his erratic breathing.

    ''Finally, I am back to being a cultivator.''

    It was quite an achievement for him. After all, he wasn''t a genius in terms of alchemy, and usually, it''s those alchemists who are proficient in terms of acupuncture.

    His luck stayed with him, and he was able to do the impossible.

    In just a few days, Ye Tian Yun had taken a huge leap in terms of his strength and confidence.

    After a few minutes, now with normal breathing, Ye Tian Yun raised his upper body and sat straight on the ground while staring at the wall opposite to himself.

    ''Let''s see what secret this ce is hiding.''

 Chapter 212 - Destroying The Wall!

    Ever since Ye Tian Yun had seen the bright light for the first time, he was very intrigued with what this ce was hiding.

    But unfortunately for him, his luck wasn''t that good, and before he could even understand what had just happened, the light would disappear.

    There was an array on the wall which would automatically repair the wall and make it sturdier, and the wall would then be able to handle an even more powerful attack than the one that had just destroyed it.

    This was why none of Ye Tian Yun''s attacks worked on this wall.

    Fortunately for him, his power increased, and he was sessful in destroying the wall once again. However, this time too, it came at unexpected times, and Ye Tian Yun couldn''t even understand what just happened before the light disappeared as the array repaired the wall between him and the light source.

    This happened three times, and each time only served in, making Ye Tian Yun more curious than ever.

    Unfortunately, every time he only ended up missing by a mere instant and could sigh in regret while staring at the brand new repaired wall.

    However, now, with a considerable power upgrade, Ye Tian Yun felt quite confident in his new n, which, if he seeded, wouldn''t only allow him to see what was behind the wall. He might even cross over to the other site and confirm his doubts regarding the source of that light.

    What he was nning was basically an attack from his lowest power and slowly increase the strength in his attacks. In the end, he would reach the stage where his strike would break the wall.

    As soon as it broke, Ye Tian Yun would take a step forward and send another attack straight towards the wall before it would repair itself.

    Ye Tian Yun will continue to repeat this step, with increased power in every step, and never let the wall repair itself before he could cross over to the other side.

    The n seemed quite simple, but there were few problems, the most important of them was time management.

    If he failed to manage his time, Ye Tian Yun would fail miserably, and he may not be able to get to the other side.

    However, Ye Tian Yun was feeling a lot more confident and ready to get to the other side - this made him very alert and extra careful about every move.

    This was only going to be an advantage for him and would eventually allow him to seed. At least that''s what he was thinking right now.

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun stood up from the ground, pped clean his robes, and moved towards the wall.

    Since he could only take one step between each sessive attack that could destroy the wall, Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to start his attack from far.

    Not only would he risk losing the momentum of his attacks, but he would also risk losing all of his chances because he didn''t know how much power he needed to break the wall.

    This was why Ye Tian Yun wanted to be as close as possible to the wall so he could cross over to the other side without much hassle in his first chance.

    Ye Tian Yun soon reached the spot with such thoughts that he found it easier for himself to start his attacks with enough distance between him and the wall to make himselffortable with the attacks.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun soon found himself in a fighting stance, ready tounch his first attack, straight towards the wall.

    He didn''t make any fancy moves and directly sent his attack on the wall.

    As expected, the attack barely scratched the wall. After all, Ye Tian Yun was going to keep his attacks as low as possible.

    However, he suddenly felt a bit unnatural with his attack, and this made him stop in his tracks. Frowning, Ye Tian Yun stared at his sword.

    Then he looked around and shook his head, ''Damn, I never knew there woulde a day when I would fail to use the Qi properly.''

    Ye tia Yun turned around, with his back now facing the wall that he was about to attack.

    Without wasting any time, Ye Tian Yun began to wave his sword in an orderly fashion.

    He had forgotten how to use Qi in his attack properly - this was his current problem.

    Earlier, he wasn''t expecting this to be a hurdle because he had practiced Qi and used it in his attacks for not only one but two lifetimes, yet just after two days of staying without Qi, his brain had missed the mark and failed to sync the Qi flow with his attacks.

    This wasn''t anything to worry about. However, it did waste a lot of potential of the attack and even reduced the power of the attack.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun was forced to change his priorities and make some amends - he first needed to get used to the Qi before getting back to his other ns.

    While making sword moves, Ye Tian Yun slowly flowed and synced the Qi into the attack moves, albeit slowly.

    Soon he found himselffortable, and his attacks in sync with the Qi flow through his body. However, he didn''t stop and continued to make his attacks - he wanted to touch the full potential of his power once.

    Thus, after a few moments, Ye Tian Yun began to release his Sword Intent head-on, and mixed within the sword moves was the endless potential of his sword moves.

    Without wasting a breath, Ye Tian Yun continued to release Sword Intent with each sword move.

    He wanted to getfortable with his Sword Intent in the presence of Qi flow, once again, and then take a step ahead.

    It wasn''t long before he released more of his power as in the next moment, a Sword Domain spread throughout the hall.

 Chapter 213 - Qin Wentian Returns To The Gracious Sword Sect!

    ck lightning shed around Ye Tian Yun as he released his whole potential.

    The best thing at this instant was the fact that he was able to control the flow of his Sword Domain, unlike the instances prior toing here, where he fainted at the mere appearance of his Sword Domain.

    Ye Tian Yun felt like his true power was currently way beyond his actual cultivation realm, and it gave him a confidence boost of so much that he thought he could even go head-on against a foundation Realm cultivator with much power.

    However, he didn''t let this get into his head and ruin everything for himself. Calming himself down, Ye Tian Yun attacked the wall on the far end with this Sword Intent and ck lightning.

    Just as he made his first attack, Ye Tian Yun suddenly noticed something.

    His lightning wasn''t pure ck this time around.

    Last time, when he released his Sword Intent without any Qi flow through his body, the lightning had changed its color from blueish-white to pure ck.

    However, now that he had his Qi flow back and his body wasn''t in a mortal state, the color of lightning had now changed.

    Even though ck lighting was still a majority, there were dense yellow asional sparks.

    These sparks were at random ces, and they weren''t a lot; however, these were enough to make him ecstatic because Ye Tian Yun knew the power of yellow lightning.

    If ck lighting is synonymous with death, yellow lightning signifies life.

    Both of these had simr destructive power. However, their nature was different. Though, right now, this wasn''t what Ye Tian Yun was interested in.

    Ye Tian Yun turned around and returned back to his earlier spot.

    Now that this minor hindrance was removed, he could once again focus on his target - the wall in front of him.

    Without dying anymore, Ye Tian Yun began to make his moves and slowly increased his attack speed.

    He sent his first attack, and it had more power and momentum behind it than the one he sent earlier.

    However, this too gave the same result - it had no effect on the wall.

    But this didn''t affect Ye Tian Yun. He prepared his next move and attacked, this one more powerful than thest.

    Unfortunately, this too, didn''t have any effect on the wall.

    Like this, Ye Tian Yun continued to increase the power behind every consecutive attack slowly.

    He didn''t get discouraged as he continued with his attacks, and finally came the moment that he was waiting for -

    BAM!

    The wall broke!

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t waste even an instant; taking a step forward, he made another attack, directly hitting the wall, reverting all the repairs that array had already seeded in.

    This time too, Ye Tian Yun took another step ahead and attacked once more.

    It was this attack that finally broke through the wall as the blinding light once again lightened the hall.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, this time didn''t lose control of his steps and attacked straight on the wall after taking a step ahead.

    His attack struck the right ce, and he was able to waste the array''s efforts of repairing the wall.

    Ye Tian Yun repeated his steps and continued with his attacks.

    And finally, he was just one step away from the wall.

    This time, he went full-on power mode, and as soon as his previous attack struck the wall, he waved his sword, and yellow-ck lightning wrapped his sword, increasing rapidly before he hit it straight on the wall.

    BAAAM!

    This attack made the hole in the wall wider than ever, giving enough time for Ye Tian Yun to jump to the other side!

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun crossed over, the first thing he looked at was the source of the light.

    But he noticed something shocking - the shining light was gone!

    [Host, it seems the light wasing due to an array, quite surprising.]

    ''An array?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned and looked around himself more carefully; however, he suddenly felt that his feet had gotten wet - as if he had stepped into the water.

    He looked down, and his whole body came to a halt.

    Slowly his expression went from confused to surprised, as his eyes opened wide!

    He looked around as all his doubts became clearer, and the one thing that seemed to be puzzling him ever since he had entered the Sword Stele finally got answered.

    ''I knew it!'' Ye Tian Yun smirked because he had just hit the biggest jackpot of his lifetime!

    ...

    Grand Meeting Hall, Gracious Sword Sect.

    ''"What? You''re saying you want to investigate more?" Sect Leader Su''s voice thundered in the grand hall as he stared at two cultivators standing at the center of the hall.

    "Indeed. It seems I have missed something very important here - something which seemed to be of little value earlier. However, now, I have no other choice but toe back here and request for a much more thorough investigation."

    It was Qin Wentian who had just said this.

    It had been more than two days since his talk with his master. And today, he had finally returned to the Gracious Sword Sect - to investigate the truth behind Kang Bai''s death, that is, to specifically investigate the reason behind the presence of Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun''s aura in this sect.

    Beside him was his ''junior brother'' whom he had been discussing ''dao'' for thest two days.

    "Alright, we will agree. Though, I would suggest you tell us the result of the investigation before sending it to the Kang n - whatever the result be."

    Qin Wentian nodded his head, "I have no issues with that. However, I have a few more requests from you."

    "Oh?" Sect Leader Su had his eyebrows raised, "Do tell me how I can help you."

    Qin Wentian gave a slight smile and said, "I want to personally investigate and meet with the disciples who were in those dungeons at the time of the incident."

    "Starting from the disciple who was ranked number one, Fang Chen."

 Chapter 214 - The Token

    "I want to personally investigate and meet with the disciples who were in those dungeons at the time of the incident."

    "Starting from the disciple who was ranked number one, Fang Chen."

    Qin Wentian''s words rang throughout the Grand Meeting Hall.

    Sect Leader Su frowned at Qin Wwentian''s demanding attitude. However, he chose to remain silent when he saw the batch on Qin Wentian''s shirt.

    Heaven Oracle Sect was not a power he could mess with. Even though they won''t destroy the whole Gracious Sword Sect just over a disciple, they would still create trouble for them to ''teach a lesson.''

    Sect Leader Su knew very well that the powers in the Middle Heavens had a very unpredictable approach, and this was another reason that made him remain silent.

    He just nodded and continued to listen to Qin Wentian''s demands.

    Truthfully, he was waiting for the right moment to get Qin Wentian to straighten his back - he was waiting for the right moment to shut him up. Though he wouldn''t go as far as harming the boy in front of him, well...maybe it would be mental harm.

    "We will be staying in your sect for at least a whole month, so you better prepare a good ce for us to stay." Qin Wentian didn''t notice the subtle frown on Sect Leader Su''s face as he continued to speak his mind, with his hands behind his back and chin raised high, "Also, I want the disciples toe to my residence. I won''t be going to them just for this."

    The hall turned silent as Qin Wentian''s words came to an end.

    Seeing Sect Leader Su still staring at him, Qin Wentian shrugged at him, "What? So you don''t want to do these things?"

    Sect Leader Su raised his eyebrows as an expression of surprise formed on his face, "Oh, you finished? I thought you had more things to say."

    "..."

    Sect Leader Su scratched his chin while replying, "Wellˇ­ I don''t have any problem with any of your demands. However, since you havee back two dayster, I am pretty sure that you''re not here to get Kang Bai to ''justice'', or else you would have returned the very same day."

    "The fact alone that you woulde back and interfere in two power''s problems, again and again, is very strange, especially because of the power behind you - the Heaven Oracle Sect."

    "So, here''s my condition - give me the reason which made youe back here - And I wouldply with your demands."

    Qin Wentian''s face turned ugly when he heard Sect Leader Su''s response, "You should be careful about what you ask for, Sect Leader Su. There are some things that one just shouldn''t know for their own safety."

    Sect Leader Su almost puked when he heard Qim Wentian''s words, "Boy, let me remind you one thing - you''re in my house. You can''t act as you wish. So just be a good guest, and I might allow you to do what you''re here for."

    "Oh?" Qin Wentian''s lips curved upwards, "Do you think you''re in the position to make me give you respect?"

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "You just don''t listen, huh? Even young masters of Middle Heaven ns are not as arrogant as you are. Well, there is one - but he''s confident in his abilities, and so are the people who have ever met him - he''s the only one in your generation who can make demands in front of me."

    Noticing Qin Wentian slowly clenching his teeth, Sect Leader Su smirked, "If the best advantage you have is the power behind you - you have no right to make demands in front of others, especially in their own home."

    "You can choose to treat my words as literal nonsense, but trust me, kid. Not everyone would hesitate to take your life just because you''re Heaven Oracle Sect''s disciple,"

    By this time, Qin Wentian''s breathing was getting erratic. It just made Sect Leader Su inwardly delighted as he continued, "You''re making demands here. You know very well that no one can touch you in the Lower Heavens because of the power behind you. But that doesn''t give you the right to act however you want. There is a certain etiquette that everyone follows - you''re a guest here, not the master. I am the master."

    Qin Wentian closed his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down.

    He then said, "Sect Leader Su, I would ask you to think again what you have just said - trust me on the fact that you don''t want to create enmity with the future Sect Leader of the heaven Oracle Sect."

    "Future Sect Leader?" Sect Leader Su stood up from his seat and stared at Qin Wentian for one good long minute, and then burst intoughter, "Hahahaha, how fuckin'' delusional! Hahahahaˇ­"

    After augh that seemed tost for eternity to QIn Wentian, Sect Leader Su finally stopped, "Boy, what made you think of something absurd? As far as I remember, there are three top contenders for the position of Sect Leader in your sect - and all of them are girls."

    "Youˇ­ don''t seem to be a girl to meˇ­ or, are you?" Sect Leader Su starred from up to down at Qin Wentian, with the best possible judgemental face he had ever made.

    If Sect Leader Su''sughing at him wasn''t enough to anger Qin Wentian, the mention of the girls did cken his expression.

    He narrowed his eyes while replying, "Sect Leader Su, future is uncertain, be it them or me, there''s still a long way to go. But I can assure you, the day I be the Haven Oracle Sect''s Sect Leader will be the day your sect will have the greatest power under the heavens as its enemy."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head and took out a wooden token from his pocket.

    Holding it through his index and middle finger, Sect Leader Su raised it and showed it in front of Qin Wentian, giving him a very clear view of the token.

    "Impossible!" Qin Wentian shouted as the color of his face drained within an instant.

 Chapter 215 - Qin Wentians Deduction (I)

    "Impossible!"

    Qin Wentian''s shout echoed throughout the hall.

    Even the disciple beside him had lost ''his'' calm and had ''his'' mouth opened in shock and disbelief.

    "How can you have this tokenˇ­ who are you!?" Qin Wentian shouted once again echoed in the hall.

    Sect Leader Su felt very satisfied after seeing Qin Wentian''s reaction.

    ''This part is always the best. Why don''t I encounter arrogant Middle Heaven cultivators very often?''

    Letting out a sigh, Sect Leader Su removed unnecessary thoughts and put on a regretful expression, "Boy, now you understand I wasn''t saying just bullshit, right? So, now, get back to the topic, and tell me, what made you appear here?"

    Qin Wentain remained silent for a long time before saying, "Well, I insist that the only reason why I havee here is because of Kang Bai. As absurd and unlikely as it may sound, it is the truth."

    "And I ''request'' you that you let us do the investigation of this matter and also give an order for the disciples toe to the residence, which we also ''request'' from you."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "See, it wasn''t very hard."

    The token in his hand disappeared back to his spatial ring, and he came down from the elevated seat. And after a few moments, he was standing right in front of QIn Wentian.

    With his lips curved upwards, Sect Leader Su continued, "Well, follow me."

    With that said, Sect Leader Su didn''t wait and headed straight towards the Meeting Hall exit.

    Soon they were passing through the spiral stairway; Qin Wentian, who had been silent ever since opened his mouth again, "I must acknowledge, the arrays in your sect are quite magnificent. How did you umte the resources to run such an array?"

    Sect Leader Su stopped his tracks and turned around. Then, with a slight smile, he raised his index finger and rubbed the spatial ring.

    It didn''t take much time for Qin Wentian to get the message.

    "Oh... I see. Well, you must have been a great ''servant''." Qin Wentian also gave a stab.

    However, Sect Leader Su wasn''t affected by his supposed ''insult''; rather, he just found it amusing and turned around and resumed walking.

    Qin Wentian didn''t make any more fuss and followed suit.

    Nothing else happened as the three-headed out of the First Peak.

    Soon, the stairway came to an end.

    Sect Leader Su was the first to exit and turned around aftering in the out, staring at the stairway as the two others following him also came out.

    As Qin Wentian stepped outside of the stairway, he found someone else standing beside Sect Leader Su.

    The group had four people staring at Qin Wentian; Sect Leader Su said, "Brother Duan, this is Qin Wentian."

    Then turning towards the man beside him, Peak Master Duan, Sect Leader Su, continued, "He had returned to investigate the Kang Bai incident. However, this time he wishes to meet the disciples who were in the second round. So, arrange a residence for these two guests on the Seventh Peak, and tell those disciples toe and have a meeting with these two, starting from the guy who rankedst."

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head as Sect Leader Su and turned towards Qin Wentian. Cupping his fists, he said, "Wee to the Gracious Sword Sect. I am the Peak Master of the Seventh Peak, where the incident took ce. You can call me Peak Master Duan."

    Seeing Qin Wentian nodding his head, Peak Master Duan continued, "I will arrange the residence for you, follow me."

    Turning towards Sect Leader Su, Peak Master Duan cupped his fists and said, "I will take my leave, Senior Brother."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, with his hands behind his back.

    Watching Qin Wentian and the other disciple follow Peak Master back to the stairway, Sect Leader Su shook his head, "Hopefully, I''ll meet another arrogant cultivator from the Middle Heavens very soon. Seeing them lose their colour is the most satisfying thing, hehehe."

    ˇ­

    After a few minutes, while still walking through the stairs, the disciple who came with Qin Wentian asked, "Peak Master Duan, why are we heading back? Shouldn''t we be going to the Seventh Peak?"

    Peak Master Duan turned his head and replied while walking, "Well, we are not heading to the meeting hall, but rather the Seventh Peak. Going through the normal route would only create an unnecessarymotion, so this way is much better."

    The disciple asked again, "Butˇ­ this is the same way we came from..."

    Peak Master Duan smiled, "Ah, no. Well, this whole stairway is aplex array; this time, the destination is different."

    The disciple''s eyes opened wide as ''he'' turned towards Qin Wentian in shock.

    Qin Wentian didn''t say anything, just nodded his head, confirming whatever thought was going on in their mind.

    The disciple, still shocked, didn''t speak anymore and quietly followed Peak Master Duan.

    Soon they once again saw the light at the end of the stairway and came out in the open.

    Qin Wentian was surprised to find himself standing in a courtyard. Looking from one corner to the other, he asked, "Peak Master Duan, are we on the Seventh Peak right now?"

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head, "Indeed we are. In fact, this is the courtyard where you will be staying."

    "Oh?" Qin Wentian now looked around. However, his mind was currently very distracted.

    "When should I start sending disciples here to meet you?" Peak Master Duan asked.

    Qin Wentian pursed his lips and thought for a few moments, and replied, "Let''s start this from tomorrow morning."

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head, "Well, I will take my leave. The maids will arrange everything for you - "

    "No!" Qin Wentian interrupted, "I don''t want any disturbances. We both can take care of ourselves, don''t worry."

    Peak Master Duan shrugged, "Alright, I have no problem with this. I will head out then. Make yourselffortable."

    Soon, only Qin Wentian and Ji Yi were present in the hall.

    Staring at the exit, Qin Wentian said with his eyes narrowed, "Junior Sister, now we know why Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun woulde here."

 Chapter 216 - Qin Wentians Deduction (II)

    "Junior Sister, now we know why Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun woulde here."

    Qin Wentian''s low voice rang throughout the hall. n

    "Hm? Was it that token?" Ji Yi asked.

    Qin Wentian nodded his head, "Yes and a few other reasons."

    "Bring out the yellow array. We need to set it up."

    "Yes, Senior Brother." Ji Yi nodded,plied with the instructions, and took out a yellow paper parchment from her spatial ring.

    Putting it on the ground, she moved and started to close the windows and door of the courtyard.

    After a few minutes, she returned and began to scribble symbols on the paper. After that, she took out a few Qi Stones and put them on certain marks on the paper.

    Meanwhile, Qin Wentian was roaming around the courtyard and its rooms, inspecting every corner of the ce.

    Soon, Ji Yi had finished setting up everything and stood up, taking a few steps back, with her hands behind her back.

    It didn''t take long for Qin Wentian to return after looking around the courtyard.

    He nodded his head when he saw the things arranged on the floor and said, "I didn''t find any arrays in this courtyard - looks like this Sect had no intention of spying on us. So this will save us from a lot of hassle."

    Sitting on the ground, he continued, "Anyway, we need to get this done first. You have done a good job, Ji Yi."

    Hispliment brought a smile to Ji Yi''s face, "Thank you, Senior Brother Qin."

    Qin ian nodded and continued to inspect the array on the parchment. Then he took out a different parchment from his spatial ring andid it on the current setup at the ground.

    Standing up, he also took a few steps back and continued to stare at the two parchments with Ji Yi.

    After about two to three minutes, the parchments began to glow up.

    Qin Wentian nodded his head, "Well, that wasn''t much difficult, now no one from outside can sense or know whatever happens in this courtyard for a month."

    He then looked at Ji Yi and said, "Let''s call Master and discuss things first. I think we don''t need to stay here for long, now that we know the connection between Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun and this sect."

    Ji Yi nodded her head and began to prepare themunication array.

    She took out five ck orbs, and a table from her spatial ring then ced the orbs on the table in some kind of formation.

    After that, she took out some high-tier Qi Stones and began to arrange a mini array.

    It didn''t take long for the table to light up as the array had been sessfully set up, and after a few minutes, a bust of an elder began to materialize like a projection above the ck orbs.

    "Greetings, Master!" Qi Wentian immediately cupped his fists and respectfully greeted the old man.

    The old man nodded his head," Hmm, good good, where are you right now?"

    "Master, I am in the Gracious Sword Sect. This was the sect where I sensed the presence of Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun."

    The old man nodded his head, "Tell me, what did you find out?"

    Qin Wentian nodded and replied, "Master, I think now I know a lot of things - and most probably, I have also figured out the reason behind the presence of the Crown Prince in that dungeon."

    His master frowned, "Oh? Tell me everything."

    "Master, the first thing is, the Sect Leader of this Sect is a part of the Divine Ye Corps."

    "Divine Ye Corps!?" The old man''s expressionless face turned into one of shock and disbelief.

    He then frowned and asked, "Why would someone from the Divine Ye Corps be here?"

    "Master, I didn''t ask much about this topic. However, when I tried to warn the Sect Leader not to mess with the Heaven Oracle Sect, he took out the token from his ring and put it in front of us."

    The elder nodded his head, "I see. What''s the name of this Sect Leader?"

    "Master, he is called Su Ming." Qin Wentian replied without dy.

    "Su Ming..? This sounds quite familiar... I will look into this. But the problem is, him having the token doesn''t actually mean anything."

    Qin Wentian shook his head, "But Master, there''s one more thing that''s out of the context here."

    "What?"

    "The Arrays here, almost all of them are prettyplex and would require a lot of high-tier Qi Stones. However, the arrays here run without any glitch - this means that this sect needs a lot of resources."

    "The resources needed to maintain these arrays are just too much for a small sect like this to manage, and I have a suspicion that there''s a much deeper connection between the great Ye n and this Sect."

    "Since the Great Ye n provides so many resources, there''s a high chance that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun must have visited this ce. Also, there must be a reason why he would havee here. And this reason was why Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was present in the dungeons at that time. And also he is the person who killed the berserk beast and a disciple named Kang Bai."

    "Master, I think we should investigate more about this situation - after all, there are not many things that can bring Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun here to the Lower Heavens."

    The elder in the projection was remained silent for a long time and finally said something whichplicated the situation more than ever, "Tian''er, your theory does sound very valid and almost believable. However, it is not the truth."

    "Hm? How, Master?"

    "I told you I would be investigating in the Middle heavens about the whereabouts of Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun - and I did. I visited his mansion, and I met him personally."

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is in the Middle Heavens."

 Chapter 217 - Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun Is In Middle Heavens!

    The old man''s voice rang throughout the courtyard.

    "Thesest two days, I have thoroughly investigated the whereabouts of Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun. At first, I was told he''s in close door cultivation, but then he made few public appearances, and just today morning, I visited his mansion."

    "He''s in the Middle Heavens, and cultivating to break through to the next realm."

    His words shocked Qin Wentian, "What!? But that''s impossible, I am hundred percent sure it was indeed Crown PRince''s aura, I was not lying."

    The old elder shook his head, "I know you weren''t, but Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is indeed in the Middle Heavens."

    Qin Wentian frowned and asked, "What if he went back just now? It''s been four days since you first heard of Kang Bai''s death."

    The old elder replied, "No, he couldn''t have possiblye back without us knowing. It would take at least three days for him to return, and we already knew about this within just two days of his aura, so he shouldn''t have been in his mansion."

    "Also, the most logical question is - why would he hurry back? He didn''t know you woulde to investigate the death of the disciples. There was nothing that could have given him a red g to run back to his mansion - so it''s impossible for him to hurry back for no reason."

    "But, Master, I still think we''re not seeing the whole picture. THere''s something that we''re missing."

    The old elder let out a sigh, "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is following his fate, he''s still in the Middle Heavens, doing what he should be doing, and cultivating how he should be cultivating."

    Qin Wentian felt unresigned, he was very confident in himself that it was indeed Ye Tian Yun, whose aura he felt in the dungeons where the incident happened.

    "Master, what if it''s someone else in disguise? What if the Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun in the mansion is just a diversion, and the real one is in the Lower Heavens?"

    The Elder shook his head, "It''s not a diversion, I personally visited him just to confirm this. It is indeed the same Ye Tian Yun whose aura you sensed in the dungeon. Unfortunately, I don''t think we will ever be able to get to the bottom of this."

    Qin Wentian asked with a frown, "But then, Master, if he''s not in the Lower Heavens and I did indeed judge the aura to be wrong, then this still doesn''t exin the hidden luxury of this Sect."

    "As I mentioned earlier, there are lots of high ranked arrays, with aplex mechanism, all over this sect, and they seem to be always running - now the question is, how is this small sect able to keep up with the resources used to active these arrays."

    The old Elder nodded his head, "YOu''re indeed making a certain point, however, the answer is already given by you - you said that the sect leader of this Sect is a part of the Divine Ye Corps. That can validate any reasoning behind your question - how is the sect able to make the arrays run all the time."

    Qin Wentian nodded his head, "Indeed master, this is what I was thinking, however, if we go by this exnation, it will raise even more questions - why is the Great Ye n supporting this sect? And why is the sect indiscriminately wasting so many resources instead of nurturing the disciples."

    The old man nodded his head, "Indeed there is something off with this scenario, however, let me tell you one thing - don''t bother whatever Great Ye n is doing, you will only bring trouble to yourself."

    "There''s only Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun who is a public character, as for the rest, most of the world hasn''t even seen them. People only know that the Great Ye n is much bigger, more powerful, and the most mysterious n in the Middle Heavens."

    Qin Wentian pursed his lips and tried to convince the old man once again, "But, Master, why don''t I investigate for some time, anything thates out as the truth, it will only be bad or good news, depending on where our interests lie."

    The old man nodded his head, "You''re right. It''s better to stay here and clear the clouds over the truth, and give yourself self-reassurance."

    Then he went silent for a moment, before continuing, "Tian''er, you can stay here if you want. The selection ceremony is still a year away. For now, polish your skills here"

    "Yes, Master." Qin Wentian cupped his fists in respect.

    The old man nodded, and just as he was about to disappear, he stopped the array and asked, "Don''t forget to use all the techniques you know, just don''t end up killing a person over nothing. But now, we are only creating trouble in the Lower Heavens, other powers here are already getting some reports."

    "They think we have taken a headstart by solving the first stage to get the Throne and subsequent treasures - however, all of us got different weapons. There are support weapons too - like Shield and few other weapons. What they don''t understand is that the future is getting unstable with every passing day."

    Seeing Qin Wentian nodded his head, the elder also nodded and said, "Alright, I will take my leave. Don''t waste much time, and get back soon."

    Qin Wentian cupped his fists as the elder''s projection disappeared, dimming the courtyard once again as the remaining two stared at the table.

    "Senior Brother, what should we do now?" Ji Yi asked, clearly confused about what should be the next course of action.

    Qin Wentian pursed his lips and thought for a few minutes.

    After that, he replied, "We will now focus on investigating two things - Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun because I am sure he was in this Sect that day. And the second thing we need to look into is the source or the thing that''s allowing this sect to waste resources without any repercussions.

    "We will leave once we get to the bottom of these two mysteries."

 Chapter 218 - The Secret Behind The Wall!

    Ye Tian Yun had crossed over to the other side of the wall, and it had been about ten minutes since then.

    The only thing Ye Tian Yun had done by now was to admire the scene in front of him.

    It was not that everything was a part of beautiful scenery, like how he had first entered the Sword Stele hall. However, it was the opposite - everything here was quite dull.

    But this dullness didn''t stop Ye Tian Yun from wanting to spend his whole life in this room.

    There wasn''t any beauty or riches; in fact, there wasn''t even a dry ce to sit in this hall-size room.

    The room was filled with ''water'' up to one''s knees.

    However, this still didn''t affect Ye Tian Yun at all, who had always disliked getting his clothes wet.

    It was all because of the water itself.

    To be more precise, it was because of the floor below the water.

    First of all, this ''water'' wasn''t any regr water - but in fact - it was spirit water.

    Spirit Water is another word for concentrated pure Qi.

    It is only found in very specific ces, and a single drop of this water is enough to cultivate for a whole year.

    Since it is the liquified form of Qi, it is much purer in terms of Qi absorbed by cultivators in the surroundings.

    The best part, however, is that it isn''t harmful at all. The ''harm'' that is referred to is the damage caused by liquified air.

    Ye Tian Yun knew very well how dangerous liquified air could be. Moreover, it was so cold that his whole body would freeze into a stone if he were to stay in it for some time.

    It was just another way to die without feeling anything.

    Fortunately, this liquified Qi is different.

    It doesn''t have any temperature, nor does it have any colour - ignorant people might even pass it off as regr water.

    However, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t any regr person - he was a knowledgeable cultivator.

    When he looked around more carefully, he came to another conclusion - this room was naturally made.

    Everything here was carved with the passage of time. Only the array system on the wall behind him was different.

    Arrays were ced by a highly-skilled Array Master - a rarity, even in the Middle Heavens.

    Another thing worth mentioning was that there was nothing else in this hall.

    It was just arge hall, filled with water up to his knees.

    This water''s so precious that it could bring a cmity over any sect; cause war in any realm, and be the reason behind any massacre!

    ''This is much better than what I was expecting.'' Ye Tian Yun said in his thoughts, for the tenth time.

    He was impressed with his luck.

    To find spirit water, even though he did hear about the chances of its presence, it was still quite unbelievable luck.

    Truthfully, what thrilled Ye Tian Yun was not just the spirit water - but its source.

    The floor that Ye Tian Yun was standing on was the source of the spirit water.

    In fact, if spirit water was the liquid form of Qi, the floor below Ye Tian Yun was its solid form!

    Even the air above the spirit water had the highest density of Qi that Ye Tian Yun had ever witnessed.

    It was high enough to make Ye Tian Yun feel that the air around him in the previous hall was no different from normal air, when in fact, it was enough to increase the cultivation speed exponentially.

    So one could imagine how good of a benefit Ye Tian Yun will get in here.

    Before he could start cultivation, there was one thing Ye Tian Yun needed to confirm.

    ''System, the floor here is the outer shell of high tier Spirit Vien, right?''

    [Yes, Host. The floor here is indeed part of the high tier SPirit Vien.]

    Ye Tian Yun smiled even more after this confirmation.

    In his previous life, the Gracious Sword Sect faced its greatest cmity and the main cause of that massacre was precisely this spirit vein!

    A simple spirit vein is enough to make anyone jealous.

    And the Gracious Sword Sect already had about nine publicly known low-tier spirit veins on each peak.

    This is enough to arouse the greed of any power.

    If it wasn''t for the hidden experts and the dormant Gracious Sword lying somewhere in the sect, the sect would have been razed to the ground long ago.

    The presence of the monstrous Sword Spirit within the Gracious Sword forced all the powers eyeing to attack the Sect for its low-tier Spirit Vien to look the other way.

    Those powers had no other choice but to forget about the spirit veins, and assure themselves that it was just a low-tier spirit vein, not a big deal. Even though these powers didn''t even have a single spirit vein.

    However, if they were to know that there exists a High Tier Spirit Vein, no matter how powerful the Sword Spirit is, it wouldn''t be enough to suppress the greed in their eyes.

    Everyone would want the piece of the pie, and they were also aware of the fact that the Sword Spirit won''t have endless power - it will one day exhaust itself in defending the sect - and that would be the end of the GRacious Sword Sect.

    And this was exactly what had happened in Ye Tian Yun''s precious life.

    While investigating the history of the sect, Ye Tian Yun came to know of several incidents and also the catalyst of the chaos that wouldter engulf the whole Lower Heavens.

    It was the attack on the Gracious Sword Sect that wouldter change the course of the future, drowning the whole XIn Kingdom in inevitable chaos, and the first major appearance of the future God''s Legion members!

    ...

    A/n: If you find any errors or typos, please let me know throughments, thank you.. The next chaptering soon.

 Chapter 219 - Unpredictable Future

    A/n: Sorry guys, the wrong book''s chapter was uploaded here. I was in a hurry and didn''t notice that I had opened the wrong tab and pasted the chapter of another book here. Here is the correct chapter.

    One of the future pirs of the Gracious Sword Sect would end up betraying the Sect and revealing the truth about the high-tier Spirit Vein to one of the enemy sects - this secret would then be public in a few days and everyone would be after the Gracious Sword Sect.

    In his previous life, this incident led to the rise and fall of many geniuses - the most significant of them all were Xiao Yan, Yuan Shuchun, and Fang Chen.

    Xiao Yan was the future member of God''s Legion who would be one of the central characters in theter stages of this conflict.

    Fang Chen, being Xiao Ming''s close friend, would also shine and make a name for himself.

    And Yuan Shuchun, whom most of the elders think to be unfit to lead the sect due to her selfish nature, would also y a vital role in changing the inevitable fate of destruction for the Gracious Sword Sect.

    These three, even though being part of the younger generation, would go head-on against the enemy cultivators of the past generation.

    The reason why this incident would be the catalyst that would drown the whole Xin Kingdom, and eventually the whole Lower Heavens in chaos is because of the actions of one man.

    The King of Xin Kingdom.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t know what this King did that he was mentioned to be one of the central characters in this conflict, however, he did know that there was something about factions of ns and sects.

    When he heard first about King Xin, Ye Tian Yun was very interested in him because things had changed a lot by the time Ye Tian Yun had asked his informants to gather the information of all his enemies.

    The betrayal of one of the future pirs of the Gracious Sword Sect and then its subsequent troubles were thest major thing that King Xin was part of - Ye Tian Yun had no interest in a dead man.

    Thus he never looked much into this matter.

    However, the most interesting thing right now is the fact that the future is uncertain.

    Whatever happened in his previous life, up to this incident, is now uncertain and unpredictable.

    All this because the trigger of this incident is now in a half-dead state.

    The disciple who betrayed and told the secret of the high tier Spirit Vien to enemy powers is currently so hurt and in pain that he can''t even move his fingers.

    This disciple is none other than Jiang Chen.

    One of the future pirs of the GRacious Sword Sect, and most probable next Sect Master, Jiang Chen was thest person in the sect whom others thought that one day he would betray the sect.

    Things came out too unexpected and out of control for the Gracious Sword Sect.

    As soon as Jiang Chen betrayed, the sect came to its most vulnerable state because Jiang Chen was aware of the secrets which even the Core Elders had no knowledge of.

    Sect Leader Su had groomed him to be the next Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, however, in the end, Jiang Chen betrayed him in the most critical moment - On the stage of the Grand Spirit Hunt - in front of the whole Lower Heavens!

    Though in the early stages, his betrayal wasn''t much shocking, neither was it paid attention to. In fact, most of the people thought he''s just looking to create drama.

    However, after a few days, every power knew the name of Jiang Chen, and they had also guessed the inevitable end of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Unfortunately for them, all this was not going to happen now,

    At least not by Jiang Chen''s hands.

    Due to the ambush by the assassins a few days back, Jiang Chen was heavily injured, and Ye Tian Yun knew that he wouldn''t be allowed to participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    This meant that Jiang Chen has lost too much in just a few seconds and the assassination incident is now going to affect his whole future actions, and achievements.

    Since Jiang Chen was now out of the way, this meant the Gracious Sword Sect would most likely be very safe.

    Ye Tian Yun was confident that Jiang Chen didn''t know about the high tier spirit vein yet - or else he wouldn''t have been so restless for the position of Sect Leader.

    So even if he''s injured and can''t participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt, he still can''t betray the sect to get any kind of benefit.

    This proved that a lot of things were now about to be dyed - especially the conflict between the n and sect factions.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and brought his thoughts back to the hall he was in.

    Even though this ce was going to create a lot of trouble for the sect - or maybe not - Ye Tian Yun had to get his own benefits out of this situation.

    Now that he had personally witnessed the high-tier Spirit Vein, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t going to just let it remain like this.

    After all, ten times the resources in his spatial ring wouldn''t amount to one liter of the Spirit Water in this hall.

    He needed this Sprit Water, however, it wasn''t going to be as easy as one might think.

    It''s not possible to collect and store Spirit Water in a container.

    Mainly because the Spirit Water, no matter how tight the container be, would lose most of its effect once taken away from its source.

    In simpler words, if Ye Tian Yun tried to take the Spirit Water out of this hall, it would disappear and turn into air.

    It''s the floor that is slowing down this process.

    Thinking of this problem, a simple question appeared in his mind.

    Thus, he asked, ''System, is there a way to take away the whole Spirit Vein?"

 Chapter 220 - Nine Heavens Painting!

    ''System, can we take this whole spirit vein with us?''

    [Host wants to steal the high-tier spirit vein?]

    ''Wellˇ­ I am not stealing itˇ­ I am just taking it without askingˇ­''

    [That is the definition of stealing, Host. As a fair and impartial System, I must object to your n to steal this treasure.]

    Ye Tian Yun coughed and asked, ''Everything has a price what is -''

    [350,000 Kill Points.]

    ''Uh..what?'' Ye Tian Yun asked in a confused tone.

    [350,000 Kill Points to take the whole high-tier Spirit Vien]

    ''...''

    Ye Tian Yun had a nk expression as he was speechless after hearing the shameless system prompt.

    ''Didn''t you just object to me stealing this vein? Why are you telling me the price now?''

    [System does object, however, it won''t deny or hide the price if asked.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''If you did deny, you wouldn''t be called Rip-off System.''

    [...]

    ''But tell me, why is the price so high? Can''t you lower it a bit? 350,000 Kill Points!? That''s just too muchˇ­''

    [Host, it''s not much if you consider that everything around you is Spirit Water.]

    ''What is that supposed to me? Oh! Wait, do you mean that the Spirit Water can be converted into Kill Points!?"

    [Indeed. You can collect as many Kill Points from this Spirit Water as you can - however, the gain won''t be constant, and over time, the Kill Points gained every time would slowly decrease due to intion.]

    [And finally, there woulde a stage where Spirit Water would be ineffective and wouldn''t gain any Kill Points.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and asked, ''So, if I am sessful in collecting 350,000 Kill Points, what will be I getting? Some kind of technique? Or would it be a treasure?''

    [Host, you will be able to buy one of the Godly Treasure - Nine Heavens Painting.]

    ''A painting?'' Ye Tian Yun found it quite absurd, ''What will I do with thatˇ­ hang it on the wall?''

    [Yes.]

    ''...''

    [However, it wouldn''t be just a simple painting - there will be a whole spiritual world within this painting!]

    ''A world within the painting?''

    [Yes, Host. This painting is the best thing you could ask for in this situation.]

    ''Oh? Then, tell me about it.''

    [This treasure can not only store the whole Spirit Vein, it can also help in a lot of other ways. Like converting these Spirit Water into Qi Stones. And you can even enter the painting to cultivate in the best environment possible.]

    ''What!? Spirit Water into Qi Stone? And I can freely enter this painting? This is too good to believe, you''re not kidding me, right?''

    [Host, System won''t lie about items in the shop.]

    ''Yeah, I understand, but In other words, doesn''t it mean that this painting is actually a money-printing machine?''

    [Indeed, Host. You can call it this way. This painting could very well give you infinite resources one day, if you fulfill all the conditions.]

    ''Oh? What are these conditions?''

    [Host will know about them once you have received the painting.]

    ''Hmmˇ­ by the way, tell me, if it gives so many benefits, doesn''t that make this painting too precious? FOr such a treasure, 350,000 Kill Points seems too little, not that I want you to increase the price - but still, I am just asking.''

    [Host, this treasure is indeed very precious, but is avable at a low price because it also has its some drawbacks - you will know once you have received the painting.]

    ''Alright, let''s get the painting then.''

    [However, System must warn you against taking the Spirit Vein right now.]

    Ye Tian Yunughed, ''Do you think I would do something that stupid?''

    ''If I seed in taking away the spirit vein after buying the painting, all the higher-ups of the Gracious Sword Sect would be standing beside me before I can even blink.''

    [Indeed.]

    ''Yeah, after all, how do you think all these big arrays throughout the arrays are working nonstop? Of Course, there has to be a reason - a huge amount of resources - and this high tier spirit vein is the most logical answer.''

    ''As soon as I take away this spirit vein, all the arrays will stop at once and the whole sect will be rmed. They will of coursee here to check and assess the situation. And they will find me here - putting all the suspicion on me.''

    ''Even though my cultivation talent is very high, and I have a huge power behind my back, in that situation, it would mean nothing.''

    [It''s good you have thought this through, Host.]

    ''Well, I don''t want to sound narcissistic, but I am indeed quite intelligent.''

    [...]

    ''Now, let''s start cultivation.''

    ''I have already stabilized my Sword Intent, and even received benefits way more than what I was initially expecting. This means I havepleted one of the two major goals ofing here.''

    ''The second goal is now to increase my cultivation realm - as much as I can.''

    Ye Tian Yun then took a few drops of Spirit Water in his hand and took a sniff.

    Instantly a very refreshing feeling passed throughout his body - rxing his body and mind.

    ''Wow, a single sniff has such an effect..'' Looking around himself, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh at his luck. This encounter was going to give him the best possible boost in his cultivation.

    Thus, he had to make the best use of this chance, and once begun, he had to cultivate till the veryst day and focus on increasing his cultivation levels.

    But there was only a slight problem -

    ''System, since I will be cultivating in the Spirit Water, and using the qi to increase my cultivation base, how will I get the kill points? After all, the whole qi is going to turn into my cultivation level after some time.''

    ''So, what will be the criteria to get the Kill Points?''

    ...

    A/n: Typos? Let me know throughments.

 Chapter 221 - Cultivating Through Spirit Water

    ''What will be the criteria to get the Kill Points? Since I will be using all the intake Qi for my cultivation base.''

    [Host doesn''t need to worry about this. Even though you will be cultivating the qi, the System will also do its work]

    ''And that would beˇ­?''

    [Converting the umted Qi into Kill Points. These will then be used to increase your cultivation base and the System will also save enough for you to buy the paintingter on.]

    ''Oh, that removes my worry then.''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun sat down on the floor with his legs crossed.

    Now, the Spirit Water wasing up to his shoulders!

    Just his neck and head were above the surface.

    However, Ye Tian Yun didn''t mind this and began to cultivate.

    This wasn''t the first time Ye Tian Yun was cultivating in a SPirit Vein.

    In his previous life, due to his background, it wasn''t hard for him to have a few low to mid-tier Spirit Veins for himself.

    In fact, he had even cultivated in high tier SPirit Veins - which were present in the sect that he was part of, in his previous life.

    The method to cultivate in the spirit vein wasn''t anything out of ordinary orplicated, in fact, it was the same as cultivating qi normally.

    But this doesn''t mean that the Spirit Water would sweep into the cultivator''s meridians instead of qi, rather, the Spirit Water would release qi inside of their body and the qi would then umte in the cultivator''s dantian - this would thenter lead to a breakthrough in the cultivation level.

    The most important thing to take note of in this scenario is the fact that the qi that enters the meridians from the Spirit Water is of the purest form, and also has high density - this, in turn, decreases the amount of qi required to cultivate to the next level and effectively increases the cultivation speed.

    The purity of the qi is the reason that makes the cultivator fight to the death for a chance to cultivate in such an environment.

    There have been instances in the past where some cultivators received so much benefit that they were able to reach the realms within a few months which would have generally taken them years, if not decades of hard cultivation.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh as he thought of such rare cases. He wasn''t delusional enough to think that something like this could happen to him too, and he would touch the sky in one step.

    Even if he had loads of luck, he was sure that they were now used up in helping him find this high-tier Spirit Vein.

    Thus, he was going to cultivate, and expect an okayish result - at most breakthroughs to the next cultivation level.

    He had just broken through the new level before heading to the Heavenly League''s Banquet, thus he was expecting the next through after about six months, once he finished everything here and moved on to his next target.

    However, God of Luck blessed him once again and presented him an opportunity to go higher even more - allowing him to solidify his strength even more and increase the chances for his sess exponentially.

    And thus, Ye Tian Yun began to focus on his cultivation.

    Calming his mind, stabilizing his breaths, he focused solely on his qi flow - thus allowing the qi to enter his body.

    ''Well, now I will get to experience the feeling that I have been waiting for.''

    As soon as these words shed in Ye Tian Yun''s mind, a tingling feeling swept through his body!

    Ye Tian Yun felt like he was struck by a thousand needles, all over his body, as the Spirit Water continued to turn into qi, which then seeped even more.

    The feeling wasn''t painful, rather it was more of a tingling feeling, the type that one would just want to feel more.

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t a masochist, but he did like this feeling.

    He could feel the qi enter and move through his meridians, and slowly it would disappear into his dantian.

    It wasn''t that Ye Tian Yun was the only one in the whole world who liked this, in fact, any cultivator would like it.

    This feeling could bepared to what one feels after being thirsty for a long time and then drinking cold water.

    They could feel the water sweep through their throat and slowly go down in the stomach.

    It was indeed a feeling liked by any living being.

    A few minutes after Ye Tian Yun had begun his cultivation, he received the notification that he hadn''t seen for a long time.

    [Consumed Spirit Water. Received 2 Kill Points.]

    [Consumed Spirit Water. Received 3 Kill Points.]

    [Consumed Spirit Water. Received 2 Kill Points.]

    [Consumed Spirit Water. Received 1 Kill Points.]

    .

    .

    ...

    Ye Tian Yun continued to receive the system prompts, however, his excited expression didn''tst for long - Ye Tian Yun suddenly noticed a problem.

    If he remembered correctly, he needed about 20,000 Kill Points to get to the next Cultivation Level, and to buy the painting, Ye Tian Yun needed about 350,000.

    However, what Ye Tian Yun currently was receiving was far from enough.

    With just 1-2 Kill Points per second, it would be hard for him to increase his cultivation while also saving enough Kill Points to buy the painting.

    Not to forget that his time here wasn''t unlimited, but only for about a month. And even then he had already spent two and half days of his total time given to him to cultivate in the Sword Stele.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun needed to find a way to increase the speed of Spirit Water to Qi conversion.

    ''System, is there any way to increase this conversion? I don''t think there will be much time for me to get enough Kill Points, considering what you told me about how the Kill Points awarded would slowly decrease.''

    ''Doesn''t that mean after a few days, I won''t even get any kill points?''

 Chapter 222 - [Host, Do You Trust The System?]

    ''System, if I am only going to get one or two Kill Points, I won''t gain much. There''s indeed a chance to breakthrough to the next level in cultivation. However, I don''t think I will be able to umte enough Kill Points to buy the Nine Heavens Painting.''

    ''So what I am asking for is, is there any method which I can use to umte the Kill Points at a faster rate? I have no intention of wasting much time.''

    [Host, there''s indeed a method. However, you can only follow it if you have absolute trust in the System]

    ''Oh? Tell me, what is this method all about?'' Ye Tian Yun was intrigued by System''s words.

    Especially the part where the System asked him to trust it.

    ''Well, that will be a bit difficultˇ­.'' Ye Tian Yun thought.

    [Host, the method is pretty simple - all you need to do is drink the Spirit Water.]

    ''Hn? Say what?'' Ye Tian Yun asked again to confirm if he had heard something wrong or not.

    [Host, you need to drink the Spirit Water.]

    ''Are you crazy!?'' Ye Tian Yun almost shouted in shock.

    ''Do you want to kill me? What kind of absurd method is that?'' He continued; his tone seemed as if he was talking to an idiot.

    [System has no intention to cause you any harm, Host.]

    ''Oh? You want me to drink something akin to poison, and then you say you care about me?''

    [System has no intention to cause you any harm, Host.]

    ''Well, repeating yourself won''t convince anyone.'' Ye Tian Yun waved his hand in the air, ''I won''t be drinking this water.''

    ''You should know that Spirit Water is the purest form of Qi? And you should also know that if this were to enter a cultivator''s body in liquid form, everything within the body would go haywire, and it won''t even take a whole minute before the cultivator starts to suffer from Qi deviation.''

    [This is the reason why System asked for absolute trust from the Host.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''Well, I do have a hunch that you''re some kind of omnipotent being. However, that isn''t enough for me to believe that you can prevent my certain death.''

    [Host, the System is fair and impartial. It doesn''t ask you to trust it; rather, it''s up to you if you wish to trust it or not.]

    [No one is forcing you - you decide everything. The oue will be based on your choice]

    [It will be up to you whether you want to umte enough Kill Points for yourself and buy the Nine Heavens Painting, or you want to increase your Kill Points through the regr method slowly and only breakthrough one realm.]

    [It will also be up to you whether you want to increase your cultivation faster to make things easier for yourself, or you want to face Xiao Ming with a small power gap - which he can easily ovee.]

    [It will be up to you whether you want to decrease your hardship and make your path towards your goal much clear and less burdened. No one is forcing you to choose anything.]

    [It will be up to you when-]

    ''Alright, Alright, Alright - you can stop now.'' Ye Tian Yun waved his hand in the air as if swatting away a fly.

    ''You say you aren''t forcing me to choose, but then go on to tell me all the benefits that I can get from this. I thoroughly understand your n - so don''t try to over-smart me.''

    [It is up to you, Host. System won''t interfere at all.]

    ''Then exin a few things to me first.''

    [Indeed, Host. You can ask for your doubts.]

    ''Tell me, how will it be possible for me to control the explosion within my body after drinking the Spirit Water? Also, how much of it do I need to drink per day?''

    [Host, you already have the ability to prevent your body from suffering a painful explosion throughout the body, crippling yourself.]

    ''Oh? Go on.'' Ye Tian Yun asked while scratching his chin.

    [Host, all you need to do is use your Sword Intent to suppress the eruption-like feeling that you will receive.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''You make it sound too easy. I can see too many loopholes in your n.''

    ''The first being - a Sword Intent has no rtion with what a cultivator cultivates.''

    ''There have been instances when the cultivators were very talented in terms of the sword. However, when it came to normal cultivation, they found themselves to be quitecking.''

    ''Even after they broke through the higher realms of Sword Intent, their cultivation didn''t increase - this clearly shows there''s no rtion between how one cultivates Qi and their Sword Intent.''

    ''Even if you think there''s a connection - how am I supposed to use it to suppress the Qi flow within my body? I can affect my Sword Intent with my Qi flow. However, it is impossible to do it another way around; that is, Sword Intent doesn''t affect the Qi flow.''

    ''Now, the second problem we have is that there won''t even be enough of a chance to think about what to do before my body explodes.''

    ''You''re telling me to use my Sword Intent as soon as I ''start feeling'' that my body is about to erupt - well, the issue is - before I can even know what this feeling is - my body would have long exploded.''

    ''So let''s leave the Sword Intent alone - tell me if there''s any other way which I can use to umte the Kill Points faster?''

    [Host, there''s a reason why System asked you to have absolute trust in it. So you can trust the System, which would make things much easier for everyone - be it me, you, or the others.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''Even if I believe you, tell me, what are you doing in this situation? I will be the one to drink the Spirit Water, and I will be the one who needs to release the Sword Intent on time, so why are you asking me to have trust in you?''

 Chapter 223 - [Host, Comprehend One More Sword Intent!]. YTY: fml.

    [Host, the System won''t just sit and watch - there''s a reason why it has suggested that you use your Sword Intent.]

    ''Oh?''

    [Indeed. Host, you have the ability to have multiple nature in your Sword Intent - this makes you an exception.]

    ''An exception?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    [An exception in the statement you made earlier - Sword Intent can''t affect the Qi Flow.]

    ''How am I an exception? Be it Sword Intent of any nature - there won''t be any effect on Qi flow.''

    [Unless the nature of the Sword Intent is Qi itself.]

    ''What!?'' Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes wide.

    ''Are you kidding me? You want me toprehend another Sword Intent? And does Qi nature Sword Intent even exist? Even if it does, how am I supposed to get it? Last time Ibed my hair, this time do you want me to put makeup on myself?''

    [Host, Qi Nature Sword Intent is basically using Qi flow instead of the nature of Sword Intent - it''s pretty easy once you get the basics done.]

    ''Alright, tell me, how should I start? I want to get it done as soon as possible.''

    [Host for thatˇ­ you will have toprehend it yourself...]

    ''Damn youˇ­''

    [The only thing that System knows about this has already been told to you - Use Qi flow instead of the nature of the Sword Intent.]

    [However, there''s one thing you need to confirm - does the Host trust System?]

    ''No.''

    [...]

    [Let me rephrase the question - does the Host trust System in this situation?]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips with a frown on his face, ''Do I even have a choice?''

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun stood up and took out his Sword.

    [Host, try not to use your Sword. It will be easier if you move your hands just like how you use your sword.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged and put his sword back in his spatial ring.

    After a few moments of stillness, Ye Tian Yun began to make standard closebat hand movements.

    [Host, increase your movement speed as high as possible, and release your Sword Intent.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and moved as fast he could.

    Even using his legs to kick in the air and get more into the flow, Ye Tian Yun continued to focus on making closebat hand movement attacks.

    Finally, after a few more minutes of intense moves, Ye Tian Yun willed his Sword Intent to move.

    *Thump!*

    To Ye Tian Yun''s intense shock and surprise, everything suddenly felt way lighter and slower, and in the next instant, things returned to normal.

    Ye Tian Yun staggered at this sudden change and came to a stop after bncing himself.

    ''Damn, what was that?''

    [Host, you have sessfullyprehended Qi Nature Sword Intent.]

    ''What?'' Ye Tian Yun was stunned at the absurd prompt, ''Iprehended?''

    ''Iprehended a Sword Intentˇ­ just like that?''

    ''I am pretty sure I am not the protagonist in this generation, but why is God Of Luck blessing me too much these days? Orˇ­ has the plot changed, and finally, the plot armors are raining on the right person?''

    [Host, your luck is indeed a bit absurd. However, there are things that you need to take note of, especially your own circumstances and the surroundings.]

    [Anyone with even half of your talent could have reached this realm in this hall.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''You just won''t admit that I am a genius.''

    ''Well, leave that, what is this Qi Nature Sword Intent?''

    [Qi Nature Sword Intent is the easiest to achieve andprehend all the Sword Intents out there. Even so, it''s also the rarest. However, there''s one thing very unique about this - it doesn''t affect thebat prowess of the cultivator, nor does it affect the cultivation speed]

    ''Hm? Well, your statements have just created a lot of questions in my mind. The first being, if it is so easy, then how is it so rare?''

    [It''s rare because it''s not achieved naturally. A cultivator mustprehend it to aplish this; they can''t get it like how they get other nature Sword Intents.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''So it needs to beprehended, but you also said it doesn''t give any increase in battle prowess, then what does it help with?''

    ''Let me guessˇ­ is itˇ­ Qi Flow?''

    [Indeed, Host. Qi nature Sword Intent is the only type that can affect the Qi Flow.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Well, that wasn''t hard to guess.''

    Now that his breathing had calmed down after an intense session of hand movement practice, Ye Tian Yun took a few drops of Spirit Water in his palm and put it close to his mouth.

    ''System, you asked me if I trust you or not, right? Okay! I trust you for this time!''

    In the next instant, Ye Tian Yun gulped the whole Spirit Water in his palm.

    [Host, System asked if you trust it or not, it didn''t ask you to gulp it in one go.]

    ''...'' Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes wide in shock as his whole body suddenly began to turn hot!

    The veins all over his body began to bulge, and his head began to feel lightheaded.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t control his senses at this instant and wanted to get into the Spirit Water, just to cool off the heat on his body!

    However, just then, he felt a jolt of electricity pass through his body, and his whole body suddenly rxed, and the burning sensation calmed down.

    Everything came to a standstill for the next few moments, and before he could even think what was happening, a series of prompts appeared in front of him!

    [Digested Spirit Water. 2000 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 2530 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 2492 Kill Points!]

    Ye Tian Yun''s eyes opened wide as only one thought shed in his mind!

    ''Damn, I am going to be rich!''

    ...

    A/n: Typos? Let me know throughments. ty

 Chapter 224 - Commotion In The Seventh Peak

    [Digested Spirit Water. 2000 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 2530 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 2492 Kill Points!]

    Notifications spammed on the transparent screen in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    The Kill Points kept on increasing at a very high rate as the Spirit Water within Ye Tian Yun began to disperse into pure Qi.

    This purity of the Qi was the reason behind such a high amount of umting Kill Points.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t waste much of his time and continued to sit cross-legged within the Spirit Water.

    His whole body below his neck was currently submerged within the Spirit Water.

    However, one thing that Ye tian YUn did take note of was the slowly increasing temperature of the Spirit Water surrounding him.

    The boiling of Spirit Water was most evident from the slow formation of bubbles bursting through the Spirit Water.

    However, Ye Tian YUn didn''t waste much of his time in thinking much about those bubbles - rather, he was more focused on the notifications that were still popping in front of him.

    Suddenly Ye Tian Yun began to once again feel weird.

    He tried to get up, however, his whole body suddenly began to feel lightweight.

    Frowning, Ye Tian YUn looks around to see what was happening - why was he suddenly feeling so weak??

    Ye Tian Yun tried to calm his sudden change in mood, and the qi around them, however, there was no avail.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun forced himself to stand up, but after just a few seconds, he felt the vision in front of him go blur as he lost his focus on everything around him.

    His body suddenly felt very light, and in the next instant, Ye Tian Yun found himself falling backward on his back.

    *ssh!*

    Ye Tian Yun fell horizontally in the Spirit Water.

    His eyes closed as he saw the ceiling of the hall through the Spirit Water.

    ˇ­

    Seventh Peak of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Today the whole peak was suddenly buzzing with gossip - all the disciples were discussing the upants of the Blue Moon Courtyard.

    There are rumors that Peak Master Duan had personallye to visit this courtyard and along with him were two other young cultivators.

    THere two youngsters were almost the same age as most of the Inner Court disciples, however, the respect they got from Peak Master Duan had the difference of heaven and earth.

    All this started about a few hours ago when some disciples spotted Peak Master Duan heading out of the Blue Moon Courtyard - something that only happens when there are already guests in that courtyard.

    And this theory was confirmed when the disciples saw a boy close the windows, and the Peak Master Duan ordering one of the Outer Court elders to not let disciples close to the courtyard.

    This incident spread throughout Seventh Peak like wildfire, and within just a few hours, everyone was discussing their identity.

    "Who do you think they could be?" One of the disciples asked his group while staring at the tightly shut Blue Moon Courtyard.

    One of his friends shrugged while replying, "Most probably someone from a different sect."

    Another disciple chimed in, "BUt then why on the Seventh Peak? This is not the main peak - Why would they not stay on the first peak if they are from different sects? Our Seventh Peak is just a regr peak."

    ''Maybe they want to keep a low profile?" The second disciple remarked.

    "Wanting to keep a low profile by appearing on the most gossipy Peak of our Sect? That''s some big brain move, right there."

    The second disciple shrugged, "Well, they don''t need to care about the disciple''s reaction - maybe they are here for an important thing?"

    "What could be the important thing? The only important thing that''s going to happen is the Grand Spirit Hunt - and I am sure those kids are not here for that."

    "It could be anything else too - maybe it''s something personal?"

    "Personal? What could be personal in this?"

    "What ifˇ­ those two are illegitimate children ofˇ­" The disciple slowly went silent and stared at the top of the first peak.

    Everyone turned silent and followed his gaze.

    It didn''t take long for them as it suddenly dawned on them about who this disciple was talking about.

    "No way," One of the disciples shook his head, "There''s no chance Sect Leader Su would allow his children toe here."

    The disciple from earlier shrugged, "Well, why would he not? There are too many eyes on the First Peak, and now they are going to cultivate on the Seventh Peak, whose Peak Master is his Junior Brother. Both, Sect Leader Su and Peak Master Duan, are very close to each other. So, of course, my guess is possible."

    One of the disciples beside him shook his head while saying, "I think, one of the disciples saw those two youngsters wearing simr robes - they are most probably from the same sect and are here to visit our Sect for some work."

    "Which Sect they could be part of?"

    "I have no idea."

    "They are from Middle Heaven''s Heaven Oracle Sect." A voice rang out from the side.

    Everyone''s attention now turned to this disciple, who was unperturbed from their reaction.

    One of the disciples asked, "What''s Heaven Oracle Sect?"

    "One of the top powers in the Middle Heavens." Someone replied.

    Seeing the disciple who first mentioned this sect nod his head, the disciple with the earlier question, asked, "Then, what are they doing here in the sect? I have never heard of this sect, I am pretty sure it had no big rtion with our sect. So most probably, they are here for something very important or urgent or just to create trouble within the sect."

    Most of the disciples beside him nodded their heads in agreement.

    Just then, another disciple asked, "Hey, how are you so sure that they are from the Heaven Oracle Sect?"

    ...

    A/n: Typos? Leave ament.

 Chapter 225 - The Elder; Qin Wentians Investigation Begins

    Just then, another disciple asked, "Hey, how are you so sure that they are from the Heaven Oracle Sect?"

    The disciple from earlier raised his head and looked at the disciple who had asked him the question.

    The disciple remained silent for some time, and soon everyone''s attention was on his reply.

    "Well, don''t you guys remember themotion that happened a few days ago? All of the sect''s higher-ups came to our peak."

    "There were some cultivators from outside too who were heading somewhere alongside them. And one of these cultivators was a young man with whitish-silver robes, and the clear and distinct symbol of a sect - The Heaven Oracle Sect."

    "And today, the disciples who are sitting in the Blue Moon Courtyard, have very simr robes like those of the disciple''s."

    Everyone around him slowly nodded their heads as they digested this new information.

    "So those two are from the Heaven Oracle Sect? But why would theye here?"

    The disciple then replied, "I can only see one reason - the same reason why all the Sect higher-ups and other cultivators came to the Seventh Peak."

    One of the disciples opened his eyes wide in surprise while saying, "To investigate Knag Bai''s death!?"

    The disciple nodded, "Yes, that''s what I think. Though I can''t say for sure, because I don''t think they would need toe back for this reason."

    "Hm? Why?"

    The disciple pursed his lips, "Well, let''s be realistic, no matter how good or talented Kang Bai was, in the eyes of Heaven Oracle Sect, he was just a normal disciple. I don''t think they woulde back to investigate him and give him ''justice''. Even that day they only a disciple of our age came, this shows how casual they were regarding this whole matter."

    Few disciples nodded again when they heard his words.

    Just then -

    "Kids! Go back to your cultivation abodes!"

    The disciples turned around, only to find an elder staring right at that with his nose scrunched his, and eyebrows crossed in a frown.

    This elder didn''t seem to be in a good mood.

    The disciples didn''t need heavenlyprehension talent to tell this, and thus, in no time, the ce turned empty once again as the disciples scurried away.

    The elder''s face rxed a bit as he moved to the next group.

    After some time, having kicked all the nuisances, the Elder finally sighed as he moved and went to sit just outside the Blue Moon Courtyard.

    As he stared at the setting sun, the courtyard''s gate was suddenly pushed open and a disciple came out.

    It was Ji Yi.

    She was still in a boy''s disguise and cupped her fist at the Elder.

    The Elder nodded his head and asked, "Miss, how can I help you?"

    Ji YI gave a slight smile and replied, "Elder, please tell that top -"

    Suddenly Ji Yi''s words came to a halt as she stared at the Elder with her eyes opened wide in shock.

    "Did you just call me a ... Miss?"

    The Elder shrugged and asked again, "Miss, how can I help you?"

    Ji Yi pursed her lips and calmed herself before thinking about what she needed to ask for.

    Somehow she shuttered the words out of her mouth, "Elderˇ­ Please start sending the top disciples who participated in the Second Round of that event, and were present within the dungeon that day."

    The elder nodded his head, "When should I start sending disciples here?"

    Ji Yi replied, "You can send one disciple today, and the remaining you can start from tomorrow. We will try to finish everything as soon as possible."

    The Elder nodded his head and stood up.

    Without any more words, he headed straight towards the Elders Hall of the Seventh Peak.

    However, just after a few steps, he suddenly came to a halt.

    Without turning back, the Elder said, "Lil'' girl, there are times when one must control their emotions no matter what. This will be my first andst warning for you - keep that killing intent to yourself."

    Ji Yi immediately retracted the slight killing intent within her eyes.

    Staring at the back of the Elder, she narrowed her eyes.

    "Who is this old man? Not even Sect Leader Su was able to tell the difference, how was he able to find out about me?"

    "Alsoˇ­ those disciplesˇ­ they really think we''re mortals and can''t hear their gossip?"

    Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself.

    ''I hope this old man doesn''t speak around too much, or he won''t see the next day''s sun. Hmph!''

    Turning around, Ji Yi returned back to the courtyard and closed the door.

    She looked around and soon found Qin Wentian sitting near one of the windows.

    This window was the only one that was open, and it was facing the other side of the Seventh Peak - the Gracious Mountain Range forest.

    Ji Yi had a tender smile as she came close to Qi Wentian, putting her hands on his, she asked, "What is it, Senior Brother? What is worrying you?"

    Qin Wentian shook his head, "Nah, it''s alright. I am just thinking about the Sect Leader Su''s words."

    "Hm?" Ji Yi frowned.

    "Tell me, Ji Yi, are the chances of me being the Sect Leader, really that low?"

    Ji Yi remained silent for a few minutes and then replied, "Senior Brother, what Sect LEader Su said is indeed true - however, it doesn''t mean that whatever he said will definitely happen in the future. There''s a long road to walk, and only the most persistent will reach the end."

    Qin Wentian nodded his head with a slight smile, "Ji YI, this is what I love about you - you never fail to keep me motivated and you''re always there to clear my thoughts and strengthen my resolve."

    Ji Yi gave a love-filled smile.

    However, just before she could say anything -

    *knock* *knock*

    "Seniors, I have been sent here by an Elder regarding the incident."

    The door of the courtyard was knocked and a voice entered the open hall.

    Ji Yi straightened herself and looked at Qin Wentian.

    Seeing him nod, Ji Yi said aloud, "Enter."

    The gate of the courtyard opened, and a disciple came in.

    He came in front of the two and cupped his fists.

    "Greetings, Seniors. I am Zheng Xiang.. I was rankedst in that round, and am here to cooperate with you on Brother Kang Bai''s death investigation."

 Chapter 226 - [Host, It Was A Mutual Cooperation]

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes.

    Suddenly he felt water rush through his nose.

    *cough* *cough*

    *ssh*

    He stood up and began to cough up violently.

    *haaa* haa*

    Drawing long breaths, he finally calmed himself down.

    Confused, Ye Tian Yun looked around to understand what was going on.

    And then all the memories poured back as he returned to his senses.

    He was on the surface of a high-tier spirit vein.

    On the system''s advice, Ye Tian Yun gulped a few droplets of Spirit Water.

    As per the system, this was the fastest way to umte Spirit Points, and indeed it was.

    He was getting lots of Kill Points with every passing moment.

    However, all of a sudden, something happened, and he fainted due to lightheadedness.

    Frowning, Ye Tian Yun looked around for a bit more and tried to guess what could have happened.

    After a few moments, he asked his doubts to the System.

    ''System, what just happened?''

    [Host, there was a sudden overload in the Qi flow, this led to your fainting.]

    Ye Tian Yun''s frown deepened, ''Are you trying to say that I fainted and drowned myself by cultivating?''

    [Indeed, Host, never knew you were this fragile.]

    ''...''

    Ye Tian Yun rolled back his eyes and asked with a serious tone, ''System, seriously, tell me what happened? I shouldn''t have fainted because the faster the Qi flows, the better awareness a cultivator has.''

    [Host, there are few exceptions, and today''s case was one of them. This was why the System asked you earlier to put your trust in it.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Well, I did put your trust in you, butˇ­ what were you asking me for?''

    [Host, you didn''t drown yourself, did you?]

    ''No... ah, you asked me to trust you so that you can save me from drowning myself?''

    [Indeed, Host.]

    ''Hn? Why would you need my trust for that? You can save me on your own, like how you interfered when I lost control of the Sword Domain, and that too, more than just once.''

    [Host, this case was different. Here, it was the System who suggested you the way, and there was a risk. So it''s good that you only drowned.]

    ''What do you mean by only drowned!? There was something even worse that could have happened?'' Ye Tian Yun asked in shock.

    [There was a high chance you would have exploded.]

    "The fuck-!!!" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but shout out loud.

    Suppressing his voice, he continued, ''What do you mean there was a high chance of me exploding? Didn''t you say that using the Qi nature Sword Intent is the safest bet? So why are you saying something else now?''

    [Host, System did say something like that. However, it wasn''t a proven fact until now. So from now on, this advice is a pretty valid point.]

    ''So.. in other wordsˇ­ I was your guinea pig?'' Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes.

    [Technically, no, since I asked you if you trust me or not.]

    ''...''

    [And you did say yes, so that makes this incident mutual cooperation.]

    Ye Tian Yun had a big urge to punch the System; unfortunately for him, the System wasn''t a physical existence.

    Taking a deep breath and swallowing his anger, he asked, "Soˇ­ after this incident, is there still a chance for me to faint?''

    [No, Host. On the first tryes the worst-case scenarios. After this, the oues change, and the stakes are lowered. So, losing your consciousness was the worst thing that could happen. Now, in your next tries, it wouldn''t be this bad.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Alright then, let''s hope this is the case.''

    After a moment of thought, Ye Tian Yun asked, ''System, how many Kill Points have I umted?''

    [umted Kill Points: 31045 Kill Points.]

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrows in surprise, ''That''sˇ­ not as high as I was actually expecting.''

    [What were you expecting?]

    ''At least a hundred thousand...''

    [Maybe if you weren''t this weak and hadn''t fainted by cultivating, you could have had five-digit Kill Points.]

    ''....''

    ''You don''t have to rub salt into the woundˇ­ I wasn''t prepared well enough, if you had told me there was a chance of exploding myself or fainting, maybe I would have mentally prepared myself, and things would have turned out pretty different for us.''

    [Maybe. But this doesn''t change the fact that you fainted within fifteen seconds of drinking a few drops of Spirit Water. Lmao.]

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes and changed the topic, ''System, show me my Status.''

    [STATUS]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 31045/20000]

    [Fate Points: 0]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Original): 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 1st Level Of Qi Condensation Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Late Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    [Sword Intent: Sword Domain Realm (1%) (0/10000 Kill Points)]

    [Inventory]

    [Quest]

    [Rewards]

    [Shop]

    Looking at the status, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but let out a sigh.

    It had been about six months since he started, but he wasn''t even close to a single token.

    And there were a total of twelve tokens and four other emblems.

    ''The road is still too long, and the time is decreasing.''

    His first target, Xiao Ming, was still three months away.

    After getting out of this ce, Ye Tian Yun had to n an escape route. He needed to get out of the sect as soon as possible.

    He had to get to the Southern Province before Xiao Ming.

    There was a very low chance he would be able toe back to the sect, whether he seeded or he failed.

    And before even thinking of getting out of the Sect, Ye Tian Yun needed to fulfill the hidden reason why he hade and joined the sect.

    Because, if things were so convenient, he would have just headed straight to the Southern Province and waited for Xiao Ming after killing Fang Chen.

    However, Ye Tian Yun chose to join the sect - because there was one reason other than killing Xiao Ming that he had never focused his mind on - mainly not to distract himself.

 Chapter 227 - Cultivation Speedrun: Accumulating Kill Points

    Ye Tian Yun chose to join the sect - because there was one reason other than killing Xiao Ming that he had never focused his mind on - mainly not to distract himself.

    Even now, Ye Tian Yun wanted to wait for some more time before focusing on that - he wanted to put his mind on Xiao Ming alone.

    However, if he didn''t get the chance toe back, things would definitely be hard for him.

    But he had no other choice - the reasons were still unexinable.

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun removed the unnecessary thoughts from his mind and focused on the stats in front of him.

    He had more than enough Kill Points to get to the next level. However, looking at the stats, Ye Tian Yun thought not going after the next breakthrough.

    At least not yet.

    He wanted to wait for some time and umte more Kill Points.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun sat down, back in the Spirit Water.

    With the water level on par with his neck, Ye Tian Yun moved his hand and stuck his fingers with each other in such a way that he was able to hold some Spirit Water in his hand.

    ''System, I hope there''s not much trouble this time.''

    [Depends on your genius(ness).]

    Ye Tian Yun moved his hand closer to his mouth, ignoring System''s taunt, and without hesitation, he gulped the Spirit Water.

    Just like before, a refreshing feeling spread throughout his body as he felt the Spirit Water flow down to his stomach through his food pipe.

    As this feeling disappeared after the Spirit Water reached his stomach, a burst of Qi flow began throughout his body.

    This time, as System had predicted, the intensity didn''t affect Ye Tian Yun much.

    There wasn''t much change in the rate of Qi flow either.

    Ye Tian Yun also pushed the Qi flow from his side and waited for the notification spam to begin.

    And just as he had expected -

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1800 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1760 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1910 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1831 Kill Points!]

    .

    .

    .

    The notifications continued to pile in front of him; however, the Kill Points he was gaining were less than his previous try.

    ''Looks like the effect wears off a lot in the subsequent tries. But it''s still amazing. Anything higher than 1-2 Kill Points is amazing.''

    With these thoughts, Ye Tian Yun didn''t worry about the decreased Kill Points much and continued to focus on cultivating.

    However, after a few minutes, the lightheadedness suddenly returned, and Ye Tian Yun had to try his best to keep his eyes open.

    *p*

    Ye Tian Yun pped himself to remain awake.

    *ssh*

    Then he used his hands and sshed some Spirit Water on his face.

    The lightheadedness was now still there. However, it wasn''t affecting him so much as to make him faint. But it was still enough to distract him.

    This feeling didn''tst long, and Ye Tian Yun was able to pass through.

    Along with this feeling, the notification spam also stopped.

    Nodding his head, Ye Tian Yun understood what had happened.

    ''The Spirit Water is finished.''

    And indeed, his guess turned out to be true with the next prompt from the System.

    [Host has sessfully consumed the Spirit Water within his body. Please drink more.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and, without any dys, began to gulp the Spirit Water.

    However, this time, he decided to drink more at once, rather than just a few droplets.

    Soon, Ye Tian Yun had gulped a mouthful of Spirit Water.

    Unfortunately for him, the results remained the same, and there was no change in the Qi flow.

    Ye Tian Yun understood how Spirit Water was working in his body.

    ''So it doesn''t matter how much Spirit Water I drink; what matters is how fast my body can convert it into Qi and increase my Qi flow.''

    ''Well, this is enough for me to know; now I won''t have to wait for much.''

    With that thought, Ye Tian Yun drank another mouthful of Spirit Water.

    Just as he had put the Spirit Water in his mouth, the notification spam began once again.

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1500 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1610 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1490 Kill Points!]

    .

    .

    .

    Nodding his head, Ye TianYun gulped the Spirit Water.

    After a few minutes, he repeated the process.

    Ye Tian Yun continued to drink the Spirit Water after some intervals.

    ''System, tell me when I reach the point where Spirit Water won''t have any effect on me.''

    After what seemed to have been hours or days, the System finally gave the warning prompt.

    [Host, anymore Spirit Water won''t have any effect and wouldn''t be converted into Qi. Instead, it will be treated like water, and if you continue, you will soon have a very high urge to piss. The decision to continue is up to you now.]

    Ye Tian Yun immediately stopped.

    There was no ce to take a piss here. Neither did he carry any container in his spatial ring, and he was going to piss in the Spirit Water in no way.

    Sitting cross-legged, Ye Tian Yun continued to push himself in increasing the Qi flow.

    The notification continued to span in front of him. However, few changes could be easily noticed.

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1480 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1500 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1467 Kill Points!]

    .

    .

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1301 Kill Points!]

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1296 Kill Points!]

    .

    .

    [Digested Spirit Water. 800 Kill Points!]

    .

    The kill points gained were slowly decreasing.

    And finally came the points where the Kill Points gained became stable and reached the minimum points.

    [Digested Spirit Water. 1 Kill Points!]

    Exactly the same notification spammed for a long time, and everything ended with the onest prompt.

    [Spirit Water has beenpletely digested.]

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips curved as he thought, ''Let''s start the cultivation speedrun!''

    ....

    ty k

 Chapter 228 - Cultivation Speedrun (II): Nonstop Increment

    Looking at the never-ending line of the notification, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smile.

    His luck was incredibly good thesest few days.

    Especially ever since he entered the Sword Stele - first he was able to get a whole new Sword Intent, and then even stabilized his Sword Domain.

    To top all this, he even integrated both of his Sword Domains and ended up creating a more powerful and much stable Sword Domain that he could control even in the low cultivation realm.

    And finally, after all, this was done, Ye Tian Yun found one of the biggest, if not the biggest, treasures in the Lower Heavens - a high-tier spirit vein.

    After a series of events, he umted many Kill Points and also had a way to take away the high-tier spirit vein.

    And now, after an unknown amount of time, Ye Tian Yun was finally able to squeeze out all of the benefits from the Spirit Water.

    Now, all he had to do was reap the final benefits and end his preparation before heading towards the Southern Province of the Xin Kingdom.

    ''System, show me the status.'' Ye Tian Yun called out.

    [STATUS]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 560,056/20000]

    [Fate Points: 0]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Original): 3rd Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 1st Level Of Qi Condensation Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Late Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    [Sword Intent: Sword Domain Realm (1%) (0/10000 Kill Points)]

    [Inventory]

    [Quest]

    [Rewards]

    [Shop]

    Looking at the huge number of kill points, Ye Tian Yun felt relieved.

    Now he had enough to increase his cultivation and even buy the Nine Heavens Painting - the treasure that would allow him to take away high-tier spirit vein for future use.

    ''System, before we start, I want to ask something - Since the Spirit Water isn''t giving benefits anymore, will this remain like this forever?''

    [Yes, Host. You won''t get any more Kill Points from this Spirit Water. However, you can still use it for your cultivation.]

    ''I can still use it? Hmmˇ­ do you mean I will be able to cultivate normally and breakthrough?''

    [Indeed, that is what System meant to say. Since there won''t be any Kill Points, you can use the Spirit Water to cultivate yourself by converting into Qi.]

    ''Oh? That means I won''t be able to cultivate it by drinking; rather, I need to cultivate normally by sitting inside this pool of Spirit Water.''

    [Yes, Host.]

    ''Soˇ­ why don''t I do it right now? As you said, there won''t be anymore Kill Points from this Spirit Water. Why don''t I start cultivating normally right now?''

    [Host it''s not feasible right now. However, you can do this once you have spent most of the part of your gained Kill Points.]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''I need to spend my earnings to earn more? That''s weird logic you have.''

    [We can''t do anything about it, can we?]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders and looked at the kill points in front of him.

    [Kill Points: 560,056]

    Nodding his head, Ye Tian Yun asked, ''System, will I be able to break through continuously, or should there be a break between each breakthrough?''

    [Host, you can increase your cultivation non-stop and get to the next levels without worrying about the stability of the cultivation levels. Leave that to System.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, and staring at the Kill Point count; he said, ''System, use Kill Points to increase my cultivation.''

    [Affirmative, Host.]

    [Congrattions, Host, you have broken through the Fourth Level Of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Consumed 20,000 Kill Points.]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 540,056]

    Just as the notification appeared, Ye Tian Yun suddenly felt a burst of power through his body, and suddenly everything turned normal - he was even feeling much more rxed.

    Sensing his cultivation, Ye Tian Yun easily confirmed that he had indeed broken through the next realm.

    Now, he needed to increase his cultivation level a few more times, and his preparation would finallye to an end.

    ''System, continue to the next level.''

    [Congrattions, Host, you have broken through the Fifth Level Of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Consumed 35,000 Kill Points.]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 505,056]

    Another notification popped in front of him, and he reached the Fifth Level.

    Breaking through to the next levels with the help of the System didn''t give the feeling of ''hard work.'' However, Ye Tian Yun didn''t mind it. He wanted the result, not the feeling.

    [Congrattions, Host, you have broken through the Sixth Level Of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Consumed 50,000 Kill Points.]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 455,056]

    [Congrattions, Host, you have broken through the Seventh Level Of Qi Stabilization.]

    [Consumed 70,000 Kill Points.]

    [Remaining Kill Points: 435,056]

    [Host, would you like to increase your cultivation more?]

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and shook his head, ''No, not right now, this cultivation is enough for me, if there''s any need, I can break through anytime.''

    ''Also, I need to buy the Nine Heavens Painting too. Moreover, I need to save some for emergency use. Even though my luck has been incredibly good for thest few days, it won''t be like this forever.''

    [Good thinking, Host. You won''t need to increase your cultivation right now unnecessarily. You already have a very powerful trump card - your Sword Intent and its Domain.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Show me the Status.''

    [STATUS]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 435,056/20000]

    [Fate Points: 0]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Original): 7th Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 1st Level Of Qi Condensation Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Late Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    [Sword Intent: Sword Domain Realm (1%) (0/10000 Kill Points)]

    [Inventory]

    [Quest]

    [Rewards]

    [Shop]

    Nodding his head, Ye Tian Yun asked, ''System, show me the Nine Heavens Painting.''

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos, please let me know throughments so I can correct them. Ty

 Chapter 229 - Nine Heavens Painting

    Nodding his head, Ye Tian Yun asked, ''System, show me the Nine Heavens Painting.''

    [Nine Heavens Painting]

    [Heavens bow, mortal cry. The Nine Heavens Painting captures the sky.]

    [A mysterious and powerful ancient artifact. The painting is on a scroll and depicts a spaciousnd with distant mountains with a river flowing between them. The painting is divided into three parts, and the ancient words ''Evesting Nine Heavens'' are written at the center.]

    ''System, who made this painting? To be able to store a whole small realm, this painting should have been a well-known artifact, but howe I have never heard of such a thing?''

    [Host, the creator of this painting, was a supreme existence from a distant realm. He used all of his intent to create it, thereby exhausting all his energy.]

    ''Oh? How does this painting work?'' Ye Tian Yun asked.

    [Inside the painting is a small realm, which can also be considered a private realm. However, it is a barrennd. But there''s one advantage of this painting - unlike Spatial Rings, any living being can enter this painting at its owner''s will. Also, this painting can store almost anything, as long as it can fit. It is used especially to store treasure like spirit veins. They grow even faster in this painting and increases the cultivation environment by many folds.]

    Ye Tian Yun had his eyebrows raised in surprise. ''Well, that''s a really good thing - no, it''s an amazing thing.''

    ''But the system, since you said that I could enter this painting, wouldn''t that mean that the painting will be left unguarded after I entered it?''

    [Yes, Host. That''s one of the reasons why it is given at a low price.]

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while asking, ''Soˇ­ there''s no protection?''

    [Host there is indeed some measure for this.]]

    [Ayer ofplex array patterns bounds the power and ability it holds, and if anyone tries to open this painting, the arrays will stir up the rebound energy and cause a huge bacsh.]

    [However, this painting is not omnipotent. And you are indeed vulnerable if your enemy finds out about this painting or if he captures this painting while you''re inside.]

    [Even though you won''t have any trouble at the start because no one can get in the painting or destroy this painting, you would still find yourself in a pinch because you won''t be able to stay inside the painting forever.]

    ''Oh? Is there a time limit?''

    [No Host, there''s no time limit; it''s your will and patience that will decide how long you can stay inside the painting.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, ''Since this is like a mini world for me, it should have enough space for many people. So maybe in the future, I can have some people in this painting.''

    [Do this at your own risk, Host. ording to legends, the Nine Heavens Painting was a formidable divine treasure that had been the cause of endless battles.]

    [It exchanged hands, all its previous owners had had their spirits and souls extinguished. Therefore, this painting could be considered an ominous item]

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t surprised by this. How could there not be a bloodbath for this treasure? However, he also understood that he couldn''t just tell anyone about these paintings - he had to keep it as one of his most treasured secrets.

    However, he was indeed interested in one thing, ''System, who were these previous owners?''

    [This painting is known by different names in different universe realms. The previous owners had their own adventures and battles to get this. Some got it at a young age, while others fought for it at the peak cultivation realms.]

    ''Oh? So, am I the youngest, or there has been someone even younger than me?''

    [Host, you will be the youngest to possess this treasure. The immediate older predecessor got this treasure at the young age of just seventeen.]

    ''Seventeen?'' Ye Tian Yun was surprised, ''How did he get this? Were you the one who gave him?''

    [No, Host. As mentioned earlier, everyone had their adventures and their own story behind getting this painting.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and asked, ''So, who was this person?''

    [This person was from a tiny world but had immense knowledge and talent. He reached the peak and found this painting in an auction.]

    [He was God Emperor Nei Li, and this painting was called Myriad Miles Rivers And Mountains Painting.]

    Ye Tian YUn nodded his head, ''Well, that''s a long name right there. But a God Emperor? What is this cultivation realm? Is it higher than the Saint God Realm?''

    [God Emperor was the peak cultivation realm of Nie Li''s universe. In your Universe, the equivalent of God Emperor is way beyond Saint God Realm.]

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh at this, ''In myst life, I only reached the Half Saint Realm and was still four realms away from the Saint God Realm, and here you''re saying Saint God Realm is nothing in front of a God Emperor?''

    [Host there were mountains beyond mountains and heavens beyond heavens. So, you have a long way to go. But, one day, if you were to be sessful in crowning yourself as the Heavenly Emperor, you will have a whole new door open for you - a door to the Multiverse.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head. ''Well, it''s still a long way to go before I even dream about such things. But, I will take one step at a time and reach the peak.''

    ''For now, let me buy this Nine Heavens Painting.''

    [Nine Heavens Painting: 350,000 Kill Points. Would you like to buy it?]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head in approval.

    [Nine Heavens Painting has been added to your inventory.]

    [Would you like to bind this painting with you right now?]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Yeah, I will bind it right now. Let''s see how big is my private realm.''

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos, please let me know throughments. Ty</em>

 Chapter 230 - Binding With The Painting!

    ''Let''s see what my private realm looks like.'' Ye Tian Yun thought while staring at the Nine Heavens Painting in front of him.

    The painting had a golden glow and an ancient aura, covering everything within its surroundings in awe as it floated in the air.

    ''System, how should I bind with this?'' Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Usually, cultivators use the mostmon technique to bind treasures and artifacts with themselves, known as the Blood Binding Technique. This method isn''t much secret but is quite formidable and cannot be easily broken.

    Ye Tian Yun wanted to try this method. However, he was unsure whether it would be a sess or not because System had often emphasized that the Nine Heavens Painting wasn''t actually from this world.

    Thus, he asked System to rify how he should bind the painting with himself.

    [Host, you can use the Blood Binding Technique and bind this painting with yourself, there won''t be any hups from this method.]

    Ye Tian Yun replied, ''Well, that saves a lot of time.''

    The Blood Binding Technique is pretty simple - put a drop of your Blood Essence on the treasure you wish to bind.

    Blood Essence is something simr to a person''s Bone Marrow. So, it''s something very important. Be it a cultivator or mortal, anyone will suffer from disabilities or even slow death if there''s ack of Blood Essence in their meridians.

    It is essentially a mixture of Blood and Qi flowing through the veins and meridians. However, it''s not a simple mixture, but more like a lifeline.

    Losing one''s Blood Essence is no different from losing the ability to breathe. It will eventually lead to a very slow and painful death.

    Thus, even a single drop of Blood Essence is very vital for the human body. This is also the reason why cultivators don''t just bind any treasure with them. Nobody has an unlimited supply of Blood Essence. Thus, anyone would be careful about what to choose.

    The main advantage of this method and the reason why cultivators still use it is the ''security'' that a single drop of Blood Essence provides to the treasure.

    Basically, this security doesn''t let anyone ''steal'' the treasure and run away with it because the thief won''t be able to use the treasure without the owner''s permission.

    The only way of removing the Blood Bind is to either kill the owner of the treasure or if the owner willingly removes it.

    The second method had pretty dire consequences on the cultivator''s body. Thus it is very rarely seen that a cultivator would willingly give up on his treasure. But it''s prettymon to see people fighting and killing each other for even blood-bound treasures.

    The one final reason why cultivators use this method is that the treasure then acknowledges them and bes a ''part'' of their owner, allowing him to control the treasure at will within a certain distance limit.

    To take out the Blood Essence from the body to use it for the Blood Binding Technique, a cultivator needs to take out its drop from one of the most concentrated parts of the meridians.

    The mostmonly used meridian for this technique is the meridian between the index and middle finger.

    A drop of blood essence wille out after a cut is made at the right ce. This drop will then slowly flow to the tip of the index finger, from which it will be dropped on the treasure.

    As soon as it strikes, the treasure will be bound with the cultivator.

    There will be a few side effects of this method, like weakness and dizziness. However, it won''tst long, and a cultivator can recover within a few hours.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun began to prepare himself to blood bind himself with the Nine Heavens Painting.

    Taking out a knife from his spatial ring, Ye Tian Yun pressed its tip between the middle and index finger.

    The meridian that Ye Tian Yun was targeting was exactly the one that he had blocked a while ago through acupuncture. It was thest meridian to be blocked and had basically stopped the Qi flow through the whole hand.

    Ye Tian Yun carefully ced the tip of the knife exactly on top of the thin gap between the meridian and the outeryer of skin.

    Once the knife was ced in the right ce, Ye Tian Yun made the cut without hesitation.

    *spish*

    A round ball of reddish blood sprouted on top of the cut, engulfing the tip of the knife.

    Ye Tian Yun moved his fingers and pointed the index finger directly towards the ground, and the middle finger was horizontal to the ground.

    Ye Tian Yun then moved his other hand and brought the Nine Heavens, Painting straight below the tip of his index finger.

    Meanwhile, the round ball of blood began to flow and was slowly sweeping downwards towards the tip of the index finger.

    The blood essenceing out of the cut wasn''t red like blood. Rather it had a yellowish-golden shine on top of a light red color tone.

    These golden spots were the main signatures of identification for blood essence.

    The trail left by the flowing blood also had a reddish-golden glow. However, by the time the blood essence reached the tip of his index finger, the cut between his fingers had healed itself.

    This healing was not natural; rather, it was because of the presence of the blood essence.

    The blood essence had healed the cut, thus barricading the flow of any more Blood Essence.

    Meanwhile, at the tip of the finger, almost all of the blood essence had umted and soon took the shape of a ball.

    *drip!*

    The blood essence fell on the Nine Heavens Painting, and in the next instant, the painting began to shine with a golden glow and began to rise.

    [Congrattions, Host. You have sessfully bound the Nine Heavens Painting with yourself.]

    ....

    A/n: Any typos or errors? Please let me know throughments.

 Chapter 231 - Inside The Painting!

    [Congrattions, Host. You have sessfully bound the Nine Heavens Painting with yourself.]

    A prompt appeared in front of Ye Tian Yun. However, he wasn''t actually in a celebratory mood.

    After the loss of a drop of Blood Essence, he began to feel lightheaded and dizzy slowly.

    Controlling himself from staggering on the ground, Ye Tian Yun tried to have a grip over his senses.

    However, loss of Blood Essence is not something that can be easily ignored, nor does it have a swift recovery.

    It takes time, and the only way to decrease the effect is by sitting and intaking as much as Qi possible from the surroundings, that is, to cultivate.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t waste any time, sat down back in the Spirit Water, and began to cultivate the Qi.

    Lucky for him, he was surrounded by the highest possible density of qi, thus recovering himself wasn''t a big hurdle for him.

    Usually, it would take about 3-4 hours to recover from the loss of a single drop of Blood Essence, however, in the current circumstance, Ye tian Yun just needed a few minutes before he was back to normal.

    The dizziness had soon disappeared, only a bit of weakness remained. This too left his body after a few more minutes of furious cultivation.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun stood up in the water.

    In front of him, the Nine Heavens Painting was still floating, though the shine had returned back to normal.

    But one thing that was different in the current situation was that Ye Tian Yun could feel a connection between him and the Nine Heavens Painting.

    He raised his left hand in the air, and with his fingers, he gestured at the painting toe towards him.

    As expected, the painting moved at his will and after a few moments, Ye Tian Yun had the Painting wide open as he held its two opposite sides using his hand while staring at the drawings and depictions on the parchment.

    The painting weighed almost nothing and the feeling it gave after being touched was that of a paper.

    If Ye Tian Yun hadn''t performed the Blood Binding Technique and if the painting wasn''t offered by the System, he would have genuinely thought that this painting was a fake and he was being scammed, just because this painting was made on a simple piece of paper.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and erased unnecessary thought from his mind ad focused on a very important question in front of him -

    ''How am I going to enter this thing? Even though I feel a connection, I don''t feel the ''way'' to enter this painting.''

    ''System, do you have any hints to this?'' Ye Tian Yun asked.

    [host, repeat the lines of description from this painting, you should be able to get a connection with the entrance to this painting.]

    ''Oh?'' Frowning, Ye Tian Yun began to repeat the prompt he had seen a while ago.

    ''A mysterious and powerful ancient -''

    [No Host, not this one. The one which defined the painting in one sentence.] The system interrupted Ye Tian Yun and asked him to repeat the correct phrase.

    Ye Tian Yun cringed, ''That line? Wasn''t that tooˇ­ flimsy?''

    [But it is the only way for the owner tomunicate with the painting.]

    ''Oh..'' Ye Tian Yun suddenly thought of something, ''Systemˇ­ I don''t remember the line, why don''t you tell me once again?''

    [...]

    [Host, System cannot repeat it, you are the one who needs to say it because you are the owner.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, ''Well, in that case, I shall sacrifice a few of my brain cells.''

    Taking a deep breath, he then closed his eyes and put all his focus on the painting in front of him.

    ''Heaven bows, mortals cry. The Nine Heavens Painting captures the sky.''

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun finished his words, the painting which was floating in front of him suddenly pped and straightened itself!

    A shining light shed, so bright that Ye Tian Yun could ''see'' it even with his eyes closed.

    After it disappeared, Ye Tian Yun slowly moved his eyelids and saw the scene in front of him.

    Everything was white.

    Ye Tian Yun turned around.

    Here too, everything was white.

    He couldn''t help but feel confused and shocked, ''Am I inside the painting?''

    [Indeed, Host. This is the Nine Heavens Painting Realm, your private realm.]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and continued to observe everything around himself.

    Even though everything was white, he was able to ''feel the depth'' of his surroundings, thus he wasn''t feeling like he was staring at a screen.

    He could feel the never-ending white in.

    Ye Tian closed his eyes and then opened them after a few seconds, ''No qi here.''

    Ye Tian Yun walked a few steps, however, it still felt like he was standing in a single ce.

    Crossing his arms, he judged his experience.

    ''Wellˇ­ I am not really very impressedˇ­ I was expecting a barrennd, not literally an endless white in.''

    [Host, you aren''t understanding the main reasoning behind this white in.]

    ''Oh? Then do tell.''

    [Host, imagine you''re a painter. What will be the most ideal type of surface you would like to have to draw and paint?]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his lips and replied as a matter of fact, ''Of Course a white piece of paper to give the best effects and tone to the painting. Oh, wait-!''

    Suddenly something dawned upon him.

    ''System, are you trying to say that this ce is a white piece of paper, and I am its painter?''

    [Exactly, Host. It is up to you, how you will change this ce at your will.]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''That sounds philoc=sophical, but practically, it feels too much bullshit.''

    ''How am I supposed to draw or create anything here? This is not a painting and everything here is not paper.. It''s literally a whole world.''

 Chapter 232 - Getting Out Of The Hall (I)

    [Host, the meaning is pretty simple. You can ''draw'' here by bringing treasures from outside and arranging them here.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, ''Well, you can directly tell me about that. No need to be philosophical about it.''

    ''''The only thing I can put in here is the high-tier spirit vein. But I can''t touch it right now.''

    ''Not only the whole sect would be rmed, but I also won''t even be able to escape from here in time.''

    ''Right now, there''s no need to create more trouble for myself. I still have some unfinished business in this ce. There will be a good opportunity for meter, in theing months. Until then, I don''t need to worry about this ce and just focus on getting the Token Of Fate from Xiao Ming.''

    ''Well, there''s still time for that... This reminds me... System, how much time is left for me to Cultivate in this ce?''

    [Host, you still have one whole day left to Cultivate here.]

    This shocked Ye Tian Yun, ''Only one day!''

    ''I cultivated for almost a whole month?''

    [Yes, Host. Even though you didn''t feel much, you have been here for about twenty-seven days.]

    ''How did I end up losing track of time? That''s the first time something like that has ever happened.''

    [It was mostly because you were too focused on Cultivation, and also partly because of the high Qi density around here.]

    He nodded his head, ''Well, it doesn''t matter now. It''s time to get out of this ce.''

    Scratching his chin, Ye Tian Yin asked, ''System, is the way to get outside the same as how I got in?''

    [Host, you can just ''will'' yourself to get out of this realm, and you''ll be out.]

    Ye Tian Yin nodded, ''Well, this will be easy.''

    And in the next moment, Ye Tian Yun was outside the painting, back in the Spirit Water.

    Looking at the painting floating in front of him, Ye Tian Yun asked, ''System, this always remains floating in the air?''

    [Yes, Host.]

    ''Even when I was inside?''

    [Yes, Host]

    Ye Tian Yun then asked, ''Also, what was that light when I entered the painting?''

    ''Imagine if therees a situation when I have to use this painting to hide myself? Won''t it give away my position by shining brightly and floating in the air?''

    [Host, didn''t you ask why this treasure is so cheap even though this is so valuable?]

    ''Yeah, I did ask about that.'' Ye Tian Yun replied while frowning; he had a bad intuition about System''s next response.

    [Well, now you know why it was so cheap.]

    ''I should have known...'' Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    ''System put this painting back.''

    As the painting disappeared in thin air, Ye Tian Yun turned around and looked at the walls.

    He moved closer for a clearer look and then touched the wall with the tip of his index finger.

    Moving his finger in a pattern on the wall, Ye Tian Yun stepped back after few minutes.

    Soon, the ces that Ye Tian Yun''s fingers had traced lit up.

    The pattern that was formed looked like a lotus.

    Ye Tian Yin smiled, looking at the wall, ''Well, the Arrays can''t hide from my spirit sense.''

    The wall that Ye Tian Yun had just touched had all the arrays constructed and well hidden within it.

    For a normal cultivator, it would be hard to notice, however for someone with high spirit sense, it wouldn''t be hard, and just with a little effort, he could figure out the array arrangements.

    However, a high spirit sense doesn''t guarantee knowledge of arrays. Therefore, Ye Tian Yun could only await the system''s guidance on what to do next.

    ''System, what''s the next step?''

    [Host, tap on the third petal from the left]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and stepped forward.

    As soon as he tapped on the petal, the floor below him suddenly began to shake and rise.

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised; however, he didn''t lose bnce as the disturbance wasn''t very intense.

    After a few moments, he found himself on a tform between the Spirit Water and the wall.

    ''So the edge was a normal floor, not a part of the spirit vein.''

    Turning back to the wall, Ye Tian Yun found the lotus still present on the wall.

    However, this time the petal he had touched was currently missing.

    It had disappeared.

    ''System, what''s the next step?'' Ye Tian Yun asked.

    [Host, tap on the fourth petal from the right.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and did as instructed.

    The whole wall began to rumble!

    The lotus suddenly began to divide itself into two!

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, looking carefully again; he found it wasn''t just the lotus that was parting in half.

    The whole wall was dividing itself into two!

    Soon, the wall had disappeared into the sidewalls, and Ye Tian Yun found himself standing in front of the previous hall.

    ''Well, this wasn''t hard.'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh.

    He had done a lot of things to carefully n and calcte how he would enter the next hall. However, toe out, he just needed to tap the wall two times.

    ''Why can''t life always be this easy?'' Ye Tian Yun shook his head and moved forward, returning to the previous hall.

    *Click*

    As soon as he passed, he heard a noise from behind, and when he turned around, to his surprise, he found the wall in its ce, fully intact.

    ''That''s some really impressive array.'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but admire the mysterious array.

    Array at this level ofplexity isn''t easy to witness even in the Middle Heavens.

    ''This sect is definitely hiding something big. Unfortunately, all this will be lost soon...'' Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, inwardly sighing at the inevitable fate of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Then looking around in the hall, Ye Tian Yun now got ready to return back.

    ......

 Chapter 233 - Events In The Gracious Sword Sect

    The only way to return back to the surface was to wait for Elder Lai Chang toe to him and take him out of here.

    However, even before that, Ye Tian Yun had a very important thing to care about.

    He had to get everything in the hall back to normal.

    When Ye Tian Yun first entered this hall, he had found himself in a forest.

    However, it turned out to be an illusion, and a dull room was revealed.

    After that, he had practiced his sword moves on the wall and ended up creating cracks on the wall, almost breaking it.

    After that, he attacked a single wall to get to the adjacent hall, where he found the spirit vein.

    Luckily for him, everything on thest wall was auto repaired by the wall itself due to the array.

    He only needed to worry about the marks left by his attacks on the nearby ces, the adjacent walls, and the floor.

    However, he wasn''t much worried about this. The system had assured him that everything here could be returned to its original state, and he didn''t have to worry about anything.

    This was also the reason he didn''t hold himself back and ended up ruining the whole hall.

    Looking around the hall, Ye Tian Yun asked, ''System, what to do next?''

    Pointing at the opposite wall, he continued, ''We need to repair that wall, ''Then, looking at the floor, he said, ''those marks,'' and finally pursuing his lips, he added, ''And also set back the illusion array.''

    [Host, all of this will cost 1252 Kill Points]

    ''Oh? that''s cheap.'' Ye Tian Yun smiles, looking at the hundred thousand kill points in his possession.

    [Would you like to use the kill points to repair this hall?]

    ''Yeah, go ahead'' Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    He had enough kill points right now, so he wasn''t much worried about spending a thousand kill points.

    Anyway, he knew there wouldn''t be any haggling with the system, the only thing he could do was spend his kill points, and he had enough of those.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun agreed to use the kill points to get the hall back to its previous state without wasting time.

    [Consumed 1252 Kill points. Repairing of the hall is under progress.]

    [Time left: 2 days, 1 hour, 59 Minutes]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head but suddenly, something dawned upon him.

    ''2 days!?'' Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes in shock

    ''That''s too much! I only have one day left. Can''t you do it faster?''

    [Host, you can always buy some time if you put more kill points in this.]

    ''Buy time?'' Ye Tian Yun asked as the familiar bad feeling crept up in his heart once again.

    [Decrease 1 hour: 100 Kill Points]

    ''What!? 100 kill points! And just 1 hour!?'' Ye Tian Yun almost spurted blood when he saw the prompt.

    ''That''s too much.... it will end up billing higher than the cost of repairing. Even though I have a lot, I still can''t make myself spend this much.''

    ''100 kill points per hour, that''s 4800 kill points to reduce the time... Damn this rip-off System.''

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun could only sigh at his bad luck.

    ''System, reduce the time by 1 day 2hrs. I can wait for the remaining day. There''s no need to waste kill points for that.''

    [2600 Kill Points Consumed.]

    [26 hours reduced]

    [Remaining time to repair the hall: 22 hours 57 minutes]

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head at the prompt and took out his sword.

    While the system repaired everything, Ye Tian Yun nned to take practice with his sword moves.

    Taking a fighting stance, he shed in the air.

    ...

    Grand Meeting Hall, Gracious Sword Sect

    Sect Leader Su was sitting on the main seat as he frowned while scratching his chin.

    In front of him was none other than Elder Lai Chang giving him the report of some recent events in the sect.

    "Sect Leader, Jiang Chen''s health has improved a lot though there still doesn''t seem to be a chance for him to participate in the grand spirit hunt."

    "The zing Dragon Sect''s envoy will be arriving soon to our sect, mainly for an alliance between our sect disciples during the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Sect Leader Su waved his hand to stop Elder Lai Chang and asked, "Why is that sect trying to form an alliance? Especially after what happened in thest two Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Elder Lai Chang shook his head, "We can only find out once he arrives."

    "When will they arrive here?"

    Elder Lai Chang looked at the report in his hand and replied, "They are near the Capital City, so they should be here by next week if they are not in a hurry."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Alright, we will see when they arrive; since you mentioned the capital, what''s going on in that ce?"

    Elder Lai Chang pursed his lips and shook his head, "Sect Leader, there has been no news from that ce, especially the Fang n. Our assets in that n have eitherpletely cut us off or have disappeared."

    "Hmm, looks like Fang Yuan has started to make his moves."

    "Yes, Sect Leader. There have been a lot of meetings between King Xin and Prime Minister Fang Yuan in thest few days. Many influential n heads have visited the Royal Pce and the Fang n, and from the little signs we have noticed, it can easily be said that they are nning something to bid. However, if it''s beneficial for our sect or not, it is yet to be found."

    Sect Leader Su snorted, "Hmph! Beneficial for my Sect and that too due to Fang Yuan? No way in hell he would do something like that. Investigate more about this."

    "Yes, Sect Leader."

    "Hmm, and isn''t the one month for Disciple Fang Chen over?"

    ....

    A/n: Any typos or errors, please let me know throughments. ty

 Chapter 234 - Unpredictable Future

    "Isn''t the one month for Disciple Fang Chen over?" Sect Leader Su asked with a light tone. A hidden worry concealed in his voice.

    "Yes, Sect Leader. Today''s the day I will be bringing him out of the Sword Stele." Elder Lai Chan replied, even though he noticed the unnatural tone in Sect Leader Su''s words.

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Alright, bring him here first. I want to see his progress."

    Elder Lai Chang asked, "Should I bring him here right now?"

    Sect Leader Su thought for a moment before replying, "Yeah, bring him here right now. We will continue our discussionter."

    Elder Lai Chang nodded his head while cupping his fists, "I will take my leave and bring him here then."

    Sect Leader Su nodded and waved his hand, gesturing him to go.

    ˇ­.

    *sh*

    Sword light shed through the hall.

    Ye Tian Yun then moved his sword and brought it closer to himself for inspection.

    Looking at the edges, he couldn''t help but shake his head in disappointment.

    The edge was blistered unevenly and had be blunt.

    And all this happened just because he was shing his sword in the air.

    ''I need to change my Swords,'' Ye TianYun decided.

    It was not that these Swords were cheap or weak, but rather, the power of Ye Tian Yun''s Sword Intent was too much for these Swords.

    Unlike many cultivators, Ye Tian Yun didn''t like to use a single powerful sword.

    In fact, almost all the top existences in the world, be it present or the past, have always had a signature weapon, like the Gracious Sword of the First Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, Yuan Xuming.

    These weapons are as famous as the experts themselves. This is also why everyone in the cultivation world likes to keep a single powerful weapon to get famous one day with their weapon and battle prowess.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was the opposite. He didn''t understand the logic behind just keeping a single weapon and using all the moves based on it.

    He felt it was a waste of a person''s true potential and might even be harmful to their progress.

    Having a lot of swords gave a better advantage to a cultivator, in his opinion.

    Even though these are just swords, all swords, when used in battle, give a different feeling to the cultivator.

    The feeling is unexinable; however, there are only two oues: either the cultivator likes the feeling or doesn''t. There''s no gray area in this.

    And if a cultivator only uses a single weapon his whole life, his mindset bes limited. When he loses that weapon or if he changes his weapon, his battle prowess gets adversely affected.

    This was the reason why Ye TianYun preferred to use multiple swords - in fact, his whole spatial ring was filled with weapons or cultivation resources - and he liked not to have a ''liking'' for a single sword.

    In his eyes, swords were just swords. There''s no bigger meaning behind them.

    The easier a sword could cut through his enemies, the better it was for him.

    He never cared about the ''feeling'' a sword gave to him.

    And currently, he was very unsatisfied with his swords and wanted to change them.

    Due to the sudden increase in his power, it was getting hard for his sword to handle the force and raw power within the strike.

    Thus, they became blunt after a few sword strikes.

    Thus, he had decided to change his swords.

    ''But I will need to find a good cksmithˇ­'' Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    It wasn''t that he didn''t have someone in mind, or he needed to go back to the Middle Heavens for this. Rather, the problem was, the one in his mindˇ­ wasˇ­ quite entric and would kill him at first sight.

    ''Sigh, my father was too arrogant for his own goodˇ­'' Ye TianYun shook his head.

    The cksmith, in his mind, was one of the geniuses of the previous generation.

    But the only problem was - since he was a genius, he was also a rival to his father.

    And now that his father was ruling the whole Middle Heavens, it wasn''t easy to conclude who must havee out on top.

    ''I will have to find other alternatives before it''s tooteˇ­ I will lose too much time if I keep changing my sword in the battlesˇ­ every instant matters. If I cked even a bit, I would be dead, and I wouldn''t even know what actually happened.''

    Letting out a sigh, Ye TianYun then looked around himself.

    He was actually in a forest.

    To be more specific, he was in the hall, and the illusion array had been restored by the System.

    Everything around him was back to normal, exactly like how it was when Ye Tian Yun had first stepped into the Hall.

    Soon, Elder Lai Chang will arrive, and Ye TianYun will finally be able toe out of training.

    He had made a lot of progress in thest one month, and the only thing that remained to do right now was to go after Xiao Ming.

    He needed to head for the Southern Province and get his hands on the Token Of Fate.

    But before that, he needed to resolve a few of his hidden agendas that he had never put his mind on.

    Other than that, there were few more worrisome things - the monthly mission that Ye TianYun was going to wait for was not canceled.

    Because of the assassination attempt, the sect was under lockdown.

    No one was going to leave the sect. Thus the future had already changed.

    Due to the lockdown, Xiao Ming would not be going on a mission leading him to find the Token Of Fate.

    The mission that was going to change his life was now not going to happen.

    So, how was Ye TianYun going to get his hands over the token?

    ...

    Any typos? Please let me know through yourments.

 Chapter 235 - End Of Cultivation In Seclusion

    The future is something that can''t always be predicted, and there''s always a chance that things will go out of our hands.

    This was what had happened with Ye TianYun in thest few days.

    He knew this, but his mind wasn''t much focused on this.

    Even though he took his time to n his next path, things were still unstable.

    Especially because of the sudden lockdown in the sect.

    If the mission didn''t happen, Xiao Ming wouldn''t get his hands on the Token Of Fate.

    And if Xiao Ming didn''t encounter it, Ye Tian Yun had no way of finding it.

    The only thing Ye TianYun knew about how Xiao Ming got this token was that he got on his first mission in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    The mission was going to happen in the Southern Province of the state, which would then trigger an event that would shake the whole country.

    The biggest winner of this mission was Xiao Ming - he got the Token of Fate.

    However, now, with the sect under lockdown, there was a high possibility that Xiao Ming was not going to go out of the sect since thepulsory first-month missions were now canceled.

    This was secretly worrying Ye TianYun - this wasn''t something that Ye Tian Yun could change.

    ''How did this even happen? Why did the assassins target the wrong person? How is the future now going to be? There were many unanswered questions that Ye TianYun was eager to find more about.

    Unfortunately for Ye TianYun, he didn''t know that it was him who caused all this.

    A few months back, when Ye tianYun had first arrived in the Lower Heavens under the disguise of his Butler Liu, he had encountered a few Xin Royal n guards who had tried to rob him.

    They ended up losing their lives under Ye Tian Yun''s sword strike.

    And then life moved on.

    In this encounter, Ye TianYun was unaware that those soldiers were sent by n Head Fang Yuan to the Devil Sect, where they would then inform them of the change of ns and call off the Sleeper Cell attacks.

    Unfortunately, now that Ye Tian Yun killed everyone in that group, the message never actually reached the Devil Sect.

    Thus, a few monthster, Devil Sect carried on with the original n and ended up triggering their sleeper cells and almost killed Jiang Chen - who was now their ally.

    This, in turn, put the lockdown in the sect, and now, Xiao Ming was not going to be able to head out of the sect and encounter the token.

    In the end, the whole timeline was now changed.

    But Ye Tian Yun was currently unaware of this fact. Because never in his imagination would he think that killing a few arrogant guards would lead to thisplex situation, resulting in his whole n being thrown out of the window.

    Since he was unaware of what had happened, Ye TianYun couldn''t think of any better n in his current situation.

    ''Even if Xiao Ming doesn''t go out, I will have to find a way to get out of the sect and head towards the Southern Province on the exact mission and try to look for a way out.''

    Ye Tian Yun thought, trying to give himself a fake reassurance.

    He knew there were many inconsistencies in what had happened, but he had no choice but to gulp down his frustrations and hope for a miracle.

    Letting out a sigh, Ye TianYun focused on thest thing that he needed to care about before Elder Lai Chang arrived to take him back.

    It was his cultivation.

    Even though his actual cultivation had increased a lot by about four levels, his suppressed cultivation was still on the same stage - the first level of Qi Condensation Realm.

    Now, he just had to decide which cultivation realm he needed to choose as his next level.

    Since he had to find a way to get out of the sect, Ye Tian Yun might need to show off a bit of his talent in front of his higher-ups.

    However, he couldn''t show too much, or else they wouldn''t allow him to go out in fear of losing him.

    So whatever cultivation he chose, he had to be at the grey spot - neither too eye-catching nor too weak.

    Letting out a sigh, Ye Tian Yun began to judge which should be this ideal cultivation level.

    It wasn''t long before he came to a pretty easy conclusion - Third Level of Qi condensation Realm.

    This was not too high, neither too low - just perfect enough to show himself as a ''genius'' and, at the same time, not too high to make the higher-ups treasure him.

    ''System, show me status.''

    [STATUS]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 91,023/20000]

    [Fate Points: 0]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Original): 7th Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 1st Level Of Qi Condensation Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Late Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    [Sword Intent: Sword Domain Realm (1%) (0/10000 Kill Points)]

    [Inventory]

    [Quest]

    [Rewards]

    [Shop]

    Nodding his head, he thought, ''System, change my suppressed cultivation realm of the Third Levelˇ­ hmmˇ­ No, change it to the Fourth Level of the Qi Condensation Realm.''

    Ye Tian Yun changed his mind at thest minute.

    It was because he felt he should not take any risk.

    The person he needed to impress in the whole sect was none other than Sect Leader Su.

    And considering Sect Leader Su''s power, Ye Tian Yun was sure that he must have sensed his suppressed cultivation when theyst met.

    So if he increased his cultivation by only two realms, he would show himself like an average genius, which may lead to Sect Leader Su not taking him seriously, which would then be detrimental for hisst option - to go out of the sect after the Token Of Fate on his own.

    ˇ­

    A/n: typos? pleasement. t y s m

 Chapter 236 - Gracious Sword Rankings Tournament Commenced!

    [Host, please confirm the new suppressed cultivation - Fourth Level of Qi Condensation Realm]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, ''Yes, that will be my new cultivation realm.''

    [Suppressed cultivation sessfully changed.]

    [New cultivation: Fourth Level of Qi Condensation Realm.]

    [Kill Points consumed: 150 Kill Points.]

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but be surprised at this prompt, ''System, I thought you would be telling me how many kill points it will take and then I will be confirming; also there''s the Aura Suppression Pillˇ­ all those steps were skipped?''

    [Host, those things would only waste your time, and repeating the same questions would be of no use.]

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, ''I understood that part, just wanted to see if there was any other reason.''

    ''Never mind that now, tell me, how much time do we have before Elder Lai Chang opens the gate?''

    [Elder Lai Chang will be here in a few minutes.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and inspected the room once again. He didn''t wish to leave any clues regarding his practice session or his knowledge of the spirit vein in the adjacent room.

    ''Let''s first understand the situation outside and make ns ordingly.''

    Just as he finished his thoughts, the gate of the hall began to creak.

    It slowly opened, and Ye Tian Yun saw the first human after a month of cultivation in seclusion.

    It was Elder Lai Chang.

    He was standing in front of the gate, with his hands behind his back.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but frown as he saw the unnatural expression over his face.

    It was because Ye Tian Yun was standing straight in front of the gate, opposite Elder Lai Chang.

    However, Elder Lai Chang wasn''t even looking at him; he was staring at random ces.

    After a few moments, Elder Lai Chang opened his mouth, still staring at a random spot, rather than Ye Tian Yun, who was standing just in front of him in the hall.

    "Disciple Fang Chen, your one month hase to an end;e with me and head back to your cultivation abode."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and moved towards him, still confused about the prior situation.

    But just as Ye Tian Yun came close to the door, something dawned upon him - he finally remembered the reason behind this.

    It was the array on the door - it prevented anyone from seeing the inside of the hall.

    The array had prevented Ye Tian Yun too when he was standing outside the hall a month ago.

    As he crossed, Ye Tian Yun felt like he had passed through the wall.

    He had ''felt'' the array on his face while passing through the door.

    Ye Tian Yun turned around to look at the door, and as expected, it had turned into a white screen.

    Letting out a sigh, he turned around and cupped his fists at Elder Lai Chang.

    In response, Elder Lai Chang nodded his head and said, "Disciple Fang Chen, good to see you in great condition; looks like you have reaped a lot of benefits from this chance."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head. "Yes, Elder Lai Chang, this month was a great boost to my cultivation."

    Elder Lai Chang nodded with a smile, "That''s good to hear. I was afraid that you might waste your time and end up losing a golden opportunity. It''s good that you understood the importance of this chance."

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun nod his head, Elder Lai Chang continued and asked, "What''s your current cultivation now? Is it enough for you to enter the Gracious Sword Rankings?"

    Ye Tian Yun was confused, "Gracious Sword Rankings? Aren''t they supposed to be two monthster from now?"

    Elder Lai Chang shook his head, "That was the old n, now a lot of things changed after the Sleeper Cell attackst month."

    "Oh? I only know about the lockdown imposed in the sect." Ye Tian Yun pressed on the topic. He wanted to know if there was going to be anything interesting which he could make use of.

    Elder Lai Chang nodded his head and gestured to him, "Let''s head to the Grand Meeting Hall. I will tell you on the way."

    As they walked, Elder Lai Chang started, "Alongside the lockdown, there''s also a thorough background check of the Sect Disciples going on, but that''s not being done openly."

    "However, one interesting thing that happened was the sudden change in the schedule of Gracious Sword Rankings."

    "Sect Leader Su announced the change to the higher-up on the next day after the assassination, and a weekter, it was announced to the disciples once all arrangements were made."

    "Even the stages of this time''s tournament were changed, and from the looks of it, this time it''s based more on Sword Cultivation. The tournament was moved two months earlier than its scheduled time, and all disciples are eligible to participate in the tournament - be it core, inner, or outer court disciples."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this change, but he was unfazed because he didn''t need to worry about this tournament.

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun''s calm reaction, Elder Lai Chang asked, "So, what are your ns regarding this tournament? I don''t suppose you would like to miss such a good chance."

    Ye Tian Yun instead asked, "Why is this tournament so important, Elder?"

    Elder Lai Chang gave him a weird look, "Of course it''s important, don''t you wish to take part in the Grand Spirit Hunt?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and made up something, "Elder, I feel like I am not yet ready for this. I don''t have much actualbat experience. High cultivation won''t be enough to get good results in such a big event. I will need to have experience of real-life and death battles."

    Elder Lai Chang frowned and then nodded his head after a few moments, "Well, you do have a good point. However, did you assume that we would send you straight to the Grand Spirit Hunt as soon as you''re selected?"

 Chapter 237 - Elder Lai Chang Laying Subtle Traps

    "Did you assume that we would send you straight to the Grand Spirit Hunt as soon as you''re selected?"

    Ye Tian Yun immediately shook his head, "No, Elder, that was not my point. My problem was, I may not even get selected because of lowbat experience."

    Elder Lai Chang shrugged, "Disciple Fang, there''s nothing to lose in trying it out. Maybe things will turn out different, and this may very well change your life."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and didn''t say anything to pursue this topic anymore.

    However, inwardly he was trying hard to control his urge to roll back his eyes. He didn''t care about a useless ranking in a sect which was just a temporary stay for him. He wasn''t interested in showing off in front of others; he just wanted to finish his task and move on.

    Elder Lai Chang, however, wasn''t intending to leave this subject, "Disciple Fang, Do you know why Sect Leader Su chose to send you to the Sword Stele?"

    Ye Tian Yun, who was walking a few steps behind Elder Lai Chang, inwardly let out a sigh while saying, "He must have seen through my heaven-sent supreme godly immortal level cultivation talent. Thus he decided to give me a little boost."

    Elder Lai Chang was immediately stumped at his words, "uhˇ­ well, your guess is half true. Sect Leader Su did see a good potential in you. However, the main reason why he sent you to the Sword Stele is much moreplex."

    Ye Tian Yun slightly squinted his eyes. He had a hunch about what Elder Lai Chang was talking about. However, acting ignorant was the best step in this situation.

    "What is it, Elder?" He asked.

    Elder Lai Chang, however, didn''t respond. He continued to walk.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t pursue the topic. He had no interest in the hidden connection between Sect Leader Su and Fang Chen; neither was he interested in entertaining people who would want to reap benefits by using this secret.

    ˇ­

    Soon the pair was about to reach the end of the stairway.

    Seeing the huge door entrance to the Grand Meeting Hall at a slight distance, Elder Lai Chang suddenly stopped.

    Without turning back, he slowly whispered, "Disciple Fang, be careful of Sect Leader Su. Things are much moreplicated than what you know, and never forget that you''re a part of the Fang n too. And you should know the rtionship between Sect Leader Su and your father, Fang Yuan."

    With that said, Elder Lai Chang continued with his steps without waiting for any response.

    Behind him, Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes after he heard those words.

    ''Did this guy think I would fall for this? Maybe Fang Chen would have fallen for this, but me? No way it would be this easy.''

    Even Fang Chen wouldn''t fall for this bullshit warning. Moreover, he knew that Sect Leader Su was his birth fatherˇ­ Well, maybe he might fall for this because it''s a known fact that the Gracious Sword Sect would kill any bastard child of Sect Leader Su if he or she were ever found out.

    But that didn''t mean Ye Tian Yun would fall for this too. He also only knew as much as Fang Chen did. However, there was one thing that he had an advantage over - he was good at judging people. At least he was better than Fang Chen.

    And the only vibe that Ye Tian Yun got from most of the higher-ups was either neutral or good.

    Even Grand Elder Xuan, who was always scheming something big and only cared about his benefit, didn''t have malice towards Ye Tian Yun.

    One might think that Ye Tian Yun was too naive to trust the first impression and instincts. However, in both of his lives, it was this instinct that had saved his life countless times. No way he was going to doubt his own instinct.

    And his instinct told him that there was more to the story than what everyone knew and the final nail on the coffin was the way Sect Leader Su looked at Ye Tian Yun every - single - time.

    It was a look of how a father looked at his son.

    An unfamiliar look that Ye Tian Yun wasn''t used to, but he was sure what it meant.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t need more than one brain cell to know that Sect Leader Su knew.

    Sect leader Su knew of the fact that Fang Chen was indeed his son. It wasn''t a secret anymore.

    And Sect Leader Su loved his son. This fact couldn''t be more clear to him.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun trusted his instinct and wasn''t going to fall for the trap Elder Lai Chang was trying toy in front of him.

    ''If Sect Leader Su knows that Fang Chen is his son even before the big events of the timeline started, he must have known about this in his previous life too. So howe he still died?''

    ''Either Fang Chen was too dumb in his younger days or he was blinded with ignorance or both. How could he not feel the look that Sect Leader Su must have given him? It was definitely how a father looks at his son. Still Fang Chen fell for the bullshit that everyone fed him with and ended up killing his own father.

    But to Ye Tian Yun, this wasn''t a matter that he needed to get himself involved in.

    Just like how there was no need to participate in the Gracious Sword Rankings, there was also no need to care about the rtionship between Fang Chen and his father.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was thinking, he suddenly heard a squeaking of the huge gate.

    Raising his head, he saw Elder Lai Chang passing through a huge gate.

    Ye Tian Yun knew that this gate was the entrance to the Grand Meeting Hall where Sect Leader Su was eagerly waiting to check the cultivation progress of his ''son''.

 Chapter 238 - The Discussion (I)

    A few minutes earlier.

    Sect Leader Su was lost in his thoughts as the gate of the Grand Meeting Hall was suddenly pushed open.

    While seated on the main seat at the center of the hall, Sect Leader Su raised his head and found Peak Master Duan entering the hall.

    He nodded at Peak Master Duan, who, in response, cupped his fists.

    Gesturing him to take a seat, Sect Leader Su said, "Didn''t see you for thest few days. What are you up to these days?"

    Peak Master Duan replied, moving towards his seat on the right of Sect Leader Su, "Senior Brother, that''s not important right now, but I remembered that it''s my nephew''sst day in closed-door cultivation, so I came running. Did you meet him yet?"

    Sect Leader Su smiled, "Ah, no, not yet. Elder Lai Chang has gone to bring him here. Both of them should enter the hall any minute now."

    Peak Leader Duan frowned, "Elder Lai Chang? Why did you send him, Senior Brother?"

    Sect Leader Su shrugged, "He was the only one present in the hall at that time. And he was also the one who took Fang Chen to the Sword Stelest month."

    Peak MAster duan pursed his lips and replied, "Senior Brother, I would advise you not to let people of the Grand Elder Xuan close to Fang Chen."

    Sect Leader Su rolled his eyes, "Don''t you already know which league Fang Chen chose to joinst month?"

    Peak Master nodded his head, "I know it was the Heavenly League. However, joining the league and being with the core members of the Xuan Faction are two different things."

    "Fang Chen is still young and inexperienced in the way of the world. If we let those people be too close to him, he would get brainwashed in their ideals, and it would only make it hard for you to get close to him and for him to ept you in theing future."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "Don''t worry about that. You should know that I am good at judging people - and I have judged Fang Chen''s nature and self-awareness to his surroundings."

    Peak Master raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean, Senior Brother?"

    Sect Leader Su had his lips curved into a small smile as he said, "Fang Chen isn''t amb to the ughter. He knows what others want from him - he''s scheming and understands other people''s nature very well."

    Peak Master Duan was surprised at those words, "And you have judged this after meeting him only twice and talking to him for two minutes in total?"

    Sect Leader Su shrugged, "I trust my intuition in this. Fang Chen won''t fall for cheap schemes. In fact, this thing was never even a worry for him. I am worried about some other things."

    Peak Leader Duan asked, "Other things? What? His talent?"

    Sect Leader Su nodded, "I don''t want to doubt that. However, I still have my thoughts on this topic. I feel like today; I will be able to judge his talent too. Hopefully, he has gone through some good breakthroughs in his cultivation."

    Peak Master Duan replied, "Don''t worry about this, Senior Brother. I am sure my nephew will surprise both of us today. I am even hoping that he shines in the Gracious Sword Rankings tournament."

    Sect Leader Su smiled, "Yes, me too. I also want to test him through the Rankings tournament. But I don''t know if he''s ready for it yet."

    Peak Master Duanughed, "If he''s not ready, then none of the new Inner Court Disciples are. He spent one month in the Sword Stele. He will be a changed person when you see him."

    Sect Leader Su sighed, "Let''s hope this is the case."

    Peak Master Duan nodded, and after a moment, he asked, "Senior Brother, this reminds me, how is your search going on? Did you find any clues about the disciple who broke through the Sword Domain Realm?"

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. I have personally assessed almost all the disciples who have passed stage one, and I must say I am quite disappointed in the overall result."

    "There are very few of the disciples who had cultivated the Sword Intent. Even then, most of them are still at a very basic stage and haven''t even fully reached the Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent."

    Peak Master replied with a wry smile, "Senior Brotherˇ­ howe you''re disappointed... ? Don''t you know that getting even a single disciple with Sword Intent in a whole generation of disciples is a big deal? Here we have a whole bunch of them, and you''re disappointed?"

    Sect Leader shook his head, "No, I am not disappointed in the number of the disciples who haveprehended the Sword Intent; what I am disappointed in is their performance - it has been veryckluster."

    "Almost all of the disciples who havee under my radar have barely done anything worth paying attention to. And I am not talking about the Seventh Peak alone - I have taken the whole sect into ount."

    "Even though the disciple who broke through the Sword Domain is from the seventh Peak, I still decided to cover the whole sect and assess almost every talent that shows potential."

    "And there hasn''t been a single disciple who has made me even think that he could be the one we are looking for."

    Peak Master Duan scratched his chin while replying, "Senior Brother, maybe it''s because the level is too easy that the disciple hasn''t shown his full strength?"

    "You just said it. The disciples are barely in the Sword Manifestation Realm. This means that that disciple doesn''t need to use too much of his strength, and he can easily beat almost all of the disciples."

    "In my opinion, the second round will be the key to finding this disciple.. I hope you have something very interesting nned for the Second Round, Senior Brother."

 Chapter 239 - The Discussion (II)

    "I hope you have something very interesting nned for the second round, Senior Brother." Peak Master Duan''s words rang throughout the hall.

    Sect Leader Su nodded and replied with a confident voice, "Yeah, Second Round will be very interesting. I have nned a good strategy to find out who this disciple is, and also not let anyone else other than me find out about this."

    Peak Master Duan shrugged, "Then case closed; there''s no need to worry much about this."

    "What we need to think about now is the undercurrents of the capital."

    Sect Leader Su''s expression suddenly turned severed as he heard Peak Master Duan''s words. He closed his eyes and leaned back while replying, "There''s nothing we can do about that."

    Peak Master Duan was shocked at such a response.

    "What do you mean we can''t do anything? Senior Brother, don''t we have our spywork? What''s thetest news from them?"

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "This is why we can''t do anything - there has been no news, and almost all connections have been cut off."

    "What!?" Peak Master Duan stood up.

    A tinge of fear was written on his face as he asked, "All connections lost? What''s going on in the sect?"

    Sect Leader Su let out a sigh, "Duan, I know what you''re thinking. But, don''t worry about your son. I already had him sent to a safe zone at the first sign of trouble. I know things have been pretty harsh for him, but don''t worry, I won''t just let him stay in the lion''s den without any backup ns."

    Peak Master Duan couldn''t help but sigh in relief, "I trust you, Senior Brother. If you say he''s safe, I feel reassured about this."

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips, "Even though he''s safe but other than him, almost everyone has disappeared. We can''t contact anyone. I am pretty sure something big has happened in the Capital City, and no one has any idea about it."

    Peak Master Duan gritted his teeth, "It must have been that bastard Fang Yuan. He''s very cunning."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "That''s why I said, we can''t do anything. We don''t have any news about what''s going on in the Capital City. The only avable informant - your son - is in hiding. Even though I know where he is, I can''t go and bring him here. At least not yet. It''s important for his safety that he doesn''t appear in public for a few months."

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head, "I understand, Senior Brother. He should stay in hiding for his good."

    Just as Peak Master Duan''s words came to an end, the gate of the Grand Meeting Hall was pushed open.

    Both of them turned their heads and found Elder Lai Chang entering the hall. Behind him was the disciple both of them had been waiting for - Fang Chen.

    ˇ­.

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun stepped inside the Grand Meeting Hall, he felt two piercing eyes staring straight at him.

    However, these eyes didn''t contain any malice. In fact, all he could sense was a hidden love. A fatherly love.

    "But why are both of them looking at me like this? Don''t tell meˇ­ Fang Chen had two fathers!? WTF am I thinking!?" Ye Tian Yun immediately shook his head to clear off his thoughts.

    Before the other three in the hall could sense anything weird, Ye Tian Yun cupped his fist and distracted them, "Greetings Sect Leader and Peak Master."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head with a smile, and Peak Master Duan replied, "Good to see you back. How was your cultivation in thest month? Did you get any breakthroughs?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, and in the next intent, a suppressing aura of Fourth Level Of Qi Condensation Realm spread throughout the hall!

    Be it Sect Leader Su, Peak Master Duan, or Elder Lai Chang, all three had cultivated way above this realm and were unaffected by the pressure. However, they were affected by one thing - how much Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation had increased.

    Elder Lai Chang had his mouth wide open, and the other two stood up from their seats. Their expressions couldn''t be more shocking.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think, ''What will happen if I show them my real cultivation? Will they die from shock?''

    While Ye Tian Yun was inwardly feeling smug, Sect Leader Su was the first to receive from his shock, "Well done! Ha-ha, well done, my boy - I mean - well done, disciple Fang Chen!"

    "Thank you, Sect Leader Su. It was all because you decided to give me a golden opportunity to cultivate in the Sword Stele."

    Sect Leader Su waved his hand, "Ah, you deserved that chance, no need to give anyone else any credit - you reached this cultivation realm through your own hard work. If you didn''t push yourself, you wouldn''t have reached this realm even if you had all the cultivation resources in the world."

    Peak Master Duan nodded his head, "Indeed. Disciple Fang Chen, this is all your hard work, and I am sure you would soon make a name for yourself in the Gracious Sword Ranking''s tournament and most probably even qualify for the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his head and looked at Elder Lai Chang when he heard Peak Master Duan''s words.

    Elder Lai Chang coughed and said, "umm.. Peak Masterˇ­ Disciple Fang Chen told me that he is not going to join the Gracious Sword Rankings."

    "What?" Both men in front of them were confused.

    "Why would you not want to participate in the tournament?" Sect Leader Su asked with a frown.

    Then looking at Elder Lai Chang, he said, "Did you not tell him about the prize other than getting selected to participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt?"

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head when he heard Sect Leader Su''s words.

    ''There was something else in the prize pool?''

    ....

    A/n: If you find any typos, please let me know throughments. ty

 Chapter 240 - The Mission (I)

    "Did you not tell him about the prize other than getting selected to participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt?"

    Sect Leader Su''s words rang throughout the hall.

    "Uh..." Elder Lai Chang scratched the back of his head, "Sect Leader, didn''t you say that the second reward is supposed to be kept a secret?"

    "Ah, yes yes," Sect Leader Su remembered, and continued while looking at Ye Tian Yun, "Disciple Fang Chen, if you miss this tournament, you''re going to miss out on something really big. The second reward is... better than the Sword Stele."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    And noticing his surprise, Sect Leader Su inwardly nodded his head and said, "Swod Stele increased your cultivation so much, but this hidden reward will give you an overall boost - be it Cultivation realm or battle prowess - both will increase many folds, and you will get a newfound strength."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while replying, "Sect Leader, I will repeat what I said to Elder Lai Chang a few minutes ago."

    "Even though I have a good cultivation realm, what Ick is battle experience. I am afraid I might fail in the Gracious Sword rankings tournament even with a good Cultivation realm."

    Sect Leader Su frowned when he heard those words, "You are doubting yourself? Do you know what kind of Cultivator doubts himself? One who will never seed."

    "As a Cultivator, you should be the first one to believe in yourself."

    Ye Tia Yun nodded his head; however, he wasn''t here for a pep talk, rather he wanted to take this conversation in a different direction.

    However, when Sect Leader Su saw his unenthusiastic response, he thought Ye Tian Yun wasn''t confident in himself. Thus he continued.

    "Whatever you want in your life, others want it too. You don''t have to be the most talented genius in the world. You don''t have to be the smartest cultivator in the world. What matters is your persistence and will. If you have a strong will and high persistence, there''s nothing you can''t achieve."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and replied, "Sect leader, you ask for persistence, but how will I persist if there''s nothing to persist for."

    "What do you mean?" The other men were confused at his words.

    "Sect Leader Su," Ye Tian Yun replied, "Due tost month''s Sleeper Cell incident, you enforced a lockdown in the sect, and all the sect missions were temporarily canceled."

    "Now, as the Grand Spirit Hunt is approaching, even though disciples like me have high Cultivation, what theyck is the on-ground experience. Friendly spars among other disciples won''t be enough. What I need are missions where my life is on the line."

    "Those situations will be the trigger to push me ahead."

    Peak Master Duan nodded as Ye Tian Yun''s words came to an end. He agreed with the points put forward by Ye Tian Yun.

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "The lockdown won''tst for long, so you will still get your chance to do the missions."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised at this, "So all the missions will resume soon?"

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Yeah, after one more month or so."

    Ye Tian Yun''s excitement died down as soon as he heard those words.

    ''One more month? That was too much.''

    He would lose his chance to get the Token Of Fate.

    Ye Tian Yun then asked, "Sect leader, is it not possible to remove the lockdown sooner? One month is already a lot to investigate the incident. If no clues have been found yet, nothing will be found after this."

    "Also, I was talking about getting experience before participating in the Gracious Sword ranking tournament. One monthter, it will be toote because the tournament will be long over before lockdown ends."

    Sect Leader Su frowned, "I understand that you''re eager to test your Cultivation in the world outside, but I can''t release lockdown just for that. We''re still investigating that incident, and there have been few clues regarding that."

    Ye Tian Yun could only shrug at this.

    Suddenly Peal Master Duan opened his mouth, "Sect Leader, why don''t we enlist Fang Chen for the uing mission?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned in confusion, so did Elder Lai Chang.

    ''Aren''t all missions closed? Which mission is he referring to?'' Both of them had the same question in their minds.

    Sect Leader Su, however, knew what Peak Master Duan was referring to.

    He shook his head, "Fang Chen is too young for this. He should go for easy missions first."

    Peak Master Duan shook his head, "But Sect Leader Su, there are already other disciples who are as inexperienced as Fang Chen but still part of the mission."

    Sect Leader Su frowned, "Are you talking about Xiao Ming? That kid has shown a lot of potential in thest one month - in fact, if not for Fang Chen''s boost in Cultivation through Sword Stele, I am sure he would have been the most powerful among the new batch of inner court disciples."

    Ye Tian Yun, who was standing at the center of the hall, was shocked at the Sect Leader''s words.

    Not because of theparison between both of them, but because of the fact that Xiao Ming was going to be a part of a mission!

    ''So fate is forcing Xiao Ming towards the Token!?''

    Ye Tian Yun''s breathing suddenly became rapid; however, he calmed himself down in the next instant.

    The other three in the hall easily noticed the change in Ye Tian Yun but chose not to say anything.

    To them, the change in mood was probably because Fang Chen was feeling challenged whenpared to Xiao Ming.

    They thought of it as nothing more than just the hot-bloodedness of youth.

    Ye Tian Yun remarked, "Sect leader Su, please tell me about this mission."

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments.

    Please do not read the next chapter if you''re reading this line.

    T y s m.

 Chapter 241 - Ye Tian Yuns Request

    "Sect Leader, please tell me more about this mission." Ye Tian Yun was very eager to know any possible details regarding this special mission.

    Sect Leader Su noticed his intrigue; however, he didn''t think much about it.

    He replied, "Fang Chen, the mission is rted to an investigation in the Ying Yang Sect."

    As soon as Sect Leader Su said those words, Ye Tian Yun''s ear immediately perked up.

    First, Sect Leader Su had talked about Xiao Ming being part of a mission, and now he said this mission was rted to Ying Yang Sect.

    Where was this Ying Yang Sect?

    The southern province!

    The region where Xiao Ming encountered the Token Of Fate!

    Ye Tian Yun had to be a part of this mission. By hook or by crook.

    Thus, he asked, "Sect Leader, what is the mission about?"

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "No, that is ssified; only the enlisted disciples are supposed to know the details."

    Ye Tian Yun then put forward his request, "Then make me a part of this mission, Sect Leader."

    Sect Leader Su thought for a moment and then shook his head, "No-no, there''s no need for you to go."

    Ye Tian Yun insisted, "But, Sect Leader, I wish to gain experience, and this mission would also be a good chance for me to stabilize my cultivation realm. I have had very rapid breakthroughs and jumped from Qi Refining to Qi Condensation Realm, a direct jump of about five realms; this is too much. My cultivation base has increased, but the foundation has weakened. This mission will be a good opportunity for me to improve myself."

    Sect Leader Su squinted his eyes but didn''t give any response.

    On the other hand, Peak Master Duan and Elder Lai Chang had their mouths opened wide in shock.

    Such reaction was not because of Ye Tian Yun''s request but because of the said increase in his cultivation realm over the period of one month.

    Increase of Five levels!

    This was too much. In fact, this was unheard of!

    Never in their lives had they heard of such an incident.

    In their eyes, the value of Ye Tian Yun skyrocketed to new heights.

    On the other hand, Sect Leader Su, however, was not feeling any surprise. In fact, he felt Ye Tian Yun was getting too desperate in this situation.

    Why did he feel like that? Because he had seen through Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation before he had gone to the Sword Stele - it was already at the 1st Realm of Qi Condensation!

    And here, Ye Tian Yun was iming that he had jumped five realms?

    Clearly, he was exaggerating. Thus, Sect Leader Su decided to teach him a lesson.

    "You shouldn''t exaggerate your aplishments," Sect Leader Su said, "I saw through your cultivation before you went to the Sword Stele."

    "You were already in the Qi Condensation Realm at that time, and here you''re iming that your cultivation realm was Qi Refining?"

    Sect Leader Su''s words brought the other two to their senses, and a slight frown appeared on their faces.

    However, Ye Tian Yun was unaffected by this.

    He said, "Sect Leader, I didn''t exaggerate anything. I broke through the Qi Condensation Realm on the day was Inner Court Entrance Exam ended."

    "And two dayster, I came to here, to the Grand Meeting hall, under yourmand."

    "Today, it''s been almost a month, and I have gone about five levels higher than what I was."

    Sect Leader Su''s mouth turned into ''o'' shape, and so did the other two''s as they came to the realization.

    Peak Master Duan said, "To jump five levels in just a month is no small feat, and the other thing Fang Chen said is also true - his foundation is now very unstable. So what he needs isbat experience. And even more than that, he needs to spread his wings in the world outside the sect and make a name for himself."

    "He''s just fifteen and already in the Fourth Level of Qi Condensation Realm - this is way better than Jiang Chen or Yuan Shuchun''s cultivation at the same age."

    "If this speed continues, I am pretty sure we will soon have a very powerful genius in our sect - someone more powerful than any other disciple we have ever had."

    Peak Master''s voice increased as his excitement was quite evident by the time he finished his words.

    However, Sect Leader Su was not much impressed, "This is not the right time for Fang Chen to show off his talent - and definitely on the right time to go out."

    "His talent warrants even more extra care for him. We can''t let him appear in public - at least not yet. If he practices and cultivates more, I am sure Fang Chen will be our biggest Trump Card in theing Grand Spirit Hunt after five months."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head. He was not going just to sit back and watch as his n went in a different direction.

    He needed to be a part of this mission; otherwise, he would miss the Token Of Fate.

    It will be almost impossible to get his hands on the Token Of Fate if things go awry - because this token would give Xiao Ming a huge boost in his cultivation and also increase his value in the sect''s eyes - making it almost impossible for Ye Tian Yun to target him without alerting anyone else.

    But looking at Sect Leader Su''s response, it seemed that for some reason, he didn''t wish to let Ye Tian Yun go out of the sect.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun made another attempt, "Sect Leader, please try to understand. Only by going through life and death battles will I better grasp my power and cultivation realm.

    If I just sit here and hide in the protective shell of the Sect, I will never be able to grow."

    "Thus, I request you to enlist me in this mission."

 Chapter 242 - The Choice Of Ye Tian Yun

    "If I just sit here and hide in the protective shell of the Sect, I will never be able to grow. Thus, I request you to enlist me in this mission." Ye Tian Yun requested Sect Leader Su to allow him to be a part of this mission.

    This time, Peak Leader Duan also came to his support, "Sect Leader, Fang Chen does have a point. No matter how much he practices, spars, and cultivates, he would never get the benefit that is there on the real battlefield. Only by sharpening himself in the battlefield will he be qualified for the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Sect Leader Su didn''t give an immediate denial this time. Instead, he fell in thought as he began to consider Ye Tian Yun and Peak Master Duan''s words.

    After some time, he said, "I can''t let more than one new Inner Court disciple be a part of this mission."

    "It will be either Xiao Ming or Fang Chen. Not both of them at once."

    Ye Tian Yun was confused and reflexively asked, "Why not both?"

    Sect Leader Su sighed, "I can''t take the risk of sending both of the top new talents of the sect together on their first mission. It''s too risky."

    "I am sure our enemy sects already know about Xiao Ming going out of the sect, and they will definitely target him. But if it were to get out that not only Xiao Ming, but even Fang Chen, the other new emerging talent of the Gracious Sword Sect, was going out of the sect, the enemies would definitelyunch an ambush."

    "I can bet my life on this because if I were in their shoes, I too wouldn''t miss such an opportunity, especially not when both of these geniuses were going to be together at one ce."

    Sect Leader Su''s words silenced everyone.

    While the other two elders fell in contemtion about the words Sect Leader Su had just uttered, Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, began to think of any other argument that he could put forward.

    Just as he was thinking, Sect Leader Su added, "So, tell me, Fang Chen, do you wish to go in ce of Xiao Ming?"

    Peak Master Duan and Elder Lai Chang also turned towards Ye Tian Yun for his response.

    Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, was now frowning.

    The question in front of him wasn''t that hard to answer - however, whatever he said, it wouldn''t be in his favor at all.

    If he still insisted on being part of this mission, that would mean Xiao Ming wouldn''t be part of this mission.

    This would then mean there wouldn''t be any Token Of Fate for him.

    And if he said no and chose not to be a part of the mission, he wouldn''t get the Token Of Fate since he would be in the sect while Xiao Ming would be in the Southern Region.

    ''Damn this lockdown!'' He couldn''t help but curse his luck.

    If not for the lockdown, things wouldn''t have gotten soplicated.

    ''If I go in the mission, there definitely won''t be any chance to receive the Token Of Fateˇ­ but if I do not go and find a way to get out of the sect, maybe, just maybe, I might seed and trail behind them.''

    However, finding a way to get out of the sect won''t be easy, especially after knowing Sect Leader Su''s response to his request.

    From his words, Ye Tian Yun could easily see that his value in Sect Leader''s eyes had risen to a whole new level. It wasn''t hard to notice, even though Sct Leader Su was trying his best to hide it by acting indifferent.

    Letting out a breath, Ye Tian Yun processed his thoughts and finally came to a decision.

    Pursing his lips, he said, "Sect Leader, I am a person with integrity - I don''t wish to take someone else''s opportunity for my own benefits. If it''s in my fate, I will receive it. If it''s not, then it was never supposed to be."

    The three were confused by his response, and noticing their expressions, Ye Tian Yun continued, "I do not wish to take Xiao Ming''s opportunity, and will let him go for this mission. I will have my chances soon."

    Sect Leader Su frowned at his words. A clear disappointment was written all over his face.

    Peak Master Duan, too had a simr expression, and with a sigh, he said, "Fang Chen, opportunities won''t be given to you in a silver tter. You will have to catch them before they pass by."

    "There''s still time; think carefully before deciding about this. You may not want to take other''s opportunity, but the world outside is different - everyone for themselves - this is the motto of this cruel world."

    "No one will give you an opportunity like this, nor will you get chances again and again. So if you wish to seed in your life, always jump at the first sign and take it."

    Sect Leader Su and Elder Lai Chang also nodded their heads in agreement.

    Both of them were quite disappointed at Ye Tian Yun''s reply to not go to the mission and take this opportunity, even though one of them straight up denied him permission to go out of the sect just a few minutes ago.

    They were disappointed not because Ye Tian Yun chose not to go out of the sect. Rather, what disappointed them was that Ye Tian Yun decided not to take the opportunity when presented and decided to be a good samaritan.

    This made Ye Tian Yun seem quite immature in front of them.

    However, what they didn''t know was that Ye Tian Yun had no choice in the first ce. Whatever he chose, he was going to lose. Thus, he chose the option which still gave him some hope to make aeback.

    Thus he decided not to go on the mission and stay back - letting Xiao Ming fulfill his destiny and encounter the Token Of Fate.

 Chapter 243 - A Bad Prenomination

    Ye Tian Yun had decided to let go of the mission, however that didn''t mean he had given up.

    Since Sect Leader Su had made it very clear that he won''t allow Ye Tian Yun and Xiao Ming together in the list of members who would be going on the mission.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun had no choice but to choose the one which gave him more probability of finding a way to get out of the sect.

    Even though he did notice the disappointment in the eyes of the other three, he didn''t feel anything.

    Truthfully, he didn''t give a flying fuck or milligram of shit about what others thought of him. So whatever he was doing, he wasn''t doing it on a whim.

    Rather, he saw through all his options and what he cared about was the end result - he didn''t care about the disdain and disappointment in others'' eyes, especially if they were from the Gracious Sword sect.

    ''There''s no need to waste time by getting affected by what dead people think of me.''

    To Ye Tian Yun, almost the whole sect was nothing more than a walking corpses. Not because he was hallucinating, but because he knew at what level of trouble this sect was going to face in theing future.

    Thus, he didn''t need to care about their opinion.

    But to people other than him, this was a grave matter of disappointment.

    Letting out a sigh, Sect Leader Su changed the direction of the conversation.

    He looked at Elder Lai Chang and asked, "What''s up with those brats from the Heaven Oracle Sect? What was that kid''s name? Is he still around?"

    Ye Tian Yun''s ears suddenly perked up at the mention of Heaven oracle Sect.

    ''What are that sect''s disciples doing here? And who is it?''

    He was quite intrigued.

    Elder Lai Chang replied to Sect Leader Su, "Yes, Sect Leader. Qin Wentian and his other fellow disciple Shi Yi are both in the sect."

    As soon as Elder Lai Chang said their name, Ye Tian Yun''s eyes opened wide in shock.

    He wasn''t expecting to hear two familiar names from the Middle Heavens here in this sect.

    He knew Qin Wentian. And he was sure that the Qin Wentian in his mind and the Qin Wentian currently in the sect were the same.

    How?

    Because of the disciple with him - Shi Yi.

    A slight killing intent shed through his eyes, but he immediately controlled his emotions. There was no need to make the other three people in the hall curious about the rtion between him and those two.

    Sect Leader Su, who was most sensitive towards killing intent, missed it because he was too focused on Elder Lai Chang''s reply.

    He asked again, "Their work is still not done?"

    Elder Lai Chang gave a wry smile, "Actuallyˇ­ these two are getting on my nerves."

    Sect Leader Su and Peak Master Duan couldn''t help but let out a smirk.

    "What''s going on?" Sect Leader Su asked.

    Elder Lai Chang replied, "Sect Leader, those two are very arrogant, they are treating our sect as their property, and worst of all - they are clearly not serious about the investigation."

    "It''s like they are just trying to spend more time here and dy things as much as possible."

    Sect leader Su shrugged, "Then what''s the problem with that? Are they interfering with the Sect Management?"

    Elder Lai Chang shook his head, "No, Sect Leader. They are harassing the disciples - sometimes they join friendly spars and beat our disciples to a pulp, sometimes they make the disciples stand in front of their courtyard in the name of interrogation, and worst of all - they keep on disturbing the cultivation of the disciples."

    Sect Leader Su frowned, "You didn''t warn them not to?"

    Elder Lai Chang nodded, "I did warn them, Sect Leader. But they have someone''s permission which is why they are acting however they want."

    Sect Leader Su was confused, "Someone''s permission? Who can permit them to act however they want in our sect?"

    A wave of slight anger could be sensed at the end of his voice.

    Elder Lai Chang didn''t reply; rather, he stared straight at Sect Leader Su with a nk expression.

    Confused at this, Sect Leader Su turned his head and saw that both Peak Master Duan and Ye Tian Yun were staring at him.

    It was then it dawned upon him.

    "Cough-cough, I didn''t give any such permission." Sect Leader Su rified.

    Peak Master Duan waved his hand, "Elder Lai Chang, let them do whatever they want, don''t bother with them - Heaven Oracle Sect is still a big deal for us."

    Elder Lai Chang nodded his head and didn''t say anything else.

    Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, saw the silence in the hall as a chance and asked the question that was currently bugging him a lot, "Sect Leader, why are people from the Heaven Oracle Sect here?"

    Sect Leader Su didn''t hide anything from him while replying, "You know about Kang Bai, right? The disciple who sacrificed his life for the sect in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded as the scene of him slitting Kang Bai''s throat shed in his mind. It was a refreshing memory.

    "Last month, his father came to the sect, and with them, there was a disciple of the Heaven Oracle Sect. Qin Wentian is that disciple."

    "He was here to investigate the death of Kang Bai."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned when he heard those words. A bad premonition welled up in his heart.

    Taking a slight breath, he asked, "So.. did he find anything?"

    Sect Leader Su shrugged, "Not really, but they did visit the site."

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun heard those words, his heart dropped.

    ''Shit! Heaven Oracle Sect now knows I am in the Lower Heavens!''

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments. t y s m.

    Also, we will be having one more mass release by the end of this month - about 8-11 Chapters mass release.. fingers crossed.

 Chapter 244 - The Heaven Oracle Sect - A Hidden Enemy

    ''Shit! Heaven Oracle Sect now knows I am in the Lower Heavens!''

    This was the only thought shing in Ye Tian Yun''s mind right now.

    He didn''t even doubt himself on this - he realized that Heaven Oracle Sect knew that he was in the Lower Heavens at the mere mention of Qin Wentian visiting the ce where he killed Kang Bai.

    How was he sure?

    Just because the other party of Heaven Oracle Sect.

    No other reasons were needed.

    In his previous life, even when he was at his prime, if he were to rank all the powers in terms of strength inside the whole Middle Heavens -

    First would be the Great Ye Empire - Ye Tian Yun never doubted his own n''s power.

    The next was the Heaven Oracle Sect.

    If the Great Ye Empire had the strength and powerful cultivators in their ranks, the Heaven Oracle Sect had connections and mystical techniques.

    Having connections with all the powers, be it small fry sects or gigantic ns, the Heaven Oracle Sect always had a connection - it was like they had infiltrated almost every power with their friendship.

    This friendship allowed this sect to always remain aloof and indifferent about the ways of the world.

    It was this sect that made Ye Tian Yun famous before he even knew how to walk.

    Even the fact that he was the Son of the most powerful person in the Middle Heavens didn''t have much more impact than Heaven Oracle Sect''s words.

    This sect prophesied that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun would summon the throne and be the Heavenly Emperor - ruling all heavens.

    After this prophecy was told, the whole Middle Heavens shook!

    It had been ages since thest Heavenly Emperor appeared. Even his father, the most powerful person in the whole world, could only reach the level of the Heavenly King.

    To summon the throne is another phrase for collecting all Emblems and creating the God Emblem from them.

    The God Emblem has the power to make Heaven''s Will bow towards its possessor.

    This was why anyone who could summon the God Emblem was the Heavenly Emperor.

    Unlike the rest of the world, for Ye Tian Yun, this was never a mission.

    It was his destiny.

    He was confident that he would be the Heavenly Emperor, no matter who became his opponent.

    Even when the God''s Legion had taken over almost all Middle Heavens and even brought the Great Ye Empire on their knees, Ye Tian Yun never faltered - because he was confident, and he believed in the prophecy.

    Maybe this was what got him killed.

    If everything was supposed to happen like what the Heaven Oracle Sect had prophesied, howe in the final battle, it was Ye Tian Yun who was beheaded?

    Why was it that the Heaven Oracle Sect told everyone that things were already written in fate, yet everything that happened was never foreseen?

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t doubt Heaven Oracle Sect''s ability to prophecies.

    They had prophesied his father''s era and even made remarks about the legends that appeared before his father.

    And it was said that this sect was as old as the Heavens - this statement could be easily verified since Heaven Oracle Sect had always prophesied the rise of the Heavenly Emperor!

    And they were never wrong!

    But why then why did Ye Tian Yun fail?

    The only exnation - Ye Tian Yun was never destined to be the Heavenly Emperor.

    There was definitely someone else who was going to be the Heavenly Emperor, and the Heaven Oracle Sect never named that person.

    They instead put someone else as a scapegoat, and that was Ye Tian Yun.

    Clearly, they wanted to give this person a chance.

    A chance to grow. A chance to create his own power.

    Wang Yao was the person who got the chance to grow.

    And the God''s Legion was the power that he created.

    Heaven Oracle Sect knew about the God''s Legion before they even came into existence - they knew how it was going to form and who was going to form it, though Ye Tian Yun wasn''t sure about this statement.

    Letting out a sigh, Ye Tian Yun returned to his senses.

    He had never given much attention to the Heaven Oracle Sect before today, and he was never going to - because the time in his hand was quite limited, forcing him to think more about his next step than the one after it.

    Even if he wasted his time thinking much about this sect, he was never going to get anything - at least this was the case for now.

    He had nned to put his eyes on this sect once he finished his business in the Lower Heavens. But now, things took a slight turn, and he had encountered its disciples - Qin Wentian and his lover, Shi Yi.

    Yes. Ye Tian Yun knew that Shi Yi was a girl.

    It wasn''t a secret - well, at least this would be the case in the future.

    In the current time, it was indeed not known to many that Shi Yi was a girl.

    But how were these two connected to him? Well, Ye Tian Yun had a very special hostility against them.

    "They will be leaving the sect after a few days. If not, I will personally visit them."

    Ye Tian Yun came back to his senses as he heard those words.

    It was Sect Leader Su who had said this.

    And looking at his expression, it showed visible signs of annoyance and irritation towards the couple from the Heaven Oracle Sect.

    Suddenly, Sect Leader Su looked towards Ye Tian Yun, and his expression changed.

    It was the expression of someone whose mind just clicked a nice prank.

    And Ye Tian Yun didn''t like this expression.

    Hiding his mischievous smile, Sect Leader Su put on a thoughtful expression and said to Elder Lai Chang, "Make those two visit Fang Chen personally."

    ....

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments.. t y s m.

 Chapter 245 - An Opportunity To Get Out Of The Sect!?

    Sect Leader Su put on a thoughtful expression and said to Elder Lai Chang, "Make those two visit Fang Chen personally."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''What is this nning?''

    His question was answered in the next words said by Sect Leader Su.

    "I don''t know what you guys think, but I would like to see that punk''s ass feel humiliated."

    ''Cough-cough" The other three people in the room couldn''t help but stump when they heard the frankness in Sect Leader Su''s words.

    "Sect Leaderˇ­ I don''t think this is necessaryˇ­" Peak Master Duan remarked.

    "You know, this is not the first time we have had arrogant guests. There''s no need to create trouble for ourselves in this situation. It may sound amusing right now, butter, all this mighte back to eat us."

    Sect Leader Su looked at him with a weird expression, "Say something that can make sense."

    Peak Master Duan shrugged, "I am just saying, what if...what if one of these two disciples be high-ranking members of the Heaven Oracle Sect and remembers the mistreatment they got by our sect? Won''t this create an unnecessary headache for us?"

    Sect Leader Su waved his hand, "Bah! None of those two could ever possibly be in the higher-ups of the sect. So don''t worry about things that would never happen."

    Peak Master Duan frowned, "How are you so sure? So it''s not like you have an uncle who''s an elder in that sect?"

    Sect Leader Su had a surprised expression, "You don''t know!?"

    Peak Master Duan was confused, "What? Really!"

    Sect Leader Su rolled his eyes, "Ever heard of sarcasm?"

    "..."

    Peak Master Duan turned towards Elder Lai Chang and said, "Remind me why I am his junior brother?"

    Sect Leader Su smirked while Elder Lai Chang could only give a wry smile.

    Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, wasn''t much affected.

    ''What was the joke?'' That was the question in his mind.

    Pursing his lips, he brought the conversation back on the topic, "Peak Master Duan, I think Sect Leader Su''s idea is great. Sometimes it''s better to treat these entitled people ''normally''."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head with a smile of approval when he heard those words.

    Peak Master Duan, on the other hand, could only sigh.

    ''Like father, like son.''

    Unfortunately, these two didn''t understand that Ye Tian Yun wasn''t doing this to y along with Sect Leader Su''s sick sense of humor.

    Rather, he had a different n.

    A n to get out of the Sect.

    Earlier, when they discussed the uing sect mission, he was given a choice to be a part of this mission; Ye Tian Yun chose not to be a part of this mission and stayed back in the sect.

    He chose this so he could let fate y its part and have Xiao Ming encounter the Token Of Fate.

    While all this happened, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t just going to watch on the sidelines. Rather, he had decided to think of any possible n to get out of the sect and follow Xiao Ming''s group.

    Fortunately for him, he didn''t need to think much about this problem, and the way to get out of the sect was presented to him on a silver tter.

    What was this way?

    Quite simple, actually - Disguise as one of the disciples from the Heaven Oracle Sect.

    Though simple sounding, Ye Tian Yun knew that this would be aplicated matter where a single mistake would lead him to trouble.

    As for how he was going to disguise himself?

    Well, he already had the resources and kill points to disguise like anyone and could even replicate that people''s aura. The only thing he needed now was an opportunity to kill!

    And this opportunity was right in front of him - Sect Leader''s proposal to send those two to his cultivation abode instead of him going to their courtyard.

    Ye Tian Yun was confident that if they were to enter his courtyard, he would have absolute control over the situation, and their lives would be at his disposal.

    The only hup in this n was - what if both of them decided toe at once?

    Even though he could kill them, the trouble would be the disguise.

    He couldn''t disguise himself as two people at once.

    Indirectly, Ye Tian Yun''s opportunity to get out of the secty in the choice of Qin Wentian - whether he would choose to visit Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation abode or not.

    From what Ye Tian Yun knew about him, he most probably wouldn''te and send someone else, and in this case, it was Shi Yi.

    ''A girlˇ­'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''Damn, do I have to disguise myself into a girl?''

    While Ye Tian Yun was questioning his life over the prospect of disguising himself as a girl in theing days, Peak Master replied to his response from earlier.

    "Disciple Fang Chen, you have to know that it will be you who will be bearing the most brunt from this encounter. They might not be able to do anything to others, but you? You will be number one in their list."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, just another hit list where I am at the top."

    Peak Master pursed his lips but didn''t add anything else in response; he looked at Sect LEader Su with an expression that said, ''Really? This is your son?''

    Sect Leader Su, however, didn''t turn his head even though he was pretty sure what Peak Master Duan was thinking.

    He instead turned towards Elder Lai Chang and said, "Take Fang Chen out of the First peak and send him to his cultivation abode."

    Then turning towards Ye Tian Yun, he added, "You. Cultivate well. Participate in the ranking tournament. Qualify for the Grand Spirit Hunt. And have fun."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    ''Well, I can''t say anything about your other wishes, but thatst one on having funˇ­ hmm.... I will be having quite some fun in slitting another throat.''

 Chapter 246 - Yuan Shuchun Recieves The Mission

    Yuan Shuchun was depressed.

    In the Gracious Sword Sect, she knew almost every in-out secret or happenings. Half of the Elders worked under her, the Grand Elder was her butler, and the whole male disciple popce was at her feet.

    Yet, today, she was feeling depressed.

    Not because she failed in a scheme or anything, but because of one single disciple.

    This disciple wasn''t even more powerful than her, nor was his talent enough for her to pay much attention to him.

    Yet this disciple''s bugging her.

    If this were any other time, this disciple would have been long dead.

    But this situation was pretty weird.

    This disciple was wooing her.

    Yes. He dared to woo her.

    It''s not that there weren''t disciples who tried to impress her, but him?

    This guy was hell-bent on taking him as his wife!

    ''Who does he think he is..huh?''

    This was what shed in her mind a month ago.

    ''Who the hell does he think he is!''

    This shed in her mind a few minutes ago.

    But there was a huge difference in these two questions - the first one was said in pure irritation and disdain, but the second one? It was full of intrigue and a tinge of blush.

    Blush!?

    That''s something that never existed in Yuan Shuchun''s dictionary.

    But why the hell was this happening to her?

    ''I can''t distract myself!'' She shook her head and turned to the side.

    But that disciple still didn''t get out of her mind.

    ''I should just kill him off.''

    Just as this shed in her mind, she immediately shook her head, ''No-no, I can''t.''

    ''Goddamnit, who in the hell does he think he is? Why can''t I get him out of my mind?''

    Yuan Shuchun let out a sigh andid back on her seat.

    She was quite tired too.

    Tired of thinking about him.

    Massaging her forehead, Yuan Shuchun tried to distract herself by picking up the few reports in front of her.

    [ssified]

    She frowned at the huge stamp on the first page of the report.

    Turning the pages, she soon found out the reason.

    This wasn''t a report.

    It was a mission letter sent by the Sect Leader himself.

    There was going to be a secret mission to the Southern Province of the Kingdom, so secret that the other enlisted disciples were unknown to her. This was the first time such a thing happened.

    One interesting thing was that she was going to be the head of this mission.

    ''Why me?''

    This was the question that shed in her mind before she even turned the page to see the contents of the mission.

    Yuan Shuchun knew very well that Sect Leader Su didn''t like her.

    In fact, sometimes, she got the feeling that he hated her guts.

    Honestly, she had no problem with him.

    She didn''te to the Lower Heavens to be in the good books of Sect Leader Su, nor did she even care about what Sect Leader Su thought of her.

    She came to the Gracious Sword Sect for a mission.

    And she would leave once her objective was finished.

    But the question still arose as to why Sect Leader Su chose her to be the one to lead the mission? And a top-secret mission on top of that.

    Doing a secret mission wasn''t as cool as it sounded, but it had a very distinct point - it gave the disciples something called ''Merits''.

    Merits were a reward given to all the Sect''s disciples, but one thing interesting about it - it was actually a secret.

    The disciples knew nothing about the merit point system.

    They didn''t know that everything they did, be it bullying or aplishing top ranks in an event, everything was counted and taken note of.

    When it reached a considerable point, the sect then rewarded or created trouble for that disciple.

    The easiest example of this system was the reward a disciple gotst month.

    ''What was his name? Uh... ah, yes, Fang Chen.''

    Fang Chen. Ranked First in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt and yed a major role in helping the sect in defeating the Sleeper Cell attack.

    These two were enough to grant him one of the most prestigious and lucrative rewards in the Gracious Sword Sect - having a chance to cultivate in the Sword Stele.

    ''I think he got it for about a monthˇ­ that''s a lot.''

    Even for Yuan Shuchun, this was not something she could think lightly of.

    Not many people knew about the Sword Stele; only a few core disciples and the core elders knew its existence. But all of them understood its importance.

    This was why Yuan Shuchun was also quite looking forward to the result of Fang Chen''s one-month cultivation in the Sword Stele.

    This was going to be a big boost for Fang Chen''s cultivation prowess - especially if she included the other power that Fang Chen had.

    His Sword Intent.

    Yuan Shuchun hadn''t forgotten about what had happened in the Heaven''s Banquet a month ago.

    It was just for an instant, but Yuan Shuchun felt it.

    She felt the power and presence of that power in Fang Chen''s Sword Intent.

    This was enough for her to include him in the ''must pay attention to'' disciple list.

    But leaving this aside, one needs to look at the benefits Fang Chen got from the very two things he achieved in the sect.

    Ranking first and helping the sect stop the sleeper cell attack.

    Staring at the report in front of her, Yuan Shuchun couldn''t help but smile.

    A mission of [ssified] category grants ten times more merit points than Fang Chen had umted from his two achievements.

    This showed how valuable this mission was and why she had a big suspicion and question about why she was chosen for this mission?

    ''Let''s see what actually is in this mission.''

    Just as Yuan Shuchun put her hands to turn the page, she heard footsteps.

    "Is Yuan Shuchun here?" A faint voice entered her ears.

 Chapter 247 - The Elders Report On Disciple Fang Chen

    *tap* *tap* *tap*

    The maids in front of the Heavenly League meeting hall turned their heads towards the footsteps.

    Seeing the person, they immediately bowed and made way for him.

    "Is Yuan Shuchun here?" He asked.

    One of the maids came forward and said, "Yes, Elder. She''s inside."

    He nodded and moved towards the gate.

    Pushing it open, he entered the hall to find Yuan Shuchun staring straight at him.

    Looking at him, Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and snapped her fingers.

    *tack!*

    A wave of Qi shed through the room.

    The man smiled and cupped his fists, "This array never fails to impress me, Young miss."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head once again, "Indeed, I am quite impressed too."

    Then as she put down the mission report in front of her, she asked, "What brings you here?"

    The man replied, "Young Miss, Fang Chen hase out of the Sword Stele."

    Yuan Shuchun frowned, "Hmm, the one-month period should be over now, right? What''s there to report about him? Did something happen?"

    The man nodded, "A few things, but I thought you would be interested in knowing a thing or two about him."

    Yuan Shuchun scratched her chin, and an expression of intrigue appeared on her face, "Oh? Do tell."

    "Young Miss," The Elder paused for a moment before continuing, "I don''t think you should invest much time in Fang Chen."

    Yuan Shuchun was a bit confused. In her mind, she had just praised Fang Chen''s talent and luck, and now one of her subordinates was telling her otherwise.

    Frowning, she asked, "Did he fail to achieve good results even after cultivation for a month in the Sword Stele?"

    The elder shook his head, "No, miss, it''s not that. In fact, Fang Chen achieved terrific results. It''s just..."

    The Elder was hesitant.

    This confused Yuan Shuchun a bit more, "What is it? Tell me. I don''t have a whole day for you."

    The Elder coughed and said, "Young Miss, Fang Chen achieved a total of four breakthroughs in the Sword Stele and had jumped five levels of cultivation in thest one month."

    Yuan Shuchun''s chin slowly dropped as her mouth turned into an ''o'' shape.

    She was shocked and impressed at the same time.

    "That''s amazing!" Yuan Shuchun didn''t have many words to describe the emotions she felt.

    She felt not just one but multiple emotions - from feeling proud because Fang Chen was part of her Heavenly League to feeling threatened because Fang Chen''s talent was way beyond her expectations.

    A jump of five levels in a mere month? This was not a small feat.

    Especially not in the Lower Heavens.

    In fact, she was sure that even the most talented cultivator of her generation, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun of the Great Ye Empire, couldn''t achieve such results even with all the resources he had.

    But then, why was the Elder in front of her here to warn her instead of congratting her for recruiting such a disciple?

    "If he has such cultivation talent, what makes you think he''s not worth investing in?" She asked.

    The Elder frowned while saying, "Because he''s indecisive and unconfident."

    "Oh? Go on."

    Elder nodded and continued to report, "Young Miss; he''s not confident in his cultivation. And he''s indecisive enough to let go of an opportunity served to him on a silver tter."

    "What kind of opportunity?" Yuan Shuchun asked.

    "An opportunity to be a part of the secret mission and improve himself."

    "Oh? But why is he indecisive?"

    "Young Miss, let me exin in short what happened - Fang Chen was presented with a choice to be a part of the mission by Su Ming himself. The only catch in this was that if he said yes and chose to be a part of this mission, one of the already enlisted disciples would be removed from the list."

    [A/n: Su Ming = Sect Leader Su]

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips, "And he chose not to be a part of this mission and let go of an opportunity?"

    The elder nodded, "Exactly."

    Yuan Shuchun shrugged, "What makes him indecisive in this? I think he''s just a pure-hearted kid. Stupid, but pure-hearted."

    The elder shook his head, "No, Young Miss. Listen to the second part of the story before youe to a conclusion."

    Seeing Yuan Shuchun nod her head, the elder continued, "Remember the other thing I said about Fang Chen? He''s unconfident."

    "Even after leaping in five levels of cultivation, he''s not confident in his cultivation."

    "He''s not confident that he can defeat other disciples and feels insecure about his battle prowess. He kept on requesting Su Ming to give him a chance to get out of the sect, and when he got it, he chose to be a good samaritan and gave up on the chance."

    "This clearly highlights two qualities - zero confidence in himself and indecisiveness towards his goal."

    Yuan Shuchun fell in thought as the elder finished his report.

    After a moment, she shook her head.

    "You don''t understand anything," She said, "You think I want Fang Chen to be someone equal to me, but no, that was never the case here. I want him exactly how you have described - someone indecisive and with no confidence in himself."

    "Only then would I be able to suppress him and control him easily. I can''t fathom how someone like you could miss such a simple point."

    The elder pursed his lips and shook his head, "Young miss, I still insist that investing in Fang Chen won''t be beneficial in the long term, and it might even backfire. This is my intuition, and my intuition has saved my life more than once."

    Yuan Shuchun replied with a disdainful voice, "Why are you males always going with intuition? Sometimes, you must also use that thing between your ears."

    "But Miss-"

    "No buts!" Yuan Shuchun waved her hand. She was never a patient girl, to begin with, and her patience was always less than what it normally was when she was around her servants.

    And now, it had crossed the cap.

    "Instead of spouting nonsense and gossiping, you should rather focus on getting Su Ming out of the way. Stop wasting my time and do some work, Peak Master Duan!"

 Chapter 248 - Zheng Xiang Is In Love (I)

    "Damn, this one was quite hard." Zheng Xiang massaged his neck while heading for the chain bridge to get to the Seventh Peak.

    ''Fuuuuˇ­''

    Letting out a long breath, he massaged his left arm.

    "Ugh, this hurts a lot," His face grimaced while groaning.

    While massaging his hand, Zheng Xiang raised his head and suddenly found a familiar back.

    Frowning, he increased his pace as he headed towards the Chain Bridge.

    As Zheng Xiang got closer, he could finally recognize who the person in front of him was.

    "Brother Fang, long time no see!" He called out.

    The disciple in front of him turned around and nodded his head at him in a nonchnt expression.

    It was indeed Ye Tian Yun.

    He had returned from the First Peak, and after separating from Elder Lai Chang, he came to the Chain Bridge to head back to his cultivation abode.

    At first, he was quite surprised by the dense crowd of disciples everywhere butter realized that it was all due to the Gracious Sword Rankings Tournament.

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts while waiting, he heard Fang Chen''s name being called out from behind and had to turn around, only to find an acquaintance, Zheng Xiang.

    Looking at his wrecked state, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask, "So you are also participating in the Gracious Sword Rankings?"

    Zheng Xiang sighed and nodded his head, "It''s a drag."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "You lost?"

    Zheng Xiang shook his head, "More like, barely defeated my opponent."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and turned around towards the endless ravine.

    Zheng Xian took a few steps ahead and stood parallel to him, overlooking the endless ravine and the huge Seventh Peak beyond it.

    "Magnificient, isn''t it?" He said.

    Ye Tian Yun acknowledged.

    This geographical location was indeed quite scenic. If the Qi concentration was not taken into ount, this sect had the picturesque atmosphere of a sect in the Middle Heavens.

    "So.. where have you been these days? I haven''t seen you ever since the banquet." Zheng Xiang asked while still massaging his left arm.

    Clearly, the beautiful scenery in front of him didn''t ease any pain.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t immediately reply, but after a few moments, he asked, "Were you the one who knocked on my cultivation abode?"

    Zheng Xiang was surprised, "Ah, so you were indeed in your cultivation abode."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head. He had fired an arrow in the dark by asking him that question, and it seems it had hit the target perfectly - Ye Tian Yun didn''t need to tell Zheng Xiang where he truly was.

    He had cleared any possible suspicion in Zheng Xiang''s mind by asking him that question regarding any chances of lying.

    He continued to ask, "So, why were you knocking? I was going through a critical breakthrough, so I couldn''t have myself distracted."

    Zheng Xiang nodded and said, "I was just - wait - critical breakthrough?"

    He frowned and looked from up to down, "Damn, don''t tell me you broke through the Second Level of Qi Condensation Realm!?"

    By the end of his sentence, he was almost shouting - loud enough to attract the attention of surrounding disciples.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t bother to verify Zheng Xiang; he just shrugged.

    But apparently, this was enough for Zhang Xiang as his eyes opened wide, "God damn, the gap increased even more! Didn''t you just have a breakthroughst month!?"

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly rolled his eyes and took the conversation to the previous topic, "So, why did youe knocking on the door?"

    Zheng Xiang coughed, "Well, there were two reasonsˇ­"

    "The first one was to get to the Gracious Sword Ranking Tournament, and the other oneˇ­ wellˇ­ it was just to go sightseeing through the Sect."

    "Sightseeing?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but squint his eyes at him.

    "Sightseeing what?" He asked Zheng Xiang.

    Zheng Xiang looked the other way and said, "Nothing, just wanted to admire the beauty of this sect with you."

    Ye Tian Yun cringed and took two steps away from him.

    Zheng Xiang coughed, "Dude, you''re taking it the wrong way."

    Ye Tian Yun replied with a disdainful expression, "How am I supposed to take it as then? You came all the way to my cultivation abode and wanted to bring me with you to roam through the sectˇ­ ugh."

    Zheng Xiang rolled his eyes, "It''s not like I was calling you for a date, Iˇ­ cough... I needed your help."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Help? Help in what?"

    Zheng Xiang lowered his head a bit, moved closer to the Ye Tian Yun, and nced to his left and right; he slowly whispered, "You... Do you remember the girl we met at the Heavenly League''s banquet?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, and a beautiful figure appeared in his mind.

    Yuan Shuchun.

    ''Well, if we don''t look at her poisonous heart, she''s indeed a beauty.''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head at Zheng Xiang, indicating that he remembered this beauty.

    Zheng Xiang''s lips curved in a small smile as he put his hands behind his back, raised his chest, and said, "I am in love with that girl."

    Ye Tian Yun, who had just started to move towards the closing in Chain Bridge, almost staggered.

    "What the fuck!?" He shouted while putting one of his hands on his chest.

    He immediately looked around and put his arm around Zheng Xiang''s neck, and brought him closer, "Do you have any idea what the fuck you''re trying to say?"

    Zheng Xiang, on the other hand, was he confused by Ye Tian Yun''s sudden reaction.

    However, he nodded his head.

    "Yes, I am one hundred and one percent sure that I am in love with this girl. I must get close to her."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him with his mouth open and, for the first time since his rebirth, he had the biggest urge to facepalm.

    ...

    A/n: Let''s hope this misunderstanding doesn''t get him into trouble.

    Any typos? Let me know through yourments. t y s m

 Chapter 249 - Zheng Xiang Is In Love (II)

    Ye Tian Yun once again looked around himself and whispered at Zheng Xiang, "Are you crazy? Out of hundreds of female disciples in the sect, the only one you fell for was her?"

    ''The fuck is wrong with this guy? Fall for Yuan Shuchun of all people!?''

    Zheng Xiang, who was still in a dreamy state, replied with a love-filled smile on his face while staring at the sky, "What can I do, Brother Fang? I just fell for her. She''s too good."

    He couldn''t help but reminisce about the little encounter he had with her - in the Heavenly League''s banquet, his eyes fell on her for the first time, and it was at this instant, he knew that he had fallen for her.

    That girl sat beside him and had the expression which made him feel as if she saw through all his thoughts, but this encounter and her indifference were what made him fall for her.

    Unfortunately, he didn''t get the chance to meet her again after that day, even though he spent half of his month roaming in the vicinity of the Second Peak, just to get a nce at her.

    Not seeing her ever since that day did make him a bit depressed, and it even affected his current mood.

    Letting out a sigh, Zheng Xiang moved out of Ye Tian Yun''s arm lock and said, "Brother Fang, now that you have finished your closed-door cultivation, you should help me out with this."

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head and said, "Oh look, the Chain Bridge is here."

    And before Zheng Xiang could respond, Ye Tian Yun had already jumped on the Chain Bridge.

    Seeing his actions, Zheng Xiang whined as he too followed him, "Brother Fa-aangˇ­ don''t try to change the topic. You must help me in this situation."

    Ye Tian Yun straight out denied, "No way I am putting my nose in this matter."

    Suddenly he remembered something, "Don''t you have an Elder Sister?" He asked, "Why don''t you ask her for help? I bet she would be more useful than me."

    Zheng Xiang sighed, "I wish I could, but the moment I tell her about this, I will be in big trouble."

    "It''s good that you understand this part." Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Not only her, if you tell anyone else in this sect, other than me, of course, but you will also get into big trouble."

    Zheng Xiang was confused, "Oh really? Why?"

    ''Does Bai Qing''er have a huge background?'' He thought.

    Ye Tian Yun, who had just heard the question, looked at Zheng Xiang as if he was looking at an idiot, "What did you just ask? Did you ask me why you would get into trouble?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded his head with a genuine expression of curiosity, "Yeah, that''s what I asked - why would I get into trouble?"

    Unfortunately, his genuine expression appeared as if he was feigning ignorance about Yuan Shuchun''s status within the sect. And this irritated Ye Tian Yun.

    He waved his hand and said, "You will find out for yourself."

    *thud*

    The Chain Bridge began to move.

    And so did Zheng Xiang''s curiosity.

    He wanted to know what he was missing. After all, he was in love with Bai Qing''er.

    Couldn''t he just go on the battlefield without understanding the terms and conditions around his target?

    Thus he slowly whispered to Ye Tian Yun again, "Brother Fang, I really don''t know anything. You must tell me."

    Ye Tian Yun was speechless.

    ''This guy doesn''t know about Yuan Shuchun? How in the world did he fell for her then?''

    "How are you in love with a girl you know nothing about?" He couldn''t help but ask.

    Zheng Xiang gulped, "Wellˇ­ I do know a few things about her."

    "A few things?" Ye Tian Yun had the expression of ''bruh-you-kidding-me?''

    Zheng Xiang however failed to notice the underlying sarcasm and replied, "Yeahˇ­ likeˇ­ I knowˇ­ I know her name."

    "Andˇ­?" Ye Tian Yun pressed on the question.

    "Andˇ­ and that she''s one of the most talented female disciples of our sect." There was a tinge of pride in Zheng Xiang''s voice by the time he finished his words.

    "Well, that''s true." Ye Tian Yun agreed.

    No matter how her nature is, this fact couldn''t be denied that Yuan Shuchun was indeed a top talent within the sect.

    "What else do you know?" Ye Tian Yun crossed his arms and asked again.

    "What else?" Zheng Xiang frowned, "What else, what elseˇ­" After thinking hard, he finally got the point he was looking for.

    "She''s also very talented in terms of Sword Cultivation and had evenprehended the Sword Intent."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "We already covered this point. What I am asking is, how much do you know about her influence within the sect?"

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "I am pretty sure her influence isn''t muchˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but question himself when he heard Zheng Xiang''s response, ''Why did I decide to talk to this guy?''

    Letting out a sigh, Ye Tian Yun gave him a nk stare while replying, "Do you have any idea what in the world you''re saying?"

    "Her not having any influence in the sect? Dude, wake up! You have no idea of her true power!"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head at how big of an idiot this guy in front of him was.

    Zheng Xiang, on the other hand, was shocked.

    "What? When did this happen? Howe I have never heard of such a thing?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "That''s the same question I am asking you. How can you fall for Y- I mean, how can you fall for that girl?"

    He refrained from taking her name because that was the easiest way to attract the whole world''s attention to their conversation.

    ''How in the world did this guy fall for that devil Yuan Shuchun? Is he tired of living?''

    Zheng Xiang, on the other hand, didn''t give any response and sighed at himself, ''Is Bai Qing''er a big deal? Damn, life will be hard in theing days.''

 Chapter 250 - Zheng Xiangs Mortal Enemy

    *Thud*

    The Chain Bridge had reached the other side of an endless ravine.

    As the disciples got out, Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang too stepped out of the carriage.

    Ye Tian Yun thought of Zheng Xiang as an acquaintance, but that didn''t mean he would just let him dig his own grave. Thus, he decided to warn him once again about Yuan Shuchun.

    However, just as he turned around, he saw Zheng Xiang clenching his arm with a grimace expression all over his face.

    Quite surprised by this, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask, "Howe you ended up in this state? Are the opponents random in this tournament?"

    Zheng Xiang shooked his head, "No, they weren''t random or anything. But instead, most of them were equal to my cultivation realm."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "So you had your ass wrecked by disciples of your level?"

    Zheng Xiang rolled his eyes, "It wasn''t a one-sided match. By the time it ended, both sides were equally hurt. In fact, I am pretty sure my opponent was in worse condition than me."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "But you still got beaten to a pulp."

    Zheng Xiang shook his head, "It wasn''t as bad as you make it sound, and don''t forget that I won the match."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t say anything for a while as they both had now started to make their way towards the Elder Hall.

    After a few moments, Zheng Xiang couldn''t hold himself back and exined the situation, "Brother Fang, it wasn''t that my opponent was more powerful than me. But the problem was, I had already faced many opponents by the time this match started. And all my fights happened today, so I had no time to rest and recover back to the peak."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Getting tired because of too many opponents? That''s not even a good excuse. I remember you were rankedst in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, and in the veryst round, you fought non-stop and reached the top position."

    Zheng Xiang nodded his head, "Yeah, but they were only four-five matches, but today I have had sixteen matches, and half of them were in higher cultivation realm than me."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Are you still in the Eighth Level of Qi Refining Realm?"

    Zheng Xiang''s expression turned a bit sour as he said, "Ugh, yes. I have felt no signs of breakthrough at all."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You didn''t consume the Beast Cores you won in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt? As far as I remember, you won the most beast cores because your starting point was the lowest."

    "I have already consumed all my resources." Zheng Xiang sighed while saying this.

    Ye Tian Yun was quite shocked, "What!? You consumed all of them?"

    "Yeahˇ­"

    "Then why did your cultivation not increase?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "I don''t know," Zheng Xiang had an ugly expression, "I don''t know what''s going on. Even after I used up all my cultivation resources, I got nothing. I didn''t feel even a tinge of breakthrough. My dantian is sucking in the Qi endlessly."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned but didn''t say anything.

    This news was quite surprising to him. Howe Zheng Xiang couldn''t break through even after so many cultivation resources? And before that, how was he even able to finish all those cultivation resources in the first ce?

    When Ye Tian Yun was cultivating, he had the help of System. Or else, it would have taken him 1-2 months just to finish all those Beast Cores.

    And here, Zheng Xiang, who had about a hundred more Beast Cores than him, finished all of them in less than a month.

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun said, "Brother Zheng, I am more surprised by the fact that you didn''t explode after consuming all those resources."

    Zheng Xiang scratched the back of his head and justughed.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t press the topic but instead asked about something more important.

    "Brother Zheng, don''t worry about this; maybe you just need a few more cultivation resources. By the way, I have heard that there are few disciples from another sect who are staying on the peak as guests?"

    Zheng Xiang''sugh suddenly stopped.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and turned his head to look at him, only to find him with an utmost serious expression.

    Confused, he asked, "What happened, Brother Zheng?"

    Zheng Xiang pursed his lips but chose to say nothing and just shook his head.

    Ye Tian Yun was confused even more but didn''t press the topic much.

    But after a few steps, Zheng Xiang eventually said what was going on in his mind.

    "Brother Fang," His voice sounded more serious than his expression, "You should not get close to those disciples."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "What''s going on?"

    Zheng Xiang remained silent once again for some time and then replied with the most serious tone he could muster, "I will fucking kill those bastards."

    "Wha- what?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded his head.

    "Why would you want to kill them? Do you even know who they are?"

    Zheng Xiang slightly frowned and then said, "Noˇ­ Iˇ­ don''t know much about their sect."

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but roll his eyes, "So you don''t know about the Heaven Oracle Sect? And here you''re swearing to kill one of their top disciples?"

    Zheng Xiang''s expression didn''t waver as he replied, "Brother Fang, I don''t care which power that guy is from, but I must kill him."

    "Wow, do you even know how stupid you sound right now?"

    After a small break, Ye Tian Yun rebuked him, "You know nothing about Heaven Oracle Sect. Let me tell you an important lesson I have learned in my life, ''Know your enemy well enough before you even think about taking revenge.'' Don''t go after them unprepared, or else you would be digging your own grave."

    "Now tell me the reason that made him your mortal enemy?"

 Chapter 251 - Protagonist Syndrome

    "Dude, what happenedˇ­? Tell me the reason that made him your mortal enemy?" Ye Tian Yun asked again.

    Zheng Xiang replied after a long silence, "He tried to get close to her."

    "He tried what?" Ye Tian Yun asked in confusion.

    Zheng Xiang pursed his lips while replying, "He tried to get close to the one I love."

    Ye Tian Yun heard, digested what he had just heard, and thenughed.

    Zheng Xiang got annoyed at hisugh, "Why are youughing?"

    Ye Tian Yun barely stopped himself, "Ha-ha, you got worried about her?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded his head, "Of course I was worried."

    Ye Tian Yun finally stopped, and with the best possible serious voice he could muster, he said, "You don''t have to be worried about her. It''s that guy who needs to be worried about her."

    Zheng Xiang frowned, "Why?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "You will know. But I don''t understand one thing, so what if he likes her? Is that the only reason you want to kill him?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded his head, "Yeah. How dare he look at my woman with those lustful eyes?"

    Ye Tian Yun looked from up to down and said, "You serious, mate? Did you just say you want to kill a guy who looked at the girl you liked?"

    Zheng Xiang shook his head, "I - I mean, his behavior wasn''t appropriate."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "If you had said you want to teach him a lesson, it wouldn''t have been weird to me, but you want to kill that guyˇ­ I am pretty sure you have a syndrome."

    "A syndrome?" Zheng Xiang felt offended, "What kind of syndrome?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Protagonist Syndrome."

    "What''s that?" he asked.

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes for a moment and then gave a long sigh.

    This confused Zheng Xiang, "What are you sighing for..? Is it something serious?"

    Ye Tian Yun slowly nodded his hyed, "Yeah, it''s a bit serious."

    "What is it?" He asked in a bit worried tone.

    Ye Tian Yun halted his steps and said, "It''s a syndrome which makes the victim look for trouble and get offended easily."

    Seeing Zheng Xiang listening to him carefully, Ye Tian Yun continued, "This syndrome makes its victims feel as if the world is centered around them and everything they say or do affects everything in the world. Due to this, they also get offended very easily and have a strong interest in wiping out the whole family of their enemies over a small matter."

    Zheng Xiang put his hands on his chest, "Isn''t this psychopathic?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, it''s also very simr but dangerous than the Young Master Syndrome."

    "What''s this syndrome?" Zheng Xiang asked.

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while replying, "This syndrome is pretty dangerous too. However, this syndrome is the one that courts death and gets death. While the Protagonist Syndrome is the one which also courts death, but it brings death to everyone around him."

    Zheng Xiang replied, "Wait, doesn''t this make it a good thing? The one with this disease can easily wipe out his enemies."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Don''t forget that enemies are not the only ones close to him. There are his loved ones too."

    Seeing a thoughtful expression appear on Zheng Xiang''s face, he continued. "But there''s one additional thing that is more important to take note of."

    "What''s that?"

    "As I said that the syndrome you have makes you get offended pretty easily. It also gives you a purpose of motivation."

    "It motivates you to grow stronger and gives you a goal. In my opinion, even this point is not good enough to cancel out the cons."

    "This syndrome makes a person psychopathic and delusional. It makes them feel that every girl around them is falling for them - when instead, those girls just want to use him."

    "It makes them feel that all his loved ones like elders and masters think him as the most talented disciple they have ever met or heard of - when instead, those old fogies just want to use him to achieve their goals, like taking revenge from an old enemy."

    Zheng Xiang then asked, "So, what should I do to get away from this?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Think like a normal person, and act like a normal person."

    "Remove any thought of yourself being a genius, and then, think before you act."

    "Just take your current situation - from what I have observed ever since the day we first met, you are a very frank and easy-going guy who likes to mess with people you don''t like."

    "But there has never been an instance where you have acted like how you have just done - you want to kill a person who just looked at the girl you like with lustful eyes."

    "I have never been in a rtionship, so I may not understand your emotions, but I can judge things pretty well, and my judgment is pretty simple - you''re acting like an absolute idiot."

    "Why?" Zheng Xiang asked in a confused tone.

    Ye Tian Yun pinched air in front of him and said, "One can''t just kill a guy over such small reasons."

    "First of all, you don''t have the cultivation to back it up. Second, you also don''t have a background. Third, you don''t have the cultivation resources. Fourth, not to mention, you don''t have the talent to catch up to that guy. Fifth, you don''t have good allies. Sixth, you''re weak at it."

    Zheng Xiang opened and closed his mouth for few times, but no word came out.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t wait for his response anymore and turned around. They were already close to the Elder Hall.

    Just as they were about to step in, Zheng Xiang asked, "Brother Fang, have you ever suffered from this syndrome?"

    Ye Tian Yunughed, "Me? Hah! I am not the protagnist. I am just a side character - so the biggest disease I have ever had was the Young Master Syndrome."

    Zheng Xiang was surprised, "So you got killed because of that?"

 Chapter 252 - Same Encounter, Different Reaction?

    "So you got killed because of that?" Zheng Xiang asked in a surprised tone.

    Ye Tian Yun''s foot halted for a moment before he resumed his pace.

    "I died? Then who do you think is in front of you? A Ghost?"

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "I was just kidding. Anyways, when will you be heading for the Gracious Sword Rankings?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and replied without turning back, "I won''t be participating."

    Zheng Xiang was confused, "You won''t participate? Are you serious? I heard there''s going to be a big hidden prize for the disciples who get selected."

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help butugh at this when he heard Zheng Xiang''s words.

    "Tell me, Zheng Xiang, did you go there in hopes of getting selected and winning the hidden prize?"

    Zheng Xiang scratched the back of his forehead and replied with a foolish grin on his face, "Kindaˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun turned around and looked at him from up to down and gave a long sigh.

    "Are you kidding me? Don''t you know your own cultivation level?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "I know very well where I stand in the sect, and it would be a foolish dream to think that I could win this tournament."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded in agreement, "Exactly. So then why are you participating in it?"

    Zheng Xiang pursed his lips but didn''t give him an answer. Instead, he asked a question, "My participation isn''t as important of a question as your non-participation. So why don''t you tell me the reason that made you not be a part of this tournament?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I feel like I am not ready, that''s it."

    Zheng Xiang was surprised, "Dude, you okay? If you are not ready, then no one is. I am pretty sure you''re the most powerful disciple of our batch in the whole Gracious Sword Sect, especially after this critical breakthrough you had in thest month."

    Ye Tian Yun just replied, "Being the most powerful in the batch doesn''t guarantee a sure chance of getting selected in the Gracious Sword Rankings."

    Zheng Xiang nodded his head but didn''t argue any further.

    Just as they were about to go their separate ways, Ye Tian Yun suddenly called out, "Zheng Xiang, here."

    Zheng Xiang suddenly stopped and raised his head.

    In front of him, Ye Tian Yun brought his hands forward, and in his hands was a small pouch.

    Zheng Xiang couldn''t help but ask, "What''s this?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t answer his question but said, "Just take it. Open it in your cultivation abode; it will be very useful."

    Zheng Xiang shrugged and didn''t shy from taking the pouch.

    He even said something that made Ye Tian Yun raise one of his eyebrows, "Brother Fang, this better have some heavenly cultivation pills. I am dying to breakthrough to the next stage."

    In the end, Ye Tian Yun just rolled his eyes while saying, "Do you think I would be giving you heavenly treasures? We just met a month ago."

    Zheng Xiang scratched his chin while smiling, "But don''t you feel like we could be good brothers? We could have each other''s back, you know?"

    Ye Tian Yun gave him a disdainful look, "At leaste to my level, maybe then I might consider you to be my friend."

    Zheng Xiang gave him a nk look, "Why don''t you directly say that you don''t want me as a brother?"

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrows and gave a long nod, "d you understood."

    And without waiting for any response, Ye Tian Yun entered the hallway and headed for his cultivation abode.

    Zheng Xiang just shrugged, and he, too, headed for his abode.

    It was true that both of them had met just a month ago, so how could it be easy for them to trust each other?

    Just like how Zheng Xiang didn''t speak about the reason behind his participation in the Tournament, he wasn''t expecting Ye Tian Yun to tell him everything going on in his mind.

    As Zheng Xiang cleared his mind with useless thoughts, he soon found himself standing in front of his cultivation abode.

    Just as he was about to enter, he heard someone shout his name.

    "Zheng Xiang!"

    A familiar voice.

    Zheng Xiang closed his eyes and calmly turned around.

    Letting out a sigh as he opened them, he found a few Inner Court disciples standing in front of him.

    "What do you want, Zheng Hai?" He asked.

    The disciple in the middle made a disdainful expression as he said, "Zheng Xiang, I heard you got your ass kicked once again?"

    Zheng Xiang rolled his eyes and turned back to enter his room.

    However, Zheng Hai swiftly put his hand on Zheng Xiang''s cor and forced him to turn around.

    Suddenly he saw Zheng Xiang vanish!

    Before he couldprehend anything, Zheng Hai felt as if a huge boulder had just hit his head, and his whole body suddenly went down as if going into the ground.

    Zheng Xiang had just somersaulted and put a hard kick on his head, forcing Zheng Hai to fall on his knees.

    Fixing the cor, Zheng Xiang didn''t bother anymore and entered his room.

    As he closed the door on the shocked disciples around his cultivation abode, Zheng Xiang suddenly felt something in his arms.

    It was the pouch that Ye Tian Yun had given him before they parted ways.

    "Let''s see what is in it."

    ˇ­

    Meanwhile, Ye Tian Yun was also facing quite a simr situation.

    Three students were blocking his way to the cultivation abode.

    It was Du Xiu''s cousin, Du Ming.

    Du Xiu was a disciple he had crippled for cultivation abode when he had entered the Cultivation Abode.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t bother to remember much about that event; however, it looked like the guys in front of him thought otherwise.

    "Fang Chen looks like you have gone in hiding ever since ourst meeting.. Never thought you would be such a scaredy-cat."

 Chapter 253 - Host, System Is Not A God.

    Ye Tian Yun looked at him from up to down and said, "And you have been standing here for a month, waiting for me?"

    Du Ming rolled his eyes, "Do you think I care that much? You''re not worth the dirt below my shoes."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Then why are you blocking my way?"

    Du Ming frowned, "For a new Inner Disciple, aren''t you quite rude? It looks like you are just waiting for me to kick your ass after two months."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I am not rude or anything. It''s just that you''re insignificant."

    Du Ming went silent for a moment before raging, "Do you think you can be arrogant in front of me? You prick, when you had just entered this sect, I was already a top disciple! And trust me, I would kick your ass as soon as the three-month cooldown period is over. When the timees, let''s see if you can save your cultivation abode or not."

    Ye Tian Yun released a short breath before lying, "I would have agreed upon the fact that you can defeat me, but then we both would have been wrong."

    And without waiting for any response, Ye Tian Yun moved towards the door of his cultivation abode.

    As he moved his fingers on the door to unlock the array so he could enter, Du Ming called out from behind, "Alright, we will see who will kick whose ass. Be ready, you son of b-ugh!"

    Du Ming suddenly felt something grasping his hair. Then, when backward and in the next instant, a knee hit him directly on his nose.

    His mind went nk, and before he could even return to his senses, he felt himself fall backward as the knee was still pressing on his nose.

    *spurt*

    Blood poured out of his nose as the hallway came to a pin drop silence.

    Everyone stared at the disciple standing above Du Ming while he clutched his nose and squirmed on the ground.

    It was Ye Tian Yun.

    With an indifferent expression, he stared at Du Ming while saying, "Next time you say that, those will be thest words you speak."

    Without waiting for any response, Ye Tian Yun entered his cultivation abode and closed the door.

    Du Ming mmed his fists on the floor as his two friends also came back to his senses and picked him up.

    "Damn, he will regret this!" Then raising his head, as he found many disciples staring at him, he shouted, "What the fuck are you looking at?"

    Just as he shouted, his two friends suddenly felt cold sweat run through their back.

    ''This guy will kill us!''

    As the killing intent from every side bombarded them, those two dragged Du Ming out from the floor.

    ˇ­

    Inside the cultivation abode, Ye Tian Yun had calmed himself down.

    He wouldn''t have even bothered about that guy if he hadn''t brought his mother in the conversation.

    Everyone has a reverse scale, and for Ye Tian Yun, it was his mother.

    Letting out a sigh, Ye Tian Yun cleared his thoughts and asked, ''System, is everything still happening as it is supposed to happen?''

    [System can''t predict the future, Host. It can only judge based on your past.]

    ''Hm, then what do you think, based on the past? Even though Xiao Ming is going on this mission, don''t forget that this mission is a whole monthte.''

    [This is indeed true, but this is also the reason that makes things unpredictable in theing days.]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''You can''t judge what''s going to happen?''

    [It''s not that the System doesn''t have any capabilities, but it''s the Host who doesn''t have enough Fate Points.]

    [If you have enough Fate Points, it would have been possible to at least nce at the direction in which fate will move forward.]

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t say anything.

    Fate Points wasn''t something he had under his control - he had already used them to know how things had changed due to his small actions.

    Right now, he needed to do something big to get a good amount of Fate Points.

    The immediate thing that came to his mind was his next step.

    Ye Tian Yun''s current goal right now was to follow the Xiao Ming and other disciples who would be going out of the sect for the secret mission.

    But he had to do everything discreetly, and for that, he already had a very clear opportunity.

    The disciples from Heaven Oracle Sect - Qin Wentian and Shi Yi.

    As told by Sect Leader Su, one of them will be visiting him pretty soon.

    At this time, he will make his move and take out whoever of the two came in.

    After that, he would disguise himself as the one who came to interrogate him, and then, he would be able to head out of the sect without any problem easily.

    ''To think I might have to disguise myself as a girlˇ­ sigh, what else will I have to do for these Tokens.''

    It was not that he hated to disguise himself as a woman, but it was just not on the list of things he would like to do.

    But right now, he had no choice but to ept whatever happened.

    However, another scenario could happen in this situation - what if both of theme to him at once?

    It was impossible to disguise as two people at once. Thus he had to be prepared with an alternative.

    An idea dawned upon him, and thus he asked.

    ''System, is it possible to buy puppets? But, you know, if both of theme, I will have to take them out at once, and if you can get me a puppet which can disguise itself as one of them and also act like them, it would be wonderful.''

    [Host, System is not a god. There isn''t anything like this.]

    ....

    <em>A/n: Any typos, errors, or plotholes? Pleasement and let me know.. t y s m.</em>

 Chapter 254 - Qin Wentian Scheme (I)

    [Host, System is not a god. There isn''t anything like this.]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Well, I remember you did brag about being a supreme system or something. It looks like you were just bluffing."

    [Host, you need to understand that this is Emblem System, not any random Shortcut-to-peak System]

    "An Emblem System? Why are you called an Emblem System? Because you help me in my quest for the emblems and token?"

    [Indeed, Host.]

    "Then why are you not helping me? Giving me puppets would help me get through this problem, you know?"

    [Host, you do not understand the true objective of the System]

    [Yes, It wants to help you. But does it have a shortcut for you? NO.]

    "Haven''t you been giving me shortcuts ever since you ''initiated'' after I woke up a few months back?"

    [Host, there are unsaid and unwritten restrictions that the System must follow. Sometimes its reactions might seem to contradict the previous actions. However, it is all due to the unwritten rules that System must follow.]

    "Unwritten rules?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but roll his eyes. He wasn''t going to believe the bullshit by the system, but did he have any other choice? Arguing anymore wasn''t going to take this conversation anywhere. Thus Ye Tian Yun dropped this topic.

    ''I can only hope that they don''te together. It will be so troublesome.''

    ˇ­

    "Let''s go together."

    In the Blue Wind Courtyard, Qin Wentian''s cold voice echoed.

    Sitting on the main seat in the hall, he had a deep frown over his face.

    Right now, he was going through a weird mixture of emotions - anger, annoyance, amusement, indifference, and a few indescribable others.

    All this was because they had just been told to visit a disciple if they wanted to interrogate him.

    For thest month, ever since the day Qin Wentian had stepped in the Sect, this was the second time he had felt irritated, and the same person did all this - Sect Leader Su Ming.

    Shi Yi, who was standing beside him, tried to calm him, "Senior Brother, there''s no need to waste your time on this. Just let me do everything and have some rest."

    Qin Wentian shook his head, "You don''t need to go alone. I wille with you. Let''s see what is so special in this disciple."

    Shi Yi couldn''t help but sigh, "Senior Brother, please appease your anger and think from your brain."

    She continued after a short break as she noticed Qin Wentian''s frowning face turning towards her.

    "Ahem, Senior Brother, do you remember the day we both came to the Sect Leader Su? How was he indifferent and uncaring about our background? And then he showed his background, which proved a lot about his arrogance."

    "It showed that unlike other cultivators of the Lower Heavens, he doesn''t fear disciples of our background - and this time, I am pretty sure he just wants to see you feel humiliated."

    Silence prevailed in the hall as Qin Wentain fell into his thoughts.

    After a few minutes, he asked, "If he''s using this just to have some fun, there''s no need to give him the chance of having thestugh."

    Suddenly an idea formed in his head, and with narrowed eyes, he said, "Since that guy is so proud of this disciple Fang Chen, there''s definitely a chance for us to exploit this rtionship."

    After a moment of pause, he continued, "We will frame Fang Chen for the murder of Kang Bai."

    Shi Yi was quite surprised to hear this but didn''t say anything else and just nodded her head.

    Qin Wentian continued, "If we put the me of murder on him, I am pretty sure things will be pretty interesting. And I would love to see this Sect Leader''s face when that happens."

    Shi Yi couldn''t help but ask, "What if they don''t believe our word? In fact, why would they believe us without proof?"

    Qin Wentian let out a smallugh, "You forget your own identity."

    "What do you mean?" She asked in a confused tone.

    "We''re the Heavenly Oracle Sect. We don''t need proof. Our words are the proof." Qin Wentian replied with a voice full of conviction.

    And then he continued, "However, this will also be a good chance for us to get something out of him."

    Seeing Shi Yi''s confused expression, Qin Wentain exined, "Now that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is confirmed to be in the Middle Heavens, don''t forget what our new objective is. And other than that, don''t forget what that disciple from the Ninth Peak told us."

    "Which disciple?" Shi Yi couldn''t remember anyone specific.

    Qin Wentain narrowed his eyes as he described the disciple, "The one from a league called Heavenly Leagueˇ­ didn''t he say something like being the right-hand man of the League Head?"

    "Ah, yes." Shi Yi nodded her head, "The guy who was very jealous of a new top disciple, right?"

    Qin Wentain nodded his head, "And that top disciple is none other than Fang Chen - the guy who we''re told to visit if we wish to interrogate any more disciples."

    "Oh, yes," Shi Yi nodded her head. She had forgotten that this disciple was ranked number one in one of the recent tournaments.

    She continued, "Senior Brother, I think I remember now. That day it was prettyte, and there weren''t any disciples that were supposed toe. It was at that time our door was knocked, and that disciple introduced himself."

    Qin Wentian nodded his head; this was actually what he had remembered.

    After a moment of silence, Shi YI said, "It was this disciple who had tried his best to entice against Fang Chen, and when none of his ns seemed to work out - he spitted a big secret - disciple Fang Chen was cultivating at a very good speed, and he will be there for about a month."

    Qin Wentian nodded his head and sneered while replying, "Isn''t that the exact thing we''re looking for?"

 Chapter 255 - Qin Wentians Scheme (II)

    Qin Wentian nodded his head and sneered while replying, "Isn''t that the exact thing we''re looking for?"

    Shi Yi nodded, "Yes. To increase cultivation speed exponentially, there must be something which could rival unlimited cultivation resources."

    Qin Wentian stood up, "Exactly! This is what we need to find out. And Fang Chen is the key. He has been there, and he knows what that ce is. Even if he doesn''t know what it actually is, I am sure he can describe it pretty well. We might find out why this sect is frivolously wasting cultivation resources on just maintaining the Array System, and its expenditure could easily rival top tier sects of Middle Heavens."

    Shi Yi nodded as Qin Wentian continued, "And I am pretty confident that this hidden secret will bring a lot of changes in the Lower and Middle Heavens alike, as soon as it gets out."

    "All this is now can be done by just doing one thing - make Fang Chen guilty of this matter, and do Soul Search."

    "This is why I said - Let''s go togeth-!"

    *Zzzz* *Zzzz*

    Just as he was about to finish his words, themunication array from the Heaven Oracle Sect began to blink.

    With a frown, he stopped himself and took the call with a one-eighty degree change in his attitude, "Greetings, Master."

    ˇ­

    Ninth Peak, Gracious Sword Sect.

    It was regarded as the most powerful peak within the sect and best in terms of talented disciples. This peak was not just limited within the sect; in fact, it had made its name throughout the whole Xin Kingdom.

    If someone introduced himself as the disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect, it would get him a lot of nces. However, if he said he''s the Disciple Of Ninth Peak of the Gracious Sword Sect that would create an awe and shock from people all around.

    To maintain such a reputation, the Peak Master and the elders of this peak have always focused on intensepetition and training among the disciples.

    There''s a famous saying among the disciples when they join the GRacious Sword sEct for the first time - if you have talent, you will join the Ninth Peak, but if you have will, you will survive it.

    The hellish atmosphere within thispetition and nonstop challenges and spars amongst the disciples are highly encouraged.

    Even then, there''s a time when things go to another level - and that time is right now.

    The Gracious Sword Rankings Tournament!

    Held once every three years, this is the biggest event for the Inner COurt Disciples of the whole sect, and within the Ninth Peak - this is the only thing that disciples have in mind.

    They cultivate, they spar, and then they cultivate more.

    With the Ranking Tournament going on, there is only one thing that can distract these disciples - the rise of hidden geniuses.

    Being the top peak, there will, of course, be many rising geniuses every time the tournament took ce.

    And whom did these talents threaten?

    THe already ranked disciples from the tournament!

    And one such disciple was Shu Xian.

    Being the right-hand man of the Heavenly LEague''s League HEad, Yuan Shuchun, he was good in his schemes and one of the most talented Inner COurt disciples.

    Almost touching the ranks of the Core Disciples, Shu Xian was way ahead of his peers.

    And this made him what he was today - Arrogant.

    Shu Xiang was arrogant.

    And this wasn''t a secret; in fact, almost the whole Ninth Peak knew of this.

    But except for some disciples, almost all of the remaining disciples agreed on the fact that Shu Xian had the strength to back up his arrogance.

    However, with arrogancees a hidden emotion, so subtle that the victim doesn''t even know what''s happening and keeps on falling into an endless pit.

    This emotion is what we call jealousy.

    What could make Shu Xian jealous?

    Someone more talented than him? No.

    He may be arrogant, but he had his confidence. He had the confidence to surpass his rivals.

    So, if that doesn''t trigger him, how about someone who could rece his position?

    If it''s about the Gracious Sword Ranks position, he couldn''t care less.

    But if it''s about his position within the Heavenly League - damn, he got jealous.

    And today, he was suffering from this unavoidable and inevitable emotion of jealousy.

    From whom?

    A new Inner Court Disciple.

    *bang!*

    A punch went straight through the table, and it fell into two pieces.

    ''Hmm, I need to focus.''

    Shu Xian forced himself not to focus on this disciple.

    But how could he not?

    ''What is happening?'' He couldn''t understand what was going on within his heart.

    ''Surely Yuan Shuchun won''t rece me, right?'' He thought.

    This question was blinking in his mind for thest few days.

    It all started a few weeks ago when a certain disciple began to get closer to Yuan Shuchun.

    At first, Shu Xian justughed it off.

    ''He will learn a lesson that he is never going to forget.'' This is what he first thought.

    Butter, to his surprise, Yuan Shuchun wasn''t actually rejecting this guy''s advances!!

    ''What is going on? She isn''t supposed to get close to anyoneˇ­'' This is what was his first thought this time.

    However,ter, things happened that made him feel something that he had never dealt with - jealousy.

    As its seed sprouted in his heart, there was no turning back.

    He didn''t like that guy getting close to her.

    He didn''t like that guy entering the list of Core Members of the Heavenly League.

    Shu Xian just didn''t like him.

    Annoyed with such an unstable mental state, Yuan Shuchun wanted to pick up the broken pieces of the table and smash them back on the ground.

    Unfortunately, just as he was about to follow this instinct, someone knocked on his door.

    "Senior Brother Shu Xian, Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun has called a meeting."

    ....

    A/n: Any typos or errors, please let me know throughments. T y

 Chapter 256 - Shu Xian

    "Senior Brother Shu Xian, Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun has called a meeting."

    Shu Xian frowned.

    ''Meeting? Did something happen?'' He was quite surprised.

    The meeting referred to here was, of course, the one rted to the Heavenly League.

    He stood up and opened the door of his cultivation abode.

    In front of him appeared a nervous Inner Court Disciple.

    Ignoring the shivering, Shu Xian asked, "When will it start?"

    The disciple cleared his throat and replied, "Should start in an hour or two."

    Shu Xian nodded and, without saying anything, closed the door.

    He didn''t know what this meeting was about, and there wasn''t any point in asking the disciple about it.

    That guy was just a messenger. It was the lowest Rank in Heavenly League.

    This was the rank where the rookies started from. Even he did this work when he was new.

    But there had been exceptions.

    And this time, there were actually two of them!

    In fact, he had only anticipated one of these two disciples, while the other was just an average talent in his eyes.

    The first disciple was Fang Chen.

    A talented guy and a very lucky one.

    At first, Yuan Shuchun made him a core disciple in name, but the next day, she changed the decision, and everything changed.

    Sometimeter, Yuan Shuchun gave him insider info - Fang Chen was in the Sword Stele.

    The first thing that Shu Xian felt after hearing this was that Fang Chen was undeserving of this.

    In his eyes, he had only won the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    Why the hell was he given such an amazing reward?

    And a few dayster, he found out something that gave him a way to kick Fang Chen out of the way before he could even create trouble for him in theing future.

    He sessfully incited the two disciples from a sect called Heaven Oracle Sect.

    Supposedly this sect was a powerful sect from the Middle Heavens. However, Shu Xian didn''t care about them - he only wanted to get Fang Chen out of the way.

    By a little wordy, he hinted that Fang Chen knew a big secret of the Sect.

    And now, he only needed to wait and enjoy the show as Fang Chen danced in the palms of those two disciples.

    The other disciple was none other than Xiao Ming.

    Shu Xian closed his eyes and didn''t put any more thought into him.

    ''It isn''t time yet.'' He reassured himself and began to prepare for theing meeting.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun took in a deep breath and slowly released it.

    Repeating the same process again and again, Ye Tian Yun continued his meditation, trying to free up his mind.

    To be specific, he was trying to remove his focus from a nagging feeling that he was getting for about some time now.

    After arguing with the system and with no results, he began to focus on cultivating while waiting for the disciples of Heaven Oracle Sect to knock on his cultivation abode.

    But suddenly, there was this feeling.

    And it wasn''t anything good.

    In fact, he even felt for a second that big trouble wasing his way, and he had no clue what this was.

    Thus he started to meditate, but the feeling just won''t go away.

    Letting out a long breath, Ye Tian Yun once again finished a cycle of meditation.

    However, the weird feeling still persisted.

    Frowning, Ye Tian Yun got up from his cross-legged position and decided to take a walk outside.

    ''I hope those people don''te while I am out; that would be just too bad of a luck.''

    Even though he felt something bad about to happen, Ye Tian Yun still decided to go ahead with his decision and moved towards the cultivation abode door.

    Coming out, he found the hustling bustling Sixth floor as a wave of disciples wasing into their cultivation abode.

    He didn''t need to ask anyone to know where they wereing from.

    Gracious Sword Rankings Tournament.

    It was afternoon right now, so there was most probably a break for everyone to take some rest.

    This was a months-long tournament, and the sect was never in a hurry to finish it because they always wanted to fish out the most talented disciples within the sect.

    Though this time, the first round was only going to be a month-long and would soon being to an end.

    To Ye Tian Yun, this whole event was not something he needed to bother about.

    It would only create more hassle for him, and not forgetting the secret mission assigned by the sect master would begin while the tournament was still going on.

    Finally, Ye Tian Yun was only a few steps away from this seemingly unending journey for the Token Of Fate.

    Ye Tian Yun might not be sure about how things would pan out, but he was confident that he wouldn''t lose to anyone.

    Especially now that he had gone through a huge breakthrough and increased his cultivation by four more levels.

    This was not a small power-up.

    And then there was his Sword Intent.

    It was his Sword Intent.

    If Ye Tian Yun still failed with two such boosts, it would be better if he just jumped off a cliff.

    Ye Tian Yun was thinking about his Sword Intent; he remembered something he hadn''t paid attention to.

    ''System, show me my Status.''

    [STATUS]

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 91,023/20000]

    [Fate Points: 0]

    [Emblem (0/4)]

    [Token (0/12)]

    [Cultivation (Original): 7th Level of Qi Stabilization Realm]

    [Cultivation (Suppressed): 1st Level Of Qi Condensation Realm]

    [Cultivation Techniques: One Sword For All (Late Phase), Thousand Faced Death (Middle Phase)]

    [Sword Intent: Sword Domain Realm (1%) (0/10000 Kill Points)]

    [Inventory]

    [Quest]

    [Rewards]

    [Shop]

    ''System, why is it that my Sword Intent is still at only one percent?'' Didn''t you once tell me that it would increase based on the stability of my Sword Intent?''

    ...

    <em>A/n: t y s m for reading</em>.

 Chapter 257 - The Encounter!

    ''System, why is it that my Sword Intent is still at only one percent?'' Didn''t you once tell me that it would increase based on the stability of my Sword Intent?''

    [Indeed, Host.]

    ''Thenˇ­?''

    [Host, the control you feel over your Sword Domain still needs some work - the most important factor would be its practical use.]

    ''You mean in battle?''

    [Yes. As soon as Host uses his Sword Domain in battle, the percentage in the stats would increase.]

    Ye Tian Yun then asked, ''But, there should have been at least some increase, right?''

    [There is an increase in the percentage. It is just not shown in the stats.]

    ''Oh, so basically, it''s just hidden temporarily? Any reason for that?''

    [It is just to not make you overconfident over your control. Because, sometimes, the control one has over his Sword Domain while practicing is much higher than his actual control. Only in a battle would the true situatione out.]

    ''Hmm, alright. Hopefully, my control doesn''t betray me when the timees. Fainting in between a battle is thest thing I want to experience.''

    [Host, if that ever happened, it WILL be thest thing you would experience.]

    "..."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t say anything and continued to move towards the exit of the Inner Court.

    He didn''t have any aim in his mind, but he was truly hoping to encounter an idiot or two whose arrogance would be higher than the heavens, and he would then have fun exchanging a few words with them.

    ''It''s been a long time since Ist saw Hu Xingˇ­ is that guy still training with the Nine Supremes?''

    ''Jun Xie put Hu Xing into the radar of everyone and dug a nice grave for that guy. Let''s see if he can survive theing months. Hopefully, he doesn''t die. His annoyed expression is really good to see. I can understand why Fang Chen was always after this guy.''

    ''There''s also Yuan Shuch-!''

    "Dude, move!"

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was lost in his thoughts, someone called him out from behind.

    Turning around, he found two disciples with their faces half covered.

    Confused with their attire, he stepped aside and let them go ahead.

    Though both of them looked very familiar, he just couldn''t remember where he had seen those two.

    Ye Tian Yun followed them just a few steps behind, with a slight frown over his face while trying to think where he had seen these two people.

    The distance between both sides increased as the two in front of him hurried towards the chain bridge while Ye Tian Yun moved at a leisurely pace.

    Soon, the two were lost in the sea of disciples.

    After some time, Ye Tian Yun also reached the chain bridge, his mind still on the silhouette of those two disciples.

    ''Who were they? And that guy on the leftˇ­ looked so.. Weird?''

    Confused about what had just happened, Ye Tian Yun raised his head to look for the chain bridge - lo and behold - there they were. The two disciples had covered their faces.

    ''Are they covering their faces so as not to attract attention?''

    But looking at the disciples around those two, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but be amused, ''They are attracting more attention with their faces covered.''

    And the funnier part was that they were still waiting for the Chain Bridge even though they came here running, while Ye Tian Yun went at a pretty chill speed.

    One of the masked disciples suddenly moved his head towards Ye Tian Yun, seemingly noticing his smirk.

    A sharp killing intent struck out!

    But the one who got surprised was the masked disciple who released it.

    Because the disciple in front of him was unaffected!

    ''Who is this guy?''

    He couldn''t understand what had just happened - did a random disciple just remain unaffected from his killing intent?

    Meanwhile, on the other hand, Ye Tian Yun was quite shocked.

    Not because of the sudden killing intent attack, but because of the familiar aura.

    It wasn''t familiar, but he did know which disciples had such auras.

    Disciples of the Heaven Oracle Sect.

    The masked disciples in front of him were Qin Wentian and Shi Yi!

    Ye Tian Yun unknowingly smirked even more, and a tinge of killing intent went straight at the couple in front of him.

    The masked couple suddenly raised their head and stared straight at Ye Tian Yun.

    The only visible part of their face, their eyes, were filled with horror!

    They slowly moved their attention away from Ye Tian Yun; however, their backs were already stretched with cold sweat!

    To them, it felt like death was just a step away - smirking at their pitiful state.

    While they felt a dreadful fear, Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, was quite confused.

    Why were they here, like this, in disguise?

    It''s not like they needed to disguise themselves or even try to hide their identity.

    ''Most probably it''s just so they don''t attract attentionˇ­ but where are they going?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    These two were important for him to get out of the sect, so it would be best to know if anything were about to go sideways.

    And how was he going to know what''s going on?

    Well, he was simply going to ask them.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped forward and came right in front of the two.

    As soon as he came close, the two had their backs straightened.

    With a curious expression, he asked, "Where are both of you heading?"

    The taller disciple, whom Ye Tian Yun had presumed to be Qin Wentian, replied, We...we are heading out."

    "Out?" Ye Tian Yun frowned. This was not right. ''They can''t go out. Who will I disguise as if not them!''

    "Yy-yes." Qin Wentian repeatedly nodded his head.

    He himself was confused with his own ''scared'' reaction.

    Ye Tian Yun asked again, "Out of the sect? For how long?"

    Qin Wentian looked around, and, noticing everyone''s eyes on him, he unknowingly gulped and replied, "We-we are going back to our sect."

 Chapter 258 - The Problem

    "W-we are going back to our sect."

    Qin Wentian''s stuttering voice was heard by all in the chain bridge.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    ''Why are they heading out?'' He couldn''t ask this question.

    However, Qin Wentian saw through his expression and understood what was going on in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    He said, "Our work here is done. We are heading back to our sect."

    Ye Tian Yun''s frown deepened, but he didn''t say anything.

    Giving a slight nod, Ye Tian Yun turned around and went back to his original ce.

    He didn''t say anything for the rest of the trip and departed from the chain bridge as soon as it reached the First Peak.

    Soon he had disappeared within the crowd of disciples.

    On the other hand, both Qin Wentian and Shi Yi were staring at the spot where his back wasst seen.

    "Senior Brother, who was that guy?" Shi Yi asked in a low voice.

    Qin Wentian slowly shook his head, "I have no idea... But, damn, I should have at least asked for his name."

    Shi Yi remarked, "Are you sure? By the way, you were answering him. I don''t think you could have asked him anything."

    Qin Wentian squinted his eyes but didn''t say anything.

    And without a word, he headed towards the exit.

    They had taken just a few days when someone called them from behind.

    "Guests from the Heaven Oracle Sect."

    Turning around towards the familiar voice, both of them found it to be the Elder who had ''helped'' them when they had just arrived.

    Cupping her fists, Shi Yi was the first to reply, "Greetings, Elder. Unfortunately, something came up in our sect, so we had no other choice but to halt our investigation and head back at a moment''s notice."

    At her left side, Qin Wentian nodded his head and added, "We will take our leave, Elder. Thank you for your cooperation."

    Elder didn''t say anything for some time and then asked, "What happened?"

    "Hm?" Both of the Heaven Oracle Sect Disciples were confused by this question.

    The Elder rified, "What happened to you both? Why are your auras so unstable? Were you both attacked?"

    Qin Wentian frowned while replying, "Elder, please don''t jest. You saw that disciple, and I am pretty sure you also felt that killing intent. Yet you ask such questions to humiliate us."

    The Elder''s lips curved up from one corner as he said, "Qin Wentian, I was checking how humble you have be. Well, never mind that now, the new question is, why did you act as if you got scared from that attack?"

    Qin Wentianughed, "Elder, I may be quite arrogant, but there''s one thing that I strictly follow, I don''t try to hide my loss. I have always epted my loss. Like, today, even though you might think I was acting, it was actually a genuine reaction."

    The Elder was surprised, "What? Are you saying that disciple scared the daylights out of you?"

    Qin Wentian shrugged, "Well, I don''t know about his battle prowess, but his spirit sense is quite high, which in turn has given him a very dense Killing Intent."

    The Elder scratched his chin and said, "Well, that''s quite surprising."

    Qin Wentian frowned, "You don''t know about that guy?"

    Elder shrugged and changed the topic, "Next time when youe, inform the town outside the Gracious Mountain Range. Then, things will be pretty easy."

    Qin Wentian narrowed his eyes but didn''t pursue the previous topic.

    After nodding at the Elder, he turned around and headed for the exit with Shi Yi following right behind him.

    The Elder smiled at the disappearing silhouettes of Qin Wentian and Shi Yi and then turned around.

    His smile widened a bit more as he stared straight in a certain direction.

    ....

    ''Who!?''

    Ye Tian Yun was rmed!

    Immediately turning around, he began to look for the source of what he had just felt.

    It was from a person.

    Ye Tian Yun only felt that that person was staring at him. However, this stare was powerful - very powerful - enough to raise the hair on his hands.

    ''Who was that guy?'' He couldn''t help but think again.

    Unfortunately, this only happened for an instant, and by the time Ye Tian Yun reacted, the feeling was long gone.

    With no answers, Ye Tian Yun could only sigh and turn around towards his destination.

    His destination? A restaurant.

    He wanted to sit, eat something delicious, and think.

    He had a lot of new worries in his mind.

    Taking a long breath, Ye Tian Yun continued forward.

    Soon he had reached an exquisitely built three-story restaurant.

    Without hesitation, he stepped inside and looked around.

    The inside was full of grandeur and was speaking volumes of being ''expensive''.

    But money was thest thing Ye Tian Yun cared about in this world.

    Taking an empty table near the window, Ye Tian Yun sat down.

    He had his hands crossed, his body leaning back, and a slight frown on his forehead.

    "Senior brother, what would you like to have?" A sweet voice sounded in his ears, and as he turned his head, Ye Tian Yun found a maid standing beside the table.

    "Bring me your best te." He waved his hand and resumed his thoughts.

    The maid was surprised but didn''t say anything and just left.

    Even though the restaurant was very expensive, she didn''t wish to look down on any Disciple and get her face pped in front of everyone.

    Ye Tian Yun, unaware of the maid''s thoughts, was currently thinking of what had happened on the chain bridge.

    ''Now we know why I had that bad feeling, sigh.''

    ''My luck is pretty bad... What should I do now?''

    What Ye Tian Yun was thinking was none other than Qin Wentian''s answer.

    Those two were heading back to their sect.

    This meant Ye Tian Yun''s n to kill and disguise as one of those two to head out of the sect was now invalid.

    He couldn''t leave the sect.

 Chapter 259 - The Solution?

    Ye Tian Yun nned to kill and disguise as either Qin Wentian or Shi Yi to head out of the sect.

    He wanted to disguise himself as them to easily follow the disciples who were enlisted for the secret mission.

    And then at the right opportunity, he would show himself for the Token Of Fate.

    Unfortunately, now that Qin Wentian and his partner were suddenly heading back to their sects, this n was instantly scrapped.

    Now he had to find a different way to get out the sect, or else he would certainly miss a big opportunity to get the token.

    ''If I knew this was going to happen, it would have been better for me just to take Xiao Ming''s ce.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but slightly regret it.

    He really hadn''t thought of such a scenario where those two would leave the sect.

    Mainly because he knew this ce was like a vacation spot for them and they wanted to enjoy their time to utmost capacity.

    However, fate had different ns and they had now left the sect.

    ''What could have happened for them to be called back?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think as this question popped up in his mind.

    He couldn''t think of any answer - even after focusing on the events from his previous life - there wasn''t anything significant that had happened in the middle heavens at this time, let alone in the very calm Heaven Oracle Sect.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and removed useless thoughts.

    There was no point in wasting his time in thinking about whatever was going on in that sect.

    What he needed to worry about was what he should do next.

    Things were troublesome now.

    ''Should I disguise myself like Qin Wentian and return - No, that''s useless.''

    Ye Tian Yun immediately eliminated this idea.

    Not only did he need the blood of Qin Wentian to disguise as him, he also needed to get out of the sect so he could ''return.''

    ''If I have to go out of the sect just to disguise like Qin Wentian, then what''s the point of disguising? I could just head out without it and wait for the disciples.''

    Ye Tian Yun then began to think of something else.

    ''Should I tell the Sect Leader that I have changed my mind?''

    He thought for a moment and then just shook his head.

    No point in doing that - First, the Sect Leader will not agree, and even if he did agree, Ye Tian Yun would still have repercussions regarding the fate.

    ''System, if I were to rece Xiao Ming, what are the chances of me encountering the Token Of Fate ?''

    [Host, do you know how fate works?]

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he fell in a thought, and after a few moments he replied, "What I think is, fate is like a road and everyone follows this."

    "Each person has his road, and all these roads are interconnected."

    [Host, you''re close to the truth.]

    ''You exin to me how fate works.''

    [Host, there''s nothing much to exin; however, System would like to add one condition to the reference you have just used.]

    Ye Tian Yun nodded as the System continued with the next prompt.

    [You took an example of a road and said that all roaded are interconnected. What the System would like to add is, even though they are interconnected, a person can''t leave his roads. For him, the path is straight. He can''t see these interconnections between the roads.]

    ''Doesn''t it mean that if I were to take Xiao Ming''s ce, there''s a high chance I may not encounter the Token Of Fate?''

    [Exactly. Earlier, this is why the System also said that it was quite impossible to judge how everything may turn out.]

    ''You''re saying that the result doesn''t change but ''how'' one reaches it is unpredictable? Like, Xiao Ming will get his Token Of Fate - that is written on stone. But how will he get it? No one can answer.''

    [Yes, Host. This is what System meant.]

    ''Hmm,'' Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and began to think of any other solution to get out of the sect.

    Just then, he suddenly smelt a mouth-watering aroma and couldn''t help but lose the train of his thoughts.

    In the next moment, a few maids were serving tes of dishes on his table.

    Without saying anything, Ye Tian Yun quietly began to eat.

    The food was very tasty.

    And tasty food is always a distraction.

    Because of this, Ye Tian Yun was now unable to think of anything else.

    He pushed the te in front of him away, and began to think again.

    The maids who were standing were shocked by his actions.

    To them, his act simply meant that he didn''t like the food!

    The maid who had served Ye Tian Yun when he had sat down on the table, came forward and asked him, "Senior brother, were the dishes not up to your taste?"

    Ye Tian Yun, however, didn''t reply and just waved his hands at her.

    Gesturing her not to disturb him anymore.

    Ye Tian Yun leaned back and began to think of another way before continuing with food.

    He forced himself to think and not eat so that he could pressure himself.

    And this simple trick actually worked!

    He finally found out what he needed to do to get out of the sect.

    A simple solution, but few tricky things to do to seed.

    The idea was pretty simple -

    Ye Tian Yun needed to follow the Disciples who were enlisted for the secret mission.

    But he didn''t need to follow everyone. He only needed to take note of Xiao Ming.

    So, what if he disguised himself as one of the disciples who were enlisted for the secret mission!?

    However, this wasn''t as easy as it sounded- because other than Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun, he didn''t know anyone else to be part of this mission - even after he included his knowledge of his previous life.

    So who was he going to target?

 Chapter 260 - Second Encounter (I)

    Ye Tian Yun needed to n out whom he needed to target.

    However, he first needed to know who the actual participants of the secret mission were.

    So this put Ye Tian Yun one step back because now, he needed to get the list.

    ''Should I disguise myself as Yuan Shuchun?'' Ye Tian Yun thought of a bold idea.

    But then he just shook his head and rejected it.

    Disguising as Yuan Shuchun wasn''t hard - he just needed to kill her.

    The real problem would be to survive after he had done the deed.

    Yuan Shuchun was not a simple girl. She was entangled in many schemes and plots, and if Ye Tian Yun were to disguise himself as her, even though it would just be for about a month, it wouldn''t be long before someone suspects him and the truthes out.

    ''Hmm,'' Ye Tian Yun resumed his meal.

    Even though the problem was half solved, the food was now getting cold.

    ''This food is really good.'' He couldn''t help but appreciate the delicacy.

    Turning his head towards the maid, he asked, "Who cooked this food?"

    The maid came forward and replied, "Senior Brother, my Master cooked this meal."

    "Your master?" This surprised him a bit.

    Since when have the owners cooked a meal? Usually, they would hire cooks and other staff.

    "The owner of this ce is also the cook?" He asked.

    The maid shook his head, "No, Senior Brother. Cooking is just a hobby for our Young Master. He rarely cooks."

    "Oh? I guess it''s my lucky day. The food is really good."

    "Thank you, Senior Brother." The maid''s smile brightened and became more genuine after hearing thepliment for her Young Master.

    "What''s the name of your young master? He must be pretty famous if he could cook like this just as a hobby." Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help asking.

    The maid''s smile became a bit reserved as she replied, "Senior Brother, my Young Master prefers to remain low key and doesn''t like much attention. He would be very happy to know that you like his cooking."

    "Very well, I have no problem with him if he doesn''t wish to introduce himself. Though, I do hope for one thing - the regr cooks at this ce should also be able to cook a decent meal because I might be your regr customer."

    The maid replied, "Thank you for your patronage, Senior Brother."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and didn''t say anything else for the rest of the meal.

    After paying for the food, Ye Tian Yun got up and moved towards the exit.

    Just then, he heard someone call out, "Senior Brother, please wait."

    Confused, he turned around only to find the maid from earliering towards him.

    "Senior Brother," The maid said as she came to a halt in front of him, "Young Master has called for you."

    "Me?" Ye Tian Yun asked in confusion.

    "Alright, let''s go." Ye Tian Yun agreed after a moment of thought.

    He wanted to distract his mind from brainstorming to solve his problem, and this was the perfect excuse.

    The maid nodded and gestured at him, "Please follow me, Senior Brother."

    Soon, both of them were heading towards the Second Floor of the restaurant.

    Stepping inside the floor, Ye Tian Yun noticed that this floor appeared more well decorated and exquisitely designed than the first one.

    He couldn''t help but ask the maid, "Anything special about this floor?"

    The maid replied with a slight smile, "Indeed, Senior Brother. This floor is for the Core Disciples, and sometimes even Elders dine here."

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun nodded and continued to follow behind.

    The Second Floor was empty; only two maids stood at the entrance to the next floor.

    There weren''t many Core Disciples in the sect, and Elders usually wouldn''t have time to rx, so it was natural that this floor would be empty for a lot of times.

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t surprised at this.

    Continuing to move ahead, they had soon entered the Third Floor.

    To Ye Tian Yun''s surprise, this floor was much simpler and almost had no decoration.

    There were some cupboards at the side and a table at the end of the room.

    There was a big chair on one side of the table, turned towards the wall - which was not a wall.

    And on the other side of the table were two smaller chairs.

    This floor was more like a huge office.

    Ye Tian Yun continued to follow the maid inside and took a seat at her gesture.

    However, his eyes were focused somewhere else.

    He stared at the opposite wall.

    And the reason why this wasn''t actually a wall was that he could see through this wall!

    He could see the buildings and the bustling First Peak''s base with disciples moving from one ce to another.

    Some chatting, few arguing, and many were just passing by.

    "Interesting, isn''t it?"

    A voice called out from behind.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head but continued to stare at the wall.

    The voice was familiar, but he was more interested in the wall in front of him.

    "Is this an array?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "No, it''s not." The voice replied.

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit confused at this.

    When he entered the restaurant, he remembered that he didn''t see any mirror wall on the top floor - instead, it was a solid brick wall, covered with exquisite design and painting of a dancing peacock.

    But from the inside, one could see through this wall.

    So if it wasn''t due to an array, then how was this possible?

    Sensing Ye Tian Yun''s curiosity, the one who had replied to him earlier stepped forward.

    Ye Tian Yun finally turned his head towards this person at the inclosing steps - he wanted to know who this Young Master was whose interest he had piqued.

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments. t y s m

 Chapter 261 - Second Encounter (II)

    Ye Tian Yun turned around to see who the owner of the restaurant was.

    And to his surprise, it was someone he had recently met.

    "Well, this is quite unexpected." Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but say.

    The personughed, "And here I was looking forward to this meeting."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply to this remark, "Your cooking is good."

    The owner smiled, "Well, if I had a spirit stone every time I heard this, I would have been the richest man alive long ago."

    Ye Tian Yun just rolled his eyes and said, "It''s not daily that Ipliment someone."

    "And it''s not daily that I cook for someone." The owner replied.

    "What do you want?" Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes.

    The owner just shrugged, "Nothing, just wanted to meet you. Maybe get to know you. Last time, our meeting didn''t actually go like what I was hoping for."

    "It was your arrogance." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    "No, it was my humility." The Young Master smiled.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and didn''t say anything for some time.

    Seeing him silent, the Young Master just smiled as he took the main seat on the other side of the table.

    "Alright, I will say first." The Young Master finally said.

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head, stared straight at him.

    "Who are you?" The Young Master asked.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "I know you are not Fang Chen." He said, "So tell me, who are you?"

    Ye Tian Yun''s frown deepened. Slight killing intent began to leak from his eyes.

    However, the owner smiled, "Don''t dare to try anything funny - you really think I wouldn''te prepared? Also, don''t forget where you are. This is my restaurant."

    Ye Tian Yun, nevertheless, didn''t budge. His killing intent continued to increase.

    The owner''s smile slowly disappeared, and his voice changed a bit.

    Not due to fear but out of intrigue.

    The owner of the restaurant was intrigued by Ye Tian Yun''s behavior.

    "You are acting just like I had expected - and now, I will ask for onest time - Who Are You?" The owner''s voice deepened by the time he finished.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t answer but instead closed his eyes.

    And then, let out a smile as he slowly opened them back.

    Leaning back on the chair, Ye Tian Yun rxed.

    The Young Master, the owner of the restaurant, frowned at this.

    This was an unexpected reaction - he had expected Ye Tian Yun to flip out and attack him.

    But instead, the person opposite him rxed.

    What was going on in his mind? For the first time in this conversation, he couldn''t judge what was going on.

    Ye Tian Yun finally opened his mouth, "With your extensive informationwork, I was hoping that you would have known my identity by now, Gao Xuan."

    Gao Xuan frowned but didn''t say anything.

    He was nheless surprised that Ye Tian Yun could identify him - not once, but twice.

    Thest time Ye Tian Yun had said his name, Gao Xuan had disguised himself as a disciple.

    This time he had said his name, Gao Xuan had again disguised himself.

    However, this time, his disguise was very well-known to the public.

    So the surprise wasn''t really as much as it was the first time.

    Last time, he had encountered ''Fang Chen'' while he was heading to meet a friend, and it was also at that time he had deduced the fact that ''Fang Chen'' was not actually ''Fang Chen''.

    Someone had disguised himself as Fang Chen and had infiltrated the sect!

    Gao Xuan, however, in the end, didn''t bother much with this.

    He didn''t pay much attention to this except for the part that he was quite excited to see the iing chaos in the Gracious Sword Sect and the Fang n when they know that the Fang n''s Young Master was actually someone else in disguise!

    "Well, I failed." Gao Xuan said, "Isn''t this the reason why I have already asked thrice? Who are you?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Why does it matter to you? I am pretty sure we won''t be crossing paths, and our interests lie in different things."

    Gao Xuan narrowed his eyes, "How sure are you about my goal?"

    "You''re like a caged bird, Gao Xuan," Ye Tian Yun said, "You want to spread your wings and fly - free from all shackles and chains that have held you back."

    "Don''t be surprised," He smiled as he continued, "Gao Xuan, I know much more about you - in fact - I can say I know the most about you than anyone else other than you. So it''s not me who needs to be worried. Rather, you need to think about what if the Crimson Pavilion gets to know of your ns?"

    Gao Xuan''s expression suddenly changed.

    With a serious tone, he said, "Trust me on this; you will regret speaking another word about this from your mouth."

    Ye Tian Yun''s smile widened, "See, I was right. Now, tell me, are you still interested in knowing who I am?"

    Gao Xuan pursed his lips and thought for a moment.

    In the end, he decided, "Well, I guess I have lost my interest in you."

    He decided that his n was worth more than poking his nose in Ye Tian Yun''s business.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "That''s good."

    "Gao Xuan, your decisiveness is what I like, and this is also the reason why I want you to grow more." Ye Tian Yun added.

    Gao Xuan frowned, "So you''re acting alone, hmm. I thought you were part of some hidden power."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "My background is not something you could ever fathom - at least not yet."

    With a slight smile, he continued, "Gao Xuan, instead of poking into each other''s business, I have a better idea."

    "I got a deal for you - I ask you something, and if you could provide me with the information, I will give you one hint on what you''re here for."

 Chapter 262 - The Deal

    "I got a deal for you - I ask you something, and if you could provide me with the information, I will give you one hint on what you''re here for."

    Ye Tian Yun put forward his card.

    Gao Xuan squinted his eyes but did not decide anything for some time.

    After a long awkward silence, he finally agreed, "Alright, ask. But it will be on me if I wish to take your deal or not."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, and then as he leaned forwards, he said, "Gao Xuan, tell me the names of the disciples the Sect Leader enlisted."

    Gao Xuan smiled as he heard the question, "Well, this isn''t hard."

    Ye Tian Yun''s face rxed a bit. He had expected this response.

    Even though the gRacious Sword Sect had kept everything tight-lipped, Ye Tian Yun was confident that Gao Xuan would know the answer.

    And from the answer he got in the rxed tone, Ye Tian Yun felt that one of the big obstacles was now clear.

    Well, almost clear.

    "I can give you the list, but what if the hint that you give me is not the one I need?"

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight smile, "don''t you worry about that. I know for sure what you''re here for. Let me tell you one thing - It is here."

    Gao Xuan frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun leaned back and didn''t repeat himself.

    "Is it here?" Gao Xuan asked with his eyes narrowed.

    After a moment of thought, Gao Xuan''s stiff posture rxed a bit.

    He touched his spatial ring with his thumb, and a piece of paper appeared in his hand.

    Slowly, he put it on the table.

    Ye Tian Yun looked over but didn''t say anything.

    "This is the list of the disciples taking part in the secret mission." Gao Xuan said.

    Ye tian YUn replied, "The thing you''re looking for lies under the Fourth peak."

    Gao Xuan frowned, and after a few moments, his face turned into an expression of realization.

    "Damn! I should have known!" Gao Xuan mmed his palm on the table.

    "To think it''s under the Fourth PEak and not in the First, SEcond or even the Ninth Peak!? Damn those old fogies!"

    Ye Tian Yun just shrugged at his reaction.

    This was quite expected because Gao Xuan was here to find something that deserved such a reaction.

    Calming himself, Gao Xuan put his fingers on the paper at the table and pushed it towards the Table.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, and as soon as he touched the paper, it disappeared.

    With the deal done, Ye Tian Yun stood up and began to leave.

    "Don''t you have anything else to ask?" Gao Xuan called him from behind.

    Ye Tian Yun halted his steps and turned towards him, "Well, I do have a lot of unanswered questions, but you don''t know the answers."

    Gao Xuan frowned at thest words.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t worry, I don''t doubt your abilities and reach. It''s just that you don''t know the answers yet. Maybe after a few days, months, or years, you will know. We might have another deal when that happens."

    Gao Xuan''s face rxed as he smirked, "You sure about that? Because I am quite confident that after some time, I won''t need to do such deals to get information - I will have control over everything, on my own."

    Ye Tian Yun''s smile didn''t falter, "We will see, Gao Xuan, we will see."

    With that said, he turned around and headed out of the room.

    Gao Xuan stared at his disappearing back and, after some time, couldn''t help but sigh.

    "What happened, Young Master?" The maid who had brought Ye Tian Yun into the room was still standing in a corner.

    Gao Xuan had a lost expression while replying, "Mie''er, now I am not sure if I should go ahead with my n."

    Mei''er, the maid, pursed her lips, "Young Master, you should follow your mind, not your heart. And this one isn''t even the real Fang Chen."

    Gao Xuan nodded his head, "That''s why I am hesitant. This guy was not the real Fang Chen. Fang Chen is long dead."

    "What!? He killed Fang Chen!?" Mei''er couldn''t help but have her voice raised in shock.

    Gao Xuan nodded his head.

    "This guy made some noob mistakes and left a good number of clues behind - except for the question ''who killed fang chen'', everything is answered. And now, even this is answered since this guy is in Fang Chen''s disguise."

    "Young Master, why didn''t you take advantage of this? He couldn''t even threaten you anyway. You could have easily made him bow down. There wasn''t any need to give him the information."

    Gao Xuan smiled, "No, that would have been a grave mistake. This guyˇ­ whoever he wasˇ­ he doesn''t share the same interest as I do in collecting information. However, he does hold a lot of information in his grasp."

    "Don''t forget that he knows what I havee here for - even you don''t know that. I haven''t given a clear objective to anyone of you."

    "ANd the most important thing that stopped me from doing anything - was the fact that he was staring at the wall."

    Mei''re was confused, but then it dawned upon her.

    "He saw through!?" Her shock could be sensed through her voice.

    Gao Xuan nodded with a grave expression, "He saw through all of you."

    As soon as he finished, the wall behind him began to turn ck, and the transparent view slowly disappeared.

    "Master, that''s impossible." Another voice replied.

    Gao Xuan smiled, "Dae Mon, he saw through you and your kind. He saw that you were ready to attack him at a moment''s notice, and he also saw through all the traps that were ready to strike him we he dared to do anything suspicious."

    "Impossible!" The voice sounded. Filled with shock, it was actuallying from within the wall!

    Gao Xuan narrowed his eyes and got up from his seat.

    The wall had once again turned transparent, and he could see Ye Tian Yun''s back moving through the crowd of disciples.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun stopped and turned his head.

    Staring straight into Gao Xuan''s eyes, he smiled and turned back.. Once again disappearing into the crowd of disciples.

 Chapter 263 - Heavenly Leagues New Core Member (I)

    Top Floor, The Heavenly League Main Building.

    Sitting on a huge round table were the Core members of the Heavenly League.

    Instead of an expected jovial mood, everyone''s expression was severe - it was as if they were sitting with their biggest enemies.

    To a certain point, this was actually true.

    Among the Inner Disciples, There''s a famous saying regarding the Leagues.

    ''In the World League, you walk among the brothers. In Nine Supremes, you walk among the feelings of pride. In the Jade League, you walk among the sinister fairies, and in the Heavenly League, you walk among the predators.''

    The term predators were the disciple-dubbed reference to the Core Members of the Heavenly League.

    They would take control of whatever they could; they would snatch, steal or just take it - and the disciples wouldn''t even dare to say anything.

    This was why the status of a Core Member of the Heavenly League had a very intimidating effect on anyone in the sect.

    And today, all of these disciples, with pride as great as the heavens, and cultivation base among the peak of the sect, were sitting together at one table.

    The atmosphere was intense, and everyone said that they didn''t wish toe here.

    But did they have any choice?

    It was Yuan Shuchun who had called them.

    The only disciple in the sect who could put a leash on them.

    And if she said they had to be here, they HAD to be here.

    *creak*

    Just then, the door at the end of the table opened.

    And a disciple stepped inside.

    The facial muscles of everyone else in the room twitched a bit.

    This was a disciple they didn''t wish to meet.

    And also the reason why their mood was pretty bad right now.

    "Ah, still two seats remaining - d I am not thest one to arrive - haha."

    His voice was quite calm - not at all intimidated by the intense staresing from the table.

    He moved forward and took the seat right beside the main seat.

    Now, only the main and the seat left to it were empty.

    The disciple looked at the other members one by one and said, "Ah, looks like Senior Brother Shu Xian isn''t here yet."

    No one replied, but it didn''t affect the disciple. He wasn''t expecting any reply.

    He just smiled and leaned back on his chair, rxing.

    "You don''t deserve to sit there." It was at this time one of the other members couldn''t hold himself back and called out.

    His tone was filled with disdain and anger.

    The smile on the disciple''s face widened a bit, "SEnior Brother Chi, many might agree with your opinion, but I am pretty sure you''re not the one to call the shots here."

    "Well, what about me then?" Another voice rang through the hall. It came from the outside.

    All of them turned towards the outdoors as another disciple entered the meeting hall.

    Everyone except that disciple''s expression rxed a bit as they stood up and cupped their fists.

    "Greetings, Senior Brother Shu Xian."

    Shu Xian nodded his head and moved towards the table.

    Taking the seat right in front of that disciple, he said, "Quite bold of you to not stand up? Do you think everyone here is having fun?"

    The disciple gave a nk stare for a moment, and in the next instant, his expression turned into that of a shock.

    "Senior Brother Shu! Wow! As always, I was awed by you!" The disciple eximed.

    Shu Xian, however, wasn''t affected by this, "Lower your charade. YOu might have received a ce on this table, but that doesn''t mean you can overstep your limits."

    "Let me remind you what I once said - no one in this room is equal, even though the title we hold is basically the same. Only your strength has volume, and that makes you the lowest among our ranks."

    The disciple smirked, "What makes you think that?"

    Shu Xian narrowed his eyes, "Your arrogance wille and bite you soon."

    "I can say the same for you." The disciple didn''t hold back.

    Shu Xian, didn''t react in anger.

    He smiled, "We will see that, but first, you need to take care of yourself - it won''t be long before you''re kicked out of this room, but don''t worry, I will make sure that you will never get a chance toe back."

    The disciple couldn''t help butugh, "Shu Xian, oh Shu Xian. You''re good. Your threats are good. However, I would repeat the same thing I said back then. Be careful of what you say, and always keep an eye on your back - you never know when my kickes straight on your face."

    Shu Xian narrowed his eyes.

    "Senior Brother, just give me an order. I will beat the shit out of this kid." A member beside that disciple said.

    The disciple had his fists clenched, and his voice was filled with anger.

    Shu Xian gave a slight nod.

    ANd in the next instant, the member moved!

    He first hurdle straight towards the disciple beside him, and it struck right in his chest!

    *Paak*

    *bang*

    The disciple was thrown in the wall.

    Landing straight with his back, the disciple slowly got up.

    The member cracked his neck while saying, "You still want to have that attitude?"

    The disciple didn''t say anything.

    He took a step forward.

    And in the next instant, he disappeared!

    Before the Core member of the Heavenly League could understand what was going on, he suddenly felt his hair get pulled as his whole body moved in a backward projectile in a back force.

    And before he could even gauge the intense pain, he suddenly felt his body get mmed right into the table!

    *Boom!*

    *Crack!*

    The body m broke the table into two!

    Everyone else stood in shock!

    Shu Xian was first to react. Intense killing intent filled his eyes, "you dare!"

    The disciple just smirked and threw the member he had just mmed towards Shu Xian.

    And before Shu Xian could avoid the iing unconscious body, the disciple sent a kick!

    "Xiao Ming, STOP!" A shock-filled voice rang in the hall.

 Chapter 264 - Heavenly Leagues New Core Member (II)

    "Xiao Ming, STOP!" A shock-filled voice rang in the hall.

    Everyone''s expression became serious as they turned towards the source of the voice.

    *Thud*

    Xiao Ming''s kick stillnded on Shu Xian.

    "Xiao Ming, I said stop!" the person repeated the words.

    Xiao Ming took a step back, his expression took a one-eighty degree turn, and a carefree smile appeared on his face.

    "Ah, it''s Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun. I missed you." He said.

    Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes and walked towards the table.

    Looking at the mess, she couldn''t help but sigh.

    "You guys, when will you grow up? Stop fighting like kids."

    And turning towards Shu Xian, she said, "Your behavior wasn''t really what I was expecting."

    Shu Xian bowed his head. He didn''t dare to argue back, no matter how arrogant he was.

    Though, the anger inside him had increased exponentially - especially looking at the smirk on Xiao Ming''s face.

    "You too," Yuan Shuchun''s said to Xiao Ming, "Sometimes it''s better to step back and be the one with brains in the room."

    Xiao Ming shrugged at this but didn''t say anything.

    However, the expression of everyone else in the room worsened.

    ''She''s taking sides.'' They thought.

    Yuan Shuchun didn''t notice this change and called out, "Bring a new table." And turning towards the unconscious member, she added, "And take him too. Get some cold water and give him some medicine."

    "Yes, Mydy." Few maids entered the hall and replied.

    Soon the room had a whole new table arranged, and everyone was now seated.

    Things were back to normal - except for the absence of the disciple, who Xiao Ming had knocked out.

    "No matter what, I am quite impressed," Yuan Shuchun started, while looking at Xiao Ming, "You were able to send a peak Qi Condensation Realm disciple out of his senses. That''s amazing."

    It was at this moment everyone else also noticed this fact.

    ''Ssss!''

    Many took a deep breath as they expressed their shock.

    What Xiao Ming did was not a small deal - especially when you include the fact that he was one whole realm lower just a month ago!

    He had only been in the Inner Court for a month, and he was at the Ninth Level Of Qi Refining a month ago!

    And today, he knocked out a disciple in the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation Realm!

    One whole realm higher!

    And Xiao Ming did this with ease!

    Everyone''s surprise was only natural.

    Even Shu Xian felt threatened more than ever.

    Xiao Ming, on the other hand, still had his nonchnt expression, "Senior Sister, it was just that these people here didn''t think that your decision to give me a seat at this table was right."

    "I was just clearing some doubts."

    Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes and turned to everyone else.

    The other members lowered their heads and avoided eye contact.

    Even Shu Xian was no exception.

    Yuan Shuchun just shook her head and changed the topic, "Well, let''smence the meeting, and let me tell you the reason why I have called you here."

    Everyone''s head turned once again - this time full of attention and eagerness to know the reason.

    Yuan Shuchun inwardly rolled her eyes at this and said, "I have called you here for two reasons - the first is an order, and the second one is something more of a choice for you."

    Seeing everyone nod, she continued, "The order for you guys is to rank at least ten ranks higher than your previous rank in the Gracious Sword Ranking if you were between top 100 to top 25."

    "If you were ranked between 25 to 10, I want a jump of at least five ranks."

    "And, if you were in the top 10," She turned towards Shu Xian as she finished her words, "I want a jump of at least two ranks."

    Everyone in the hall looked at each other, but no one replied with an affirmation.

    In the end, they eyed Shu Xian for a response, who coughed and said, "Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun, what you''re asking isˇ­ pretty difficult."

    Yuan Shuchun shrugged, "Well, those who find this task difficult may leave this room right now. Heavenly League doesn''t need disciples who run from challenges."

    Shu Xian shook his head, "Senior Sister, it''s not that anyone here is afraid of challenges, but most of us just wish to know, is there any reason for thismand?"

    Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes, "You need a reason?"

    Shu Xian gulped, "Senior Sister, this could be a motivation for us."

    Yuan Shuchun''s eye muscles rxed a bit, "The reason is pretty simple - Jiang Chen won''t be getting up from the bed for one whole year now - this means he won''t be participating in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "It is a chance for the Heavenly League to crush the World League and create a monopoly."

    Many people nodded their heads at this, but just then,

    "Senior Sister, I think you''re going in the wrong direction if you wish to crush the World League."

    Shu Xian frowned, "What do you mean by that, Xiao Ming?"

    It was Xiao Ming who had objected to the n.

    Xiao Ming simply shrugged, "Well, even if everyone in this room is ranked top 20, it still won''t be enough because of the remaining 80 ranks; 75 of them would be of different ranks."

    "So instead of focusing on our ranks, we should boost the morale of our league members and force them into the top 100 ranks."

    "It would be only then that our league will have the most benefit."

    Everyone in the hall fell into thought.

    Yuan Shuchun was the first one to say, "Well, I guess we have a better n now."

    "I will just add to what Xiao Ming had just said - as long as any of you could bring three disciples ranked in the top 100, you and those disciples would get special resources for the Grand Spirit hunt."

    ...

    A/n: ty for reading

 Chapter 265 - Ye Tian Yun Prepares For The Ambush!

    "Bring me, three disciples, in the top hundred ranks, and get cultivation resources."

    This was basically what Yuan Shuchun had said.

    And to the members at the table, it was really good news - because they were going to get a lot of free resources!

    On the other hand, Xiao Ming didn''t show any expression - he never cared about this idea in the first ce.

    Because cultivation resources were thest thing, he was worried about in this world.

    Yuan Shuchun didn''t waste any more time.

    Before anyone could show agreement or disagreement through words, she moved to the next agenda.

    "Well, now I wille to the second thing - I will give you a choice, or offer, or anything you wish."

    Now the attention of everyone in the hall was at her, she continued after a slight pause, "I will be going outside for some personal reasons. And I want someone from you toe with me."

    Everyone looked at each other for a moment, and then the whole hall mored!

    "Senior Sister, let mee!"

    "Senior Sister, I will be honored."

    "Senior sister, this junior brother will go through hell and heaven for you."

    While everyone in the hall chimed in for Yuan Shuchun, only two people were quiet - Shu Xian and Xiao Ming.

    After some time, as everyone quieted down, Shu Xian opened his mouth, "Senior Sister, it will be me who should go."

    "Oh? And why is that?" Xiao Ming smirked.

    ''Because-"

    "Because you think you can protect Senior Sister?" Xiao Ming asked in a disdaining tone, "Clear this doubt for me, will it be you who will need protection, or will it be her, when you both get ambushed by an enemy?"

    "Xiao Ming, you-"

    "Bah, leave it." Xiao Ming waved his hand at him, "The thing here is pretty simple, the one who would not creep her out," he said this while looking at everyone at the table, "Should be the one to go to her."

    "And I am pretty sure that only I am the one who fits this condition." Xiao Ming ended his part.

    If stares could kill, Xiao Ming would have died a hundred times by now because everyone at the table was staring at him as if he was their mortal enemy.

    Xiao Ming, however, was unfazed by this.

    And before anyone could say anything, Yuan Shuchun mmed her hand on the table.

    "Alright, then it''s decided!"

    Everyone looked at her in confusion - it''s decided? Just like that?"

    "It will be Shu Xian." Yuan Shuchun made the decision.

    Suddenly the mood in the hall lightened a bit, and almost everyoneughed.

    Theyughed at Xiao Ming.

    And for the first time, Xiao Ming was affected by what had just happened.

    ''Why would she choose Shu Xian over me?'' He thought, ''Last one month''s hard work went to waste just like that.''

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head, "Alright, now, I have a few more things to add before y''all head back to your ce."

    ˇ­

    The Ninth Peak.

    Ye Tian Yun looked around with a frown.

    He was currently sitting on a tree branch at the side of an alley.

    Why was he here?

    To create an opportunity for himself to follow the disciples heading out for the secret mission given by Sect Leader Su.

    And how was he going to do that?

    Well, he was currently waiting for a disciple.

    The n was pretty simple - he was going to disguise himself as that disciple.

    He moved his hand forward, and in his hand were two small ck balls.

    One was in ck, and the other one had red stripes on it.

    Staring at them, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but have a smile on his face, "Thank goodness, at least few of my skills are the same as my previous life, and not useless like the cultivation base and cultivation manuals."

    After getting out of the restaurant, Ye Tian Yun looked at the names in the list, and it was pretty easy for him to decide his next target.

    But because there were going to be too many disciples and elders, he needed to take some precautions.

    And thus, he roamed around the first peak and bought some materials to prepare a couple of these balls.

    And after he was done, he came to the Ninth Peak.

    The balls were very useful, especially in situations like this.

    Since this was a pretty public area and basically the worst spot to ambush a disciple, he needed to take special measures.

    And these balls were special measures!

    The ck ball was a smoke bomb - he was going to use this to create a distraction.

    And the one with the red stripes could create a Qi-less zone. Thus preventing anyone in its range from using Qi to detect surroundings.

    Both of these were pretty useful tools.

    The only things that Ye tian Yun needed to be careful of were timing and not inhaling the gases produced by these two balls.

    He needed to be careful of timing because that was a very important factor for him to seed.

    He couldn''t just ambush his target anywhere.

    And thest thing he needed to be careful of was not to inhale the gases himself.

    Ambushing himself would be thest thing he wanted to do today.

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a few steps.

    Raising his head, he squinted his eyes as a small smile appeared on his face.

    His target was here.

    Well, this was not the one he was here for - but the one who would bring him close to his target.

    Ye Tian Yun took a piece of cloth and masked himself - and then, moved his hands, dropping the two balls on the ground.

    Before they could hit the ground, he had already jumped on the ground.

    ˇ­

    In the Heavenly League''s meeting hall.

    "Alright, everyone, now you can head back to your cultivation abodes.." Yuan SHuchun ended the meeting, "Everyone, except Shu Xian, and Xiao Ming."

 Chapter 266 - The Secret

    "Everyone, except Shu Xian and Xiao Ming."

    As soon as Yuan Shuchun said those words, everyone in the hall couldn''t help but be confused.

    Even Xiao Ming was confused about this.

    Telling Shu Xian to remain behind was understandable - after all, Yuan Shuchun had just selected him to join her on the trip outside the sect.

    But Xiao Ming? Yuan Shuchun didn''t even look at him in the whole meeting. So why was she telling him to stay behind?

    Even though everyone was curious, no one had the guts to ask. In the end, they just stood up and left the hall.

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head at their obedience and watched them as they left the room one by one, not forgetting to cup their fists at her first.

    After everyone had left, only three people remained in the hall - Yuan Shuchun. Shu Xian and Xiao Ming.

    "Both of you, get yourself ready. We will be heading out of the sect." Yuan Shuchun said.

    "Both?" Shu Xian and Xiao Ming looked at each other in confusion.

    "Senior Sisterˇ­ didn''t you say only one disciple needed toe with you?" Shu Xian asked. His expression was stillced with confusion.

    Yuan Shuchun just waved her hand, "Leave that. You both were already chosen before I decided to have the meeting."

    This confused both of them even more.

    "Then...why would you have the meeting?"

    Yuan Shuchun replied, "It was just to see everyone''s progress. And see if they could persist on their own."

    Looking at the frowns on the faces of the two disciples in front of her, she added, "I am not sure if we would be able to return in time for the uing Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "What!?" Both of them were quite shocked by this.

    Yuan Shuchun nodded, "And we have no choice in this - because this is not a trip, but actually a secret mission assigned by the Sect Leader."

    "It''s a secret mission? And the three of us are chosen for this?" Xiao Ming asked, just to verify what he had just heard.

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head, "We''re not the only ones. There will be a few other disciples."

    "Who?" Shu Xian asked.

    "I can''t disclose this yet." Yuan Shuchun shook her head.

    "But what I can say is that Sect Leader Su yed a very cheap trick here."

    "Oh? And what''s that?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips and said, "All the disciples going on the trip are the most problematic ones for the World League. And there is no one from that League going out on the mission."

    Both Shu Xian and Xiao Ming couldn''t help being surprised at this.

    "Is that even fair? I mean, what did the other elders say?" Xiao Ming asked.

    "I am sure not many elders know about it, but even then, can they do anything? I don''t think so." Yuan Shuchun shook her head as she finished her words.

    Xiao Ming nodded his head slightly and then asked, "So.. what''s the mission about? Or is it that you can''t disclose it?"

    Yuan Shuchun shrugged, "I only know the gist of it. I did get a few papers about it, but it only mentioned the members in the mission, not the content of the mission. We will have to be on the Second Floor of the Resource Hall tomorrow at sunrise."

    "Why there?" Xiao Ming frowned.

    "Because that''s the way to get to the Grand Meeting Hall, where we will meet the Sect Leader." It was Shu Xian who answered this.

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and added, "Alright, now you guys can head back to your cultivation abodes. Just remember not to talk about the mission to anyone else, or you might get into big trouble."

    Both of them nodded and cupped their fists.

    "I will take my leave then, Senior Sister." Shu Xian said as he got up from his seat.

    Look at the hurrying Shu Xian from behind; Yuan Shuchun frowned a bit.

    After Shu Xian had left, Xiao Ming said, "How long are you nning to stay still? This mission is a good chance for you."

    Yuan Shuchun frowned, "What do you mean?"

    Xiao Ming shrugged, "Well, we both know what that guy is talking about. Shu Xian tried to assassinate you at the Heaven''s Grace banquetst month."

    Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes at him, "Do you know that I could have you crippled for such an usation?"

    Xiao Ming rolled his eyes, "Stop acting ignorantly. Everyone knows there were two assassination attempts that day. The only difference was, while everyone thought they were the same, in truth, two different parties orchestrated them."

    "The sleeper cells were by an unknown enemy, the Devil sect, and the assassin who attacked you in the banquet hall was sent at you by Shu Xian."

    Yuan Shuchun frowned.

    "How do you know all this?"

    Xiao Ming shrugged but didn''t say anything.

    Yuan Shuchun didn''t press the topic, "If you don''t want to tell, then just leave."

    Xiao Ming smiled and came close to her face, "Dear, just like how you have your secrets, I have my own cards."

    Yuan Shuchun was unaffected by his approach and said, "Xiao Ming, leave."

    Xiao Ming just shrugged, "If that''s what you want."

    And with that said, he stood up and left without saying anything else.

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips at him but didn''t say anything.

    As he left, she closed her eyes, "This guy is so annoying."

    ˇ­

    In a random restaurant at the base of the First Peak.

    Two disciples were standing side by side; in front of them were some drinks.

    "Are you sure about this?" One of the disciples said. He had a rough voice.

    "Yes. The sect is organizing a Secret Mission, and this is the best chance for us to eliminate the remaining top disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect." The other replied.

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please leave ament.

 Chapter 267 - Ambush!?

    "The sect is organizing a Secret Mission, and this is the best chance for us to eliminate the remaining top disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    One of the disciples casually gave out the current biggest secret of the sect.

    The disciple, with a rough voice, replied, "You just do your work. Don''te to me and give me advice. I know what to do."

    The other disciples remained silent.

    "Also, let me tell you one thing - I know you want to get out of the sect, but this is not going to happen pretty soon. After all, you''re just a little pawn put here by them. You are destined to die here."

    The other disciple remained silent.

    Seeing no reaction from him, the disciple with a rough voice smirked, "Shu Xian, it''s just a matter of time before Yuan Shuchunes after you. She already knows it was you who arranged the assassination."

    ''''What!?" The disciple beside him finally had some reaction.

    Shock and a tinge of fear were written all over his face.

    "What do you mean she knows? How could she know!?" Shu Xian almost shouted. His voice was filled with frustration and anger.

    The disciple with the rough voice leaned back on his chair and put his hands behind his head.

    He replied in a bit rxed tone this time, "Well, the sect has been pretty calm for some time now, and I may or may not have spilled some beans while drunk."

    "You-!" Shu Xian gritted his teeth.

    Unfortunately, he had no control over anything and could only get up and leave.

    Staring at the storming of Shu Xian, the discipleughed, "Well, that was a good talk." And began to drink from the ss in front of him.

    ˇ­

    "Move, you fucking asshole!"

    *bang!*

    Everyone turned around to themotion, only to find Shu Xian kicking an Outer Court disciple out of his way.

    Many subconsciously took a step back.

    In the Ninth Peak, confronting the angry Shu Xian was one of the worst things a disciple could do.

    And looking at him right now, Shu Xian seemed quite angry.

    And he really was.

    Shu Xian was more than just pissed off.

    He wanted to kill someone. Only that could calm his anger.

    ''Why the fuck am I the scapegoat?'' He couldn''t help but grit his teeth at this thought.

    Life had been really bad for him.

    Born in a poor n, taken in by the devil sect, tortured for years, and now sent to the enemy sect as the spy.

    If this was not enough, his own sect abandoned him after using him.

    ''Are those guys idiots?'' He couldn''t help but have an annoyed expression, ''Someone with my talent would be more useful when alive than dead.''

    ''What are those higher up thinking? Fucking assholes!'' Shu Xian kicked another disciple in anger.

    He wasn''t worried about repercussions due to his actions, but there was one thing that he was afraid of - Yuan Shuchun''s anger.

    Being a spy, he had a mission to get close to Yuan Shuchun.

    He did get close to her.

    It was only after that he got to know how cruel she really was.

    To her, human life never mattered. She would do anything to get what she wanted.

    And this was the reason why he was always nervous around her - especially after the assassination attempt on her.

    He was afraid that one day she would know the truth.

    And now, the truth hade forward.

    ''She knows.''

    She knew that it was him who brought the assassin to the banquet hall.

    It was only because of Jun Xie''s interference that she''s still alive.

    ''She will kill me at the first chance she gets.''

    Shu Xian gritted his teeth.

    And the chance was right in front of her.

    The secret mission.

    The secret mission was assigned by the Sect Leader.

    ''She will definitely kill me as soon as we get out of the sect.'' Shu Xian''s anger slowly decreased as an unceasing sense of fear took over him.

    ''I need to prepare myself for the worst.''

    Unfortunately, he knew that no matter what, only death awaited him.

    Taking a deep breath, Shu Xian stepped on the floor of his cultivation abode.

    All the peaks in the Gracious Sword Sect had a simr structure.

    Just like the Seventh Peak, the Ninth Peak was also divided into several floors.

    Shu Xian headed towards his cultivation abode, ignoring the disciples'' bowing in front of him.

    He felt indifferent towards everything - after knowing that he would be dead in a few days.

    He came close to his abode and unclicked the lock.

    ''Never thought fate would be so fickle. My life -''

    *bang!*

    A loud noise was heard!

    And before Shu Xian could even think of anything else, he suddenly felt his mouth get covered from something, and in the next instant, he lost breath.

    He struggled for some time and felt his body get dragged somewhere.

    ''Is it Yuan Shuchun!?'' This was thest thought before he could think of anything.

    ˇ­

    "What happened!?"

    "Who is it?"

    "Damn, which bastard is ying pranks!?"

    Many disciples shouted as dense smoke covered the whole floor.

    "I can''t use my Qi!''

    "Me too!?"

    "Fuck! Is this an assassination!?"

    As soon as someone shouted this, everyone panicked and ran for their lives.

    *bang!*

    Another noise was heard, and the disciples panicked even more.

    But what they didn''t know was the noise of a cultivation abode''s gate shutting in.

    More specifically, it was Shu Xian''s cultivation abode''s gate.

    ˇ­ x c

    After an unknown amount of time, Shu Xian slowly came back to his senses.

    He tried to look around, but everything was dark.

    He tried to move around, but his hands and legs were tied.

    Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the dim room and found himself tied against the wall.

    In front of him was a chair, and on that, someone was sitting.

    "Who are you?" Shu Xian snarled.. His anger exploded.

 Chapter 268 - The Interrogation Begins

    "Who are you?" Shu Xian snarled, "Do you know who the fuck I am!?"

    "Get me ou-!"

    *bang*

    Shu Xian suddenly felt intense pain all over his face.

    Before he could think of anything, another wave of pain spread through his stomach!

    "Who *cough* are you!?" Shu Xian managed to ask again.

    *bang!*

    Shu Xian clenched his eyes close, but instead of pain, he only felt a whiff of air pass by.

    Slowly opening his eyes, he found his kidnapper had his leg just right beside his head!

    Just an inch away!

    If that kick hadnded on him, his head would have gotten crushed.

    "What do you want?" Shu Xian''s tone was a bit submissive this time.

    "Heh, finally, you''re asking the right question." Shu Xian could ''see'' the smirk on his abductor''s face, even though the room had very dim light.

    "Well, I don''t want much, just a few things here and there." Shu Xian heard the next words.

    He frowned and asked, "What is it?"

    "Heh, well, not much. Just everything about you."

    "Wha-What?" Shu Xian got confused even more.

    "What do you want to know about me?"

    "As I said, I want to know everything. So, have this pill." Shu Xian felt something get shoved in his mouth.

    Before he could react, the pill had already melted as soon as it touched his lips.

    Even though he tried to spit, he still felt the taste of the pill - that meant he had already stepped into the trap.

    "What was that?" SHu XIan gritted his teeth.

    He saw the smirk once again on that guy, "Nothing much, just something that will blow up one finger every time you lie."

    "Bullshit!" Shu Xian disdained such a im.

    He had never heard of such a thing, and he was part of the elite group in poison arts.

    "You can try lying. Let''s see if you still smirk after that, heh."

    Hearing the condescending tone, Shu Xian hesitated.

    He wasn''t an idiot. He wouldn''t risk his fingers getting blown off just to prove someone else wrong.

    "Oh? So you''re afraid now? Heh, then let''s not waste any more time."

    Shu Xian frowned as his abductor continued to say, "Answer me about a few things, and I will let you off."

    "Let me off?" Shu Xian smirked, "Do you think I am an idiot?"

    "Well, no, I don''t think you''re an idiot. But you''re also not important enough."

    "What do you mean?" Shu Xian scowled. He hated when someone called him a nobody.

    "Woah-woah, offended? So easily? That''s not nice of you, Disciple Twenty Two."

    "You-!" The words got stuck in his throat for some time.

    "What- you- you- what did you call me!?" Shu Xian finally stammered out his thoughts.

    "Well, Disciple Twenty Two, tell me three things, and I will let you off."

    Shu Xian calmed himself but didn''t say anything.

    However, his abductor was not affected by this.

    "The first thing, tell me about major events in your life, and our rtives. Dead or alive."

    Shu Xian narrowed his eyes, "I will tell you, but first, tell me who you ar-!"

    *bang!*

    Shu Xian suddenly felt the leg that was just beside his head move and strike him, forcing his body to fall sideways.

    *bang!*

    "Ugh-!" Shu Xian gritted his teeth and tried to fight off the pain as another kicknded on his stomach.

    The intense pain forced him to curve into a ball shape.

    "I am the one who''s asking questions here. Just fuckin'' tell me what I want, and that will save both of our time." These words echoed in Shu Xian''s head.

    "*cough*!" Blood spitted out of his mouth as he mustered himself to say something.

    "Ugh- who- who- whoever you are, you''re in big trouble!" Shu Xian said, "Themotion you caused will soon lead to an investigation, and disciplinary hall disciples will soone *cough* they will soone knocking on the door!"

    "It won''t be long before you get caught, hehe!" Shu Xian''s face had a dirty smile as he showed his blood-covered teeth.

    *pack!*

    "Ah!!!" Agonizing shouts from pain rang throughout the room as Shu Xian failed to blood pour throughout his mouth.

    Moving his tongue, he found that his teeth were missing!

    Shivering in pain, he looked up.

    His eyes showed a mixture of hate and fear.

    "You still want to talk bullshit with me!?"

    *bang!*

    Another kick mmed right into his stomach.

    "You bastard-!"

    *bang!*

    "Fuck you-!"

    *bang!* *pouck!*

    "You-!"

    *bang!*

    "Ugh- why- why are you doing this to me!?" Shu Xian couldn''t even keep his eyes open.

    "Hais, this guyˇ­ just tell me about yourself. That''s it. Shu Xian, why do you want to get beaten up? Do you like it? If so, then just say yes. You will get the most revealing experience today, hehehe."

    Shu Xian had never hated someone''sugh as much as he hated it right now.

    He vowed to himself.

    ''Whoever you are, I will find you and kill you with my bare hands.''

    As if his abductor had read his thoughts,ughter echoed through the cultivation abode as Shu Xian heard, "I know you want to kill me more than anything right now, but don''t you worry. You will get your chance. It''s just; there are still few things you have to answer first."

    Shu Xian frowned, "So you want to know about me?"

    "Ah, so we''re finally back on the topic. Exactly. I want to know about you. Because I have no intention of repeating a silly mistake."

    Shu Xian was confused by his words but didn''t focus on them much.

    "I will tell you, alright, I will tell you everything truthfully."

    "That''s what I want to hear." Shu Xian sensed another smirk on his abductor''s face.

    "You called me Disciple Twenty Two. So I am sure you know quite a lot already. And I am sure you will kill me after this. But let me tell you this - as soon as you kill me, my people will know. They will know-how, who, when and where I was killed!"

    *bang!*

    "AAHHHH!" Shu Xian cried in pain while holding his hand.

    His eyes opened wide in shock, as he saw that his index finger was missing!

 Chapter 269 - The Shocking Encounter Of Shu Xian

    "Hahahaha!"

    Laughter echoed through the room as Shu Xian sat in shock, staring at his finger.

    "Wh-wh-why..?" He had no words.

    "Why? Didn''t I tell you?" He got the reply, "Didn''t I tell you that your finger will be sted into smithereens if you lie to me?"

    Shu Xian raised his head and looked at the person who held his fate in his hands.

    This time there was no hate in his eyes ˇŞ only fear.

    "I-I-I am Shu Xian." He stammered and said, "I am part of the Eastern Scout Group from the Devil Sect. And I have been assigned to the Gracious Sword Sect to assassinate Yuan Shuchun."

    The person in front of him nodded his head, "Now tell me something that I don''t know about."

    Shu Xian frowned, "I tried to assassinate Yuan Shuchun at the banquet but failed."

    Seeing another nod, Shu Xian continued. "I failed because of Jun Xie."

    "After I failed, Jun Xie was also added to my target list because of the threat."

    "However, just as I was about to prepare for another n, Yuan Shuchun called a meeting."

    "The meeting was today, and there, I got to know about a secret mission."

    *bang!*

    "Ugh-why? Why again?"

    "I asked you about yourself, not about your day. Tell me something that you know, but no one has any idea about."

    Shu Xian pursed his lips but didn''t say anything.

    *bang!*

    "Ugh, alright! Alright! I will tell you."

    He gritted his teeth and stabilized himself.

    "I- I am from the Wu Kingdom."

    "Hmm, okay, that''s quite a lot."

    "What do you mean?" Shu Xian asked in confusion.

    The person in front of him didn''t reply.

    Instead, he took out a piece of paper and stared at it.

    Shu Xian didn''t speak anymore. He waited for the response.

    "Well, Shu Xian, tell me this, what is your rtion with the Gao n from the big four of the Xin Capital City?"

    Shu Xian frowned and then shook his head, "I have no rtion with that n. I have never even been to the capital city."

    "Hmm, that''s interesting." After a pause, Shu Xian heard, "Tell me about the fruitful encounter you had just before the Gracious Sword Sect recruited you."

    "Encounter?" Shu Xian frowned, and then as something dawned upon him, his eyes opened wide in shock, "How do you know about that!?"

    "Just tell me, there''s no point in knowing how I know stuff. Tell me about that encounter."

    Shu Xian pursed his lips and fell in a trance for a moment.

    And after some time, he opened his mouth.

    "It was three years ago. I was passing through Crimson Bay City."

    "Which bay?"

    "Crimson Bay City."

    "Hmm, continue."

    "However, just outside the city, I was ambushed by unknown enemies. Fortunately, someone passing by helped me. However, I was too injured to make sense of anything during the fight and soon fainted."

    "After a few days, I finally woke up. I kept my guard up as soon as I came to my senses. Fortunately, I was in a mortal''s family."

    "They were rich. They were the richest mortals I had ever met."

    "Oh? Tell me about them?" For the first time, Shu Xian sensed a different emotion from his enemy''s tone.

    Shu Xian pursed his lips and said, "It was a family of three. They were sea merchants. But they were very rich and well respected. Iter found out that the person who had saved me was their old friend and had put me in their care and left to his business."

    "I felt blessed with luck. Even though I was raised in the evilest Sect of the Lower Heavens, I didn''t act irrational and was very much thankful for their favor."

    "However, on the fifth night of my stay, I found something shocking - those mortals were hidden cultivators! And they were very powerful!"

    "ANd it wasn''t shocking enough for me, what they were talking about but did send the daylights out of my brain."

    "Oh?" The person in front of him was intrigued, "What were they discussing?"

    Shu Xian looked straight into his eyes and answered, "Token Of Fate."

    "What!?"

    Shu Xian nodded his head.

    "Yes, it was the Token Of Fate."

    Suddenly Shu Xian felt a jerk on his cor and felt his body was raised above the ground.

    "Tell me everything. Don''t you dare miss a single detail?" Shu Xian heard these simple words, but in the most threatening voice, he could ever imagine.

    He nodded and replied, "They were mentioning about this token already finding its possessor."

    "What!?" His abductor was shocked even more.

    Shu Xian nodded his head, "Yes. Token Of Fate has already chosen someone from this generation."

    The pull around his cor slowly rxed, and he felt put down, slowly.

    "Did they discuss who had it?"

    Shu Xian nodded his head, "They didn''t say any names. But they did say one thing - in three years; it was going to be in the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "It''s going to be here in the sect? That meansˇ­ Xiao Ming already has the Token!? That''s good; I won''t have to waste any more time."

    Shu Xian frowned when he heard this, "Xiao Ming? Xiao Ming!? Xiao Ming has the Token!?"

    His voice got louder and erratic by the end.

    However, his question was ignored, "Shut up! And tell me what happened next."

    Shu Xian still held on to the question, "If you think you can just go after Xiao Ming the Token and kill him to get your hands on it, I am so d to inform you that you won''t achieve anything."

    "What do you mean?"

    Shu Xian smirked, "Even if you kill that guy, the Token won''t appear. The reason? It''s pretty simple - there are two more Tokens in the Gracious Sword Sect!"

    "What!?" The person in front of him was shaking, "How is that possible!?"

    Shu Xian shook his head, "I have no idea. But that couple discussed these Tokens."

    "Which Tokens are they?"

    Shu Xian continued to shake his head, "I have no idea, neither did that couple. They only knew that possessors of two supremely powerful Tokens were also going to be in the Sect during the same time as Token Of Fate was going to be here."

    "They didn''t know who these two cultivars were?"

    "No, just like Token Of Fate, they didn''t know who the possessors of these two unknown Tokens were."

    "Hmm, looks like I will have to make a few more trips to this sect in theing futureˇ­" After a moment, he turned towards Shu Xian and asked, "Were you never noticed by them? How is that possible?"

    Shu Xian smirked, "I am an expert in two things - poison arts and camouge. And that couple wasn''t even on guard; they were very rxed. That''s what I think because they never even turned towards me."

    "No- no- no, that would never happen. You really think you can escape the eyes of the previous generation''s Heavenly King?"

    "Heavenly King!?" Shu Xian was confused for a moment, and then his expression turned into that of a shock, "Heavenly King!? From the Middle Heavens!?"

    "Indeed. The couple you met were from the Middle Heavens. And the man was Heavenly King Wang. A coward, and pathetic person, who couldn''t even keep his family name."

    "Heavenly King Wang!?" Shu Xian''s breathing became erratic.

    Heavenly Kings were no small matter. Especially the ones from the previous generation. Heavenly King Ye shook the world by unifying the whole Middle Heavens under one rule.

    Heavenly King Wang was his younger brother.

    Everyone knew of these two legendary cultivators. Young kids used to hear their stories before going to sleep.

    Shu Xian was no different.

    And today, he got to know that he had actually stayed at a Heavenly King''s abode!?

    He couldn''t believe his luck.

    "I missed such a great opportunity?" He could only sigh in disbelief.

    The person in front of him, however, rolled his eyes at such a reaction, "Tell me about their kid."

    "Wang Yao?" Shu Xian frowned.

    Seeing him nod, Shu Xian continued, "I will never forget that guy - he''s a sex addict. And he was just twelve. Imagine a twelve-year-old sex addict! Meeting with that guy was the unluckiest day of my life."

    "Oh really?"

    Shu Xian nodded his head, "Yes. I am not lying." He said while pointing at his remaining intact fingers.

    After a moment of silence, he added, "Even though they were talking about the Tokens, it seemed that they had no intention of going after the token. They wanted their son to be the one who should go after the token."

    "In fact, Heavenly King Wang seemed sure that it would be his son, Wang Yao, who would summon the God Emblem and be proimed as the Heavenly Emperor!"

    ...

    A/n: This is the only chapter for today, and also is double the length because I didn''t wish to break it into two parts and spoil the plot.

    If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments. t y s m

 Chapter 270 - Token Of Reality

    "Wang Yao will be the Heavenly Emperor!" Shi Xian repeated himself, "And I can assure you that those two talked as if it was already written in stone."

    After a slight pause, Shi Xian said, "They said, this time a different approach will be used. This time, they will use friendship."

    "Friendship?"

    Shi Xian nodded his head, "Indeed. They were nning to make Wang Yao friends with the Token Holders. To be honest, I find this quiteughable. That guy, an arrogant prick, who only thinks with what is between his legs instead of what''s between his ears, only idiots would be brothers with him."

    "Hmm, and did you meet anyone else there?"

    Shi Yan frowned and pressed on his memories, and suddenly made a shocked expression.

    "Ah, I remember now! I remember!"

    "Oh? You remember beauty?"

    "Yes, yes!" Shi Xian nodded his head continuously, "Even though I am not into small kids, I was sure that girl was going to be a real beauty after a few years."

    "What was her name?"

    "I don''t really remember, that girl wasn''t really the main character in the house, though I do clearly remember she was surnamed Ling."

    "Well, she indeed was. Shu Xian, you''re very lucky."

    "Lucky?" Shu Xian looked at the person in front of him from up to down and then he looked at his missing finger, "You sure you''re talking about me?"

    "Of course, you''re like the luckiest person in the Lower Heavens. Not only you heard such big secrets, you even came out unscathed. Though, I am pretty sure Heavenly King Wang let you off."

    Shu Xian frowned, "Yeah, I still don''t understand that part, why would he let me off?"

    "We may never know. No, you may never know."

    "What do you mean?" Shu Xian opened his eyes wide in shock as he understood the subtle meaning under the words/

    "You will understand soon what I mean, but before that, you still have two more things to tell me."

    "Alright, so, of these two things, I will now ask the first question, tell me if your Sect is nning any surprise during this secret mission?"

    Shu Xian couldn''t help but ask, "How do you know these things?"

    "Hmm?"

    "I mean, how do you know about such things but you don''t know the details?" Shu Xian simplified his question, "You knew about my real identity and history, you knew about my encounter, you even judged who that hidden cultivator family was, and now you even know about my sect nning something during the secret mission."

    "But, you don''t know anything in detail about these thingsˇ­ who are you..?" Shu Xian narrowed his eyes, "Are you one of the other two hidden Token Holders of the sect?"

    *bang!*

    "Ugh-!"

    "Just answer my goddamn questions and I will let you off, Shu Xian. We don''t have the whole day."

    Shu Xian gritted his teeth and looked in front of him with pure hatred.

    Seeing his reaction, his abductor just smiled, "You can hate on me all you want, but I should first correct you."

    Shu Xian got confused by these words.

    "Well, I don''t possess any Token. What I do possess is a set of sharp knives which are tempting me to y your skin and keep you alive for as long as I can."

    Shu Xian clenched his teeth but didn''t say anything.

    "Your expression is quite funny, I feel like I am back in my old self. I do miss torturing allies of the God''s Legion." Shu Xian didn''t understand anything from this but he did notice his abductor take out a piece of paper.

    "This." Shu Xian looked at the paper as his abductor continued, "This is how I got to know a lot about you."

    "What is this?" Shu Xian couldn''t help but call out in shock.

    To think that in this paper were his deepest secret!

    Secrets that he had shared with no one!

    How was this possible!?

    "A gift from a new friend." Shu Xian got the reply.

    "Who are you?" Shu Xian asked again.

    "Damn, is this beating not enough for you? Don''t waste any more time. Tell me what''s going to happen during the mission, what''s the n of your sect, and what will be their goal."

    Shu Xian suddenly smiled, "They will kill everyone who is going to be part of that mission."

    "Well, I had a feeling about that. Now tell me how they are going to know about this."

    Shu Xian went silent.

    "Tell me."

    Shu Xian shook his head, "I don''t know. I am not part of their n. As I said, I only know that everyone will be after my life as soon as I step out of the sect."

    "Yuan Shuchun knows that it was me who tried to assassinate her, and my sect had abandoned me. So this will be the perfect chance for both of these parties to get rid of me."

    "Sigh, this will be troublesome. Shu Xian, I will now ask you onest thing - the answer will decide your fate."

    Shu Xian shook his head, "Do you think I would believe that? You didn''t even let memit suicide."

    "Oh? I am d you really tried yet."

    Shu Xian replied, "Of course I would try, that was always the instinctivest resort. I tried it as soon as I knew there was no way to escape. How did you do it? My fellow sect disciples have something like a pouch in their mouth, it''s very small and well hidden. It''s filled with poison, and can''t be removed without bursting it, once set in ce. How did you disable it?"

    "Well, it''s easy once you know how to. Just like how your sects sleeper cells are easy to find, most of the silly tricks of which the whole world is afraid of, have a pretty simple solution."

    Shu Xian was shocked, "It was you who stopped the Sleeper Cell attack!?"

    "Only because I had to."

    "Who are you?" Shu Xian repeated his question.

    But before he could think of anything else, he felt his body fell to sideways.

    Then he noticed that his body was still in ce! It was just his head that was fallen to the side!

    He was beheaded!

    And before he lost thest of his consciousness, he felt his head rise up and heard thest words, "Tell your maker, it was Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun who sent you."

    *pang!*

    Ye Tian Yun threw Shu Xian to the side.

    And took out an empty spatial ring from within his spatial ring.

    Without hesitation, he put his body into the spatial ring.

    "Not gonna make silly mistakes once again. I left Fang Chen''s body so I could enjoy the thought of wild animals eating him, but that was a mistake."

    After everything was done, and Ye Tian Yun even stored some blood of Shu Xian to use when he disguised as him by using the Thousand Faced Death technique.

    Once it was all done, Ye Tian Yun leaned back on his chair and stared at the piece of the paper in his hand.

    He didn''t worry about any boobytraps by Shu Xian even though thetter was actually an assassin.

    However, the paper in his hand was the only thing that was shocking for him.

    This was the paper that Gao Xuan gave him.

    "He already holds such power and knowledgeˇ­ Now I don''t have any doubt why he was the only opponent that God''s Legion didn''t try to create trouble for. They even went hand in hand with this guyˇ­"

    The thoughts of YE tian Yun were because of the contents of the paper.

    In this paper, other than the list of the members who would be part of the mission, there was also something else.

    Full detail about one of the disciples - Shu Xian.

    Even though the details were not too deep, but there were a lot of hints, and these were what led to Ye tian Yun asking the two things - his encounter with the Wang Family in the Crimson Bay City, and something rted to the secret mission.

    As for the third thing that Ye tian Yun wanted to know?

    Well, he didn''t need to ask about it from Shu Xian, he had already received the answer of that question midway.

    "Even if this Gao Xuan knew so much about Shu Xian, why did he only give information about him? Why only him?"

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but feel that Gao Xuan was going to be more troublesome than he had first considered him to be.

    "If Gao Xuan knows this muchˇ­ I am afraid there''s a slight chance he also knows who I really amˇ­"

    "How could he know all this?"

    He had an answer to this question and Ye Tian Yun had a bad feeling about this.

    It was because, all this information, especially in scenarios like his and Shu Xian''s, who didn''t tell anyone about anything, could only be found through one thing.

    Token Of Reality.

    The most mysterious token, and one of the three tokens that Ye Tian Yun didn''t encounter in his previous life.

    ...

    A/n: Guys, I am quite unwell sincest night. I will try topensate the chapters after a few days. For now, we will only be doing 1ch/d.. If I get well tomorrow, I will definitely get everything back on track.

 Chapter 271 - The Commotion

    The Ninth Peak was in chaos.

    At first, there was an assassination attempt in the Outer Court disciple areas.

    By the time disciplinary hall disciples came, the smoke had settled, and one of the disciples was found unconscious.

    And just as they had wrapped up the search and were interrogating the disciple, another news came that there had been another assassination attempt. And this time, it was in the Inner Court.

    However, this time they didn''t find anyone unconscious or dead. In fact, no one was ever harmed.

    But shockingly, Peak Master had himself arrived at the scene!

    A small incident had soon blown up, and more higher-ups began to arrive at the scene.

    Even though the disciplinary hall disciples gave their report and said that there weren''t any disciples who got harmed, Peak Master of the Ninth Peak just shook his head and called them ignorant.

    Frustrated, the disciples could only wait and follow the instructions.

    The only instruction they received was to stand aside and note in the way.

    WIthout any dissatisfaction, they went and stood in a corner.

    This was exactly what they had wanted to do, so how could they argue when this was the instruction.

    As they watched more and more elders arrive, they suddenly realized that whatever had happened here was much more serious than what they had first thought.

    Unfortunately, whatever the elders were discussing, they couldn''t hear a word of it.

    Letting out a sigh, they could only stand quietly without saying anything.

    ˇ­

    "Why is it hard to believe my words?" Peak Master of the Ninth Peak, Cao Weisheng, snarled.

    "Peak Master Cao, it''s not that we don''t believe you, but what you''re saying is too far-fetched." One of the elders replied.

    "Far-fetched? Are you kidding me? I saw exactly what had happened with my eyes!" Cao Weisheng was frustrated.

    The elder shook his head, "But Peak Master Cao, please try to see the situation from our point of view. How could this be an attack from the zing Dragon Sect?"

    Cao Weisheng opened his eyes wide, "You guys don''t see it!? It''s right in front of you!"

    He pointed at the two ck spots on the ground.

    "Look at the patterns," Peak Master Cao continued, "If this is not the aftereffect of the signature technique from zing Dragon Sect, then I don''t know what it is."

    "Exactly." A voice came from behind, "You don''t know what it is."

    "What do you mean, Sect Leader Su?" Peak Master Cao asked in confusion.

    It was Sect Leader Su who had arrived at the scene.

    The disciples standing in the corner straightened their backs. And it was now they understood that this whole incident was more than just serious.

    Sect Leader Su, however, hadn''t even looked at them.

    He passed by them and went straight to the group of elders.

    With a frown, he looked at Peak Master Cao and said, "I don''t understand why you''re trying to push every incident happening in our sect on the zing Dragon Sect."

    "Even though those people are a bunch of hypocrites, I don''t understand why you have to be such a delusional idiot."

    "But Sect Leader S-!"

    "Shut up!" Sect Leader Su waved his hand at Peak Master Cao and gestured at him to not say anything else.

    He then stared and looked at the two spots on the floor and frowned after some time.

    "This is familiarˇ­ but why is this here?" He muttered.

    However, no one at the scene was a mortal, and everyone could hear his words very clearly.

    Peak Master Cao asked, "Senior Brother, what is it?"

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips for a moment and didn''t say anything.

    He then turned towards the clueless disciples from the disciplinary hall and asked, "Where are the witnesses- oh wait, remove the Qi wall first."

    There was a Qi wall between the elders and the disciples to keep whatever they were saying wouldn''t be heard by anyone else unless the other party had high cultivation, like Sect Leader Su.

    Peak Master Cao waved his hand, and an invisible wall suddenly disappeared.

    Sect Leader Su slightly nodded his head and asked, "Who are the witnesses?"

    The disciples came forward, and their leader replied in a stiff tone, "Gree-Greetings Sect Leader Su! This lowly disciple is Jin Fa. I came with my entourage as soon as we heard about the incident."

    "We asked some questions from the disciples, and this was how we found out that there had been two low explosions, and the smoke suddenly filled the whole floor."

    "So it was a smoke bomb?" Peak Master Cao shook his head, "Then the other one must have been the Qi Binding Bomb."

    "I don''t know the name of this bomb. However, it had temporarily blocked the Qi among all the nearby disciples."

    "Hmm," Sect Leader Su scratched his chin, "My guess was correct, but the question is, how could Qi Binding Bombse here?"

    "What do you mean, Sect Leader Su?" One of the elders asked in confusion, "Don''t we have these bombs in our sect too?"

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "No-no, Elder Hai, these bombs making an appearance is not a small deal. The ones I have brought to the sect were given to me by the Great Ye n from the Middle Heavens."

    Everyone in the hall was surprised at this revtion.

    No one here was unfamiliar with the name of the Great Ye n.

    This n ruled the Middle Heavens, and the Crown Prince of this n was rumored to be the Next Heavenly Emperor.

    Anything rted to the Great Ye n would definitely have people turning their heads.

    Seeing everyone''s reaction, Sect Leader Su was unfazed. He added, "These bombs, even though they are pretty famous, are not something that can be found in a store.. They are unique to the Ye n, and no one outside of this n''s close members knows how to create such bombs."

 Chapter 272 - Suspicion

    "No one outside the Great Ye n knows how to create these bombs." Sect Leader Su''s words rang through the hall. He didn''t forget to wave his hand and create a Qi wall so as not to let the disciples hear his words.

    Everyone was first confused for a moment, and then it suddenly dawned upon them.

    "Someone from the Great Ye n is in our Sect!?" Peak Master Cao almost shouted.

    Sect Leader Su suddenly frowned and then shook his head, "No- no, who wille here from that n? Use your brain. It is most probably someone who had ess to these bombs."

    Sect Leader Su continued with a slight frown, "From the looks of it, I am pretty sure this bomb is not a copy attempt by rival sects. It is definitely made by someone who is very well versed in the art of creating these bombs."

    "So, who could it be?" Peak Master Cao whispered.

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "No idea. It could be anyone. Well, what we need to care about is to find the reason why this person came to our sect."

    "What are these bombs used for? Other than assassinations?" Peak Master Cao whispered once again.

    Sect Leader Su replied, "They are mostly used in kidnapping- ah, this person was here to kidnap a disciple?"

    "What?" The elders were surprised.

    Peak Master Cao was also no different; he whispered in a shocked tone, "Who would he try to kidnap, Senior Brother?"

    Sect Leader Su shrugged, "That''s what we need to find you."

    Peak Master Cao nodded and replied in a whisper, "Senior Brother, this is the Fourth Floor. Almost all the disciples here were very talented, though only six of them stand out. We should have a search on them, and whoever it was, he''s most probably here for someone important."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "Important disciple for us doesn''t mean he will be important for everyone. We need to look through all the cultivation abodes. But why the hell are you suddenly whispering!?"

    Peak Master Cao looked at the sides from the corner of his eyes and whispered, "We need to be careful, Senior Brother."

    All the elders rolled their eyes, including Sect Leader Su, "Cao Weisheng, everyone here is a cultivator, including the intruder. So your whispering isn''t exactly helping."

    "Ah, yes," Peak Master Cao nodded his head and turned towards the disciples to change the topic.

    As Sect Leader Su removed the Qi Wall, Peak Master Cao said to the disciples from the disciplinary hall, "All of you, begin looking through all the cultivation abodes on this floor, and tell me if there''s anything suspicious or out of the ordinary."

    The disciples nodded their heads, "Yes, Peak Master."

    Just as they had turned and split into small groups of two, Sect Leader Su suddenly asked, "Why aren''t there any disciples from this floor out of their cultivation abode? It''s as if they havepletely disappeared."

    The elders nodded their heads and looked around in confusion.

    It was at this moment that the leader of the disciplinary hall stepped forward and said, "Sect Leader, we have ordered everyone to stay in the cultivation abodes."

    "Oh?" Sect Leader Su looked at the disciple from up to down and continued, "So the intruder canplete his task?"

    "Uh-uh, Sect Leader, where will the intruder go even if hepletes the thing whatever he is here for?" The disciple couldn''t help but shrug.

    Sect Leader just shook his head in disappointment and chose to ignore this disciple''s existence forever.

    The disciple, unaware of the fact that he had just lost the favor of the most powerful person in the sect, said, "We will start an investigation, Sect Leader Su."

    And then, he turned and gave some instructions to the other disciples, who then split up and went to knock on different cultivation abodes.

    As Peak Master Cao stared at the disciple, a sudden question popped up in his head.

    "Why are you here, Senior Brother?" He gave a confused look to Sect Leader Su, "It''s not that you aren''t wee here. Well, the whole Sect is yours, but why suddenly here?"

    Sect Leader Su didn''t reply and instead retorted, "I can ask you the same question. It was just a small incident; well, at least it looked like a small incident, then why is everyone here? From Peak Master to half of the Inner Court Elders, everyone is here?"

    Peak Master Cao shrugged, "Senior Brother, we, of course, came here because of themotion. Coincidentally at the time of the incident, I was having a meeting with everyone present here. We were assessing the performance of the disciples in the Gracious Sword Rankings when we heard sudden explosions. One of the elders went out, and then we didn''t pay much attention after knowing that the disciplinary hall was handling the situation."

    "However,ter we got to know that the situation was not reaching any conclusion, and this was the second time this had happened today, we all decided to look into this situation personally."

    "This is why we all came here. What about you, Senior Brother? Were youing here for something else, or was it rted to this incident?"

    Sect Leader Su frowned and turned his back towards everyone while facing the stairway''s direction.

    "Senior Brother?" Peak Master Cao frowned.

    Sect Leader Su closed his eyes and rxed his breathing. After a moment, he turned around and said, "I was actually here-!"

    "Shu Xian! open the door!"

    A sudden shout attracted everyone''s attention. They turned around and saw two disciples shouting at a cultivation abode.

    Sect Leader Su asked, "What''s happening?"

    The disciples turned around and replied, "Sect Leader, this is disciple Shu Xian''s cultivation abode, and he had not opened the door even though we knocked on it a lot of times."

    Sect Leader Su narrowed his eyes and stared at the cultivation door in front of him.

    xx xx xx

 Chapter 273 - The Mysterious Disciple

    Sect Leader Su narrowed his eyes and stared at the cultivation door in front of him.

    But before he could move ahead, Peak Master Cao had already reached the door and banged his fists on it.

    The door of the cultivation abode fiercely vibrated due to the impact.

    Peak Master Cao had controlled his power and didn''t push too much in case the door broke.

    "Disciples Shu Xian,e out of your cultivation abode. It''s an order!" His voice rang throughout the hallway.

    However, there was no response.

    Peak Master Cao frowned and said, "It''s yourst warning, Disciple Shu Xian."

    Seeing no response, Peak Master Cao turned towards one of the disciples and said, "Daya, break the door."

    "Yes, Master." The disciple named Daya nodded his head and made a few feet distance between himself and the door.

    Adjusting his body sideways, he was nning to m the door with his shoulder and break it open.

    With all set and everyone stepping up, Daya ran straight for the door.

    And everyone saw him going through it!

    *bang!*

    Daya''s body mmed on a desk, and he fell headfirst.

    Everyone came back to their senses and noticed that the door had opened on its own!

    And in the room, beside the door, was Shu Xian!

    Peak Master Cao frowned, "Shu Xian, what is going on?"

    Shu Xian coughed and looked back and forth between everyone outside and the fallen Daya, "Peak Master, isn''t this what I should be the one asking?"

    "Why didn''t you open the door even after so many knocks?" Peak Master Cao asked. His expression turned more serious than ever.

    Shu Xian shook his head and pointed at the corner of his door.

    Everyone turned their heads and found a small blue tag.

    [I am in here. You''re out there. Let''s keep it this way for a little while longer.]

    "*cough* You could have shouted a reply, at least." Peak Master Cao suddenly had a very keen interest in the ceiling.

    Shu Xian shook his head, "I was at a very critical point of my breakthrough. This is why I didn''t even care about themotion from earlier."

    "Did you breakthrough?" Shu Xian heard someone from behind the Elders.

    When he turned his head, he was surprised to see it was Sect Leader Su.

    ''What''s he doing here? Did the bombs cause too big of amotion? This will be troublesome.''

    "Greetings, Sect Leader, I did seed." Shu Xian replied with a smile, irrespective of his thoughts.

    Sect Leader Su gave a surprised expression and sensed Shu Xian''s cultivation realm.

    "Second Level Of Qi Stabilization Realm? Good, good, good." The Sect Leader nodded in appreciation.

    Shu Xian slightly frowned but didn''t show any other negative emotion and immediately gave a beaming smile, "Thank you, Sect Leader."

    "This is great. We have another disciple who has great potential to shine in the Grand Spirit Hunt." Peak Master Cao had already forgotten about the incident.

    And it seemed that Sect Leader Su also wasn''t really interested in it.

    He moved closer to Shu Xian and put his hands on his shoulders.

    "Keep it up, Kiddo. Keep on striving to improve yourself and make the Gracious Sword Sect proud of you."

    Shu Xian pursed his lips and slowly nodded.

    Too many questions were flooding his mind, but he kept his expression and face straight.

    Just then, the leader of the disciplinary hall disciples, Jin Fa, said, "Elders, should we resume our search?"

    Peak Master Cao immediately nodded, "Ah, yes. Search, search. Resume the work!"

    Jin Fa and gestured at his fellow disciples.

    Sect Leader Su, however, was staring at Shu Xian with his eyes narrowed and didn''t say anything.

    After some time, Sect Leader Su turned towards Peak Master Cao and asked, "Why haven''t you been in the Sect Meetings recently? I don''t even remember when youst visited the Grand Meeting Hall."

    Peak Master Cao let out a wry smile and said, "Senior Brother, I am kinda stuck in the progress of my cultivation technique, so I was fully focused on that."

    Sect Leader Su narrowed his eyes, "This gives even more valid reason for you toe to me. I would have helped you a lot."

    Peak Master justughed with a wry smile.

    Remembering the ''help'' that he had received in his younger days gave him a cold sweat.

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "Juste and visit your senior brother whenever you want, don''t think too much."

    Peak Master Cao let out a genuine smile. Meanwhile, Shu Xian''s frown deepened.

    "Alright, handle everything here. I will get going on my own business. I was just passing by when I heard themotion earlier." Sect Leader Su nodded his head at all the elders, and giving a slight smile to Shu Xian; he left the hall through the stairway.

    Shu Xian stared at Sect Leader Su''s back for a long time.

    He had many questions, and many of them were confusing.

    Shaking his head, he turned to Peak Master Cao and said, "Peak Master, should I head back to my cultivation abode?"

    Peak Master Cao nodded his head, "Yeah, go ahead."

    Shu Xian smiled, cupped his fists with respect to all the elders in the hall, and went back to his cultivation abode.

    Soon his door was shut. As for Daya? He had already left out of embarrassment.

    ˇ­

    Outside the Ninth Peak Inner Court.

    A disciple had just exited the building, which was also the entrance to the Inner Court.

    As he moved, the other disciples around him couldn''t help but give him weird looks.

    Why?

    Because of the huge smile on his face.

    However, the disciple didn''t care.

    He was feeling a sense of achievement today.

    "To think of a simple help and I was able to solve the big riddle which had affected fate so much."

    The disciples couldn''t help but shake his head, "To think Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun hase to the Lower Heavens and is disguising as normal sect disciples."

    "Now, the only thing I want to know is what made him change his destined path? What had actually happened with Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun?"

 Chapter 274 - Planning

    Ye Tian Yun was confused.

    He was confused at what had just happened.

    When he had first taken Shu Xian as captive, he had thought of putting an array to bar the sound and shrieks of Shu Xian from getting out of the cultivation abode.

    To his surprise, there was no need for that because Shu Xian already had a small array installed.

    This made his work pretty easy, and he was able to focus on getting the information out of Shu Xian''s mouth.

    Fortunately, there weren''t many hups, and he was able to get what he wanted.

    However, just as he was haggling with the System over the price of the Aura Changing Pill, he suddenly began to hear loud knocks on the door.

    What he didn''t know was that if someone simply called him from outside, he wouldn''t be able to hear it. It was because of the array.

    Only after he heard the knock did he know thatmotion outside had reached its peak.

    Now he needed to think of something to escape the suspicion because he was sure that many disciples must have seen Shu Xian just before the smoke bombs exploded.

    Thus he made a pretty simple escape solution - just get one cultivation realm higher than Shu Xian''s actual strength and call out a breakthrough.

    And the dy taken by this just gave more validity to his excuse.

    With no one suspecting, he was left off the hook.

    But it was at this moment Ye Tian Yun faced confusion.

    And it was due to none other Sect Leader Su.

    Well, Sect Leader Su wasn''t acting like Sect Leader Su.

    For instance, he was genuinely happy for Shu Xian''s breakthrough.

    One must not forget that Shu Xian was the right-hand man of the disciple Sect Leader Su hated the most within the sect.

    And here he was, genuinely happy for him?

    Either the Sect Leader was high, or he was really good at acting.

    The second instance came when Sect Leader Su put his hands on his shoulder.

    Those were not the hands of a man.

    They wereˇ­ soft and smooth?

    They were the hands of a girl!

    ''Does the Sect Leader have interest sidewaysˇ­?'' Ye Tian Yun shuddered at this thought.

    ''No-no, that''s impossible. If he were after men, he wouldn''t have created so much trouble for himself by bringing Fang Chen to this world.''

    ''Whatever be the case, I am hundred percent sure those hands were of a girl!''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think of how he shuddered at that moment.

    It was not from fear but genuine shock.

    And the final straw of hope in this encounter was the thing that Sect Leader Su did before heading out.

    That smile.

    It wasn''t a normal smile.

    It was a mischievous one.

    It was someone who had just yed a prank!

    ''What is going on?'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but get confused at what was happening.

    He had a bad guess about this, and it only made him feel frustrated.

    Letting out a sigh, Ye Tian Yun stared at his ring.

    He had to put everything behind his mind for now.

    For now, he needed to focus on his current n.

    Tomorrow, all the disciples enlisted for the mission will be going to the Resource Hall, and there they will meet with Sect Leader Su, who will tell everyone about the mission details.

    His guess would be confirmed tomorrow, and it would be Sect Leader Su who will tell him the truth.

    During this mission, he would need to create an opportunity for himself and take out Xiao Ming.

    Now, it was confirmed that he already had his token.

    All Ye Tian Yun needed to do was kill Xiao Ming once he was quite far away from the Sect.

    After all, there were already two more Tokens in the Sect. He had to create a considerable distance between them and the Token Of Fate for it to appear.

    As for the other two Tokens?

    They were definitely the ones that were never on his list.

    The ones that he had never encountered.

    The only problem was, he didn''t know who the Token Holders were and which Tokens they were.

    Though, he did know about one, but not about the second unknown Token.

    The Token Of Reality.

    Ye Tian Yun was sure that it was in Gao Xuan''s possession.

    Well, he was at least ny-nine percent sure.

    Since he knew about this Token, he was going to target Gao Xuan.

    But it was just not the time yet.

    He needed more time to prepare. In fact, Gao Xuan was going to be a more tough opponent than Wang Yao and on par with Shi Yan.

    After all, Wang Yao wasn''t the scheming type.

    But for people like Gao Xuan and Shi Yan, precaution was the first step when going against them.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, but his problems were not cleared.

    There was onest thing that was bugging him.

    What if the third Token Holder was among the disciples enlisted for the mission!?

    It may sound very cliche, but there was still a chance.

    And Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to take any fatal risks at the veryst stages of the goal.

    If this third Token Holder was indeed a part of this entourage, the Ye Tian Yun wouldn''t be able to kill Xiao Ming even if he had all the chances in the world.

    It was because killing Xiao Ming wouldn''t be worth it.

    If he killed Xiao Ming, the Token Of Fate wouldn''t appear because there would be another Token within the vicinity.

    If he didn''t kill Xiao Ming, he would lose the best chance, and things would go out of his hands.

    Then what was he going to do?

    He needed to look for a path, which would give him guaranteed sess.

    A n which would guarantee that he would have his hands on the Token Of Fate.

 Chapter 275 - A Meeting Before The Mission

    A new day had begun for the disciples of Gracious Sword Sect.

    Soon as the disciple began to head out of their cultivation abodes, Ye Tian Yun too pushed open ''his'' cultivation abode''s door.

    Looking around, the first thing he noticed was the clean floor.

    The marks left by the explosions were wiped off the floor by the servants, and everything had seemingly returned to normal.

    Toways was going to be the day he would start the final phase for his quest for the Token Of Fate.

    He wasn''t feeling nervous or excited, in fact, he wasn''t even feeling anything different.

    Everything around him felt pretty normal, and surprisingly, even the bugging feeling of something going wrong wasn''t there.

    It was as if everything was going to be perfect.

    And Ye Tian Yun wished for it to continue.

    With high hopes, he took a deep breath, and took his first step out of the room.

    "Senior Brother Shu Xian!"

    Just as he had stepped outside, someone called him from behind.

    Turning his head, Ye tian Yun found a disciple running towards him while waving his hand.

    ''Who is he?'' Ye tian yun had no idea about the identity of the disciple.

    He wanted to keep a low profile and not be the centre of attention at all for this whole secret mission journey.

    But before his whole body could even step out of his room, this n was already in jeopardy.

    "Senior Brother Shu Xian, this is urgent; please head to the Main Building!" The disciple leaned on the whole and said to Ye Tian Yun while panting for breath.

    "Main Building?" Ye Tian Yun was a bit confused.

    "Yes," The disciple didn''t notice the tone and continued to say, "Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun had called for an emergency meeting."

    Taking a deep breath, the disciple added, "I will get going, Senior Brother Shu Xian. I still need to inform Xiao Ming about this."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and stared at the disciple, who had run back to the stairway.

    Most probably to the upper floors to call Xiao Ming.

    ''So he was talking about the Heavenly League Main Building.'' Ye Tian Yun concluded.

    At first, he was a bit confused about which building he was talking about since there were not one but hundreds of main buildings within the sect.

    But as soon as that disciple mentioned Yuan Shuchun''s name, Ye tian Yun knew which main building he was talking about.

    And thus, Ye Tian Yun changed his destination and headed straight for the base of the First Peak where the Heavenly League Headquarters was situated.

    The Ninth Peak''s structure was very simr to other disciple peaks of the sect.

    And there wasn''t anyone to check the disciple tokens. Thus it was pretty easy for any disciple to get inside or outside.

    This was never something Ye Tian Yun was worried about.

    He easily got out of the Ninth Peak Inner Court and headed straight for the Chain Bridge.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but stare down at the endless ravine when he got on the chain bridge.

    This was no less than any natural wonders.

    And one of the most mysterious ces in the Lower Heavens too.

    After all, it wasn''t named Endless Ravine just because it sounded cool.

    ''There is still a long way to go before I need to visit this ravine.''

    YE Tian Yun thought.

    His first priority was, of course, to get his hands on the Tokens and Emblems.

    However, there are a lot more other treasures that can create a bloodbath with a single appearance.

    And one of such treasures was lying at the end of this ravine.

    ''I remember there was a mention of a disciple in the reports. He was just a normal cultivator, but after falling through the cliff and into this ravine, he not only survived, he got so talented that he was evenpared to Xiao Ming by the then Sect Leader Fang Chen.''

    ''Albeit this will happen in three to four years, and by that time, the God''s Legion is supposed to be ruling the Lower Heavens. Thus Xiao Ming will be no less than a legendary existence within the sect.''

    ''But that doesn''t change the fact that the treasure is in the ravine for taking.''

    ''I will definitelye back here once everything is set and good to go. For now, I need to focus on getting this Token Of Fate.''

    Ye Tian Yun had long solved the dilemma he had been facing yesterday.

    The dilemma about when, how, and where to take down Xiao Ming.

    Now, he only needed to wait for that opportunity.

    However, there was another thing he needed to be careful of - well, it was another person he needed to be cautious of - Yuan Shuchun.

    Yuan Shuchun wasn''t after him; instead, she wanted to kill Shu Xian, who he had disguised as.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t do any thorough search on her in his previous life since she was never a part of the God''s Legion, but he did conclude one thing - Yuan Shuchun was a very determined woman.

    She would do anything to get what she wanted, and would never spare anyone who tried to step in her way.

    And Shu Xian had tried to assassinate this woman.

    How could she spare him?

    Ye Tian Yun was sure that Yuan Shuchun had something nned for the journey. And he needed to be alert at all times - even though he didn''t fear anyone in the list of disciples because all of them had pretty low cultivation.

    But Ye Tian Yun wasn''t going there to survive; he was going for the Token Of Fate.

    Thus, any drama would only cause more hindrances for him.

    "Senior Brother Shu Xian, please head to the Second Floor."

    Ye tian Yun had already reached the Heavenly League Building while thinking about the situation he had himself in.

    Nodding his head at the maid who had just called him, he headed for the Second Floor.

    ''Let''s see what Yuan Shuchun is scheming.. She definitely didn''t call just to meet before the mission starts.''

 Chapter 276 - The Meeting

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun stepped inside the Second Floor Hall, he found he was thest to arrive.

    ''Did Xiao Ming fly over here?''

    Looking at the back of his target, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smirk.

    ''If only there weren''t any other Tokens within the sect, I would have targeted this guy instead of Shu Xian. Then, I would have easily left the sect disguised as him.''

    ''Sigh, some things just prolong the trouble.''

    Ye Tian Yun slowly moved and sat on the seat right beside Yuan Shuchun.

    Yuan Shuchun, who had been lost in her thoughts, raised her head and nodded at him.

    It was just a simple greeting, and there wasn''t any malicious intent.

    ''She''s either really good at hiding her emotions, or she just doesn''t care and is nning something bigger.'' Ye Tian Yun nodded his head at her as a greeting.

    The room once again returned to its calm.

    In front of him, Xiao Ming was sitting and staring at a small booklet in his hand.

    Ye Tian Yun chose not to say anything and remain silent.

    Finally, after a good long time, Yuan Shuchun finally said something, "I told you yesterday about the disciples who would be going with us for the mission."

    Xiao Ming and Ye Tian Yun nodded their heads at her.

    Yuan Shuchun continued after a slight pause, "Well, at that time, I didn''t know about all the members, but now I have the list."

    Xiao Ming asked, "So are they from leagues other than the World League?"

    Yuan Shuchun let out a sigh, "I am afraid that is true. They are putting all the critical disciples from the rival leagues together in this mission."

    "Don''t tell me they are nning something stupid?" Xiao Ming couldn''t help but call out.

    Yuan Shuchun shrugged, "I have no idea. But anything can happen because I have another bad news. To be honest, I don''t know if it''s bad or good because I, myself, am quite confused over this."

    "Oh? What is it?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    He was interested in anything that annoyed these two people in front of him.

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips and replied after a moment of silence, "Jiang Chen disappeared."

    "Who? The guy who was almost assassinated on the day of the banquet?" Xiao Ming asked while scratching his chin.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t show any reaction. However, he was inwardly frowning because he had a hunch where Jiang Chen may have gone.

    ''Meh, it''s not like I need to care about him. I don''t think I will even return to this sect once again.''

    He didn''t need to worry about what trouble Jiang Chen was going to concoct for the sect. Once he reached his goal, he would just focus on the next target.

    Yuan Shuchun, in contrast, was very dissatisfied with their reactions, "What''s up with you two, huh? Can''t you guys be a bit serious? Don''t you understand the seriousness of this situation?"

    Xiao Ming shrugged, "What could he do? And I think it''s pretty stupid of him to go anywhere. In fact, I have a feeling that he was kidnapped."

    Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "No, he was not kidnapped. All the higher-ups havee to this conclusion. They have thoroughly searched everything, but nothing came up. Jiang Chen ran away from the sect."

    "Maybe he''s gone to recover himself?" Ye Tian Yun put forth his guess.

    Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "No, if it were any other disciple, I would have agreed with this guess, but not for Jiang Chen."

    "Jiang Chen thoroughly understands the capabilities of the sect. He knows there''s no better ce than here for him to recover in the whole Lower Heavens."

    Xiao Ming was quite intrigued; he leaned forward and said, "Whole Lower Heavens? Are you sure you''re not bluffing?"

    Yuan Suchun shook her head, "Nevermind that, you guys are still not Core Disciples. Maybe in the future, you will understand the meaning of my words."

    Xiao Ming was quite shocked by her words; on the other hand, Ye Tian Yun had the urge to roll his eyes.

    ''She''s definitely talking about the Sword Stele where the sect has kept the high-tier Spirit Vein well-hidden.''

    But since he was disguised as Shu Xian, he wasn''t supposed to know this.

    Instead, he had to pretend a bit shocked, "Senior Sister, is it that serious? Our sect has a hidden treasure or something?"

    Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "A treasure can be stolen, but this thing can''t be stolen. Only the whole sect''s extinction can change the owner of that thing."

    "And the extinction of the sect is impossible." Yuan Shuchun slowly shook her head and narrowed her eyes, "I would never let that happen."

    Xiao Ming shrugged, "Well, there are old Sect Leaders who haven''t shown their face to the public for years, and there''s the Gracious Sword and its spirit."

    "These are enough to push back almost all the powers in the Lower Heavens."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    He agreed on this fact.

    The Gracious Sword Sect wouldn''t amount to much when ites to offense. But even the most powerful organization, the Crimson Pavilion, would have to wreck their brains to get through the defense of this sect.

    Yuan Shuchun let out a long sigh, "I called you both here to let you know that both of you need to be alert all the time."

    Xiao Ming learned a bit more, "Senior Sister, do you know the contents of this secret mission?"

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips, "I don''t know everything. But I do have a few tidbits about it."

    "Oh?" Both Xiao Ming and Ye Tian Yun were quite interested in it.

    Yuan Shuchun continued, "Well, I know that this mission is actually rted to someone from the Capital City; and it is by the prince, against one of the other princes."

    Xiao Ming and Ye Tian Yun were both quite surprised.

    "Our sect is going to enter politics!?"

 Chapter 277 - Chaotic Xin Royal Courtroom

    Xin Royal Courtroom, Capital City, Xin Kingdom.

    Royal Courtroom was the most famous ce in the whole capital, and also the most well-known one.

    It was the ce where the King and his Subjects had their meeting in harmony.

    The King would usually listen to theints and suggestions and then implement newws, amends, and sometimes, even give a few death penalties.

    The Xin Kingdom was ruled by the Xin Royal n.

    One of the two existing ''Royal'' ns in the Lower Heavens, Xin Royal n, was also the most powerful n, more powerful than any other organization under its rule.

    Be it a n, simple mercenary group, or big sects, if they were in thend of the Xin Royal n, they served under this n.

    At least, this was how it should work.

    But in thest few generations of the rule, the Xin Royal n had begun to lose its grasp over other ns and sects.

    Especially the Sects.

    As cultivators, a wish to have freedom flows through everyone''s blood.

    No one wishes to work and serve under some other power.

    This is why, Sects try to make all their disciples as loyal as they can, which deepens their foothold and gives them the audacity to look eye to eye at the Xin Royal n and deny them their proimed authority.

    Such incidents started to be norms slowly, and it was only under the current King Xin that they gradually became rarer.

    It was not due to King Xin''s power.

    Rather, it was because of his Prime Minister''s schemes.

    With powerful cultivation and a scheming mind, Prime Minister Fang Yuan crushed all his opponents and rose to the top of the powerdder in the Xin Royal Kingdom.

    Now, in front of himid the veryst steps that he needed to take before aplishing what he had started.

    But all this took a lot of time - twenty-five years.

    For twenty-five years, Prime Minister Fang Yuan yed with death and schemed against powerful enemies.

    He took his n from the very bottom of the cradle to be only second to the Xin Royal n.

    He was proud of this.

    But he wasn''t satisfied.

    He wanted more because his work wasn''t done yet.

    He had destroyed a lot of enemies, but it was not enough.

    He still had very formidable opponents in front of him - not in cultivation, but connections.

    One of them was Crown Prince Xin and his little entourage.

    He still had to argue with that bunch of old and young ''politicians'' in the Throne Room.

    He had to do this every day.

    Today was no different.

    Arguments were flying from one corner to another; nevertheless, there was one thing that we must note.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan also had an ability that allowed him to make his path clearer.

    Other than scheming, Fang Yuan was very well versed in the art of befriending and convincing people.

    Maybe it was this ability that made King Xin promote him to be the Prime Minister.

    This ability also ensured that he was never alone in Royal Courtroom.

    He had his own ''army''.

    And this allowed him to remain silent and just give a dead stare at the opposite factions.

    Sometimes, his stare was more effective than all the arguments flying through the hall.

    Today was a simr day - arguments were going from one side to another, and the Prime Minister was giving a dead stare to his opponent.

    His opponent?

    Crown Prince Xin.

    "This is useless. We should not stoop so low and directly assign a whole battalion!" One of the old court members shouted from behind Prime Minister Fang Yuan.

    "Shut up, you old bastard! Do you know how rare this chance is!?" A middle-aged man berated back.

    "You--!"

    "What you-you!? Do you know how important this chance is!?"

    "What if it''s important? We can''t risk war right now, not at any cost!" Someone else replied this time.

    "What!? Are you saying that our great kingdom can''t afford war!?" The middle-aged man smirked.

    "Fu Ker, you bastard!"

    "What? Cursing now!?" The middle-aged man, Fu Ker, snarled.

    "This is not about war," this time, someone else stood up.

    "Remember when I asked your opinion?" Fu Ker stared at the person, "Me neither."

    "You, baldy -!"

    "Don''t you dare, you hooligan!" Fu Ker snarled at him with a very, very proud expression, "With a body like this, who needs hair?"

    His opponent looked at his frail blob-like body and almost spurted blood.

    Crown Prince Xin, who had been silent all this time, couldn''t help but facepalm.

    ''How did I get such people in my faction?'' He couldn''t help but sigh at his luck.

    The whole Royal Courtroom was divided into two factions - one side led by Prime Minister Fang Yuan, and the other was headed by Crown Prince Xin.

    And in the middle was King Xin, sitting on the throne, his face expressionless as he heard the arguments and curses flying between the two factions.

    Ever since today''s meeting began, there had been a nonstop barrage of such arguments, trying to convince him for their own favors.

    However, King Xin was quite indifferent to all this.

    But this couldn''t be said the same for his son, Crown Prince Xin.

    Crown Prince may not be new to politics but he was still very young and inexperienced in front of Prime Minister Fang Yuan.

    Especially when he knew that his own father valued Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s words more than anyone else.

    This is why, even though his faction seemed to win the argument due to the bald fatty court member, Crown Prince was still not confident because his opponent hadn''t said a word ever since the meeting started.

    He was waiting for Prime Minister Fang Yuan to speak, only that would decide the direction of the oue.

    And just as he had thought of this, as if fate had read his mind, Prime Minister Fang Yuan suddenly coughed.

    Everyone in the courtroom turned their heads towards him as he slowly stood up and cupped his fists at King Xin.

    Ready to speak his mind.

 Chapter 278 - King Xins Decision

    "Your Majesty."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s words rang throughout the courtroom as he cupped his fits and bowed towards King Xin.

    In return, King Xin nodded at him with a smile and gestured with his hand to carry on.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan took a deep breath and started, "Your Majesty, everything within our kingdom is stable at a very delicate bnce."

    "But what Crown Prince Xin wishes to do is not only a sign of his huge ignorance but also his incapability to judge the situation of our kingdom."

    The Prime Minister turned towards Crown Prince Xin and shook his head, "Crown Princ eXin, I would suggest that youe out of your pce and be withmoners once in a while; only then will you get a slight grasp of what''s happening in our kingdom."

    "There are lots of undercurrents, but there are few things which, as a Crown Prince of this prestigious Kingdom, you should know and think carefully about."

    "I can''t talk about those things here, but it''s not hard if you really try to think and assess what I am talking about."

    Crown Prince Xin also stood up.

    Even though he was just a teenager, the dignity and the aura around him weren''t like that of a normal prince.

    He had an aura of authority around him.

    With his head raised high and looking straight at Prime Minister Fang Yuan, he said, "Prime Minister Fang, I understand what you''re trying to convey."

    "But let me tell you this - what you''re doing wille back in future to bite the whole kingdom."

    "We all here are cultivators, and the sense of freedom runs high. It''s not easy to rule over a kingdom."

    "However, that doesn''t mean we should dig graves for ourselves."

    The hall was silent at this moment.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean, Crown Prince Xin?"

    Crown Prince Xin shook his head, "Prime Minister, you used me of being ignorant, but now I see that it''s you who hasn''t really been paying attention."

    "I would even suggest that you re-read my proposal. After all, it was my proposal that started the argument."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan raised his head, gesturing him to stop, and said, "I did read your proposal, and a single look at it was enough for me to know how preposterous it was."

    "I know Crown Prince wants to get merits, but this is not the time to care about merits. Other hidden problems are guing our Kingdom. We should be investing our time in investigating those instead of inciting war against the Wu''s."

    Crown Prince Xinughed, "Merits? Do you think I care about those? I am way past that age to care about them - now, I would rather think about calming the situation."

    "Calming? You call requesting for an army to go against the Wu''s a way to calm the situation?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan almost shouted.

    Crown Prince Xin shook his head, "Why do you fail to see the bigger picture, Prime Minister?"

    "Bigger picture? The only thing I see is you ruining his majesty''s n, which has been years in the making." Prime Minister Fang Yuan almost snarled, "And let me tell you one thing - if everything our kingdom has been preparing goes to waste, nothing will be able to save us after that."

    This shocked almost everyone.

    ''What kind of n does his Majesty have?''

    This was the question shing through their minds.

    However, Crown Prince Xin wasn''t on this list. He knew what Prime Minister Fang was all mysterious about.

    He turned his head towards King Xin and said, "Father, the time we have at hand isn''t enough. We have already spent a month it arguing over stuff. Any more dys would only make things difficult for us in theing days."

    "Hmm," King Xin let out a breath.

    There was once again a pin drop silence in the hall.

    He then turned towards Prime Minister Fang Yuan for a moment, but they had no change in their expression.

    But this single action made the Crown Prince''s heart drop.

    He knew he had lost the argument.

    "Son, I understand what you want to try," King Xin said, "If this were any other time, I wouldn''t have hesitated, but the times right now are not good."

    "We need to uproot the hidden enemies before thinking about the ones who are outside."

    "Wait for six months, at least."

    Crown Prince Xin took his seat back and didn''t say anything.

    King Xin stared at him for a moment and then gestured to the courtesans to move on to the next topic.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan let out a small smile, while Crown Prince Xin felt quite disappointed in himself and his own father.

    It took a whole month. For a whole month, this topic was ignored or just scrapped whenever he or his faction brought it.

    King Xin never said a word.

    And today, he directly shut it off.

    ''Looks like I will have to inform those people not to carry out the secret mission. Or should I let them? Sigh, this is so troublesome.''

    He felt a huge headache swept over him.

    Everything was prepared.

    Today was the day he was going to get a nod from King Xin.

    And then, within a few days, he would aplish something insanely unprecedented.

    Something that will be the trigger of big changes in the power structure of Lower Heavens.

    But all this was shot down once again.

    And this time, it was the final verdict.

    ''God damn it! What should I do now? There won''t be any second opportunity like this. I must seed in this n.''

    Crown Prince Xin couldn''t help but grit his teeth.

    Everything was shot down because Fang Yuan had already incited King Xin to take care of the ''hidden enemies'' first - the Sect and independent organizations within the Kingdom.

    ...

    A/n: should I make a discord channel for character arts hm?

 Chapter 279 - Crown Princes Hidden Aide

    "Crown Prince, it''s alright, we will do something about it. Don''t think much." A middle-aged man ran after Crown Prince Xin to catch up to him and try to boost his confidence.

    Today''s royal meeting had finallye to an end, and everyone had dispersed.

    Crown Prince Xin was heading back to his pce, and his faction members were following his lead.

    The middle-aged man who broke the silence was none other than Fu Ker.

    One of the closest aides to the Crown Prince (ording to him).

    "Crown Prince, I suggest you have a private meeting with the King and exin to him more about the situation."

    Crown Prince Xin rolled his eyes, "You think I didn''t consider that already? Father doesn''t wish to meet anyone. He''s approaching a big breakthrough."

    "Then how about we do something on our own? If the result is really good, we will only gain; there''s nothing to lose."

    Crown Prince looked at him from up to down and said, "Who made you a politician?"

    Fu Ker shrugged, "Well, it was actually my father and grandfather who-!"

    "I was being sarcastic," Crown Prince put out his hand, gesturing to him to stop, "I know how you came to politics."

    "And don''t ever advise me to go against Father''s orders. I can''t believe how stupid advisors I have."

    "Sigh, I will never even win against the Prime Minister if things go on to be like this." Crown Prince Xin couldn''t help but sigh.

    Things were getting out of his control, especially ever since he had tried to go against the Prime Minister in court for the first time.

    But his inexperience made it hard for him to gain powerful allies in the court.

    Even Fu Ker was only there because his father and grandfather wished to test the waters first.

    Fu Ker was just a guinea pig to them.

    They were testing if the Crown Prince was worth investing in or not.

    Just this thought made his blood boil, ''who the fuck they think they are to test me?''

    ''I won''t let those two old bastardse even close to me once I gain a stronghold in the courtroom."

    But thinking all this wasn''t enough. He needed powerful allies.

    Speaking of allies, he had only one whom he could trust and was also his biggest connection - but the only drawback was that this person was not a part of the court.

    So, politically he couldn''t help the Crown Prince.

    But the benefits that the Crown Prince indirectly got from him were quite a lot.

    Suddenly, the Crown Prince stopped in his tracks and frowned. After a moment of silence, he looked at Fu Ker and said, "Contact Gao Xuan. Tell him it''s an emergency."

    Fu Ker was surprised a bit, "Young Master Gao? I will do it right now, Crown Prince."

    Crown Prince nodded and saw Fu Ker change his direction and head for the exit.

    Staring at the disappearing back of Fu Ker, Crown Prince Xin told the other members of his faction, "The first thing I will do is change that guy''s name. I can''t go on swearing and cursing for my whole life for now reason."

    Many nodded their heads in agreement.

    Crown Prince Xin, however, didn''t care about their reaction; his mind was upied by the ally who has been helping him ever since they first met - Gao Xuan.

    It was Gao Xuan who had advised him to arrange a good n and ask for King Xin''s permission.

    Unfortunately, today the proposal was shot down by King Xin.

    Crown Prince Xin couldn''t help but sigh at his luck and felt a bit embarrassed that he would have to tell Gao Xuan that he couldn''t even convince his father.

    "Crown Prince Xin!"

    Just as he was lost in finding ways to escape the embarrassment, he suddenly heard a shout from behind.

    Turning his head, Crown Prince saw the head eunuch bowing his head at him.

    "What is it?" He asked as everyone turned towards the head eunuch.

    "Crown Prince, please head to the King''s Pce. He had called for you." The Eunuch replied.

    His tone was respectful, but his expression was stern.

    The Crown Prince didn''t hesitate to reply.

    He asked, "Should I leave with you? Or is there still time?"

    The Head Eunuch replied, "Pleasee with me, Crown Prince."

    "Alright, let''s go," Crown Prince replied, and turning towards the few members of his faction, he said, "Everyone, as you have just heard, I must take my leave to meet Father. I don''t know how much time it may take, so let''s postpone the meeting for tomorrow."

    "All of you are quite tired for the day, so that I won''t take any more time."

    As soon as the Crown Prince said this, everyone began to reply with wry smiles.

    "Crown Prince, please don''t jest. We old folks are here for you."

    "Yes, Crown Prince, we will wait for your return, and then we can discuss the next steps."

    "Yes, Crown Prince."

    Crown Prince Xin shook his head, "It''s alright; we will continue with the meeting tomorrow."

    "Alright then," One of the members let out a long sigh.

    With loose shoulders and sad expressions, everyone left the hallway except for the Crown Prince and the Head Eunuch.

    Seeing their expressions, Crown Prince Xin tried hard to control the urge to roll his eyes, ''Do these people really think I would believe these antics?''

    Shaking his head, he turned towards Head Eunuch and said, "Eunuch Sun, please lead the way."

    "This was, Crown Prince."

    ˇ­

    Soon Crown Prince Xin was standing right in front of the King''s Pce.

    Taking a deep breath, he recharged his confidence and pushed the door open.

    Inside the decorated hall, King Xin was standing near a huge window overlooking the whole Capital City.

    "You''re hereˇ­"

    "Yes, Father." Crown Prince Xin replied with the most respectful tone he could muster.

    King Xin nodded his head.

    And without turning back, he asked another question, "Tell me, if I had allowed you to go on with your n, what were the chances that you would have seeded?"

    "And what made you confident about those chances?"

 Chapter 280 - King Xins Decision

    Crown Prince Xin took a deep breath and said, "Father, if you had agreed, I would have definitely seeded."

    "Oh?"

    "Yes," Crown Prince replied with a confident tone, "And it''s the participants of this mission who give me confidence."

    "Oh?"

    "Yes. Though, I felt that you would have said no without even listening to anything if I had mentioned who the participants were."

    "Oh? Who are they?"

    "Theyˇ­" Crown Prince Xin pursed his lips and said, "They are few of the most talented disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Oh?"

    "Yes, Father." Crown Prince Xin felt a bit nervous after hearing a monotonous reply from the King.

    After a long silence, a few more words rang through the room.

    "Alright, go ahead. Do what you were nning to do."

    It was King Xin who had said these words.

    And Crown Prince Xin was simply confused after hearing these words.

    "Really..?" He had to confirm whether what he had just heard was true or not.

    "Yes, I mean it." Crown Prince Xin could see King Xin nod his head.

    "But why, Father? Didn''t you say you have other ns? What about the hidden enemies? Don''t you have any problem with me taking help from the sects?" Crown Prince Xin was quite confused at King Xin agreeing to allow him to go with the n.

    King Xin turned around and smiled at his son.

    "Son, I am proud of you," He said, "However there are things and ces where I can''t show you tant support."

    "Like today?" Crown Prince Xin slightly frowned.

    King Xin nodded his head, "Yes. And there were few other reasons for this too."

    "Hm?" Crown Prince Xin was a bit confused.

    "Tell me, do you know the history of the Gracious Sword Sect and Fang Yuan?" King Xin asked.

    The Crown Prince was a bit thrown off by this sudden question, "I don''t know too deeply. However, it''s a verymon knowledge that the current Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect is very hedonistic and has spawned all over the kingdom."

    King Xin shook his head, "Don''t test me. Tell me the real things you know. What you just said is what themon people know."

    Crown Prince Xin pursed his lips and said, "When Sect Leader Su Ming was an inner court disciple, he met the Fang n''s Third Young Miss."

    "Hmm, go on."

    "Both of them fell in love, but due to differences in statuses, the new n head of Fang n, Fang Yuan, didn''t wish to see them together. In fact, there are rumors that it was you who was supposed to marry the Fang n''s Third Miss."

    "Unfortunately, it was toote by the time Fang CLan knew about this rtionship, and they had already been living together."

    "But in the end, they were separated, and both, n Head Fang Yuan and Inner COurt disciple Su Ming, became bitter enemies."

    "This whole conflict led to other oues, first one was - Yours and Third Miss of Fang CLan''s marriage annulled, and Sect Leader Su turned into a horny hedonistic person who now had an unknown number of children all over the kingdom."

    King Xin shook his head, "This information that you knowˇ­ is only half true. In fact, it''s not even the real truth."

    "What do you mean, Father?" Crown Prince Xin was a bit confused, "I got this information from Crimson Pavilion and our n records. And I even confirmed it with my most reliable ally."

    King Xin let out a sigh, "The real truth is way beyond anyone''s imagination. And this is also the reason why Fang Yuan hates Su Ming."

    "Even though Su Ming has grown up into a very decent guy, the things of the past cannot be changed now. And Fang Yuan''s hatred for him will never decrease."

    "What did Sect Leader Su Ming do?" Crown Prince Xin couldn''t help but ask, "Isn''t the difference of status and your marriage with the Third Miss of Fang n the main reasons for this conflict? And Prime Minister Fang even riled up the public and humiliated Sect Leader Su by spreading rumors about him?"

    "Since when did Prime Minister Fang be the good guy in this story?"

    King Xin smiled, "Marriage with me? No, this was never the case. In fact, the Third Miss of Fang n was like a little sister to me. Me and Fang Yuan both doted her a lot. And never once did I have any preposterous thoughts about her."

    "Then?"

    "Well, fate yed its game. And things that happened all those years ago led Fang Yuan and me to use all our wits and resources and n the biggest upheaval within the kingdom."

    "And all this is going to start at the time of the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "The whole fate of Xin Kingdom will change for the worse or the best in theing few months."

    After a slight pause, King Xin added, "Since the time to collect the fruits of all those years ofbor is close, Fang Yuan doesn''t wish to see any cracks in the n. And neither do I."

    "But there''s a slight difference between us - we both might be avenging the past, but he''s a n Head, while I am a King."

    "The things that I need to keep in mind are way beyond anyone else''s."

    "This is why even though I said no in the Courtroom, this doesn''t change the fact that such opportunities won''t repeat themselves."

    "We must take the best advantage of this situation and give such a big blow to the Wu King that its foundations will weaken to the point of extinction."

    "But all this can''t be known to the public and especially to Fang Yuan."

    "You''re threatening his n, and you''re also taking help from his biggest enemy - Feng''er, just know this - if Fang Yuan gets to know the truth, even I won''t be able to handle the control."

    "This is why we must kill anyone who''s going to be part of that mission.. All those disciples should be killed - no exceptions."

 Chapter 281 - Xiao Mings Hand Of Help

    "Let''s head to the Resource Hall." Yuan Shuchun tapped the table and stood up from her seat.

    Ye Tian Yun and Xiao Ming nodded and followed her lead.

    As soon as the trio got out of the Hall, they became the center of attraction.

    None of them were normal disciples in the eyes of others.

    While Xiao Ming was a rising star, Shu Xian already had deep-rooted fame.

    As for Yuan Shuchun? Her fame was on another level.

    And seeing these three together was sure to attract attention from all the disciples.

    However, none of them were bothered by this.

    Xiao Ming was not pretty much used to this, while Ye Tian Yun and Yuan Shuchun had practically lived a whole lifetime being the center of attention.

    Letting out a sigh, Yuan Shuchun suddenly said, "Shu Xian. I want you to know one thing."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was confused by her sudden statement.

    "I want you to know that I know what you did during the banquet hall."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was quite surprised.

    ''She isn''t nning to kill me secretly?''

    Even Xiao Ming looked at Yuan Shuchun in confusion.

    ''Why bring up this topic right now?''

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his throat and said, "Yeah, I did what you asked me to do."

    He was going to first test whether Yuan Shuchun was referring to the assassination attempt on her or was talking about something else.

    Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes but didn''t turn around.

    After another few steps, she said, "I am not stupid enough to ask you to assassinate me."

    Her voice turned stern by the end.

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, ''She''s indeed referring to the assassinationˇ­ what should I doˇ­?''

    "Well, I am a bit confused here," Ye Tian Yun replied, "What are you suddenly talking about?"

    Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "Don''t y ignorant in front of me, Shu Xian. I know if you who arranged the assassination attempt on me. Unfortunately for you, it failed."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun acted shocked, "Senior Sister, what are you saying? I would be so stupid if I did that; you''re the best protection I have in this sect."

    "Well, quite nice of you to admit that fact, but I would rather not have you act ignorant about your wrongdoing."

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was going to insist on being unaware of what''s going on.

    His thoughts were pretty simple; he wanted to create self-doubt within Yuan Shuchun.

    But it seemed that Yuan Shuchun had very solid proof against him, "Well, Shu Xian, I could have you killed at any minute if I wanted to. I am still giving you a good chance."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes on her, but then he turned towards Xiao Ming and slightly eximed, "Do you know what she is talking about?"

    Xiao Ming shrugged, "Maybe the time you tried to kill her?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and said to Yuan Shuchun, "Senior Sister, please don''t use without baselessly. I don''t want my loyalty for you to falter."

    Yuan Shuchun suddenly stopped for a moment and then resumed her steps once again.

    Without any other conversation, they soon reached the Resource Hall.

    "Why would Sect Leader Su call us here? He should have directly called us to the Grand Meeting Hall. I heard it''s pretty fabulous." Xiao Ming remarked as they headed towards the counters.

    Neither Ye Tian Yun nor Yuan Shuchun replied to him.

    Sensing the weird atmosphere, Xiao Ming just shrugged and didn''t say anything.

    Soon they crossed the counters, and all three of them were asked for their disciple tokens.

    Once the identities were verified, the trio headed straight for the second floor.

    Looking around, they were quite surprised to see that there was no one else.

    Yuan Shuchun gestured to Xiao Ming to check the rooms and went in the opposite direction, at the end of the hallway.

    Ye Tian Yun moved towards the counter on the Second Floor and waited for both of them to return.

    After a few moments, Xiao Ming returned and shook his head, indicating that there was no one in the rooms either.

    Both of them stood in awkward silence as they waited for Yuan Shuchun to return.

    "So it seems to be acting weird today," Suddenly Xiao Ming said, "You know, Yuan Shuchun knows everything about what you did during the banquet. And I trust the fact that you know more than me about her."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes on him.

    "She will soon being after you." Xiao Ming slowly added.

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly smiled, "What are you trying to do?"

    Xiao Ming leaned his back on the wall at the opposite of the hallway and slowly said, "Well, I will be direct. You will be dead as soon as we''re a good distance from the Sect."

    "But I have a way you can save your life."

    "Oh? What is it?" Ye Tian Yun was intrigued at what Xiao Ming was trying to do.

    Xiao Ming shook his head, "You don''t understand how grave danger you are in right now. Do you really think that just because you have been loyal to Yuan Shuchun for such a long time, she will forgive you for trying to kill her?"

    "No."

    "Then why don''t I see any sincerity in you?" Xiao Ming snarled in a very low voice, "I have a way to let you save your life, but you don''t seem sincere. You have already given up?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Well, I won''t beg you to save me if that''s what you''re hoping for. Though I would spare few moments to hear your words."

    Xiao Ming pursed his lips, "Be alert and wait for my signal. A lot of things will happen in the secret mission; as long as you keep me safe for the next two days, you will live."

    ....

    A/n: if you notice any typos or errors, please leave ament. ty

 Chapter 282 - Ye Tian Yuns Suspicion

    "Just be alert and wait for my signal. A lot of things will happen in the secret mission, as long as you keep me safe for the next two days, you will live."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he heard Xiao Ming''s words.

    "What are you nning?" He couldn''t help but narrow his eyes at him.

    "I am not nning anything; it''s just we both have something at stake. You have your life, while I also have something important."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun nodded his head but didn''t inquire much.

    He had a feeling this conversation would go nowhere.

    "So it''s a deal?" Xiao Ming asked, seeing Ye Tian Yun go silent.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a smile and shrugged his shoulders, "Do I have any other options? It''s a deal."

    Xiao Ming nodded his head and slowly whispered, "If we both are sessful in keeping what if ours, after this mission, our lives will change for the better."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him for some time but didn''t say anything else.

    *tap* *tap* *tap*

    Turning their heads, they soon found an elder heading towards them. He wasing from the direction in which Yuan Shcuhun headed to.

    "Follow me, both of you." The Elder came closer to them and turned while saying this.

    Ye Tian Yun and Xiao Ming nodded their heads and followed behind.

    Ye Tian Yun had a hunch where they were going - to the Grand Meeting Hall, at the top of the First Peak.

    And it turned out to be true.

    Soon the three of them were climbing up through a stairway, and by now, even Xiao Ming was able to guess where they were most probably heading to.

    "We''re here." The Elder said as he pushed open the gates once they reached the end of the stairway.

    The Elder stayed behind while Ye Tian Yun and Xiao Ming passed through the door.

    As soon as they entered, the first person they noticed was none other than Yuan Shuchun.

    She turned her head towards them and gave them a nod.

    Xiao Ming moved towards her and stood close to her, Ye Tian Yun following suit.

    In all this interaction, be it present or the future, Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to be the center of attention and keep an as low profile as possible.

    He wanted to strike at the right time and was waiting for the right opportunity.

    Being in disguise, he would be making a grave mistake if he tried to interact much with others; after all, he didn''t know Shu Xian''s character very well - except for him being an arrogant brat.

    But he also didn''t wish to take any risk at this stage. By chance, if any of the other members of the mission were to know that Shu Xian from before and were quite familiar with him, it would only bring him more trouble.

    Keeping a low profile and not being the main character in this situation was the best option for him.

    Talking about the other members on the mission, Ye Tian Yun was surprised that there was no one else in the Meeting Hall except for the three of them.

    It was not that they were the only ones going for the mission; in fact, there were a few more Core disciples who would be part of the entourage.

    While they were waiting for the arrival of the other members, Xiao Ming suddenly asked, "Senior Sister, do you know who else will be participating with us?"

    Yuan Shcuhun nodded her head, "Yeah, you will know them soon."

    "Why haven''t they arrived yet? In fact, no one had arrived yet. Why did you bring us early?" Xiao Ming added.

    "You will know the reason soon." Yuan Shuchun added.

    Xiao Ming shrugged and didn''t say anything else.

    Ye Tian Yun however had a hunch that Yuan Shuchun was definitely preparing for something outrageous, or it was probably something very unexpected.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was trying to guess, the gates of the Grand Meeting Hall were pushed open.

    When the three of them turned their heads, it turned out to be none other than Seventh Peak Master Duan.

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t much surprised to see him, considering his close rtionship with Sect Leader Su Ming.

    However, he suddenly felt something was off - especially between the exchange that happened between Yuan Shuchun and Peak Master Duan.

    It was for a split second.

    And they didn''t even exchange amy words.

    Only expressions.

    However, that was enough to fire off the rm bells in Ye Tian Yun''s head.

    He had a very strong hunch that something was wrong.

    Something was definitely wrong.

    Maybe he was missing something, but that sudden exchange between Yuan Shuchun and Peak Master Duan was certainly off.

    He didn''t wrap his mind around it - Yuan Shuchun and Peak Master Duan were in totally two different factions and should be hating each other.

    Why were their expressions so amiable?

    "Greeting, Peak Master Duan," Ye Tian Yun''s thoughts didn''tst long before he was interrupted by Xiao Ming''s greeting.

    Surprisingly, Yuan Shuchun only nodded her head at Peak Master.

    This confused Ye Tian Yun even more.

    He had a hunch of a rtionship between Grand Elder Xuan and Yuan Shuchun; however, there was no indication of anything between Yuan Shuchun and Peak Master Duan in the reports. Though, by now, Ye Tian Yun has learned not to solely depend on the reports. They tended to be wrong at the important parts.

    And Yuan Shcuhun''s response confirmed that he wasn''t thinking too much, and there really was something that he had really missed to notice.

    ''Yuan Shuchun would even greet Grand Elder with respect when in public; why didn''t she greet Peak Master Duan? It can''t be me overthinking because I know Yuan Shuchun''s character. She won''t make such simple mistakes and would always appear on the good side of the story.''

    ''So what is going on here?''

    Before Ye Tian Yun could contemte more on this, someone suddenly pushed the doors of the hall once again.

    This time, the new entrant was actually a disciple who would be part of the secret mission along with them.

    ....

    <em>A/n: Should I increase chapter release speed? Or 2ch/d is good enough? (dated 07/13)</em>

 Chapter 283 - The Mission Details

    The new entrant entered the hall, and looked around.

    His eyes stopped on Ye Tian Yun for a slightly longer and moved on to the next person.

    He nodded at Yuan Shuchun and cupped his fists at Peak Master Duan as a greeting, "Greetings, Peak Master Duan."

    "Hmm, good to see you here, Jun Xie."

    Jun Xie, whom Ye Tian Yun hadst met in the Heavenly League''s banquet, and the one who was very proficient in illusion Techniques.

    He slowly moved towards the side opposite to Yuan Shcuhn''s group and stood beside the wall.

    Peak Master Duan let out a small smile and moved towards his own seat.

    After a few more minutes, more disciples began to arrive, and slowly, there were a total of nine disciples who would be part of this mission, including Yuan Shuchun and her group.

    Though there were about ten people in the hall right now, the hall was very quiet, and an awkward silence prevailed throughout the Grand Meeting Hall.

    Even Peak Master Duan didn''t say anything, except for asional nods at the greetings he received from the iing disciples.

    *creak*

    Suddenly the side door of the meeting hall was pushed open, and the man that everyone had been waiting for finally arrived at the scene.

    It was Sect Leader Su.

    "Good day, everyone, d to see you here at such short notice."

    All the disciples cupped their fists at him and looked at him in a very curious expression.

    Just like Yuan Shuchun, they too were unaware of the contents and goals of the supposedly secret mission and were waiting for Sect Leader Su to spill the beans.

    Sect Leader Su first looked from one corner to another, and after nodding at Peak Master Duan, he addressed the disciples standing in front of him.

    "Disciples, I have called every one of you here for a very special mission."

    "This mission will most probably decide the uing direction of the future of our sect."

    After a slight pause, he said, "And, this mission will be in cooperation with none other than the Xin Royal n."

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun heard the name of the n, he couldn''t help but sigh in relief.

    ''So, fate is still ying its game? The mission that was supposed to happen a month ago is still going to happen.''

    "Xin Royal n?" While Ye Tian Yun was quite relieved, others were very much surprised.

    Especially Yuan Shuchun and sensing the expression of Seventh Peak Master, he too probably was unaware of the contents of the mission.

    Sect Leader Su didn''t pause for long, as he had expected such a reaction. He continued, "The main objective of this mission is to ambush an entourage from the Wu Kingdom."

    This time, the reaction was much more intense.

    The disciples'' expressions turned even more grave; they now had a slight understanding that this ''secret mission'' was also going to be very dangerous for their lives.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was once again feeling the opposite emotions.

    ''Well, this mission is exactly the one where Xiao Ming first revealed his Token Of Fate.''

    Everything was not going just like how it was supposed to. And to Ye Tian Yun, nothing could be better than this.

    As long as everything went ording to how it was supposed to go, Ye Tian Yun would have a certain grasp over the situation.

    "On this entourage is a very important and talented member of the Wu Kingdom, and our mission is to kill all the members in this entourage before they cross the borders." Sect Leader Su continued, "However, there are few variables that everyone must keep in mind."

    "The first thing to note is, those people are in disguise, and we don''t have many clues to identify them. However, there is one solid intel that would be enough for you to prepare the ambush."

    "The only issue in this is - if you miss this one opportunity, you will lose the tail, and the whole mission will be a failure."

    "The second thing to note - and this is also the reason why it''s you disciples who are being sent on this mission, instead of older cultivators - is because we don''t want muchmotion."

    "I know, you may argue that a cultivator with higher cultivation would have easily taken down the whole entourage andpleted the mission without breaking a sweat - well, that is actually impossible and the worst step we could have taken."

    "The reason behind is pretty simple - the entourage has a cultivator in the Core Establishment Realm and a box."

    As soon as Sect Leader Su said these words, it was like a bomb dropped on the disciples.

    "Sect Leader, they have a Core Establishment Realm cultivator, and you want us, mere Tri-Qi Realm brats, toplete the mission?" Yuan Shuchun asked, "How is it different from asking us to just die?"

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "Don''t you worry about that cultivator. What you need to worry about is the box."

    "What is in the box, Sect Leader?" It was Jun Xie who had asked this question.

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips, "Something which can detect cultivators of the realm higher than Tri-Qi Realm. And it makes a protective array around our targets as soon as such a threat is detected."

    "This is why we need disciples who are the best of the Tri Qi Realms - disciples like you guys."

    "Thest thing that you guys need to take note of is - your group won''t be the only one targeting the enemy. A few other groups from unknown sects are also taking part in this. So you must assassinate the enemy before them, and along with that, you also need to safely return to the sect with the enemy''s head."

    "Don''t let those from the other groups steal your spoils."

    "As for how we will distract the Core Formation Cultivator - there will be someone else who wille with you."

    Turning his head to the right, Sect Leader Su added, "It will be the Seventh Peak Master Duan."

    As soon as he said this, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but frown.

    This was the first thing that had gone out of line - Peak Master Duan wasn''t supposed to be a part of this mission.

 Chapter 284 - The Mission Details (II)

    Ye Tian Yun was quite confused at the sudden inclusion of Peak Master Duan to be part of the mission.

    When Xiao Ming had gone on the mission in the previous life, things were pretty easy for him, despite the fact that the enemies had the Core Formation Realm cultivator amongst them.

    But this time, Sect Leader was going to add Peak Master Duan - this would definitely create a few variables in theing future.

    ''Maybe this time, everyone will be able to reach the mission area at least?''

    This was the one thing that Ye Tian Yun didn''t care about before this instant - the Gracious Sword Sect would miserably fail this mission.

    They would lose more than half of the core members, greatly affecting the sect''s chances in theing Grand Spirit Hunt.

    This would all happen because they were going to be ambushed, and this ambush would be so unexpected that the disciples wouldn''t even know what hit them.

    The biggest loss for the sect would be none other than Jun Xie.

    One of the disciples with the highest spirit sense, and he wouldn''t even have a single body part remaining after this mission.

    He would be dered dead, and the Gracious Sword Sect would release an intense search and kill operation - showing the world their full power for the first time since Sword Saint Yuan Xuming''s ascent.

    Unfortunately, by the time the sect found any answers, it would be toote, and Jun Xie will slowly be forgotten in the further losses that the sect would face.

    However, Ye Tian Yun knew another side of this story - Jun Xie wouldn''t die.

    As a matter of fact, he would go into hiding.

    Just like how Yuan Shuchun was in the sect for a purpose, Jun Xie, too, was here for a purpose.

    It was just that both of their goals lie so far apart that Jun Xie''s story never really mattered much, at least for now.

    Jun Xie would then go on on his adventure and towards his main goal - finding his origins.

    Ye Tian Yun knew very well the person Jun Xie was currently looking for - a few words from him and Jun Xie wouldn''t have to get into as much trouble as he''s destined to face.

    However, Ye Tian Yun had no interest in that. Maybe in the future, Jun Xie might be a good ally.

    But to qualify as an ally, Jun Xie had first to grow a lot.

    The real talents of this generation, God''s Legion, haven''t even stepped outside of theirfort zones yet.

    This time was the best one to get a headstart because once those peoplee out, they will catch up to everyone in a blink.

    For now, Ye Tian Yun only needed to give a slight push and help a bit at the right time, and Jun Xie would owe him a huge favor.

    However, now, with the addition of Peak Master Duan, it would be harder for Ye Tian Yun to make Jun Xie owe him anything.

    ''If opportunity doesn''t present itself, I will just create one for myself.''

    He knew for sure that there was going to be an ambush.

    The only thing he hoped, for now, was that the enemies knew about Peak Master Duan''s presence.

    Only then would they send someone powerful enough to hold back Peak Master Duan during the ambush, or else there would be a one-sided massacre.

    Jun Xie won''t get a chance to leave the Sect, Yuan Shuchun will remain unhurt, Xiao Ming won''t assert himself to reveal the Token Of Fate - nothing interesting would happen if there isn''t someone who can hold back Peak Master Duan.

    "Seventh Peak Master Duan won''t directly interfere in the mission, " Sect Leader''s voice once again rang in Ye Tian Yun''s ear.

    He raised his head to find Sect Leader Su continued, "Even though he may not interfere, but if there''s an emergency, he definitely will."

    After a slight pause, he added, "Now I will tell you how you''re going to proceed and what you need to do before you reach the position of the target."

    "So, there are seven days before the target crosses the location." Sect Leader Su said.

    "In these seven days, you not only need to get to the city - yeah, this will happen in a city - you also need to prepare for the ambush."

    "Don''t forget the fact that we don''t know who our enemies are - except for the fact that they are actually in disguise - which is quitemon sense.

    "Though, there is indeed an important clue we have - they are in a group of seven."

    "Sect Leader, can''t there be other groups with seven cultivators? What if we end up ambushing the wrong people?" Jun Xie voiced his thoughts.

    "Well, for that - you have Peak Master Duan with you. He will use an especially made array to sense the hidden Core Formation Realm cultivator."

    "Now, a core formation cultivator is already very rare - add it to the fact that the opposite party is also in a group of seven - I don''t think it will be hard for you to identify this group."

    "Also, on a side note, the city in which all this will happen is not a big one, and the average cultivation realm is actually just tri-qi realms."

    "So, finding a single Core Formation Realm should be quite hard."

    All the disciples nodded in agreement.

    A Core Formation Realm expert is equal to a Peak Master in one of the biggest sects of the kingdom; of course, it would be hard to find such a powerful cultivator in a random city.

    "Sect Leader, what city are we talking about here? And which part of the kingdom will this operation take ce?"

    It was Yuan Shuchun who had asked this question.

    Sect Leader nodded his head at her, "I was about to get to this part."

    "Well, all of you will be heading towards the ruins of the Yin Yang Sect. Just before the ruins, you will find a small city - Silver Mist City."

    ˇ­

    A/n: Silver Mist City: first mentioned in ch46

 Chapter 285 - Hidden Enemies

    "Silver Mist City will be the ce where everything will take ce."

    While everyone nodded their heads, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smile.

    This city may be insignificant for everyone in this hall. However, there was someone that Ye Tian Yun knew for whom this city was home.

    ''Well, I almost forgot about that. This city is also home of Zheng Xiang.''

    ''Maybe this mission''s after-effects are the ones that wouldter be the trigger to Zheng Xiang''s deathly fate.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t but sigh at this. Even though he didn''t genuinely consider Zheng Xiang a friend, he would if he got a chance to change his destiny.

    ''Let it be my parting gift to him.''

    Considering that Ye Tian Yun had no ns toe back here after killing Xiao Ming, he knew that he probably wouldn''t meet Zheng Xiang - at least not in theing months.

    ''If Zheng Xiang improves his fate and if his destiny does change, maybe he will one day rise, and we might meet again.''

    Letting out a breath, Ye Tian Yun once again nced at the other disciples in the Hall.

    Only Jun Xie, Xiao Ming, and Yuan Shuchun were the ones he knew of.

    As for the others, they most probably died in the mission; hence, they weren''t much famouster.

    ''I wonder if my Sword Intent can hold back against Peak Master Duan?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think of this possibility.

    If his Sword Intent was really powerful enough, he might have to change his n in theing future.

    ''Well, I won''t find out unless I use it against him. I am sure the opportunity will strike pretty soon.''

    Ye Tian Yun diverted his attention towards the Sect Leader, who was discussing how he had already made arrangements in the Silver Mist City with the help of Crown Prince Xue, and all they needed to do now was to prepare for the kill.

    "Also, don''t show off your identities in the City. Even though we don''t know for sure, since the enemy dares to enter that city, they most probably have help from inside."

    "Therefore, it''s best not to meddle much, keep a low profile, and strike at the right time."

    "Yes, Sect Leader." All nine disciples, including Ye Tian Yun, replied.

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head and said, "Alright, follow those stairs, and head straight to a nearby town first."

    "Once you have reached there, you will sit in a caravan and disguise as guards of a trader and head to the Silver Mist City."

    All the disciples nodded and cupped their fists.

    Ye Tian Yun watched as Sect Leader Su stood from his seat while the rest of the disciples moved towards the exit behind them.

    Suddenly he noticed a peculiar thing - a deja vu feeling - he noticed the slight exchange between Yuan Shuchun and Peak Master Duan through expressions.

    ''Damn, don''t tell me these two are actually on the same side!?''

    A crazy and hard-to-believe thought suddenly popped up in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    ˇ­

    Ruins of Yin Yang Sect, Southern Province, Xin Kingdom.

    This ce was once home to one of the most powerful sects in the whole Xin Kingdom.

    However, a single conspiracy turned the fate of this sect to a horrifying end, marking the first appearance of the Sleeper Cells.

    Turning this majestic sect into a poisonous wastnd, the hidden enemies had shaken the whole upper echelon of Xin Kingdom.

    However, to avoid public panic, major sects and ns decided to suppress the truth and keep it among themselves.

    But even that couldn''t fully diminish the glory of this sect.

    It had been more than fifty years since that incident, and the very few surviving disciples still hoped for it to once again rise from the ashes and take back its spot as one of the peak sects of the kingdom.

    "Ah, the smell of death, it''s delicious." Standing in the ruins of this sect was a cloaked figure.

    He stood at a cliff, overlooking the ruins of Yin Yang Sect.

    "It is indeed quite nice, though. The poisonous gas down there makes me think otherwise." Another voice was heard, and a second cloaked figure appeared from the shadows.

    "Jaun Jin, don''t ruin my mood. This ce is my favorite in this pathetic kingdom." The first cloaked figure replied in a disgruntled voice.

    Juan Jin shrugged, "Well, we''re not here sightseeing. After the huge blunder your people made in the Gracious Sword Sect, I am pretty sure this is thest chance to make aeback for you."

    "Hmph!" The first figure got even more irritated at the mention of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    "How could you say it was my fault? I am pretty sure something definitely happened on that day, and we don''t know what. We need to find out the truth behind how there could be no deaths when all the Sleeper Cells did explode." He said.

    Juan Jin shook his head, "Take youints to the Sect Leader. It was your people who needed to finish the job, but they failed. So it''s natural that you will be the one bear the brunt."

    After a slight pause, he added, "Also, this is not the time to discuss that. In seven days, Gracious Sword Sects core disciples wille. AMong them, will be the major rivals of Jiang Chen. We need to kill them."

    "Just some Tri-Qi REalm brats, I don''t know why we were sent here. Few disciples would have been enough, what was the need to send the elders?"

    Juan Jin smiled, "I already told you, you will know pretty soon. And trust me, you will be thankful to me for bringing you here, once you know who our main target is."

    "Just hope this is what happens." The figure replied in the same disgruntled voice.

    Juan Jin however didn''t mind it, and said, "I heard Shu Xian will also being. The Sect Leader had asked us to test him, but it''s better if we kill him off. Things will be very annoying."

    The cloaked figure nodded, agreeing for the first time with Juan Jin in this exchange.

 Chapter 286 - The Truce

    Stone Mountain Town, Southern Border Of The Gracious Sword Mountains.

    This was one of the four outskirt towns and the closest town to get to the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Due to the less distance, it was also the most bustling town in its vicinity, and disciples usually took this route when getting to the Gracious Sword Sect.

    This also gave a big boon to its economy, and it became one of the hotspots for caravans to rest and trade.

    Like every other day, traders with their caravans were either here to business or refilling their supplies.

    Among these caravans was a certain group, with only three people at the helm, a huge contrast to the others around them who had about forty to fifty in their entourage.

    Even though this caravan attracted the eyes of many, the three were not much bothered about this.

    They didn''t need to care about getting attacked or losing their lives because their ''guards'' would soon arrive here.

    "Where are they?" One of the three men stood up from his ce and asked.

    They had been waiting since sunrise and were now feeling a bit impatient.

    "They will arrive soon." Another man replied. And from his tone, it was pretty clear he was the leader among the three.

    "Soon? Didn''t you tell me this exact thing a few hours ago? We have been here since dawn, and it will be dusk in a few hours. What kind of guards have you hired this time?" The standing man replied with irritation.

    "I told you already. They are from the sect. And they are doing important work. So don''t talk bad about them; in fact, if you want to keep your life, it''s better if you don''t even talk to those disciples."

    The man felt quite annoyed by this reprimand. It was them who made us wait, not us.

    "Are they Inner Court Disciples?" He asked.

    Only Inner Court disciples could make him have his guard up. He didn''t care about the Outer Court disciples. As for the Core Disciples? Such high-ranking disciples wouldn''t even step in this town, let alone agree to be guards.

    In response, the man who was sitting just shook his head, "Don''t get yourself killed."

    "So they are just Outer Court disciples?" The standing man replied, and he turned towards the third man who hadn''t spoken a word and said, "Pan De, how about we have some fun with those outer court disciples? They are too arrogant to make us wait, hmph!"

    Pan De pursed his lips and shook his head, "Don''t be an idiot. Use that little brain you have."

    "What do you mean?" The man came close to Pan De. His eyebrows locked in a frown as he stood towering over Pan De.

    Pan De raised his head and rolled back his eyes at him, "I don''t care what you do, just don''t drag me into this."

    The man smirked, "You''re a coward."

    Pan De shrugged, "So be it. But I am using my brain."

    "Brain? You''re just afraid that-!"

    "We''re here."

    Just as the man was about to finish his words, he suddenly heard a female voice from behind.

    Turning his head, he was surprised to find nine teenagers in guard uniform, led by a female guard.

    "Are you the ones sent by the sect?" The man who was sitting in the middle stood up.

    The female disciple nodded her head, "Yes. You can call me Yuan Suchun."

    The man cupped his fist, "My humble self is Qi Shen."

    "And I am Fu Kai." The man who had been standing before interjected.

    Noticing the attention, Fu Kai smirked and said, "Do you guys know howte you are?"

    Yuan Suchun replied, "Well, the Sect didn''t inform us about the time. And as soon as we got out of the sect, we hurried here."

    "Oh? Reall? Do you think anyone will beli-!"

    "Shut up, Fu Kai." Qi Shen pulled him back, and then turning his head towards the disciples, he replied with a wry smile, "Don''t mind my friend, he''s from a family who loves to court death."

    "Hmph!" Fu Kai was disgruntled but didn''t say anything else.

    Yuan Suchun let out a small smile and said, "It''s alright. Let''s get to work - so, when will this caravan head out?"

    Qin Shen smiled, "We''re ready to go. It''s justˇ­ I am not sure if we should start right now or wait till tomorrow dawn."

    Yuan Shuchun, "Why wait? If everything is ready, let''s move on. The journey is long, and we need to get to the destination in five days."

    Qin Shen nodded, "Alright then, we will start right now. I hope we don''t have to worry about the bandits along the way."

    "Ah, is it the bandits that make you hesitant? Don''t worry; we will handle them. You just need to take us to the destination as soon as possible."

    After a moment of silence, Yuan Suchun gave a small smile and replied, "If you take a before the time is over, I might even give you something very special."

    Qin Shen gulped and nodded his head.

    Seeing his expression, most of the disciples couldn''t help but have their lips curved up, ''Let''s see if he still has this expression when he knows what this ''very special gift'' is.''

    Qin Shen, unaware of these thoughts, had already turned around and was tightening the lease on the Ferghana horses.

    Yuan Shuchun turned towards the disciples and gestured towards Jun Xie.

    Jun Xie frowned but stepped closer.

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips and whispered, just loud enough for the disciples to hear, "I couldn''t talk to you in the sect, but I think this is a good chance."

    "For this mission - let''s put our differences aside. You should have seen the peculiarity in the members selected and a few other hints that are pointing towards how there''s a high chance we will face few ups and downs in this mission."

    "What are you trying to say?" Jun Xie frowned.

    "I want us to put our differences aside and work together. There''s no need to act like bitter enemies. We both understand what it would mean if we returned to the sect afterpleting the mission."

    "So, don''t mess it up for any of us. Also, keep your illusions away from me.. Or I will forget this truce."

 Chapter 287 - Blossoming Love

    Jun Xie smiled at Yuan Suchun and shrugged his shoulders, "It''s exactly what I want. Let''splete this mission, and we will resume our rivalry once we''re back in the sect."

    Yuan Suchun nodded her head and then moved towards the caravans.

    Ye Tian Yun, in the disguise of Shu Xian, was silently observing the whole situation. He had no intention to be the main character here and didn''t wish to create any trouble for himself.

    ''I should stay away from Yuan Shuchun''s caravanˇ­ even though it''s against Shu Xian''s character; it''s not worth taking the risk.''

    The only caravan that Ye Tian Yun was sure that Yuan Shuchun wouldn''t pick was the one in which Jun Xie was going to stay.

    Jun Xie, suddenly feeling the weird nce from Ye Tian Yun, couldn''t help but have his guard up in an instant.

    ''What is Shu Xian nning to do?''

    ˇ­

    The Caravan soon took off.

    Ferghana Horses were pulling it.

    Ferghana horses are the mostmon transportation mode, especially for anyone below the Tri-Qi Realms.

    They are fast and can go faster than normal horses even while pulling a few caravans. And were also a symbol of status.

    Basically, they were the way to tell everyone that you''re rich without actually telling anyone.

    In the caravan, there weren''t a lot of carriages, only three.

    Each caravan would be managed by one of the traders, and there would be three disciples guarding each carriage.

    The one in the lead was Qin Shen''s, and then was Pan De''s carriage.

    Fu Kai managed thest one.

    It was also the one in which Jun Xie took a seat, and to his surprise, Shu Xian also followed him.

    Even though he had just agreed to a truce, he couldn''t help but feel suspicious of Shu Xian.

    ''This guy wouldn''t even dare to leave Yuan Shuchun; why''s he here?''

    Even though there were a few more questions in his mind, Jun Xie decided not to bother and focus onprehending illusion arts.

    Only absolute power could crush all obstacles.

    Ye Tian Yun was quite surprised seeing Jun Xie focus on cultivation as soon as the journey started.

    ''Quiet hard working, aren''t we?''

    He then turned his head towards the third disciples in the carriage.

    This disciple was also a Core Disciple, but Ye Tian Yun didn''t know his identity.

    ''I wonder if Shu Xian knew him? It''s better to mind my own business and be alert. No need to create useless acquaintances.''

    After a few minutes of silence, Jun Xie raised his head and said, "Shu Xian, Luo Han, listen. Let''s take turns in guarding the carriages. One at a time. Who will start?''

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I will start."

    Jun Xie was quite surprised at his reply, "Really? I was expecting an argumentˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Not worth it."

    And as he finished, he stood up and opened the curtain on Fu Kai''s side.

    Soon, Ye Tian Yun was sitting with his hands behind his head and leaned on the carriage beside Fu Kai.

    Inside the carriage, Jun Xie frowned at Ye Tian Yun''s actions and decided not to lower his guard at any cost.

    ''Yuan Shuchun is definitely nning something. She even asked Shu Xian to act like a normal guy!''

    ˇ­

    In the first carriage, Qin Shen was whipping the Ferghana''s to move faster while a disciple sat beside him.

    The disciple was eyeing around very carefully and was fully on guard - a huge contrast to rxed Ye Tian Yun.

    Inside the carriage were Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming, sitting at opposite sides of the carriage.

    "You didn''t ask Shu Xian to sit in this carriage?" Xiao Ming suddenly asked.

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips, "Well, I am honestly quite disappointed in him. I think he doesn''t wish to repent."

    Xiao Ming smirked, "Well, you both have big egos, but I agree with the fact that Shu Xian should be the one to step back in this situation."

    "He made a mistake, and he should be the one to ask for forgiveness. If he doesn''t, I don''t see any reason to spare his life."

    Yuan Shuchun frowned, "But I want to at least listen to his side of the story. I hope there are good enough reasons. He was one of my first allies in this sect, and I don''t wish just to kill him off. I would at least give him one more chance."

    Xiao Ming just shrugged and kept quiet.

    After a long silence, Yuan Shuchun suddenly asked, "Are you also one of the spies?"

    "Hm?" Xiao Ming was surprised at this question.

    Yuan Shuchun turned her head to the side and said, "I have already suffered enough betrayals to not feel anything from them. But.. but if you are really a spy, tell me right now."

    "Why would you think I am a spy?" Xiao Ming asked. His voice seemed unnaturally stern.

    "I just... How should I put itˇ­" Yuan Shuchun slightly frowned, "I can''t see through your cultivation anymore. In the meeting hall, you even mmed that disciple that day. He was a peak Qi Condensation Realm disciple. And you defeated him with ease."

    "Tell me, Xiao Ming, are you a spy? Will you tooˇ­ betray me?"

    Xiao Ming took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

    Moving closer to Yuan Shuchun, he put his arm around her, and then with others, he gently held her hand.

    With a smile, he stared into her eyes and said, "Yuan Shuchun, I have told you this before, and I will tell you a million times more. There isn''t one person in this world that I want more than I want you."

    Yuan Shuchun just rolled her eyes, "Stop with your cheesy lines."

    Surprisingly, she didn''t push him away and stayed in his arms.

    ...

    A/n: Final arc of the volume starts today, and many enemies will sh together. Let''s see where does Ye Tian Yun''s fate takes him to. I will try not to make this arc slow-paced and definitely won''t rush things (well, I still regret putting you through 2 chapters of stabbing a needle.. so don''t worry about things rushing too much.)

 Chapter 288 - A Test

    As the sun rose above the horizon, it awoke the jungle slowly and efficiently.

    The caravan had long left the Gracious Mountain Range behind, and after another day of the journey, they would enter the Southern Province.

    Qin Shen was driving the first carriage, while Pan De was on the second, and finally was Fu Kai.

    While the former two were used to driving carriages, Fu Kai was a special case among the three.

    And currently, he was quite irritated.

    Not because of his work, but because of his partner.

    His partner was a disciple who was supposed to be on the lookout and guard the carriage.

    But he slept the whole way.

    Leaning back on the carriage, putting his hands behind his back, this disciple was sleeping ever since the journey began.

    Even though the whole path was uneven (and Fu Kai making sure the carriage jumped in all the ditches and stones), the entire carriage was practically hopping all the way.

    And yet, this disciple hadn''t budged.

    "Don''t they let you sleep in the sect?" Finally, Fu Kai had enough. He was going to confront this disciple.

    ''Does he not understand this is a secret mission, and we can be ambushed at any corner?''

    Seeing no response, Fu Kai nudged the disciple and asked again, "Are you dead or what? Why can''t you take the mission seriously?"

    The disciple slowly turned his head and opened his eyes.

    He stared at Fu Kai for a moment before saying, "Well, I am dead."

    Fu Kai made a scared expression on his face, "Oh my! I am so scared! A ghost!"

    "Stop with these silly jokes and pay attention. Why aren''t you taking this mission seriously?"

    The disciple in front of him shrugged and looked the other way.

    "What''s your name?" Fu Kai asked, "And why are you sozy?"

    The disciple scratched his chin and said, "Well, you can call me Shu Xian. And I am notzy. I am just happy doing nothing."

    Fu Kai shook his head, "Man, why did Father send me here?"

    "Hm? Father? Are you the son of this caravan''s owner?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Well, yes, but," Fu Kai suddenly put on a smug face, "My father is not a trader. In fact, I am the twenty-sixth master of the Fu n."

    "Twenty-sixth..." Ye Tian Yun was quite shocked, "So you have twenty-six brothers and sisters?"

    "Yeah, a few more here and there." Fu Kai shrugged, "However, my father holds a pretty high position in the Xin Royal Court. He''s an influential minister in the Crown Prince''s faction."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was quite intrigued at the mention of the Crown Prince.

    He knew the Crown Prince.

    Well, not personally, but he had gone through a full report on him.

    So he understood and knew quite a lot about Crown Prince Xin.

    And one day, this guy was going to be quite important for his ns once he went to the Capital City.

    For now, it was still a long way before he woulde face to face against him.

    "-Also, my family owns a lot of brothels, so we''re quite important for the Crown Prince faction because of the informationwork we have." While Ye Tian Yun was thinking about his next steps, Fu Kai was looking straight and bragging about his n.

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun replied, "I am not sure if bragging about brothels and your informationwork is an intelligent move."

    Fu Kaiughed, "Everyone knows my father, Minister Fu Ker holds a lot of connections in themon popce. That''s no secret."

    "Minister who?" The name attracted Ye Tian Yun''s attention.

    "Minister Fu Ker. You haven''t heard about him?" Fu Kai looked at him from up to down as if looking at a country bumpkin.

    "Fu Kerˇ­ well, that exins why you have a lot of brothers."

    "Hey! Mind your words." Fu Kai was immediately offended.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, just shrugged, "I am spitting the divine truth here. Fu Ker gave birth to more than twenty-five offspring. Don''t tell me you all have a single mother? Man, the torture she must have had over those years."

    Fu Kai frowned and shook his head, "My Father has quite a few wives."

    "Oh, a harem?" Ye Tian Yun replied, "I should have known. If Fu Ker doesn''t have a harem, who will?"

    Fu Kai felt quite annoyed, "Will you stop calling my father by his name?"

    "Oh? What should I call him if not by his name then?"

    "Minister. Minister Fu Ker."

    "Ah yes, Fu Ker handles a ministry. I bet it''s all about research regarding ways on fucking over themon people."

    Fu Kai was now a bit angered, "Shu Xian, I think this is your first timeing out of the sect. You haven''t seen the real world yet. You don''t understand that you might have gotten yourself killed more than ten times if this exchange took ce in the capital."

    "And you are lucky that I don''t like my father for being a nymphomaniac. That''s why you''re still alive."

    "Ah, really?" Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Or else you would have long-ago cut me into pieces? Is that right?"

    Fu Kai pursed his lips and shook his head.

    "I know I am quite arrogant, but you''re the second most arrogant person I have met in my life. But the tendency to court death inside you is the highest I have ever seen. Even more than those of the Young Masters of the Capital."

    "What is making you act like this, Shu Xian?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Well, I was testing you."

    "Testing me?" Fu Kai was a bit confused.

    "Yes, testing you." Ye Tian Yun took a slight pause and said, "When Qin Shen first introduced you, I already knew about your identity. I was just confirming. Confirming whether everything I have heard about you is true or not."

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know through toments.

 Chapter 289 - A Difficult Choice

    "Conforming whether everything I have heard about you is true or not." Ye Tian Yun slowly said.

    Fu Kai was a bit taken aback by these words, "What did you hear about me?"

    "A lot. Maybe in the future, I will be able to exin to you more carefully." Ye Tian Yun didn''t push the topic.

    It was not the time to focus his mind on those things.

    Fu Kai was an interesting character within the Capital City.

    And what the whole world didn''t know was that Fu Kai was the reason why Crown Prince Xin took the Fu n under his wing.

    Even Fu Kai was unaware of this fact.

    Hearing his words, Fu Kai didn''t say anything and turned his attention to driving the carriage.

    Suddenly Ye Tian Yun asked, "Fu Kai, what do you think of the Fang n?"

    Fu Kai was a bit stumped at this sudden question; raising his eyebrows, he asked back, "Why you ask?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Just having a normal conversation. It''s not easy to sit still for long when we''re not cultivating."

    Fu Kai nodded his head and said, "Well, I already told you, my n is a part of the Crown Prince Faction. And then there''s Fang n, whose n Head leads the opposite faction."

    "Now, I am sure you have gotten your answer."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No-no, I didn''t ask what your n thinks; I asked your opinion. Your personal thoughts on the Fang n."

    "Hmm," Fu Kai slightly frowned for a bit, "Well, I am pretty sure I don''t have a good opinion of that n. After all, I have practically lived my whole life seeing my father curse at Prime Minister Fang."

    "However, that''s not what has shaped my opinion, but rather, it''s the Fang n''s arrogance."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "What''s your opinion on Fang Chen, the young master of the Fang n?"

    "I know who he is." Fu Kai rolled his eyes backward, "And I would rather not talk much about him."

    "Remember when I said you''re the second most arrogant guy I have ever met? Well, Fang Chen is the first."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Both of you had a scuffle?"

    "Nah, our paths never actually crossed much. I don''t spend much time in the Capital. That ce is filled with hypocrites and ego-filled kids."

    After a slight pause, Fu Kai asked, "Why are you suddenly interested in Fang Chen? Don''t tell me you know him?"

    "Well, he''s a fellow sect disciple of mine." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    "Ah yes. I did hear the rumors. Are they true? Did Prime Minister Fang really send his son to his enemy?"

    "Well, yeah." Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "It''s just politics, I guess."

    "Is he still alive?"

    "Fang Chen?"

    "Yeah, he''s good and well."

    "That''s a surprise. Did you know when the news broke out that Fang Chen was going to cultivate in the Gracious Sword Sect instead of zing Sword Sect? It shocked the whole capital. There were even betting stalls on how long Sect Leader Su would let him keep his life."

    "Oh really?" Ye Tian Yun was quite surprised, "What did you bet on?"

    "Well, I bet that nothing will happen to Fang Chen."

    "Oh? What made you so confident about that?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Fu Kai pursed his lips, "Well, it was an intuition."

    "Intuition?"

    "Yeah. I just felt like we haven''t seen Fang Chen''s arrogance enough yet. That guy will definitely show his face after a few years, and with more arrogance."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Well, I hope Fang Chen lives a long life."

    Fu Kai shrugged, "I didn''t mean I hoped to see him; it was just an intuition."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I will ask you one more question before I go back to sleep."

    "Sleep? Can''t you be on guard? We are thest carriage and also the most prone to get attacked."

    "Well, I think you alone are enough to handle those bugs."

    Fu Kai shrugged at this, "Alright, ask."

    Ye Tian Yun slightly frowned and said, "Tell me, where is the Seventh Prince?"

    "Seventh Prince?" Fu Kai was a bit stumped at this question.

    This question was not at all what he was expecting.

    "Wellˇ­ Seventh Prince is more of a military guyˇ­ he''s most probably posted on the frontlines. Why do you ask?"

    "It was just that someone told me he would be going to the northern army?" Ye Tian Yun asked in a nonchnt voice.

    "Northern Army?" Fu Kai gave him a weird look, "Seventh Prince would be stupid if he did that. Only the eastern border gives the most merits. No way he will leave that ce and go to snow-filled mountains."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and leaned back once again.

    The questions he had asked were not random ones to pass time.

    He wanted to know the situation inside the Capital City and find a way to settle back in.

    With the Grand Spirit Hunt approaching, the whole Kingdom''s eyes would fall on it. However, what King Xin didn''t know was that while he tried to clean his kingdom, enemies had already set their eyes on the throne.

    Even though Ye Tian Yun didn''t really care much about this, this was going to be very important for him once he got his hands on the Token Of Fate.

    His next destination was going to be the Capital City, and then the Northern Mountain Range.

    These two ces had the two Token Holders, and Ye Tian Yun was going to target both of them at once.

    However, there was another option too.

    If he chose not to head towards the capital, he could go after another target.

    And this target was actually the possessor of an Emblem!

    If he sessfully took out Xiao Ming and got his hands on the Token Of Fate - he would then have to choose whether to go after two tokens or one emblem.

    Just then, Fu Kai said, "Also, don''t sleep. We will soon meet an important person."

    "Who?"

    "Crown Prince Xin."

 Chapter 290 - Closer To The Meeting Point

    "Why will Crown Prince Xine here?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    Fu Kai gave him a weird gaze, "Don''t tell me you don''t know who organized this mission?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No- not that, I know it is mainly orchestrated by the Crown Prince and Sect Leader Su. But I am asking, what''s the need for him toe here? He could easily manage things from his pce."

    "Well, I most probably think it''s just Crown Prince Xin being nervous." Fu Kai replied.

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes but didn''t say anything else.

    ''Well, I can''t deny the fact that Crown Prince Xin is still young. Maybe after two or three years, he will grow stronger and steadier, so Fu Kai''s words might carry some weight here.''

    ''Well, since he''sing, I must analyze this guy. I can''t trust the reports and go with what they say. Being in Fang Chen''s disguise has already taught me a few good lessons.''

    Looking at the slowly lit-up sky, Ye Tian Yun asked, "How long before we meet up with Crown Prince Xin?"

    "Hmm," Fu Kai thought for a moment and replied, "Most probably in an hour or so?"

    "There''s ake that we have to pass by. After that, we will meet him."

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Let''s see how he is. I have never actually met him in person."

    "Yeah, that''s natural. Both of your lives have been far apart." Fu Kai agreed.

    Ye Tian Yu leaned back, and with his hands behind his head and one leg on the other, he closed his eyes.

    "Can''t you remain awake?" Fu Kai suddenly said.

    "Hmm?"

    "Can''t you remain awake?" Fu Kai asked once again, "We will meet Crown Prince Xin anytime soon, so this makes the current situation more prone to encounter an ambush."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Don''t worry about that, we have -"

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly frowned a bit and then said, "We have Peak Master Duan from our sect. He''s supposedly in the Peak Core Formation Realm."

    "Peak Core Formation Realm!?" Fu Kai was stumped.

    "That''s pretty high. I didn''t think your Sect Leader would take this case so seriously."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    He was finding it hard to judge what Sect Leader Su was actually trying to do.

    First, he sent two of the biggest rivals of Jiang Chen to a certain death mission.

    Then he sent his most trusted ally to guard them?

    ''Sect Leader Su is either ying fair, or it''s going to be a big scheme.'' Ye Tian Yun thought.

    If he thought about the report on this incident in his previous life, the incidentter came out to be a scheme by Sect Leader Su to remove Jun Xie and Yuan Shuchun out of the way for Jiang Chen.

    However, that time was quite different.

    In the current timeline, Jiang Chen was in a half-death state. He wouldn''t be able to participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    And on top of that, Sect Leader Su even sent Peak Master Duan to protect the disciples in case of danger.

    ''Did he change his ns and lose hope in Jiang Chen? Maybe he''s trying to make up with Jun Xie and Yuan Shuchun?''

    ''It''s easy to conclude in this case, but I have a certain feeling that there''s more to this than what I am seeing.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but have a weird feeling that there was something else that he didn''t know about.

    ''Let''s hope all these problems don''t get dumped on me. I already have a lot on my te; I definitely won''t like to create more problems for myself.''

    Just then, Fu Kai called out.

    "Theke''s here."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    Even though they were still passing through the jungle, everyone could sense that they were near a huge water body, which was most probably theke they were waiting for.

    Because when we get close to ake or a river, we can easily sense it through the smell in the air and the noise of sshing water.

    And here, they could hear both.

    "There''s a waterfall too?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Fu Kai nodded, "Yes, the site is just amazing."

    "We will be passing theke from right in front of the waterfall."

    "The waterfall is at the beginning of theke."

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "So, Crown Prince Xin will be on the other side of theke?"

    "Yes." Fu Kai replied while whipping the Ferghana Horses to move faster.

    In the first carriage, a simr scene was being yed; the only difference was, while Qin Shen was driving the carriage, Yuan Shuchun was inside the carriage, leaning in the arms of Xiao Ming.

    "Yes, Miss Yuan," Qin Shen said in a respectful tone, "Crown Prince Xin will be there with some of his trusted guards."

    "Why weren''t we informed about this earlier? Sect Leader Su never mentioned it." Yuan Shuchun''s faint voice came out from the carriage.

    Qin Shen gave a wry smile, "Miss Yuan, I don''t know the details. But I was told that there was ast-minute change of ns and to inform you about this meeting only in the morning."

    "Oh? This doesn''t sound like there was ast-minute change of nsˇ­ it''s more like the Crown Prince deliberately didn''t wish Sect Leader Su to know of our meeting."

    "I don''t know, Young Miss." Qin Shen replied.

    It was hard to judge if he was acting or he genuinely didn''t know.

    Yuan Shuchun didn''t press on the topic, though she did say, "Well, if Crown Prince Xin is trying to keep this meeting a secret, I am sure he will be quite disappointed when he knows that this mission doesn''t only have disciples. There''s an elder too, and he''s been with us ever since our journey started."

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments.

 Chapter 291 - The Old Royal Palace

    "Who''s the elder, Miss Yuan?" Qin Shen asked.

    His expression had suddenly turned serious.

    In the carriage, Yuan Shuchun just smiled and didn''t say anything.

    Qin Shen frowned upon getting no response, but he didn''t ask again.

    Although Yuan Shuchun wasn''t famous for her nature, Qin Shen had already received a long report about her when he got the mission.

    Crown Prince Xin had personally warned him not to piss her off and that her power and ability should never be underestimated.

    He had predicted that it wouldn''t be long before the whole Lower Heavens heard of her name as she rose to be one of the most talented and ruthless cultivators of this young generation.

    Qin Shen didn''t know if this would ever happen, but he would rather believe in Crown Prince Xin''s words than doubt them.

    *zzzzzz* *zzzzz*

    Qin Shen looked up and smiled, "We will soon reach the Waterfall. Please brace yourself; the carriage will get slippery and extra bumpy."

    Just as they had finished, the carriage came out of the jungle and was out in the open.

    Ye Tian Yun, whose carriage came out at the veryst, was quite surprised at the sudden scene in front of them.

    "Wow!" He couldn''t help but call out.

    The whole ce had an ancient and majestic feel to it.

    And this wasn''t just a normal waterfall.

    Everything around it spoke of great history and seemed to have a story of its own.

    At the far end, Ye Tian Yun could see the mountains and between them was a river.

    The water was crystal clear, but as it got closer to the waterfall, it became foamy due to its rapid flow.

    However, the most interesting thing was that there were pirs on both sides of the river.

    The pirs were tiled as if pushed to the side over time.

    Covered with intricate design at the top and weeds at the bottom, it was hard to judge how long ago they werest touched by humans.

    If this wasn''t surprising enough, Ye Tian Yun noticed a pce along the walls of the waterfall.

    The pce seemed deserted, yet it had a very majestic look to it.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh at the magnificent scenery, "What is this ce? Howe I have never heard of this?"

    Fu Kai smiled, "Didn''t I mention that this ce was my favorite? Well, now you know."

    "This whole ce is actually the old royal pce. That is why it''s not famous."

    "That''s weird. If this was the old royal pce, everyone should know about it."

    "Ah, that''s not what I meant," Fu Kai shook his head, "This ce is not treated like a tourist spot, and not anyone can pass through this ce. There are some traps to warn others."

    "Oh? And you were able to avoid them." Ye Tian Yun remarked.

    Fu Kai nodded, "This is the first time I havee here. And also the reason why I was chosen for this mission was that we needed to pass through this ce."

    "Ah, that makes sense. So, we will be meeting Crown Prince Xin in the pce?"

    "Not in the pce," Fu Kai shook his head, "He will be somewhere close. It will waste a lot of time if we tour around the pce."

    "Indeed."

    "You see these pirs?" Fu Kai turned his head to the left as they passed by.

    The pirs might seem small, but they were gigantic when one came close to them. It was all a matter of perspective.

    "What are these pirs?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    The diameter of a single pir was much more than the length of all the carriagesbined.

    "These pirsˇ­ are actually weapons." Fu Kai smiled.

    "Weapons?"

    "Yes. You will see that these are double-sided spears if you notice carefully, and there''s even a handle-like ce to hold them.

    "Yeahˇ­ now that you say itˇ­. But why do I feel these spears are a bit small?"

    "They arepressed."

    "And they are made of stone?"

    "Well, not really. But the problem is, no one knows how to use them. In fact, no one knows anything about them. This is why they are still here."

    "That''s weirdˇ­ don''t tell me they just fell from the sky?"

    "Umˇ­ yeah, kind of. Why would you think Xin Royal n would leave such a majestic ce and live in the ins?"

    "Well, the history of the Xin Kingdom is quiteplicated. And for some reason, the Xin Royal n doesn''t advertise it much. They prefer to make the least noise about their past as much as possible. It''s as if everything that happened before they changed their pce is something of a taboo."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "They must have offended some really powerful. If these weapons did fall from the sky, everything that must have happened must have shaken the foundation of Xin Royal n. I am surprised they even exist. As far as I know, I am pretty sure such things don''t even exist in the Middle Heavens."

    "I can''t be sure about that," Fu Kai remarked, "Neither you nor I have ever gone to the Middle Heavens. I am sure there must be some even more crazy powers in that ce."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged but didn''tment anything further on it.

    Soon they came close to the bridge.

    "Where''s theke that you talked about?" He suddenly asked.

    "Umˇ­ well.. The thing is, this ce is kind of different. It''s known for theke, not thendmarks or the waterfall. Theke is pretty special, but it''s down, at the end of this waterfall."

    "Oh? What''s special about it?" He asked.

    Fu Kai smiled, "Well, a lot. But it''s not something I would want to discuss right now."

    "Hmm?"

    Fu Kai pointed ahead, "We have reached the meeting point. Crown Prince Xin and his guards will be around the corner.

    Ye Tian Yun looked ahead, and indeed, there was a small group of people sitting on the ruins of a building.

    [A/n: Check paragraphment here for the scenery.. Or check the chapterment.]

 Chapter 292 - The Meeting With Crown Prince Xin (I)

    The group on the other side of the waterfall, having noticed the iing carriages on the bridge, stood up and jumped down on the ground.

    As the carriages got closer, Ye Tian Yun finally caught the clear sight of the group in front of him.

    Five people were standing near the ruins.

    As the carriages got closer, they began to slow down and finally stopped in front of the group.

    Leading the group was a teenager between the age of seventeen to eighteen, and the remaining four people in his entourage had surrounded him.

    It was not hard to judge that they were his guards.

    Surprisingly, all five of them were in normal clothes, most probably not to attract unwanted attention.

    The carriages slowly came to a halt and stood in one horizontal line in front of Crown Prince Xin.

    Ye Tian Yun''s carriage stood at the far left, and Xiao Ming''s carriage was in the middle.

    After a moment, the curtains of the carriages opened up, and slowly the disciples began toe out.

    As Yuan Shuchun took her first step on the ground, Crown Prince Xin cupped his fists, "Greetings, Miss Yuan. The rumors don''t give the full credit to your beauty."

    Yuan Shuchun smiled, "Greetings to you too, Crown Prince. Thank you for thepliment."

    The Crown Prince nodded and then turned his head towards Jun Xie, "It''s been quite a long time since west met, Brother Jun."

    "Yeah, how does it feel to be the Crown Prince?" Jun Xie had a friendly smile.

    The Crown Prince shrugged, "Well, I can''t mingle among my old friends anymore. That''s definitely a loss for me."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "It''s alright. We still have a long way to go."

    Crown Prince let out a sigh, and then, turning towards the other disciples, he cupped his fists and said, "Greetings everyone, I am Crown Prince Xin Xue Feng."

    The disciples cupped their fists too, and Ye Tian Yun was no different.

    However, he was surprised at one thing - the exchange between Jun Xie and Crown Prince Xin.

    They hadpletely unrted stories as far as he knew, and here they seemed to act like old friends who hadn''t met for a long time.

    ''Well, I will just keep it in my mind. Random things like these are sometimes more helpful than the reports.''

    "Everyone, our meeting will be short," Crown Prince Xin said, "However, there''s a small lodging we have created. Let''s eat before we start the meeting."

    Everyone nodded and followed behind.

    Ye Tian Yun whispered to Fu Kai, who was walking beside him, "Aren''t you quite close to the Crown Prince?"

    Fu Kai shook his head, "Well, things areplicated. It''s better not to delve into old times."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged. It''s not as if he was interested in knowing about the backstory; he just asked to pass the time.

    ˇ­

    The ruin on which Crown Prince Xin and his guards were waiting earlier was also their prepared lodging.

    Even though from the outside it was no different from a ruined hall, on the inside, this ce was quite extravagant and well decorated.

    In the hall, there was a huge table with about thirteen seats.

    The long dining table had a lot of delicacies and cuisines in a well-arranged manner.

    "Everyone, please take seats."

    The Crown Prince smiled and proceeded to take the one in the middle.

    Yuan Shuchun and Jun Xie took a left and right seat to him.

    Ye Tian Yun and Xiao sat just beside them.

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun taking the seat right beside him, Jun Xie felt surprised, though Yuan Shuchun didn''t seem to care much.

    Xiao Ming just smiled, and he, too, didn''t think much about it. He was more interested in the meeting.

    And soon, everyone was seated, except for the four guards, who were on alert against any sudden intruder.

    "I didn''t expect this ce to have arrays." Jun Xie suddenly said, "And working so well at that."

    While everyone frowned at his words, Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    He, too, had noticed the arrays as they entered the hall, but he just didn''t pay much attention to them.

    Jun Xie, whose main talent was in Spirit Sense, could easily notice the arrays around him.

    Hearing his words, the Crown Prince let out a wry smile, "Well, these are just basic precautions. This meeting is supposed to be short and secret. So, of course, I had to make a few arrangements."

    Jun Xie nodded, "Fair enough."

    "What is the meeting for?" Yuan Shuchun came straight to the topic.

    The Crown Prince gestured at one of the guards to serve food and said, "Well, why don''t we have good food first."

    "You want a short meeting, but you also want everyone to rest and eat?" Someone said.

    The Crown Prince slightly frowned and looked at the disciple, "What''s your name?"

    "Xiao Ming."

    "Well, Xiao Ming, if I say you eat, you eat. If I say the meeting will be short, it will be short." Crown Prince replied.

    Xiao Ming smirked but didn''t say anything else.

    Though on the inside, he felt quite offended by the way Crown Prince Xin looked down on him.

    Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, couldn''t help but roll his eyes.

    ''What''s the point of creating rivalries? One of you will be dead soon.''

    *clink*

    "Hmmˇ­ good food, Crown Prince Xin." Ye Tian Yun said as he took a bite of the delicacies.

    It was a genuinepliment but seemed more like bootlicking to everyone else.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t care about their opinion; he continued to eat as the Crown Prince gave him a restrained smile. He had a simr view to that of others; having been in a high status for his whole life, he was used to bootlickers.

    Unfortunately, his thoughts were cut short by Ye Tian Yun''s next words, "Every second we waste here, we lose time to prepare for the ambush.. I am sure you''re thest person in this room who wants to see this mission fail."

 Chapter 293 - The Meeting With Crown Prince Xin (II)

    "What are you trying to say?" Crown Prince Xin asked. His expression turned quite serious.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, I would say we finish the meeting over food. It will save everyone''s time. The path ahead is still pretty long."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded, "And with this detour, I am sure you know that you have just added twelve more hours in the travel?"

    "Detour?" Ye Tian Yun was a bit taken aback. He didn''t know they had to divert the course to get here.

    Crown Prince Xin shrugged, "Well, this is the farthest I could havee without anyone noticing my absence. Let''s start the meeting right now, then."

    "The main reason I have called you here is to tell you that there are now a few changes in the objective."

    "Changes?" The disciples frowned.

    The Crown Prince nodded his head, "Indeed. Your current objective is to assassinate your targets. However, now I want you to take your target as a hostage and don''t harm them."

    "Take hostage?" Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes, "That''s harder than assassination."

    The Crown Prince nodded, "Well, I agree on that. Nevertheless, this is a must. We can''t harm the target anymore. We need to keep the target alive."

    "Who is the target?" Jun Xie asked.

    "Wellˇ­ I cannot tell you guys." Crown Prince Xin shook his head, "The target is a girl."

    "That doesn''t help much," Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "If you want us to take her as a hostage, you need to tell us who she is. At least, tell us how we will identify her."

    "What do you mean?" Crown Prince Xin asked.

    "She means if we want to get her as a hostage, we will have to kill the rest." Ye Tian Yun replied, "And if you don''t want us to kill the wrong person, we need to know at least how to identify the target."

    "In this regard, we don''t have any information on that. Even her identity was only recently uncovered. The previous information we had didn''t mention her identity or status. It only mentioned she''s someone important to the Wu Kingdom."

    "Oh? So, she''s most probably a Princess of the Wu Kingdom?" Xiao Ming shrugged.

    Crown Prince Xin pursed his lips, "Well short of, but not exactly. Her identity is a bitplicated. This is why I don''t wish to say anything on this topic. The first thing I want to do right now is to confirm her identity myself, but for that, she needs to be here."

    "And for her to be here, you first need to kidnap her."

    "Exactly."

    "How will we identify her?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Well, she''s the most important person in the whole group. I am sure she would be at the very center of the attention?" Xiao Ming shrugged.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Only idiots would act like that. She will most probably be disguised as one of the maids or even a guard."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head, "This is why I want a way to identify her."

    Crown Prince Xin pursed his lips, "Well, there''s a way. But the chances of identifying her from this are pretty low."

    "What is it?" Yuan Shuchun asked.

    "She''s a dual sword wielder."

    "This is not enough." Yuan Shuchun shook her head.

    "Yeah, and this can be easily used to divert attention. Maybe one of the maids will act as a dual sword wielder, or everyone in the entourage might be dual sword wielders, or maybe none of them are dual sword wielders?" Jun Xie shrugged, "We need something solid."

    The Crown Prince let out a sigh, "I wish there were an easier way to identity, but unfortunately, I have no other information."

    "Doesn''t that put the whole mission at risk? How will we identify the enemy if we know nothing about them?" Xiao Ming said.

    The Crown Prince nodded his head, "Your words are right, but there''s no other way except for taking a right guess."

    The disciples shook their heads.

    This was too risky.

    "Is it possible for you to kidnap everyone?" Crown Prince Xin asked.

    Everyone at the table gave him a weird look, "You''re kidding me, right?"

    Crown Prince Xin shrugged, "Nevermind. You guys will have to assess the situation once you''re in position. We can only take a right guess here."

    "Maybe if you reveal the identity of the girl, we might make a right guess." Ye Tian Yun remarked, "I know you want to keep it a secret, but it''s not worth it since everything will be useless if we kill her by mistake."

    Crown Prince Xin frowned but didn''t say anything.

    "If you''re okay with that girl being dead, I don''t see any problem with us taking a wrong guess. Just don''t shout at us if this really happens."

    Crown Prince Xin let out a sigh but still didn''t say anything.

    "I understand that things might be hard for your political scene, but no one here has any interest in the girl. Everyone here is loyal to you, and if they are not, then they are disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect who don''t want to have anything rted to the court politics."

    "Alright, alright, I will tell you." Crown Prince Xin closed his eyes, "The girl is the Third Princess of the Wu Kingdom."

    "What?" Everyone in the hall was quite shocked.

    "See, this is why I didn''t wish to reveal too much. And I am sure you understand now." Crown Prince Xin shook his head.

    Xiao Ming frowned, "Didn''t you say she isn''t a princess? And now you''re saying she''s the Third Princess?"

    Jun Xie replied to him before Crown Prince Xin could say anything, "Junior Disciple, Third Princess of the Wu Kingdom is a special case - her standing is veryplicated, and she doesn''t usually appear much in public."

    "But it''s now confirmed that she will be the next ruler of the Wu Kingdom.. And nothing can change this fact."

 Chapter 294 - The Meeting With Crown Prince Xin (III)

    "Ruler of the Wu Kingdom?" Xiao Ming frowned, "So she''s on the same level as Crown Prince Xin?"

    Crown Prince Xin let out a sigh, "Well, not really. I may be the Crown Prince, but it will take one order from my father, and a different prince will be appointed as the Crown Prince."

    "However, for the Third Princess of the Wu Kingdom, it''s now written in stone that she will be the next ruler, or in other words, the Queen Of the Wu Kingdom."

    "But if we kidnap her, will we be able to stop her from ruling the Wu Kingdom?" Yuan Shuchun added.

    Crown Prince nodded her head, "Well, this is one of the benefits. The other is that we will be able to destroy the Wu Kingdom from within itself."

    "But what difference does it make if she dies during the mission?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Crown Prince shook his head, "We must not kill her. There are some important reasons for which we need her alive. She will die, just not yet."

    Seeing everyone nod, Crown Prince added, "Well, let''s finish the food, and then I will brief you with the arrangements I have made in the Silver Mist City."

    As Crown Prince finished his words, everyone resumed eating.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was feeling a bit distracted.

    Many things were going on in his mind, and he needed some time to process his thoughts.

    ''Third Princess of the Wu? It looks like I will have to make some changes in my goals for this mission."

    He nced at Jun Xie, and seeing his indifferent expression; a few more thoughts shed through his mind.

    ''Is this going to be their first meeting?''

    ˇ­ x ...

    After a few minutes, as everyone had finished the food and the table was cleared, Crown Prince looked from one side to another and cleared his thought.

    "Cough, uh-hm, everyone, now that your stomach is full, I will tell you about the second reason why I have called you here."

    "Well, in the Silver Mist City, I have already arranged a stay for you guys."

    "The Silver Mist City is under the Zheng n. They are already aware of your arrival, though they don''t know your exact identities."

    "Once you get to the Zheng n, meet the Zheng n Head. He''s an old friend of mine. He will arrange everything for you."

    "Another thing - try not to involve the Zheng n in this conflict. They are just bystanders and will make things easy for you."

    "Crown Prince Xin," Ye Tian Yun interrupted, "I don''t think Zheng n will remain, bystanders, if we go to their n."

    "Also, if we want to keep a low profile, we must note in contact with the powers of the Silver Mist City."

    "Adding the fact that our enemy will know that there are some important guests in the Zheng n just by asking any random cultivator in the city, it might lead to furtherplications in the mission."

    "The enemy might decide not to stop at the Silver Mist City and go on their own way."

    Many people in the hall nodded after hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    Even though it sounded a bit far-fetched, there was still a high chance that Ye Tian Yun''s words mighte true. Then the whole mission would go haywire.

    Crown Prince also agreed, "Yeah, I guess it''s my fault here for not thinking too deeply about the consequences."

    "So, should we not be involved with the Zheng n anymore? If that''s the case, then you all will have to stay in restaurants."

    "I will make some arrangements for that," And then smiling at Ye Tian Yun; he said, "I will keep your words in mind."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulder.

    "What''s your name?" Crown Prince Xin asked him.

    "Shu Xian."

    "Well, Shu Xian, you can consider me a friend of yours from now on. Do visit my pce if you ever pass by the Capital City."

    "Thank you, Your Highness." Ye Tian Yun stood up and cupped his fists.

    It felt a bit weird to him when the roles were reversed, and he was the one to greet a Crown Prince.

    ''It''s definitely not how I would like to act daily.''

    Crown Prince Xin gave a nod and stood up from his seat.

    Everyone in the room followed him and also stood up from their seats as he said, "Well, I won''t take much more time. Even though this diversion has added a few extra hours in your travel, I must rify that I had no other choice in it."

    "There are some things that I must exin to you personally. I hope everyone now understands the importance of our target and also the fact that we must capture her alive."

    Everyone nodded as he continued, "Alright, let''s head out. I will see you guys off."

    With that said, Crown Prince moved and headed towards the exit, with everyone else following him close behind.

    "Ah, I almost forgot," Just as they had stepped out, Crown Prince Xin suddenly eximed and said, "You guys need to be careful. There have been more than a few suspicious activities all around Silver Mist City. I wasn''t able to confirm if it was due to our target or was it some third party trying to reap all the benefits."

    "A third party?" Jun Xie asked in confusion.

    Crown Prince Xin shook his head, "Yeah, there is a slight chance it''s a hidden enemy. We just don''t know yet."

    "The third party that you''re talking about is the other sect? Sect Leader Su did mention something about other sects also taking part in this mission." Ye Tian Yun quipped.

    Crown Prince Xin smiled, "Ah, no. It''s not the other sects. In fact, no other party, other than me and your sect, knows about this mission."

    "Then why did Sect Leader Su say that there was apetition among the surrounding sects regarding this mission?"

 Chapter 295 - The Meeting With Crown Prince Xin (IV)

    "Then why did Sect Leader Su say that there was apetition among the surrounding sects regarding this mission?" Yuan Shuchun couldn''t help but ask.

    The Crown Prince gave a wry smile, "Actually, this whole mission had a lot of changes ever since it was first nned."

    "Two months ago, when we first got the hint of a Wu n''s convoy appearing in the western province, I immediately organized a n."

    "It was basically to cooperate with all the sects in the region and organize a manhunt throughout the region."

    "At that time, I didn''t take this thing seriously and had just worked on it for fun. Butter, more and more info was uncovered, and I found out that there was an important member of the Wu n within the convoy."

    "This made me change my n and not do a manhunt - rather keep everything a secret."

    "However, I had already told Sect Leader Su about the manhunt and didn''t see any worth in correcting my wordster on."

    "And a few days ago, I found out about the possible identity of the target, and now the question of killing her was out of the question. Thus, I swiftly arranged this meeting."

    Everyone got an ''enlightenment'' over the situation.

    "Well, now that you know most of the important stuff, let''s get on the move." The Crown Prince then turned towards Qin Shen and said, "Brother Qin, don''t take a long break. Also, go through the Red Creek Forest. You will be able to reach the destination easily."

    "Red Creek Forest?" All the disciples were surprised at this.

    Even Ye Tian Yun was a bit stumped at this.

    "Um, Crown Prince Xin, in my opinion, it will bring more dys if we go through the Red Creek Forest." Jun Xie said.

    Qin Shen nodded his head, "Yes, your highness. Red Creek Forest is a double-edged sword in this case. Even though it might reduce the time for travel, if we get attacked by a powerful Spirit Beast, it will be quite troublesome."

    The Crown Prince frowned, "Well, then let''s follow the previous n - just don''t take long breaks in between."

    "There are six days before the target arrives in the City. You must reach at least two days earlier and arrange everything for yourself."

    Seeing everyone nod, the Crown Prince smiled, "Alright then, I won''t hold you guys anymore. Off you go."

    The disciples and the traders cupped their fists and began to mount their carriages.

    Soon the carriages were ready to move.

    The Crown Prince gave a slight nod to Fu Kai, gesturing to him to resume the journey.

    This time, Fu Kai''s carriage was first, and Qin Shen was in the middle, while Pan De was atst.

    Fu Kai took a deep breath and whipped the Ferghana Horses to make them move.

    The Crown Prince stood straight as the carriages slowly began to leave and take off.

    After a few moments, the dust had settled, and the surroundings had returned to peace.

    Crown Prince Xin took a deep breath and gave a long sigh.

    "Have you arranged everything?" He asked.

    One of the guards replied, "Yes, your highness. I have arranged everything. However, if they don''t stay in the Zheng n, won''t everything turn out to be futile?"

    The Crown Prince nodded his head, "I know, but I wasn''t expecting them to stay in the Zheng n. I just took a chance to test if these kids were idiots or if they did have a little brain."

    "The disciple called Shu Xian pointed out the most, Your Highness." The guard replied.

    Crown Prince Xin narrowed his eyes, "Indeed. He was the only one who didn''t act like how it was said to be in the reports."

    "Well, who cares what was in the report," After a slight pause, the Crown Prince added, "All of them will be dead pretty soon."

    Turning towards the guards, he added, "Arrange the carriage. Let''s head back to the pce. I can''t be outside for too long."

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    ˇ­.

    After a few hours.

    Outskirts Of the Red Creek Forest, Central Province, Xin Kingdom.

    The caravan led by Fu Kai was now closing in on the most notorious forest of the Xin Kingdom.

    This forest was infamous for being home to the most high-ranked Spirit Beasts in the whole Kingdom, if not in the entire Lower Heavens.

    Even though the name sounded pretty simple, it was mainly derived from a narrow stream of water.

    This stream was well known for its red sand and the blood-like redwater following through it.

    And thus, the whole ce was given the name Red Creek Forest.

    This creek passed through the whole forest, and for some unknown reason, many high-ranked Spirit Beasts resided in this vicinity.

    This made it one of the most dangerous ces to visit, with the highest chances of certain death.

    The caravan had decided not to enter this forest and cross it along its border.

    Even though it increased the journey by two days, it was still a better option than risking their lives by trespassing the territories of high-tier Spirit Beasts.

    However, since they were just at the border of the Red Creek Forest, there was still a high chance that they might get attacked.

    Ye Tian Yun, who was sitting inside the carriage along with Jun Xie, was the only one who didn''t care about the spirit beast''s attack.

    He was more focused on the trouble they were about to face in theing days.

    ''Third Princess of the Wu Kingdomˇ­''

    The mere thought of that girl distracted him.

    It was not that he had any close rtionship with her in his previous life. However, she was one of the main reasons why God''s Legion would spread through the Wu Kingdom without resistance.

    It could be said that she yed a huge role in making God''s Legion be the overlords of the Lower Heavens.

    And if this weren''t enough, she wouldter go on and fall in love with the guy sleeping in front of him - Jun Xie.

    ....

    <em>A/n: Should I increase the chapter release speed? </em>

 Chapter 296 - The Third Princess Of The Wu Kingdom

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think of the struggles he had to face against that one single woman.

    It was not that he needed to kill her - in fact, everything was a bitplicated.

    At first, he wanted to target her because she was one of the core members of God''s Legion. Butter, he found out the truth was not what he had actually imagined, and God''s Legion, as a matter of fact, was her partner.

    Even though Ye Tian Yun made up his mind to kill her in secret, just so there wouldn''t be variables in the future, but in reality, the main reason was that he wanted to cut off God''s Legion''s backup n.

    Unfortunately, all his ns were drained to nothing when he found out a bit more about her - this princess was actually in love with one of the people he didn''t wish to hurt.

    Jun Xie.

    In his previous life, even though Ye Tian Yun hadn''t interacted much with Jun Xie, and there were even a few instances where Jun Xie had created troubles for him by working with the God''s Legion - despite that, Ye Tian Yun still chose to forgive him.

    It was not out of pity but rather because of his background.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t consider anyone his brother. But, had it not been for fate ying a twisted game on Jun Xie, Ye Tian Yun was sure that they both could have been pretty close friends, if not sworn brothers.

    This was also one of the main reasons why Ye Tian Yun, even with his cautious nature, let Jun Xie know about the existence of the Sword Intent and the fact that he was the hidden genius whom Sect Leader Su was looking for.

    Fortunately, Jun Xie kept his promise and didn''t reveal anything to anyone - a right bet by Ye Tian Yun here.

    ''But to think this mission is how Jun Xie and the Third Princess of the Wu, Wu Qiang, would meet.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but let out a smile, ''Let''s see how things change now that I am here.''

    The Third Princess of the Wu Kingdom was one of the very few talents in the whole Lower Heavens who reached the peak without any help from the Tokens or Emblems.

    At first, there were indeed some rumors of her being a Token Holder. However, there was no proof. And thus, the rumors were concluded to be pretty much baseless.

    Ye Tian Yun was also sure that Wu Qiang had no Token or Emblem.

    What she had were sheer will and immense talent.

    Unfortunately, the world wasn''t fair. And just these two weren''t enough to be the most powerful cultivator.

    Maybe if she had a Token or an Emblem, things would have been pretty different for her.

    To identify if someone is in possession of a Token or an Emblem isn''t really hard.

    Well, it''s not hard if you know what to look for. However, there are indeed some Tokens that can''t be easily discovered.

    For example, it''s pretty easy to discover Emblem of Time due to its time reversing ability; however, one can''t identify the Token Of Truth.

    Token of Truth allows the person to know what everyone around them thinks about them.

    This token is pretty rare and wasn''t in possession of anyone in Ye Tian Yun''s previous life.

    ''Its Token Holder either died very young, or he just didn''t reveal himself.''

    But it definitely wasn''t the Third Princess of the Wu Kingdom, Wu Qiang.

    ''If she was the targetst time, then how did she escape?''

    In his previous life, even though Ye Tian Yun had received a pretty good report on the mission because it was here when Xiao Ming first used the Token Of Fate. But he didn''t get much info on who the target of this mission was - except for the fact that it was someone pretty important from the Wu Royal n.

    What he did know was the oue of this mission - it was a miserable failure.

    The Gracious Sword Sect lost almost all of its disciples, and they couldn''t even get close to the target.

    ''There was a third party involved, and maybe they wille this time too.''

    Ye Tian Yun did have a guess on who this hidden party could be - he only needed a little confirmation.

    ''I will be able to confirm as soon as I step in Silver Mist City.''

    But what if the enemy attacked before they reached their destination?

    That was most probably improbable.

    Mainly because, under Crown Prince Xin''s instructions, they had diverted from the original course and went to the Old Royal Pce ruins for the meeting.

    No one knew about the new root, and the only spy in this entourage was Shu Xian, whom Ye Tian Yun was disguised as.

    This meant they would easily reach the Silver Mist City without any problem and most probably even settle down to prepare for the ambush.

    ''Who should I help in this battle?'' Ye Tian Yun mused.

    At one side was the Gracious Sword Sect, the other was Wu Qiang, and the third was the Devil Sect.

    These three parties, though he wanted all of them dead, there was still some use.

    ''I need to eliminate all the disciples anyway, or else my whole objective will be at risk.''

    ''I can''t y along with the Devil Sect since I am in disguise as Shu Xian, and they will kill him - most probably before anything starts, just so Shu Xian doesn''t alert anyone else.''

    ''This leaves me with the Wu nˇ­ but I won''t be able to make any contacts with them before the ambush beginsˇ­. I won''t be able to get close to Wu Qiang.''

    ''I need to think of the best way to get the most benefits out of all this.''

    ...

    A/n: We will increase release speed from next week ing Monday) and will release 3ch/d.. I will start preparing chapter stockpiles from today.

 Chapter 297 - A Love Triangle?

    Ye Tian Yun could already imagine what was most probably going to happen with the three parties involved.

    The Devil Sect would attack the Gracious Sword Sect disciples, and the Wu n would take advantage of this situation.

    Since the Gracious Sword Sect knew about the Wu Royal n entourage, the Devil Sect had no idea that they were going to miss an even bigger fish.

    In his previous life, the Devil Sect didn''t attack the Wu Royal n at all - this also proved that Shu Xian was never given a chance to speak anything before getting killed.

    ''Are the people from Devil Sect a bunch of idiots? A mission involving the core disciples of the Gracious Sword Sectˇ­ and they chose not to care much about it?''

    ''They should have at least tried to find out the main objective of the mission - because no sect sends their Core disciples at once for an insignificant mission.''

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly thought, ''I can create an advantage for myself.''

    Even though Shu Xian didn''t get any chance to speak, if Ye Tian Yun changed the situation, he might benefit.

    ''I can leak the mission details to themˇ­ this will give me more advantage.''

    The main problem that Ye Tian Yun was facing here was that although the Devil Sect would attack the Gracious Sword Sect entourage, there was someone who could easily turn the tides - Peak Master Duan.

    He was a peak Core Formation cultivator, and in no way the Devil Sect would think there''s a chance of such a powerhouse to guard the disciples.

    ''But they should take precautions against such things. After all, they just attacked and heavily injured the best Core disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect. And now the sect is sending the other two strongest Core disciples togetherˇ­ how could there not be someone secretly protecting them.''

    ''Let''s see what the situation is in Silver Mist City.''

    ''In my previous life, there wasn''t any lockdown within the sect, and the Sleeper Cell attack wasn''t as intense as how it happenedst month.''

    ''So Zheng Xiang must have arrived at his n during a mission, and at the same time, the secret mission members must have also been in the Zheng n estate.''

    ''In the end, the Zheng n could have gotten embroiled within the crossfire and must have suffered big losses - including Zheng Xiang''s life.''

    ''Well, this does sound probable, but this is just one of the possibilities.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and leaned back on the carriage.

    Spreading his legs straight, he rxed his body.

    "You seem to be lost in thoughts? What''s bugging you?"

    It was Jun Xie. He had woken up from the fast nap.

    "Well, there are a lot of things." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    Jun Xie smirked, "How many of them are rted to Yuan Shuchun?"

    "What?" His question slightly confused Ye Tian Yun.

    Jun Xie shook his head, "Don''t try to act ignorant, Shu Xian. As far as I know, you have always stuck to Yuan Shuchun; however, today, it seems you''re trying your best to avoid her."

    "Tell me, did you make your master angry? Well, I already warned you not to join her league."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged. He didn''t feel any annoyance or anger towards Jun Xie. He was just a little bit amused.

    ''Both of these guys knew each other before they entered the Inner Court?''

    It was a bit surprising since both of them cultivated on different peaks, so their chances of crossing each other''s path were very low, considering that there are thousands of Outer Court disciples on the Ninth Peak alone.

    "It''s nothing." Ye Tian Yun replied, "It''s just I want to prepare myself for the uing mission and joined this carriage."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Well, I will believe any reason you give. But do tell me one thing - what''s wrong with Xiao Ming."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Xiao Ming. You know that guy, right? He''s from your league."

    "What could be wrong with him?" Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes.

    Jun Xie just shrugged his shoulders. "Well, how should I put it? Hmmˇ­ yeahˇ­ okay... See, I think Xiao Ming is very close to Yuan Shuchun."

    "Close?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "So? What''s surprising about this?"

    Jun Xie shook his head, "You don''t understand. I think they are more than just close. They are in love."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Love? Between Yuan Shuchun and Xian Ming?

    "Are you kidding me?" Ye Tian Yun slightlyughed.

    Jun Xie took this as jealousy, "I don''t know,man. I am just telling you what I have seen."

    "How can you be so sure?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    ''If they are in love, things might get interesting during the mission.''

    Jun Xie replied with a smug expression, "Don''t you know my forte? I am the most talented person in Spirit Sense you will ever meet. I can judge the rtionship between two people just with a nce, as long as my cultivation isn''t far off from theirs."

    "Ah, yes, Spirit Sense. So, when did this happen?" Ye Tian Yun wanted to confirm a few things before getting to any conclusion.

    Jun Xie scratched the back of his head, "Dude, don''t worry, you will get a better one. Yuan Shuchun isn''t the only beauty in this world."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "Why should I worry?"

    Jun Xie let out a sigh, "Shu Xian, ah, Shu Xian. We have known each other for years now. I can read your thoughts. I always knew you were in love with Yuan Shuchun. Isn''t that the reason why you chose to follow her?"

    "Well, sometimes fate ys a funny game. But worry not, brother. You deserve a much better girl. Xiao Ming is young, and thus it was easy for him to get close to her. You, Shu Xian, will definitely get a better girl."

    Hearing his words, Ye Tian Yun suddenly thought of Zheng Xian.

    ''Aren''t these two guys quite simr? I have the simr urge to punch this guy''s face just like how I feel when Zheng Xiang used his brain.''

 Chapter 298 - Friendship Is Like Pissing In Pants.

    Ye Tian Yun felt a bulging headache.

    It had almost been an hour since Jun Xie started, and he was still giving his ''condolences'' to him over the loss of Yuan Shuchun to Xiao Ming.

    "Brother Shu Xian, even though I have never been betrayed by my love, but I can tell you that I know how it''s like to experience it."

    "How many times should I tell you that I have no interest in that girl?" Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes.

    Jun Xie shook his head, "Ah, no need to hide your emotions. You can speak your mind, brother. It''s alright. This is life. After all, we''re betrayed by what is false within."

    Ye Tian Yun just gave him a death stare.

    However, inside he was feeling a bit of regret.

    Regret over choosing Shu Xian over any other disciples to disguise as.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, ''If I knew they had a rtionship, and Jun Xie was going to act like thisˇ­ I would have chosen someone else, even though Gou Xuan didn''t give me any info on anyone.''

    Jun Xie, who heard his sigh, interpreted it over something else.

    "It''s alright, brother," He said, "I have already told you a thousand times, I am here to talk."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and closed his eyes.

    Jun Xie gave a smile at him and shrugged.

    "Were we always this close?" Ye Tian Yun suddenly asked.

    Jun Xie frowned but didn''t say anything.

    Ye Tian Yun slightly opened his eyes and nced at him.

    Jun Xie was lost in his thoughts.

    After some time, he finally opened his mouth, "Shu Xian, I am surprised how easily you forgot that we used to be best buddies."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t show any expression, but inwardly, he was very much surprised.

    ''These two were best friends? Man, this Shu Xian is a horde of troubles.''

    "Well, I thought you just took me as an acquaintance." Ye Tian Yun said.

    He didn''t wish to act ignorant, lest Jun Xie be suspicious of him.

    Jun Xie, however,ughed when he heard his words, "Acquaintance? Ahaha, did you think that?"

    Taking a deep breath, he let out a sigh, "Shu Xian, I guess it''s toote. We''re better as acquaintances. You chose to support Yuan Shuchun over me, you d;dg;mfscal."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "What was that atst?"

    "Sopje mpn." Jun Xie scratched his lips and mumbled something

    "Dude, speak in anguage I can understand."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "I said pathetic simp. That is what you are."

    "A simp? Me?" Even though Ye Tian Yun was in disguise, he felt quite offended over this.

    "Yeah, who else in this carriage left his friend over some unknown girl." Jun Xie sneered at him.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "That doesn''t mean I was simpingˇ­ maybe I used my brain?"

    "Brain?" Jun Xie frowned, "You used your brain to simp over that girl?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes backward, "I used my brain to think and came to a conclusion."

    "What conclusion?"

    "The conclusion that Yuan Shuchun is more talented than you." Ye Tian Yun smirked.

    Jun Xie narrowed his eyes, "I would choose my words carefully if I were you."

    Ye Tian Yunughed, "Haha, so you can''t even ept the reality. Just look at the age difference you both have - aren''t you older than her by one year?"

    "Yeah, so what?"

    "Well, who''s in charge of this mission here?"

    "She isˇ­" Jun Xie gritted his teeth.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "See, that''s what I am talking about."

    Jun Xie suddenly gave a slight smirk, "At least I didn''t get cucked."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I never said I was in love with her, or she was mine. It''s all your assumption."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "But you still chose a hoe over your bro."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "Alright, man; this argument will go nowhere. Tell me, how have you been?"

    Jun Xie stared at him for a good long minute and replied, "It''s been okayish. What about you?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, I have enemies inside and outside the sect. And they both will give their all to kill me in theing days. So I am living my life to the fullest."

    Jun Xie smirked, "Did you offend anyone in the name of Yuan Shuchun?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Take it like that."

    Jun Xie let out a sigh hearing his words, "Remember what I said in those days? You should stick with me. She''s a viper. A snake. And she will throw you off the cliff as soon as you don''t have any worth."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, what can I say. I used my brain."

    "Oh, stop that. What you did was pretty stupid, and now you''re trapped in the inner politics of Heavenly League."

    "With Yuan Shuchun now in love with Xiao Ming, I am pretty sure your good days are numbered."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, I am more interested in knowing what''s with you. You''re suddenly advising and acting as a close friend."

    Jun Xie pursed his lips when he heard Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    "Well, I will tell you a little truth - in my whole life, there have been very few people whom I have considered close to myself. To your surprise, I do include you in the list."

    "Consider this conversation as ourst conversation. I don''t know when we will be able to have a good talk next time."

    "Oh? Are you nning tomit suicide?" Ye Tian Yun smirked. He knew what Jun Xie was referring to; he just wanted to lighten the mood.

    Jun Xie smirked, "Suicide is much easier than what I am about to do. But since you''re my old friend, I will tell you something."

    "Shu Xian, friendship is like peeing in pants.. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth."

 Chapter 299 - The Orphan

    "What the fuck!" Ye Tian Yun stared at Jun Xie, "Out of all the quotes in history, this is the one you chose."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "It was closest to the truth."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned with a nod, "Can''t deny that."

    "See, told ya."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "So, what is it that you''re doing which will be more dangerous than suicide?"

    After a slight pause, he looked to his left and right and leaned a bit forward and then slowly whispered, "Don''t tell me you want to confess your hidden love for Yuan Shuchun in the hope that she will forget Xiao Ming ande to you. And you both will live happily ever after."

    Jun Xie facepalmed, "I will be thest person in the whole world to fall in love with her."

    "In fact, I would rather jump in the endless ravine than be with her. She''s too vicious. You and Xiao Ming haven''t seen her true nature."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was a bit surprised by this hidden hate.

    "Yeah," Jun Xie nodded.

    It wasn''t hard to see how much he disliked Yuan Shuchun. He was literally radiating this hate inside of him.

    "Why do you hate her so much? Did she kill your lover or family?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips but remained silent.

    Ye Tian Yun could guess his answers, but he wanted to listen from Jun Xie''s mouth.

    He wanted to know what he thought about the things that happened in the past.

    Seeing him remain silent, Ye Tian Yun pushed him a bit more, "Well, weren''t you singing songs of our long friendship? Tell me then, what is it that makes you averse to Yuan Shuchun."

    Jun Xie frowned and closed his eyes, "Things are much moreplicated than you could think. I have my own mission. The Gracious Sword Sect is just a stop for me; I am not interested in the Sect Leader position. It''s just that the Nine Supremes needed a face, and I was made into one."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun feigned surprise.

    He already knew Jun Xie''s objective. Thus this revtion didn''te as a surprise to him.

    Jun Xie bit his lip with a frown and said, "Shu Xian, do you know I am an orphan?"

    ''Finally, you''re saying it.''

    "Yes." Ye TianYun nodded his head.

    Shu Xian let out a sigh, "Well, this is actually not true. I do have a family, and my n is pretty big even in the Middle Heavens."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes wide; he couldn''t be more surprised.

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "Yes, however, for some reason, I was left outside a temple."

    And then, putting his hands around his neck, Jun Xie took out a ne, "This is the only thing I have. The only thing that can take me back to my home."

    The ne wasn''t a simple one.

    It was a green jade transparent ne, and inside it was a letter embedded.

    [Liu]

    "Liu?" Ye Tian Yun read it, "You''re from the Liu n, and this n is somewhere in the Middle Heavens?"

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "Yes. I just don''t know who they are. There can be thousands of Liu ns all over the Middle Heavens."

    "Why do you want to find them?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "You don''t even know them. What if they don''t ept you?"

    He was getting closer to the answer he wanted to hear.

    Jun Xie leaned his head on the carriage, "I don''t care if they ept me or not ... I just - I just want to know why they abandoned me? What is it that made them do this?"

    "Oh? And then? What will you do after that?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Jun Xie shrugged his shoulders, "I never thought beyond that."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "What if they ept you? Will you stay?"

    Jun Xie replied, "As I said, I don''t know what I will do."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "What does your heart say? Do you want to return? Will you forgive your parents?"

    "I just don''t know, man."

    "What if there was indeed a valid reason for your parents to abandon you? What if they never abandoned you, but they brought you to safety?"

    Jun Xie let out a sigh but didn''t reply for a long time.

    "I just know," He said, "That abandoning your child is the worst thing a parent can do."

    "Even if they did have their reasons, do you know how old I am? I will turn Eighteen in a few months."

    Gritting his teeth, he continued, "Eighteen years, goddamn it! Eighteen years! What is it that can stop them for eighteen years? I don''t think there is anything that can stop them."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips but didn''t say anything.

    ''Should I tell him?''

    For the first time, he felt like he should reveal the truth.

    ''But that will only create more trouble for meˇ­''

    He shook his head, ''I won''t interfere. I will let him y with his fate, and I will let him go on his own adventure.''

    He raised his head and asked, "Jun Xie, what if your parents areˇ­ are dead? Did that possibility evere to your mind?"

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "Possibility? Heh, I believed for fifteen years that they were dead. Until one dayˇ­ that day everything changed."

    "Oh? What happened?" Ye Tian Yu asked.

    Jun Xie smiled and raised the ne in front of him, "You see this? Do you think I had this around my neck for my whole life?"

    "You didn''t?" This confused Ye Tian Yun.

    "Of course not," Jun Xie smiled, "This ne was given to me by my master."

    "This ne is the only way for me to get to my family. This is my aim, my goal, and my motivation."

    ...

    <em>A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments.</em>

 Chapter 300 - The Orphan (II)

    "This ne was given to me by my master."

    "Second Peak Master?"

    Jun Xie, "Yes, him. He told me that he first found me lying at the gates of his old cottage. And I had this ne. I was covered in blood and was heavily injured."

    "Luckily, my master is an alchemist, or I wouldn''t have been sitting in front of you."

    "So he returned this to you when you grew older?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Jun Xie slightly frowned, "Well, things were a bitplicated."

    "It was Sect Leader Su who told my master to give this ne to me. My master wanted to wait for a few more years and give it to me once I breakthrough the Core Formation Realm."

    "Core Formation? What''s your cultivation right now?" Ye Tian Yun probed.

    "Second Realm Of Qi Stabilization."

    "Oh? That''sˇ­ pretty low."

    "Low?" Jun Xieughed, "You haven''t even reached my level yet. Also, did you forget that I am an alchemist?"

    "Ah, yes." Ye Tian Yun asked, "What''s your alchemy rank?"

    Jun Xie put on a proud expression and replied, "Late Second Stage."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    The most powerful alchemist in the Lower Heavens was at the Early Fourth Stage, and Jun Xie had already crossed half of the path. One shouldn''t forget that he was only seventeen.

    However Ye Tian Yun wasn''t impressed.

    Because Jun Xie could only be considered an average talent in the Middle Heavens.

    But considering the fact that he hadn''t received much of the cultivation resourcespared to the Young Masters in the Middle Heavens, it was natural that he would fall behind.

    "Why did Sect Leader Su ask your Master to give this ne? Any specific reason?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Not really, nothing specific. But I do know that Sect Leader has been to the Middle Heavens and even spent a long time there. So I am sure he knows something about my n."

    "He has been to the Middle Heavens?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Howe I never knew this? Is this some kind of secret?"

    Jun Xie shook his head, "Not really; it''s basic knowledge. I am surprised that you don''t know something like that. Well, if you had stopped chasing Yuan Shuchun''s skirt for a while, maybe you would have known about this."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, ignoring thest bit of jab that Jun Xie gave him.

    "What did he do in the Middle Heavens? Was he a part of some power?"

    Jun Xie nodded, "He was indeed a part of one of the most powerful ns under the heavens, the Great Ye n."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was genuinely surprised at this.

    Howe something like that was never mentioned in the reports?

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but frown, but it didn''t take him more than a few moments to get to a valid reason.

    In Ye Tian Yun''s previous life, after Sect Leader Su was killed by his son, Fang Chen, the sect was then under Fang Chen and Xiao Ming''s direct control.

    However, they must have known the connection between Sect Leader Su and the Great Ye n.

    Thus, with the aim to not create future trouble for themselves, they had removed the traces and hints of this connection and might have even barred everyone from ever mentioning this fact.

    After all, the Great Ye n was not a normal opponent.

    This n ruled everything under the heavens. There was no way the scheming Fang Chen would let them know about killing their man, Sect Leader Su.

    ''Well, this is a pretty good exnation for what could have happened.'' Ye Tian Yun concluded his thoughts.

    He turned his head and found Jun Xie frowning.

    "What did Sect Leader Su used to do in the Great Ye n?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Hm? Ah, Sect Leader Su was part of something called the Great Ye Corps. I don''t know much about it, but it''s most probably a high-ranking group in that n. Why do you ask?"

    "Nah, it''s nothing." Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    Contrary to his outer nonchnt attitude, his mind was exploding with this piece of information!

    ''Great Ye Corpsˇ­ Sect Leader Su must have been talentedˇ­''

    ''Even though being a part of an average sect, he had Sword Domainˇ­ this is enough to prove his talent.''

    ''And also validates my assumption, because Great Ye n would have definitely investigated the situation if they ever found out about his death. After all, my father treats the Great Ye Corps as a part of his family...''

    ''I guess both Fang Chen and Xiao Ming were very lucky. They were able to live a safe life and grow powerful even after killing someone from the Great Ye Corps. There was definitely some negligence from my n''s side too. After all, such a thing couldn''t have remained hidden for long.''

    He then looked at Jun Xie once again and asked, "You didn''t tell me the reason why you hate Yuan Shuchun. You told me a lot about yourself but never mentioned anything about Yuan Shuchun."

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "It''s not that I forgot about it. It''s justˇ­ I don''t know if I should say it or not."

    "Hm? What do you mean?" Ye Tian Yun was a bit confused.

    "You see, what I know are some big secrets about her. If I tell you and youter snitch on me, she will do whatever to kill both of us."

    "If she will kill both of usˇ­ why would I be stupid enough to snitch on you?" Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    Jun Xie let out a sigh, "Alright, but first, let me ask you this - who is the most powerful cultivator to evere out of the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "The first Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, and the only Sword Saint in thest few generations. He is also one of the very few to make a name of himself even in the middle heavens. Sword Saint Yuan Xuming."

    Jun Xie nodded, and after a slight pause, he said two words.

    "Yuan Xuming.. Yuan Shuchun."

 Chapter 301 - Sudden Change In Situation

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "They are rted? Are you sure? There can be hundreds of Yuan ns in the Lower Heavens."

    He was not surprised to find the connection between Yuan Xuming and Yuan Shuchun; he already knew about it. As a matter of fact, he knew much more than Jun Xie.

    What surprised him was the fact that Jun Xie knew about this.

    "I am one hundred percent sure. In fact, I even know that Yuan Shuchun is Sword Saint Yuan Xuming''s daughter."

    "And the reason why she''s in the Gracious Sword Sect is that she''s on a mission to the two things her father left her here - The Gracious Sword and the Gracious Sword Manual."

    "Just like me, she doesn''t have any interest in the Sect Leader''s position. However, to get her hands on the treasures, she must be the Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "That is the only way to get close to those two treasures."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes before giving a slight smile.

    ''I didn''t expect he would know this much.''

    "Your words sound quite far-fetched. Tell me, what makes you so confident about them?" He asked.

    Jun Xie slightly frowned.

    After a few minutes, he said, "Well, since I have already told you a lot, I won''t lose anything if I tell you a few more things."

    "Do you remember what I did when I came to the banquetst month?"

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Other than being annoying? Well, you were flexing your illusion techniques."

    Jun Xie nodded, "That''s it. Now you have the answer."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You used an illusion technique to spy on Yuan Shuchun?"

    Jun Xie nodded his head with a smug expression.

    Ye Tian Yun gave him a look of disdain, "Do you what do we call people like you?"

    "What?"

    "Perverts."

    "Wha-what? How am I a pervert? I only spied during the meetings."

    Ye Tian YUn shrugged, "You''re just a stalker in my eyes."

    "What? Ddue, don''t joke around like that."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Nevermind, so tell me, how did you spy? Hide yourself in an illusion?"

    Jun Xie nodded, "Yeah, it wasn''t hard. I am surprised Yuan Shuchun never had an anti-illusion setup. With her background and helpers, I am sure she could have easily added one in the meeting rooms."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, anti-illusion arrays are pretty important."

    "Hm? You''re saying that?" Jun Xie gave him a weird look, "Why didn''t you tell her during all these years when you have been with her."

    "Well, honestly, it never crossed anyone''s mind. So you were there in all the meetings?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Not all. Just a lot of them."

    Ye Tian YUn sighed, "You''re indeed a stalker."

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes back, "If you were in my position, you would have done the same thing."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I would have gone a step further."

    Jun Xie frowned, "What do you mean?"

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "I would have killed the enemy."

    "Ha-ha, killed the enemy? Yuan Shuchun is a sect disciple. And you''re underestimating the Gracious Sword Sect''s power."

    "What do you mean?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Our sect is just an average sect. No way I would believe that we''re actually a hidden powerhouse."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "Well, not a powerhouse, but you can say that our sect had a prettyplicated structure."

    "Only those who have been to the core of the sect''s power structure know of its real capabilities. To the others, the most they know and are afraid about is the GRacious Sword Sword SPirit."

    "That entity is the only thing that most of our enemies are afraid of."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Jun Xie, do you know Sect Leader Su''s cultivation?"

    Jun Xie frowned and thought for a moment, "Now that I think about itˇ­ Sect Leader Su has never showcased his true cultivation."

    "But if we take a guess, Sect Leader Su is most probably in the Nascent Soul Real, one realm higher than the Core Formation Realm."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Could be."

    ''Well, it''s impossible to have Sword Domain in the Nascent Soul Realm. A cultivator needs to be at least in the Half Saint Realm. Only supreme geniuses can achieve Sword Domain before Half Saint Realm.''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t consider the fact that he himself had reached the Sword Domain, and his cultivation hadn''t even crossed the Tri-Qi Realms.

    However, considering the struggle he had to face just to stabilize his sword domain, it bnced his advantage.

    ''This reminds meˇ­ I might get a good chance to use the Sword DOmainˇ­ should I use it?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but mull over this question.

    If he used his Sword Domain, there was a high chance the news would spread throughout the Lower Heavens.

    ''Well, I am already in a disguise. As long as I can keep my real identity hidden, there''s no need to hold myself back. But I will definitely take a few precautions.''

    He then looked at Jun Xie and thought for a moment.

    After making up his mind, he asked, "Jun Xie, will you kill Yuan Shuchun if you get a chance?"

    "Hm? What?" Jun Xie was a bit stumped at the sudden question.

    "Well, I will-!"

    *Bang*''

    Before Jun Xie could reply, both of them suddenly felt a jerk and in the next instant, they could feel the carriage flying in the air!

    Without hesitation, Ye Tian Yun took out a sword from his spatial ring and shed it on the carriage wall.

    Clenching Jun Xie''s cor, he jumped out of the carriage.

    To his surprise, he was about fifty feet high in the air!

    But this wasn''t the main worry.

    The problem was - as soon as he got out of the carriage, he saw thousands of arrows beingunched in the air, heading straight towards them!

    ...

    a/n: tomorrows chapters will be dyed a bit or might be released early.. (depending on the schedule.)

 Chapter 302 - Ambushed!

    *sew* *sew* *sew*

    *piak* *piak* *piak*

    The arrows struck the carriage and pierced through it.

    Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie had suddenly disappeared from mid-air!

    *bang*

    The carriage overturned and was broken into pieces.

    A middle-aged man stared at the three overturned carriages from the top of the hill and the corpses lying around them.

    "I see only four bodiesˇ­ There are twelve of them. Shoot again, don''t let them escape." He said in a hoarse voice.

    It was unclear whom he said it, but the whole forest behind him suddenly began to create disturbances, as if a beast had woken up from a deep slumber.

    Suddenly, arrows were once again fired; this time, their tip is lit with fire.

    As soon as they strike the caravans, the carriages begin to burn.

    The middle-aged narrowed his eyes.

    Waiting with a bated breath.

    Waiting for a survivor to run out of the carriages.

    As expected, someone runs out of the first carriage.

    As soon as he gets into sight, hundreds of arrows pierce him, his body cut into pieces from their sheer pressure.

    "You can''t use Qi." The hoarse voice of the middle-aged man called out, "We have prepared enough for this. You can''t use qi, and neither can you use your cultivation."

    "All of you are trapped. Give up ande out. I will spare the first person whoes out, and the rest will die."

    His words echoed throughout the small valley.

    To the man''s surprise, seven silhouettes slowlye out.

    The middle-aged man couldn''t help himself but raised his eyes in disdain, "Pathetic cowards."

    He then moves his head to the side, and orders, "Kill them after they announce their name. Spare only Fu Kai."

    And once again, staring at the seven injured cultivators in front of him, he says with his voice reaching the ends of the valley, "You people came out at onceˇ­ it''s hard for me to tell who among them should be left to live. I will offer you all a choice - name yourself, and choose the person who shall die first."

    His words sent a chill down the spine of his fellow ambushers.

    Due to the distance, the expression of the seven hostages couldn''t be distinguished; however, from their sudden movement, it was easy to tell that they were panicking.

    Just then, one of them stepped out and said, "I am Xiao Ming."

    His words rang through the illusion, "And I chose Yuan Shuchun to be killed off first."

    There was no hesitation in his words.

    As if Yuan Shuchun didn''t mean anything to him.

    The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes but didn''t say anything.

    He waited for their responses.

    "I am Qin Shen. I chose... I chose myself to be killed off."

    "I am Jun Xie. I chose Yuan Shuchun."

    "I amˇ­

    .

    .

    .

    "I am Yuan Shuchun. Iˇ­ I chose myself."

    Her words sounded remorseful. But it was hard to distinguish what affected her most - the fact that she was voted out first, or the fact that she couldn''t make up her mind to sacrifice others.

    "I am Shu Xian." Thest hostage''s words echoed, "I chose Yuan Shuchun."

    The middle-aged man smiled, "Well, I had a change of mind, so the person you chose will live, and everyone else will die."

    As he finished his words, he raised his sword in the air and then moved it towards them - as if directing the attack.

    And in the next instant, hundreds of arrows once again shot out from the forest and pierced through all of the hostages - leaving only two survivors.

    Yuan Shuchun and Fu Kai remained unharmed while all the remaining traders and disciples were dead!

    The middle-aged man''s lips finally curved into a smile as he said, "Well, everything went pretty easy."

    And then, staring at Fu Kai, he said, "You were spared becauseˇ­ why not?"

    Turning his head towards Yuan Shuchun, he said, "And you''re spared because it''s been a long time since I tasted a youngdy, ha-ha."

    As his face cracked in an evil smile, he moved and showed himself for the first time after the ambush.

    Looking at a cliff-like mountaintop, Fu Kai and Yuan Shuchun easily pinpointed his location.

    "Who are you?" Fu Kai''s words echoed in the valley.

    The middle-aged man smiled.

    And in the next instant, an arrow shot right through his thighs and he fell on his knees.

    "Ugh- you-!" If stares could kill, Fu Kai would have killed the middle-aged man a thousand times over.

    The middle-aged man shook his head, "You don''t seem to understand your own situation. Out of twelve, only you two remain."

    "What do you want?"

    Yuan Shuchun''s words rang out.

    This time her tone was different - there wasn''t any remorse but confidence.

    The man stared at her for a long minute and then shook his head, "Don''t make me regret sparing you."

    "As for the questions you have in your mind, you will know the answers. But first - tell me who''s the target."

    "What?" Both Fu Kai and Yuan Shuchun were a bit confused.

    The middle-aged man shook his head; for him, this was all an act.

    "Tell me, who''s the target of your secret mission?"

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips but didn''t say anything.

    "Kill her."

    The man whispered.

    But surprisingly, the arrows didn''te out of the forest!

    He frowned and shouted, "Bring me that girl''s head!"

    There was no reaction from the forest.

    He turned around, his nostrils ring with anger.

    "Did you not hear- what-!?"

    His anger suddenly turned to surprise and horror.

    In front of him were two balls on the ground.

    The balls were actually heads!

    Heads of his partners!

    He tightened the grip over the sword and became fully alert.

    ''What is going on? Is there a hidden enemy? Why was I not informed about this?''

    Just then, a bad feeling crept up his spine.

    He immediately turned around,and the first thing he saw halted his breath from shock!

    "Impossible!"

 Chapter 303 - Hunter Gets Hunted

    "Impossible!"

    The middle-aged man''s mouth remained wide open as he stood there in shock.

    "How-how is this possible? Where-where did they go?"

    He frantically looked around, fully alert and ready to attack.

    On the ground, near the carriages, there was nothing.

    All corpses had disappeared; only the burning carriages and dead Ferghana horses remained.

    There were no human corpses.

    ''But I saw them die!? What happened?''

    A wild guess emerged in his mind, but he found it hard to believe.

    ''I blocked the qi - there was no way all of this was an illusion.''

    He tightened the grip over his sword even more and shouted, "Whoever you are,e out and face me!"

    Just as he had finished, he suddenly felt a sharp pain over his shoulders.

    *thud*

    His arm fell!

    He stared in horror at his shoulders, "AHHHHH!"

    *thud*

    This time someone had cut off his right leg!

    "AHHHHH!"

    His cry echoed throughout the valley as he whimpered in pain and fell to the ground.

    Taking control of his emotions, he threw his sword and took out the spatial ring from his arm, lying on the floor.

    As soon as he took it out, he used his senses, and a pill appeared in his palm.

    *sew*

    A gale of wind went past him, and he saw the pill fall - no - his whole arm fell.

    *thud*

    He had lost both of his arms and one leg within a few moments.

    This time he just clenched his teeth and immediately dragged himself to the pill, which was now lying on the ground.

    Sticking out his tongue, he tried to lick the pill lying on the ground.

    However, before his tongue could touch the pill, something else could be between.

    He frowned, and raising his head; he found someone standing in front of him, staring dead in his eyes.

    He lowered his gaze, and to his dismay, he found out that he had just licked this person''s foot.

    The man standing above him pressed his feet on the ground and crushed his pill.

    "No-!"

    The middle-aged man couldn''t help but give an agonizing shout.

    "Hmph!" The man in front of him didn''t show any sympathy and kicked his face.

    His whole body flew and hurled back to a few feet, directly hitting a tree trunk.

    "Ugh!" The middle-aged man felt his spine break.

    The only thing he was feeling right now was intense pain.

    And the intense pain forced him to lose his consciousness.

    Thest thing he saw before his eyes fully closed were more cultivatorsing out of the forest and stood beside the man who had just kicked him, all of them staring at him as if mocking his whole existence.

    ˇ­

    *ssh!*

    "Ugh-!" The middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes.

    He tried toe to his senses, ''Was that a bad dream?''

    Frowning, he tried to rub his forehead, but he didn''t feel his hands!

    Suddenly a bad premonition took over him, and he fully became aware of his surroundings.

    He had no arms. He had lost a leg and wasn''t able to feel the other.

    The only good thing was that he wasn''t feeling any pain, at least for now.

    ''So that was not a dreamˇ­.''

    The middle-aged man clenched his jaw and looked up.

    Many people were sitting in front of him. Nine, to be exact.

    It didn''t take him long to identify them - these were the exact people he had just killed.

    Even though he didn''t know how long he was unconscious, he remembered everything vividly, as if it happened just a minute ago.

    "You woke up, good."

    It was the same man who had kicked him earlier.

    Looking carefully, he seemed more like a teenager.

    ''A teenagerˇ­ sigh.''

    The middle-aged manmented his fate - to be kicked around like a rag by someone half his ageˇ­

    This was truly a pathetic way to die.

    "What do you guys want?" The middle-aged man asked.

    He knew this was the end.

    There was no hope left for him.

    ''At least I will finish one task before I die.''

    Even at death, he didn''t wish to betray his master - he was already instructed what to do if the mission failed.

    His master had told him what to say if any of hispanions got captured and were interrogated.

    "Who are you?" The teenager asked.

    ''Didn''t he introduce himself as Xiao Ming? The whole report on him was wrong.''

    "I am Mo Da."

    "Mo Da? Well, the name does suit you."

    [A/n: Mo Da means intelligent.]

    "What do you mean?"

    "Your way of ambushing. That isn''t something we see every day. You put auto-targeting bows throughout the forest, which were controlled by two of your friends."

    "This made it seem like there are thousands of enemies, and you also put up an array to block the qi flow, barring anyone from making use of their cultivation realms."

    "It was a sure kill n... without any loss. Unfortunately, you missed one thing." Xiao Ming smirked as he finished his words.

    "What did I miss?" Mo Da frowned.

    He at least wanted to confirm the reason behind his failure.

    "Senior Brother Jun Xie. You underestimated his abilities."

    "Jun Xie?" Mo Da''s frown deepened, "I put the qi blocking array for himˇ­ don''t tell me he was able to use illusion technique even then?"

    That was impossible!

    How powerful is this guy? The report about him was wrong too?

    Xiao Ming responded with a shrug; he didn''t care to confirm.

    However, for Mo Da, this shrug was confirmation.

    ''Damn, the reports were definitely wrong! How could they give me wrong information about targets... ugh!''

    "Mo Da," Just then, someone came forward.

    It was Jun Xie himself.

    "Tell us who sent you. We will give you onest chance. If you tell the truth, not only will we let you go, I will also attach your arms and legs with your body. Don''t tell me you don''t know I am an alchemist."

    Mo Da''s breathing became rapid.

 Chapter 304 - Interrogation (I)

    "Yeah, just speak the truth, and Senior Brother Jun Xie willˇ­ repair your body."

    Mo Da stared at the disciple who said these words.

    ''Shu Xian.''

    He remembered his name quite vividly.

    Shu Xian was one of the main targets in this ambush.

    When he first got to know about this, he felt surprised seeing the priority list of the targets - Shu Xian was at the top of the list.

    Even though he wanted to know the reason behind it, he didn''t dare to ask anything and just followed the instructions.

    Now that he had utterly failed, he was sure that there was no way out of this situation.

    He would die here.

    He stared at the Gracious Sword Sect disciples in front of him.

    Even though he seemed quite surprised and even ted by their proposal, his eyes betrayed his emotions.

    In the end, he let out a sigh.

    "Only idiots showpassion to the enemy," He said, "And I just killed you some time ago, even though you are standing in front of me, not all of your fellow disciples are here."

    "Do you think I will believe your words?" His expression turned into a sneer.

    He wasughing at the disciples.

    ''How dare they underestimate me. As if I will so easily betray the hands that have fed me.''

    "Mo Daˇ­ I am a man of my word," Jun Xie replied, "And I vow you with my cultivation at stake that I will reattach your leg and hands."

    A seed of doubt sprouted in Mo Do''s heart.

    In the cultivation world, vow based on cultivation is not taken lightly.

    Heaven''s Will would definitely target Jun Xie if he dared to break his promise.

    In the end, Mo Da felt that he needed a few more things to his advantage.

    Thus he asked, "Even if you do reattach my arms, you will most definitely kill me. If you don''t kill me, someone else will."

    "Kid, it''s better just to kill me now because you won''t get any information from me. I have already epted my death."

    Jun Xie let out a sigh, "Alright, I vow on my cultivation that no one will try to kill you. Once you tell us why you have ambushed us and who''s the person behind this, we will go our way without even harming you."

    "All of you?" Mo Da frowned.

    He took a note of everyone else besides Jun Xie.

    But he didn''t see the expression that he was expecting. Rather, instead of mocking him, he found out that they were as confused as he was at Jun Xie''s words.

    "Senior Brother, what are you doing?" Yuan Shuchun frowned.

    She had remained quiet the whole time, but now she couldn''t keep her calm.

    There was no way she would forgive someone who tried to kill her.

    "It''s alright," Jun Xie gestured to calm her down, "There''s no point in killing him. Our main enemy is his master."

    Then turning towards Mo Da, he frowned and showed his impatience, "Mo Da, you can choose to die. But the death won''t be swift. And you won''t even be able tomit suicide. I have already taken care of yourˇ­ ways."

    "So tell me, do you wish to spill the information, or do you want to get tortured until you spill everything and then die?"

    Mo Da frowned.

    He was now having double thoughts.

    "You can choose to get tortured and remain loyal." It was Ye Tian Yun who spoke this time.

    "But don''t forget that there''s no way anyone woulde here to save you. Your master, whom you''re loyal to, didn''t even tell you about the enemies'' real strength."

    "I am sure you aren''t a servant of nobody. Your master must have been a bigshot. Tell us, who was it? Tell us the details of this mission, and who else knows this?"

    Mo Da pursed his lips.

    What Ye Tian Yun said made him doubt his loyalty.

    Even though he had served his master for so many years, his emotions were now turning to disarray at death''s door.

    He felt vulnerable to doubts, and his will to live was getting heavier than his confidence to embrace death.

    He thought for a moment, but in the end, shook his head.

    "Even if I tell you people, my days are already numbered. I will be killed as soon as someone recognizes me, and over the years, I have made quite a name of myself."

    "Oh, you''re famous?" Jun Xie raised his eyebrows, "What is the name you''re known as?"

    Mo Da turned his head to the corpses of his two dead brothers and let out a sigh, "It''s all useless now. Just kill me; I won''t tell you anything."

    ''There''s no point in wasting my time. I am an assassin, and death is part of my job.''

    "Alright."

    Just then, he heard a word and felt someone moving close to him.

    It was Shu Xian.

    He came right in front of him, and bending his knees, he sat on his one sole and foot and held Mo Da''s chin.

    Mo Da didn''t show any fear in his eyes and stared straight at his opponent.

    Suddenly, he saw Shu Xian giving him a slight smile, and then he patted Mo Da''s shoulders.

    This confused everyone, but they didn''t say anything.

    They knew that Shu Xian wasn''t going to kill him.

    Near the tree, Ye Tian Yun gently smiled at Mo Da and asked him, "This will be yourst chance. I will ask one question, and if you give a wrong answer or choose not to say anything, you will feel hurt."

    Mo Da sneered, "Kid, I have already lost my hands and legs. Do you think there''s anything that can make me feel pain and yet keep me alive?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and then taking his hand back, he formed a fist in front of him,

    And then, slowly opening the fist, he showed something to Mo Da.

    As soon as Mo Da looked at the palm, he felt a liquid trickle down from the side of his head.

    However, he didn''t have the senses to care about it because he was suddenly feeling intense pain as fear took over his mind while staring at Ye Tian Yun''s palm.

    In his hand was an ear.

 Chapter 305 - Interrogation (II)

    "Ahhhhhh!"

    Mo Da cried in pain.

    He wanted to cover the area where he had an ear just a few moments ago.

    However, he had no hands.

    He tried to move his hands, but his body remained t on the ground and could not do anything that would stop the intense pain.

    However, before he could move, he suddenly felt pressure on his other shoulder.

    Ye Tian Yun had put his hand on the other shoulder and looked at him with a friendly smile.

    "Mo Da, did you think just because you weren''t feeling any pain from your hands and legs, you wouldn''t feel any more pain?"

    Mo Da had tears flowing from the corner of his eyes as he gritted his teeth.

    These were the tears of pain.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Ah, friend, why are you crying? We have just met; there''s no need to cry. First, let''s be good friends before you start acting like a long-lost brother."

    Mo Da gritted his teeth but didn''t say anything.

    He was feeling an intense amount of pain in his left side.

    Ye Tian Yun slightly narrowed his eyes, "Focus. Mo Da, focus."

    "This is a life-changing encounter for you. Don''t act so indignant."

    Then with a friendly smile, he moved his hand and touched the side of his shoulder, at the point where he once had a hand."

    "AHHHHHH!"

    Mo Da''s cry of pain echoed once again.

    "Sigh, Mo Da, why did you take the wrong career path? Did your parents force you to? Instead of an assassin, you should have been a singer." Ye Tian Yun let out a regretful sigh.

    He was genuinely feeling sorry for Mo Da.

    "Yu-You-!" Mo Da gritted his teeth.

    He wanted to die right now, but his life was no longer in his hands.

    "Mo Da, now I will ask you the question."

    *spit''

    Mo Da spitted on Ye Tian Yun.

    "Bastard, you can ask whatever you want, but I will never speak a word." He snarled.

    He never felt this much hatred towards anyone.

    Ye Tian Yun however didn''t care about it. Just gave a slight nce on the shoulder and said, "Mo Da, who gave you a bow and arrow? You can''t even target your spit correctly. Instead of my face, you ended up spitting on my shoulders."

    "Ya-You-! Son of Bitc- Ugh!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t go in the wrong direction, Mo Da. You are taking my patience too lightly."

    Mo Da gritted his teeth and controlled himself from crying out over the pain of the punch he had just received in his guts.

    "Alright, open your mouth. You must have been pretty hungry."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, and pressing Mo Da''s jaw; he forced him to open his mouth.

    In the next instant, Mo Da suddenly felt something on his taste buds.

    It was something cold, and it melted as soon as it entered his mouth.

    But he couldn''t judge the taste due to the overwhelming pain from his lost ear and arm.

    After a few minutes, he suddenly frowned.

    In front of him, there were two Shu Xian?

    ''What is happening? Did this guy - did this drug me?''

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him with a smile as Mo Da slowly went unconscious.

    "Well, that was fun." Ye Tian Yun stood up and turned around.

    All the disciples were staring at him with vignce, doubts, and fear?

    ''They are afraid of me? But I barely touched himˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and moved towards them.

    "Did you really kill him!?" Someone shouted.

    It was Xiao Ming.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes at him, "You will know soon."

    Without wasting any moment on Xiao Ming, Ye Tian Yun went and stood at the other side of the group.

    "Shu Xian, when will he wake up?" Jun Xie asked.

    Unlike others, Jun Xie didn''t doubt that Shu Xian would kill this guy.

    Ye Tian Yun gave a thoughtful expression, "This guy will be ready to get interrogated in a few minutes."

    Jun Xie felt surprised by his answer, "He will reply willingly?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Yeah, thatˇ­ should be the case, yeah."

    "You don''t sound very certainˇ­" Jun Xie couldn''t help but narrow his eyes at him.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Torturing people isn''t my daily thing. Don''t worry, he won''t waste our time any more and will answer the questions."

    Yuan Shuchun suddenly asked, "What did you put in his mouth?"

    Ye Tian Yun gave her a slight smile, "Senior Sister, it was something I got from an old cultivator I once came across in the town market. And trust me, this thing is pretty useful."

    "If you already had this thingˇ­ then why did you make me vow over my cultivation?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I thought he would agree. But even after losing half of his body, he forced himself not to open his mouth."

    "There was no way we could have easily broken his will. It would have wasted a lot of time, and time is the thing that weck most right now. After all, we have already lost his carriage."

    "Also, there''s a high chance that someone mighte and check on this ambush. I don''t want to waste any more time, so I hurried up the things using that pill. As for what that pill is, you will know pretty soon."

    "Why act so mysterious?" Xiao Ming said with disdain.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t look at him. There was no point in butting his heads with an idiot.

    "But you-!"

    "Look!"

    Before Jun Xie could say anything else, Fu Kai pointed his finger at the tree.

    More specifically, he was pointing at Mo Da.

    The current Mo Da had a nk expression as he was staring straight towards Ye Tian Yun.

    Seeing this, Ye Tian Yun let out a smile, "I didn''t expect you would wake up this fast.. You clearly understand the value of our time, my dear friend."

 Chapter 306 - The Master Behind The Ambush

    Ye Tian Yun cracked a smile and nced at Jun Xie, he said, "Now you can go and ask him all you want."

    Seeing Jun Xie''s hesitant expression, Ye Tian Yun remarked, "Well, don''tinter if the pill loses its effect."

    Jun Xie slightly frowned and moved towards Mo Da.

    Mo Da, as if not noticing someone approaching him, continued to stare at Ye Tian Yun.

    This confused everyone, including Jun Xie, however, he continued to walk forward, and once he came close to Mo Da, he asked, "Mo Da, who is your master?"

    Mo Da, who had been nkly staring at Ye Tian Yun, slowly turned his head towards Jun Xie, and without any change in his expression, he replied,

    "Xin Xue Jian."

    The name confused many, but a few had their eyes open in shock.

    "Who''s Xin Xue Jian?" Xiao Ming asked.

    And looking at the deep frown and shock on Yuan Shuchun''s face beside him, he had a feeling that their enemy was definitely someone formidable.

    ''Oh wait, Xin Xue Jianˇ­ is he part of the Xin Royal n? But who? I have never heard of anyone with that nameˇ­ could it be some low profile Prince?''

    While Xiao Ming wasn''t sure who this person was, Ye Tian Yun was surprised after hearing this name.

    ''I thought this guy would try to kill everyone after the mission seededˇ­ isn''t it dumb to kill everyone right now?''

    Everyone who knew the identity of this person was silent, and a hundred questions were floating through their mindsˇ­

    The most important of them -

    "Why?"

    Jun Xie''s words rang out.

    His tone showed his confusion and disbelief over the reveal.

    Mo Da replied, "It was to frame someone else in this."

    "Frame whom?"

    "Prime Minister Fang Yuan."

    "Oh?"

    After a slight pause, Jun Xie asked, "Tell me how everything transpired. Don''t miss a single detail."

    Mo Da replied, "One month ago, I received a sudden mission and was told to prepare for an ambush."

    "The target was the entourage of disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect who would be going on a secret mission to assassinate someone."

    "But before we could depart, I received an order that the ambush was postponed till further notice."

    "When asked for the reason, I was told that something big happened in the Gracious Sword Sect, and now it was under lockdown. Therefore I needed to wait for sometime before everything settled and the disciples could head out."

    "After about a month, I finally got the second call and was told to ambush the disciples when they were returning."

    "But yesterday, one more order came, and I was told to ambush you after a few hours of your meeting with the Crown Prince."

    "This time, though, there was a small change in the n - unlike the earlier one in which I had to decapitate your caravans and injure most of you, I was now told to kill everyone and not let any of you escape, except for two disciples."

    "These two disciples, unaware of the truth, would then frame the Prime Minister due to the clues I have shown you."

    Jun Xie frowned at his words, "Why did your master want to frame Prime Minister Fang Yuan? Aren''t they on the same page?"

    "I don''t know the truth," Mo Da replied in his monotone, "I didn''t dare to ask something like this."

    "Hmm, fair enough." Jun Xie nodded, and then pointing at the two corpses at the tree nearby, he asked, "You didn''t mention them. Who are these people?"

    "These are Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s people."

    "What?" His words confused everyone at the scene.

    "If they are Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s people, wouldn''t they betray you and prove his innocence?"

    "No. Even though they work under Prime Minister Fang Yuan, we all three serve the same master."

    "Oh, then how were you nning to frame the Prime Minister?"

    "The Prime Minister usually uses all this kind of setup. Just two men can control the bow and arrow mechanism that is spread through the forest. And this is the signature ambush attack of Prime Minister Fang. However, not many know about this, except for the higher-ups."

    "Hmm," Jun Xie frowned, and then looking at the disciples behind him, he asked, "Is he speaking the truth?"

    "Yes."

    It was Qing Shen who replied to him.

    And Fu Kai standing beside him, nodded his head.

    Both of them had been in the capital and had been close to some of the higher-ups of the kingdom. Thus they were aware of the Four Hands- Thousand Kills array.

    Jun Xie let out a sigh and asked Mo Da, "Do you know why there was a change of n? What made your master change his mind and decide that it was better to kill us?"

    "It was mainly because of the Crown Prince. Crown Prince Xin changed his mind at thest minute and called the meeting to change the objective of your mission. My master didn''t like this, but he couldn''t stop the mission - thus, he changed his mind and asked me to kill the disciples using the Four Hands. Thousand Kills Array - that is the bow and array mechanism."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie turned to the disciples and asked, "Do you guys want to ask anything else from him? I don''t know how much time we have, so it''s better to ask everything right now."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Mo Da, what is the standing of the Fang n aspared to the Xin Royal n?"

    "Both areˇ­ equally matched."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    ''This will make a lot of things easier for me. It''s as if my target is sitting right in front of meˇ­ I wish I could fast forward the time."

    "Who is Xin Xue Jian?"

    It was Xiao Ming who asked this question. Again.

    Yuan Shuchun let out a sigh, "The most powerful man in this kingdom."

    "The King."

 Chapter 307 - A Weird... Ending.

    "The King!?"

    He was genuinely shocked and looking at everyone else''s face; it seemed most of them knew the King''s real name.

    "Why would he want that?" Xiao Ming couldn''t wrap his head around this situation.

    "Didn''t his son tell us to go for the mission? And now his father wants us killed for that?

    What the fuck!

    Just tell your son to stop. Don''t go after innocent people."

    "This is called politics. I am sure your weightless head can''tprehend this thing." Ye Tian Yun remarked.

    "Well, I know I can''t understand this, but you don''t have to be a jerk about it," Xiao Ming red at him, "Unlike you, I didn''t scheme my whole life and was rather focused on increasing my cultivation. Against absolute power, no amount of scheming will work. Maybe you will understand this if you see things from my point of view."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Unfortunately, I can''t see things from your viewpoint because I can''t take my head so high up my ass."

    "You-!"

    "Stop. Both of you stop it." Yuan Shuchun intervened before Xiao Ming could say anything.

    "We don''t have much time. We don''t know how long that guy will remain drugged, and we still don''t know everything."

    Saying this, she stepped forward towards Mo Da, and aftering closer, she bent her knee and sat in front of him; she asked,

    "Mo Da, tell me. Did your master tell you about our mission details?"

    Mo Da replied, "Yes, he did. However, he said things were different now, and he had to make a sudden change. Thus I couldn''t get the updated info from him."

    "Ohˇ­" Then ncing at Jun Xie, she asked, "Senior Brother Jun, I don''t have anything else to ask."

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "So, what should we do with him now?"

    Yuan Shuchun frowned, "We can''t kill him. You have already vowed. Things are a bitplicated."

    Then turning towards Ye Tian Yun, she asked, "Shi Xian, what will happen once the pill''s effectes to an end? Will he die, or will he turn back to normal?"

    "He will turn back to normal."

    "Oh, well, then we don''t have any choiceˇ­"

    "Yeah." Jun Xie let out a sigh, "We will have to leave him alive."

    Xiao Ming suddenly interjected, "If Shu Xian had given him the pill earlier, we wouldn''t have wasted this much time."

    Seeing everyone nod, he felt a sense of smugness and continued, "Now we have no other chance but to spare someone who tried to kill us, and once he gets back to his master, he will spill everything that transpired here."

    As a cherry topping to his argument, he added, "And the next assassination we faceˇ­ it won''t be this easy. Enemies will be aware of Senior Brother Jun Xie''s strength this time."

    Turning towards Ye Tian Yun, he made a disdainful expression, "Look what you''ve done, Shu Xian."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh when he heard this, "Well, I didn''t use it because I didn''t wish to use it. Also, let''s not forget that it was you who went ahead and shed his limbs. No one asked for that. In fact, it only made the ways we could have tortured him pretty much limited."

    "You two, stop." Jun Xie interrupted the argument.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, you need to hold your tongue too, Jun Xie. Did you really think there was going to be a way for us to kill this guy once you made that vow? At first, no one interrupted because you only included yourself in the vow - but this loophole couldn''t escape Mo Da''s senses, and he asked you to include everyone."

    After a sight pause, Ye Tian Yun added, "What did you do? You, like an idiot, included everyone."

    Jun Xie nodded, "Alright, I made a mistake, I understand. Let''s now focus on the problem, shall we?"

    "Can you connect his limbs?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Jun Xie nodded, "Yeah, I can even connect his legs to his shoulders. It''s just a small thing for me."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Then do that. Connect his one arm to his waist and legs to his shoulders."

    "What?" Everyone gave him a weird expression, "Dude, you''re sick."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Don''t tell me you want to heal the guy who tried to kill you, and then pat his back, give him a hug, and bless him for a safe journey home so he can send more powerful enemies at us, who will certainly kill us."

    "Well, I hate to say this, but Shu Xian does have a valid point." Xiao Ming said, "We have to do something that can dy any other assassinations before we get back to the sect."

    "Hm," Jun Xie frowned and slowly raised his hand.

    *piak*

    He gave a chop on Mo Da''s neck, instantly putting him unconscious.

    "I swear, this will be the first andst time I would try to attempt this."

    "Will his limbs work?" Ye Tian Yun asked while scratching his chin, "Will he be able to use them?"

    Jun Xie shook his head, "I don''t know the exact answer. However, to my knowledge, he shouldn''t be able to use them. No matter how absurd thing we do, don''t forget that the inner nerves in hand and legs are different."

    "Alright, let''s test it then." Ye Tian Yun gestured him to start.

    ˇ­

    A few hourster.

    Mo Da slowly opened his eyes and felt something licking his face.

    ''Ah, am I in a brothel? Hm.. oh no wait-!''

    Suddenly he opened his eyes wide open when he remembered the things that happened before he had lost his consciousness.

    The wild dog that was licking him got afraid of him and ran back to the jungle.

    "Damn this dog.."

    Looking around, he noticed that it was almost evening, and his enemies were nowhere to be seen.

    "Did they heal me and leave me alive?"

    Mo Da tried to move his hands.

    However, when he felt nothing, he lowered his gaze at his shoulders.

    ''My arms were always this long?''

    "What happened to my fingers?''

    ''Oh wait- oh no- these are not my arms!''

    ''Fuck! They attached my legs to my shoulders!''

 Chapter 308 - Ye Tian Yuns Doubts

    "Ahhhhh! You bastards!"

    A loud cry echoed throughout the valley.

    "He woke up pretty soon."

    A few mountains away, Ye Tian Yun and the other mission members were now back on the track.

    "That was expected. I didn''t hit him hard enough." Jun Xie replied.

    "How long does the anti-pain pill''s effectst?" Xiao Ming asked.

    "About three hours. Might stretch a bit longer, but that''s based on his luck."

    "Three hoursˇ­ then that guy will start feeling that pain after about half an hour."

    "Indeed."

    "What if he meets someone and gets rescued? Even though we can''t kill him, we could have arranged something to kill him." Xiao Ming remarked.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and replied, "That would have just wasted our time. Don''t bother about that guy anymore."

    "Think of it like this - imagine you suddenly meet a guy who has legs on shoulders and arms on waist? Will you help him or run for your life?"

    Xiao Ming shrugged, "I will help him."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "That''s why you''re the biggest dumbass."

    "A normal human will just run away - life is more important than being a good samaritan."

    Xiao Ming smirked, "A normal person wouldn''te in this forest."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Point. However, a dumbass, too, wouldn''te here. You, my friend, are an exception."

    Xiao Ming gritted his teeth, but instead of replying to Ye Tian Yun, he turned towards Yuan Shuchun and said, "What do you think, Senior Sister? I say we should turn around and get that guy''s head."

    Yuan Shuchun gestured him to stop and said, "Forget about that guy now. We need to get to the nearest town as soon as possible and get our hands on newer carriages. We will discuss thingster."

    Xiao Ming shrugged and didn''t say anything else.

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight frown but didn''t speak his mind.

    The whole ambush had given the entire mission a big setback.

    A few hours ago, there were twelve of them, but now, only seven of them were alive.

    On top of that, they had lost their carriages and also the Ferghana horses - this meant they had to now walk on foot unless they could get their hands on a good caravan.

    While they had lost four disciples, the fifth person they lost was Pan De, who drove thest carriage.

    ''No one from that carriage survived.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but frown.

    There were a total of three carriages, with four people in each.

    Thest carriage was thoroughly destroyed, and everyone in it was killed.

    The other casualty was the disciple who was guarding Fu Kai''s carriage.

    It was the same carriage in which Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun were sitting inside.

    "That was a lucky escape."

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but let out a sigh.

    Just a few hours ago, their carriage was atst, and he was the one who was sitting outside.

    Now, everyone in thest carriage was killed, and they had also lost the disciple guarding the carriage.

    Surprisingly, Fu Kai was unhurt.

    Even more weird was that no one from Yuan Shuchun''s carriage was killed.

    "I am not going to believe if anyone says that the attackers missed Yuan Shuchun''s carriage."

    The arrows didn''t rain on her carriage at all - they were directed more towards her Ferghana horses.

    Ye Tian Yun had a hunch that there was more to this than a simple ambush.

    ''Also, why didn''t Peak Master Duane out?''

    ''Isn''t he close to Yuan Shuchun? And if the ambushers wanted to kill herˇ­ he should have shown himself. His aura alone would have made the enemy retreat.''

    Ye Tian Yun felt that he was missing something.

    ''It''s in front of me, but I just can''t see it. What am I missing?''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a frown and asked, ''System, the pill you gave me, does it really work?''

    Ye Tian Yun was talking about the pill that he had put in Mo Da''s mouth, which had made Mo Da spill the truth.

    It was something like a truth serum.

    But it was real, and it worked.

    [Yes, Host. It worked perfectly fine.]

    "So, Mo Da was speaking the truth? Is his master King Xin? But why would he spare Yuan Shuchun and her caravan? What is going onˇ­"

    [Insufficient Fate Points.]

    ''Nevermind.''

    Ye Tian Yun had taken the pill from the system when Xiao Ming had attacked Mo Da by shing his limbs.

    At first, Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to use it. He wanted to wait for a longer time.

    However, seeing the dedication and will to remain silent, Ye Tian Yun felt like he had no other choice.

    Therefore, he revealed the pill to everyone by shoving it into Mo Da''s mouth.

    ''The pill worked, then Mo Da was telling the truth.''

    ''If King Xin was protecting Yuan Shuchun, then there must be something that I am unaware of. But still, what am I missing?''

    "What''s that?"

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was contemting, someone called out.

    Everyone came to a halt and looked at the source of the voice - it was Qing Shen, and he was pointing his finger somewhere.

    To be more precise, he was pointing at a nearby mountain. However, one thing to note was that there was smokeing out from behind it!

    "There could be people there!"

    Everyone nodded.

    "Should we get to them?"

    "How far is the next town?"

    "There''s still time for that, but we can take some supplies from these people. Let''s get to them."

    "What if they are hostile to us?" Fu Kai asked.

    "We will just kill them." Yuan Shuchun replied and headed towards the rising smoke.

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and followed behind.

    Just as he took the first step, he suddenly had a question pop up in his mind - ''What if the target of the enemy was indeed thest carriage? And they attacked it but didn''t know that we had switched ces after leaving the meeting with the Crown Prince.''

 Chapter 309 - Nothing

    This was usible reasoning.

    If we notice the carriages that got attacked and which were unharmed - then there''s something clearly out of proportion here.

    Even though all carriages were destroyed, only the disciples in the third carriage lost their lives.

    The disciples on the other two carriages were technically unharmed, except for the fact that one disciple was killed.

    ''They were definitely more focused on the third carriage.''

    And which carriage was at third when the journey started?

    The one in which Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie were seated.

    ''Is this some indiscernible plot by Yuan Shuchun to take out both Shu Xian and Jun Xie?''

    "Everyone, keep your steps lighter."

    Yuan Shuchun suddenly whispered as she slowed down.

    They were now getting closer to the target.

    "Hm?" Suddenly Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    He turned his head towards Jun Xie, who too was simrly frowning.

    After a few moments, Jun Xie said, "Guys, there''s no one."

    "What?" Everyone looked at him.

    "There''s no one there. It seems we were just a few minuteste."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    He had already sensed the situation ahead, but he didn''t wish to take the limelight in this situation.

    Shu Xian was not known for his spirit sense.

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips and asked, "Should we search the area? What if it''s a trap?"

    Jun Xie nodded, "We need to at least look at the surroundings. But all of us shouldn''t go out in case there''s a hidden enemy who might ambush us."

    "Kai Yang, Shu Xian - you both go and have a look." Xiao Ming suddenly said.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes but didn''t say anything.

    There''s no point in dropping to his level and arguing with him.

    As for Kai Yang, he was another disciple who was part of this mission - and he was also the fifth surviving disciple.

    Jun Xie looked at Ye Tian Yun and nodded his head.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged and moved forward.

    He had already scanned the area and concluded that there was no enemy.

    But he was still alert.

    Right now, most of his strength was still locked because of his disguise.

    That was also the reason why he missed the ambush from Mo Da and his brothers.

    Seeing hesitation on Kai Yan''s face, Ye Tian Yun stepped forward and came out in the open.

    Slowly, a sword came out from his palm.

    To be more specific, it wasing out from the spatial ring around his index finger.

    Ye Tian Yun observed everything on the ground.

    "They have left." He concluded after a second.

    "Yeah, looks like that." Kai Yang added.

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards Jun Xie and the group and gestured for them toe out.

    "There''s no one here. But I am sure whoever it was, he has just left this ce not too long ago."

    He said once everyone was out in the open.

    Jun Xie nodded his head as he observed the fresh footsteps and the burnt fire, which was the source of the smoke they had followed here.

    "Brother Fu, what''s the closest town from here?"

    Fu Kai thought for a moment and said, "It should be Blue Pole Town. Not far from this ce, but it will still take us about one more hour to get there."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and looked up, "Let''s resume the path then. We need to reach the town before noon, or else we will suffer from this humid forest."

    "Yeah, this ce is already making me sweaty and sticky. Let''s get to the town right now."

    Everyone nodded and turned around.

    They had hoped to encounter someone here, but unfortunately, they were just a few minuteste.

    The other party had already left this spot and had disappeared into the forest.

    ˇ­

    After about an hour, everyone finally came close to Blue Pole Town.

    "Reaching this ce means we have sessfully entered the Southern Province and are also out of the Gracious Sword Sect''s territory." Qing Shen said.

    "Why''s it called by this name?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Blue Pole Town. This was one hell of a weird name.

    "Hmmˇ­ no specific reason. It''s just what people called it, and now we''re okay with it." Qing Shen shrugged.

    "Let''s put a robe, so we don''t attract much attention, and also don''t show off our identity." Yuan Shuchun remarked.

    Xiao Ming nodded, "Yes, there''s no need to attract unnecessary trouble. We''re already behind schedule."

    Ye Tian Yun also agreed on this.

    Earlier they were in the carriage and were not nning to stop in the towns or crowded spots, however, now that their transport was destroyed, they had to visit a town to organise themselves once again.

    Qing Shen took out a few robes from his spatial ring while saying, "These should be helpful. These are from Fu n''s tradingpany."

    Everyone nodded, and took the one that fir them right.

    These robes were red and orange in color and covered the whole body - including the head.

    "Won''t these be too eye-catching?" Xiao Ming frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, after all, these robes are made to attract everyone''s attention. Also, with the symbol of Fu n and the color of these symbols, people won''t be wary of us."

    "This will, in turn, favor us, and we won''t be hindered along the way."

    "Yes." Qing Shen nodded.

    He was quite surprised by Ye Tian Yun''s words - ''This guy read my thoughts.''

    Once everyone was ready to move, Qing Shen cleared his throat and warned everyone about a few things.

    "Guys, this ce is the entrance to the Southern Province, so almost all major sects have a ce or shop here - therefore, try not to argue with anyone."

    "If you bump into anyone, just apologize and leave. No need to be a hero here."

    ...

    A/n: if you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughment.

    also, from today, we will be doing three chapters per day.. Currently writing the third chapter.

 Chapter 310 - Jun Xies Question

    Ye Tian Yun smiled when he heard Qing Shen''s words.

    On the other hand, seeing everyone nod, Qing Shen slightly nodded and continued, "Once in the town, we will first visit a tavern and clean ourselves."

    "And then, me and Fu Kai will head out to look for carriages while you guys stay within the tavern - not attracting any attention."

    Jun Xie, "Alright, let''s do this."

    Qing Shen let out a sigh and moved towards the town after saying, "Follow me, let''s finish our business here as soon as possible."

    After a few minutes, the town was finally visible to them.

    Blue Pole Town was a bustling ce with many cultivatorsing in and out of the town.

    Ye Tian Yun and his group did make a few head turns due to the shy robes. However, it wasn''t much of amotion.

    After all, these were traders'' robes and famous ones at that.

    Fu n was not a small deal in the trading business - thus, many cultivators easily recognized them and subconsciously paved the path.

    They didn''t wish to court death by offending such a big n.

    Soon, the group had entered a tavern as Qing Shen went ahead and booked a few rooms.

    "3 rooms." He said.

    "Yes, master." The staff at the reception gave a slight smile and arranged a ce for everyone.

    "How long would you like to stay here?" the staff asked.

    Qing Shen thought for a moment and replied, "Make it till tomorrow morning. However, we might leave early."

    The staff nodded and scribbled some things.

    After a few more formalities, the staff took out three keys and put them on the desk.

    "Master, these are the three keys for the rooms. Please head to the third floor. We hope you enjoy your stay. The rooms will be yours for the next twenty-four hours."

    Qing Shen nodded his head and went back to the group.

    Everyone else had settled on a table and was waiting for Qing Shen toe back.

    ONce he returned, Jun Xie asked him, "Brother Qing, how long do you think it will take you to get a few carriages for our journey?"

    Qing Shen took out the keys while answering him, "Can''t give a guaranteed answer. It will mostly depend on our luck. Let''s take three to four hours in consideration to this."

    And then, putting the keys on the table, he said, "I have booked three rooms."

    "These are mainly to take a good bath and freshen ourselves."

    Then turning towards Yuan Shuchun, he said, "Miss, you can choose a room while the men will be using the remaining two."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and randomly took one of the keys lying on the table.

    Qing Shen then said, "Alright, let''s clean ourselves first."

    He then gave one key to Fu Kai and took the other key while saying, "Me and Fu Kai will go up first, so we can get ready and head out for the carriages."

    "Alright." Jun Xie nodded.

    Qing Shen nodded back and gestured to Fu Kai to move along with him.

    Once both of them had left, only the disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect remained on the table.

    An awkward silence prevailed for a long time, as no one spoke anything.

    Even the waiters didn''t approach them because the atmosphere was just too weird.

    Jun Xie suddenly let out a sigh, "We messed up, guys."

    "Hm?" Yuan Shuchun stared at him.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "We lost four of our disciples."

    "Oh."

    "..." Jun Xie frowned at them, "You guys aren''t feeling anything?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Brother Jun, we are cultivators. Life and death can happen in an instant for us. It does sadden me to see my fellow disciples take theirst breath. However, now I feel like I am quite used to this feeling."

    Xiao Ming rolled his eyes. "Don''t act like you have been in many fights."

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly had the urge to punch Xiao Ming.

    ''Motherfucker, I killed you three times. If not for Wang Yao''s Emblem Of Time, you wouldn''t even be able to scratch me.''

    But in the end, he refrained himself, and Xiao Ming, not noticing Ye Tian Yun''s expression, continued to say, "Today was also the first time I went all out. If not for the fact that we need to know the real culprit behind the scenes, I would have definitely cut him into pieces."

    Jun Xie let out a sigh, "Yeah, it was definitely hard to control. I wish I could have saved those people."

    Xiao Ming nodded his head, and then he suddenly asked, "Do you think.."

    Looking to his left and right, he lowered his gaze and slowly whispered, "Do you think it is him who arranged everything?"

    "I can''t understand what''s going on in his mind? Isn''t it his son who sent us? Why would he try to sabotage his own son''s n? Also, his son wouldn''t dare to do this if he hadn''t gotten the permission."

    "So what is going on in this guy''s head? What is he ying at? So weird."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, all this was a bit confusing."

    Yuan Shuchun added, "Also, don''t forget that he wanted to frame his closest ally."

    Xiao Ming and Ye Tian Yun nodded their heads.

    Everyone in the kingdom knew that Prime Minister Fang Yuan and King Xin were very close friends.

    But today, King Xin tried to frame Prime Minister Fang Yuan even at the risk of losing a huge opportunity for his kingdom.

    After a few moments, Xiao Ming let out a sigh, "I don''t know what you guys think, think of me, this was too much. My hate for politics just increased even more."

    "It''s better to cultivate and be so powerful that no one dares to say anything against you."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    He didn''t wish toment on this point.

    Just then, Jun Xie spoke, "There''s one more thing that none of us had paid attention to yet."

    "Hm?" The three of them stared at him.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips and said, "Where was Seventh Peak Master during the ambush? Isn''t he supposed toe out in case of an emergency?"

 Chapter 311 - Jun Xies Revelation

    "Where was Seventh Peak Master during the ambush? Isn''t he supposed toe out in case of an emergency?"

    Jun Xie''s words made everyone frown.

    "Is he even following us? I feel like the Sect Leader Su just wanted to give us some confidence." Xiao Ming remarked.

    Jun Xie shook his head, "No, that would be irresponsible of him. We''re putting our lives at stake here, and this mission is important to him. There''s no reason for him to lie about it."

    Yuan Shuchun replied, "He is most probably dyed due to some reasons. Also, don''t forget that we have changed our route. I am sure there''s more to this than we see."

    Ye Tian Yun was about to say something when he suddenly sensed a fluctuation.

    Even Jun Xie slightly frowned.

    Both of them had a moment of eye contact - both could see the surprise in each other''s eyes.

    Yuan Shuchun didn''t notice it and continued to say, "Peak Master Duan is a Core Formation Realm Cultivator; he could have caught up to us within a few hours, even if he started to move a dayter. Unexpectedly we changed the route this morning and headed to the Old Royal Pce."

    Jun Xie nodded but didn''t say anything else.

    Ye Tian Yun, too, kept quiet.

    Xiao Ming suddenly asked, "I noticed one more thing - both Fu Kai and Qing Shen - they didn''t feel anything after their partner, Pan De, died from the ambush."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "It''s not that they didn''t feel anything. They are good at hiding their emotions. Also, unlike us, this is not the first time they are seeing their friends die."

    "This is a cultivation world; death and life move hand in hand."

    Yuan Shuchun was about to say something, but someone interrupted -

    "We''re done."

    It was Qing Shen, with Fu Kai following behind.

    They were dressed in new robes and had taken a good bath.

    "You guys now get ready; we won''t waste any more time and head straight to the Silver Mist City."

    Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun stood up and took one key from Fu Kai and Qing Shen; both headed upstairs.

    Fu Kai and Qing Shen headed out to look for carriages to buy, while Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming remained on the seats.

    ˇ­

    On the third floor.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was about to enter his room, Jun Xie called out.

    "Wait."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun nced at him.

    "Did you feel it?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and nodded his head, "Yes, I did."

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "Then why didn''t hee out and help us at that time?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I have a bad feeling about this. There''s something more than just a simple ambush in that incident."

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "Yeah. Also, why would the enemy target thest carriage?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I thought of that too, but in the end, I felt I was overthinking too much. There are few variables that I haven''t noticed earlier."

    Jun Xie waved his hand, "No-no, it''s not overthinking. Everything is as clear as day - the target of Mo Da was thest carriage. And we''re the ones who were supposed to be in thest carriage."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yeah, I know."

    Jun Xie added, "Also, Yuan Shuchun''s carriage was unharmed!:

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "I noticed that too. But you''re forgetting a small detail here."

    "What?" Jun Xie frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "The things you have mentioned, I have already thought about them. And both of our thoughts were on the same page - but then I remembered something."

    "Yuan Shuchun''s carriage may have been unharmed, but you''re forgetting that her carriage had also changed ces."

    "When we started the journey, her carriage was leading us, and during the ambush, her carriage was the middle one."

    "If Mo Da attacked the third carriage because he was targeting us, then he should have also not attacked the first carriage. After all, ording to his information, that should have been Yuan Shuchun''s carriage."

    "The only carriage that didn''t face the first onught was the carriage in the middle."

    "I mean, only that carriage had all survivors, even though the carriage was destroyed."

    Jun Xie frowned, "Are you saying this was just a coincidence?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I thought a lot about this, and this is the only conclusion I can think of that fits this situation."

    "Didn''t you say that Yuan Shuchun wants the main treasures of the Gracious Sword Sect? Then this mission is very important to her - there''s no way she would take risks like this by ruining the whole thing."

    "The benefits she will get by getting the objective of this mission far surpass the benefit of killing you or me."

    Jun Xie let out a sigh, "I guess you''re right in this. We don''t have much to support our information. Even though there are quite a few ring inconsistencies that I can see."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It''s alright, just forget it for now."

    Just as he was about to turn around, Jun Xie asked, "Then what about him?"

    "Hm?"

    "Seventh Peak Master Duan."

    "Oh, let him be. The situation is weird; it''s hard to judge what''s in his mind."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "You don''t understand. You felt it, right? You felt Peak Master Duan''s aura when we were talking about him downstairs at the table?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, I already told you."

    Jun Xie narrowed his eyes while saying, "He was clearly following us the whole way. But never once did he show up. Even when Yuan Shuchun''s life was in danger."

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly had a bad premonition.

    "Why would hee out when Yuan Shuchun''s life was in danger? Shouldn''t he be happy since this will make things easier for him and the Sect Leader?"

    Jun Xie smiled, "Shu Xian, this is where you missed the plot twist."

    "You are heavily underestimating Yuan Shuchun. Her power and connections run deep. And Peak Master Duan is a part of her faction, not the Sect Leader."

    "He had always been a part of her group, and is also the reason why everything Sect Leader Su ns, Yuan Shuchun knows by sunset."

 Chapter 312 - The Truth

    "Peak Master Duan was always part of Yuan Shuchun''s group."

    Jun Xie rephrased his words.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips but didn''t say anything.

    After a moment, he gave him a nod and said, "We will discuss thister; the first thing we need to do is get out of here."

    Jun Xie thought for a moment and said, "Alright then. Let''s resume the journey first. We have plenty of time to discuss along the way."

    Ye Tian Yun saw him go into the adjacent room, and after a few moments, Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, and he too went inside his own room to take a bath.

    ''Damn, I had this bad feeling about Peak Master Duan and Yuan Shuchun.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but feel a headache.

    Even though he had guessed something like this, there was a small part of his conscience that made him not believe this.

    Because this was just too far-fetched.

    ''With Peak Master Duan and Grand Elder Xuan on her side, Yuan Shuchun already controls almost the whole Gracious Sword Sect.''

    ''No wonder Sect Leader Su lost his life in the end. There''s literally no one on his side right now.''

    However, this wasn''t the main problem that Ye Tian Yun was facing right now.

    ''I am so close, yet I can''t get the Token.''

    With the presence of Peak Master Duan, it was going to be hard for him to do anything crazy.

    Earlier, when they had started the journey, nine disciples were part of the entourage.

    Now, only five are alive.

    Ye Tian Yun was sure that three of them didn''t have any Tokens, which included himself, Jun Xie, and Yuan Shuchun.

    The remaining two disciples are - Xiao Ming and Kai Yang.

    Ye Tian Yun knows about Xiao Ming having the Token Of Fate. However, he did not know the other guy, Kai Yang.

    ''There was not a single Kai Yang ever mentioned in the reports. This guy is most probably just a random kid out here and is destined to lose his life.''

    ''But stillˇ­ I can''t take risks. I need to wait for him to die, or I need to kill him myself.''

    ''Should I go along the n which I had thought earlier? But that will be hard tooˇ­ we''re only five of us; this means the Devil Sect people won''t even take us seriously. They might just send a random hobo and end up losing a good opportunity.''

    ''Not to mention the fact that Peak Master Duan too will be in the vicinity. What should I do in this situation?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t think of a good solution right away. The only thing he could do right now was to wait for the right time and strike as hard as possible.

    ''Oh wait, I can do one thingˇ­ since all I need to do is separate Kai Yang from the groupˇ­ I can simply take him with me ahead.''

    Ye Tian Yun thought of a few ways to convince Kai Yang and the other disciples so both of them could headfirst.

    ''I could simply propose a lookout strategyˇ­.''

    ''And as long as I am at a good distance from the group, I can simply kill Kai Yang.''

    ''If this guy does have the token, it wille out. If not, well, he will die for a fair cause.''

    ˇ­

    After about ten or so minutes, Ye tian Yun came out of the room and headed downstairs.

    He still kept his disguise of Shu Xian and went to the table.

    The first thing that caught his attention was the atmosphere between Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun.

    ''They are getting too closeˇ­ well, this works best for me.''

    In the reports about Xiao Ming, he had never seen a single mention of his love life with Yuan Shuchun.

    ''The report clearly stated that both of these two were like ice and fire.''

    Then how could they fall in love this time? Maybe they were in love, but this rtionship didn''t work out very wellˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly shrugged and took a seat on the table.

    Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun were a bit startled by him.

    ''They didn''t even notice me? What kind of cultivators are they? Cultivators in loveˇ­''

    Everyone remained silent at the table for some time until Yuan Shuchun asked.

    "SHu Xian, there''s something I want to hear from you."

    Ye Tian Yun slightly frowned, he had a slight guess about what Yuan Shuchun was talking about, but he chose to y ignorant once again.

    "Yes, Senior Sister?"

    Yuan Shuchun let out a sigh while saying, "I know everything about what happened in the banquet."

    "Oookayyyyˇ­" Ye Tian Yun slowly nodded his head.

    Yuan Shuchun gave him a slight frown and added, "I know everything, Shu Xian. ANd I am ready to forgive you and give you another chance. But you will first have to ept your mistake."

    Ye Tian Yun made an irritated expression, "What are you talking about, senior Sister? In fact, what is going on? I feel like we all are ying a guessing game. And now, it''s getting annoying."

    Yuan Shuchun raised her left eyebrow, "You really want to act ignorant about this?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don''t know what is going on; how would I act ignorant about it."

    Before Yuan Shuchun could reply, Xiao Ming mmed his fist on it.

    *bang*

    The tavern was suddenly silenced as the three of them became the center of attention.

    "ept your mistake, Shu Xian. Senior Sister is still giving a good chance to repent. If you keep up this facade, it will only bring more trouble for you."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and leaned forward.

    Ignoring Xiao Ming''s bbering, he slowly whispered at Yuan SHuchun, "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes, and she too leaned forward.

    "Shu Xian, it was you who brought the assassin inside the banquet hall. Yu arranged the assassination, but unfortunately for you, Jun Xie saw through the illusion and was able to save me in thest moment."

    Yuan Shuchun''s voice grew heavier after every word.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t make any change in his expression.

    He already knew about all this. He knew Shu Xian was the one to arrange the assassination; he knew it since day one.

    That small incident was also why Shu Xian wouldte lose his life, and Yuan Shuchun would lose trust in many of her close allies.

    ''Though I am sure this didn''t have any effect on her rtionship with Xiao Ming.''

    "What?" After a few moments, Ye Tian Yun gave a surprised reaction.

    "Senior Sister, are you sure about what you have just said?"

    Yuan Shuchun shook her head. "SHu Xian, you should stop this act. I know you did it, and I am sure about it. You also know you did it, and trust me, if I wanted to kill you, I would have already done so."

    Then she stared at his index finger before adding, "Trust me, you wouldn''t even have known what hit you if I wanted you dead."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his head and removed his thumb from the spatial ring.

    "I am surprised you noticed." He smiled.

    He had tomend Yuan Shuchun upon noticing his moment. It would have even taken an instant, and Ye Tian Yun would have already shed at both of them at once.

    The only thing that had kept him here was the fact that Peak Master Duan was just with a few steps of range and was ready to pounce on him.

    ''Not yet.'' Ye Tian Yun inwardly let out a sigh and calmed himself. This was not the time for him to start a fight.

    ''Time wille, just not yet.''

    Yuan Shuchun, on the other hand, let out a smile, "I am surprised you dared to think of killing me. Again."

    Ye Tian Yun seemingly rxed and leaned back on his chair.

    "Senior Sister, there are few things that you too are not aware of. I wish I could exin it to you, but that will only make me seem more guilty. Therefore, I will ask you what you want to hear - what do you want from me?" He said with a calm voice.

    Yuan Shuchun nced to the side for once and then looked back at him.

    "Shu Xian, you have been pretty close to me. And I have even given you almost everything I could. Yet you betrayed me. What I want to know is the reason. As long as the reasoning behind your actions is satisfactory, you will walk out of this tavern alive."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "I do have a few things to say. But before I speak, let me inform you one thing - what I will say isn''t to make you feel any pity or anything else."

    "Now, listen here, my reasoning was pretty simple - I did what seemed right. I had no other choice."

    Yuan Shuchun asked, "Why did killing me seem like the only usible solution for you? And what was the problem for which you needed such a solution."

    Ye Tian Yun crossed his hands, "Senior Sister, there are things that I can''t tell and are very hard to put into words. However, let me give you onest assurance, you will understand my circumstances after this mission is over."

    "What do you mean?" She asked, a cloud of confusion looming over her expression.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Well, the guy who told you about all this was the one who asked me to arrange everything. There are many of his people spread throughout the sect. But I want to tell you the reason why he told you the truth."

    "He wanted to get you caught so you can''t ckmail him." Xiao Ming interrupted, "That''s the reason. And both of us know it."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Both of you are thinking exactly what the enemy wants you to think. They didn''t want to stop me from ckmailing you. Instead, they wanted to stop me from getting any ally against them."

    "Now tell me," Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and continued, "In the whole sect, who could be my biggest ally?"

    Yuan Shuchun persud her lips, "Me."

    "Exactly," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "They wanted to cut me off from getting you as an ally. What we''re facing right now is something far more powerful and dangerous than what both of you could have ever imagined."

    Xiao Ming rolled his eyes, "Stop with your bullshit; you are trying to distract us from the main topic. And the disciples who leaked the information was an Outer Court disciple, and you''re saying he had connections all over the sect? Who are you kidding?"

    It was hard for Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming to believe anything Ye Tian Yun said, not only because Shu Xian had already betrayed them and was at fault, but also because it was hard for them to believe him.

    Outer Court disciples wouldn''t even know anyone within the sect; how could it be easy for them to have connections all over the sect.

    It might be possible, but it would take years, and no one stays in the Outer Court for long.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was unfazed by their denial.

    He still had another card in his hand, and he was sure that Yuan SHuchun would definitely believe his words, while Xiao Ming would remain clueless about what had actually happened.

    Leaning forward, Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, and looking in the eyes of Yuan Shuchun, he whispered, "Senior Sister, don''t forget about the sleeper cells."

    As soon as Yuan Shuchun heard those words, rm bells went off in her head.

    "How do you know about them!?"

    ...

    A/n: If you find any typos or errors, please let me know throughments.

    p.s. publishing two chapters at once to keep the flow.. third one is on the way.

 Chapter 313 - Sprouting A Seed Of Doubt

    "How do you know about them!?"

    Seeing her get agitated, Ye Tian Yun felt a bit amused, however, he didn''t fail to notice the low fluctuation from one of the tables at the side.

    It was Peak Master Duan, and he too was taken aback by the mention of Sleeper Cells.

    ''Normal disciples had no idea about itˇ­''

    "Normal disciples had no idea about it," Yuan Shuchun spoke the exact words tht were in Peak Master Duan''s mind, "How do you know about them?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "That''s not the important part, however, do you know that the assassin in the banquet hall was also one of the sleeper cells?"

    "What?" Yuan Shuchun frowned, "He never exploded."

    "Because hemitted suicide. Don''t forget that it would take three hours for the disciples to explode, and that time was enough for him to get interrogated, so he had no other choice but tomit suicide."

    Xiao Ming interjected, "What are you guys talking about? What are sleeper cells?"

    Yuan Shuchun waved at him, "I will exin it to youter."

    Then staring at Ye Tian Yun, she asked, "Shu Xian, what do the sleeper cells have to do with your innocence?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Senior Sister, you need to look at it from an unbiased point of view.

    "Listen carefully, I am sure by now you already know that those disciples were actually our own disciples, not infiltrators."

    "The guy who told you about everything, what also a sleeper cell. But he wasn''t the part of the assassination group."

    "Oh?" Yuan SHuchun frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight nod and added, "Also, the people who arranged the sleeper cell assassination, we will be meeting them pretty soon."

    "What do you mean?" She asked, "Are you saying they could ambush us?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don''t know what they are nning, But there''s a high chance we will be shing with them."

    "How does that have anything to do with your crime?" Xiao Ming asked, "You tried to kill her, and now you''re just trying to put me on others."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I already said it, you will know the truth once this mission is over. Also, those people want me dead more than you, so don''t worry about me running away anywhere. The safest ce for me right now is the sect, and I am dying to get back there."

    Xiao Ming nced at Yuan Shuchin, "I don''t know what you think of this guy, Senior Sister, but I don''t think he is trustworthy at all."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Are you stupid or what? ording to you, what could have been the biggest benefit I could have gotten after assassinating her?"

    "Maybe you wanted to take control of heavenly League and go for the Sect Leader position?" Xiao Ming shrugged.

    Ye Tian Yun almost facepalmed, "Are you retarded? Did you really think that?"

    And looking at Yuan Shuchun''s expressionless face, Ye TianYun was sure that this girl must have believed these words.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I understand Xiao Ming is retarded, but what happened to you, Senior Sister? Why couldn''t you think carefully?"

    "In the sect, as a part of the Heavenly League, I was living my best life."

    "Suppose you said was my goal. It''s not, but let''s suppose it was, just for your sake."

    "Now, there''s no way Heavenly League would remain a thing once Yuan Shuchun is gone. She''s the core of the league, and without the core, the league won''t exist."

    "It will disband on the very next day."

    "Also, before you use me of scheming for the Sect Leader position, you need to take note of something important - the opponents I will face."

    "There'' Jun Xie, and like him, about nine other Core Disciples are looking for a chance to be the Sect Leader."

    "And where do I stand among them? Nowhere. I am not even a Core disciple."

    Yuan Shuchun gave a slight frown when she heard his words.

    For the first time, she was wavering and was doubting the truth.

    This was enough for Ye Tian Yun. What he needed right now was time and a smooth road to his goal.

    As long as he could sprout a seed of doubt within Yuan Shuchun, he would get enough time, and Yuan Shuchun wouldn''t order Peak Master to secretly make a move on him.

    "Where'' Kai Yang?" Ye Tian Yun changed the conversation.

    The seed had already sprouted, and it would take time to make a fruit.

    Ye Tian Yun was in no rush. Thus he wanted to take their mind on someone else.

    "He went outside." Xiao Ming replied, still looking at him with suspicion.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Is he mute?"

    "Hm? What?"

    "Is he mute? I never heard him say anything all along the way."

    Xiao Ming shrugged, "Maybe. I don''t know."

    Yuan Shuchun looked at the stairs, "Why isn''t Senior Brother Jun Xie here yet?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Most probably still busy with his makeup. You guys should go ahead; we need to leave as soon as Fu Kai and Qing Shen return."

    Xiao Ming nodded and stood up.

    Yuan Shuchun followed, and both of them went upstairs.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and called the waiter.

    "Bring two drinks."

    "Yes, master."

    "Oh, and listen,"

    "Yes, master?"

    ˇ­.

    On one of the adjacent tables, Peak Master Duan was frowning while contemting the words he had just heard from Ye Tian Yun''s mouth.

    ''I need to have a good talk with this Shu Xian... at least once before we get to the city.''

    Just then, one of the waiters approached him and put a ss of wine in front of him.

    "I didn''t ask for anything." He frowned.

    The waiter smiled and pointed at the table on the other side of the room.

    Peak Master Duan turned his head and saw Ye Tian Yun giving a friendly smile and raising his ss at him.

    ''This kidˇ­.''

 Chapter 314 - "Buy Two Extra."

    After taking a few sips of wine, Ye Tian Yun headed out of the tavern.

    He needed to make a few arrangements for himself before everyone gathered once again and started the journey.

    After stepping out, Ye Tian Yun asked around for the market and soon reached the ce where one could easily buy carriages and Ferghana horses.

    He was here to meet up with Qing Shen and Fu Kai, both of whom hade here earlier.

    It took him some time to pinpoint them through the bustling crowd.

    As he approached them, Fu Kai sensed him and raised his head.

    "What happened?" He asked in a surprised tone.

    He hadn''t expected anyone toe out and had thought that the disciples would rather choose to wait in the tavern.

    Thus when he saw Ye Tian Yun, the first thought in his mind was that something serious had happened.

    Hearing his words, even Qing Shen turned his head.

    "It''s alright, guys. I am just here to talk about something." Ye Tian Yun gestured to them not to worry about anything.

    "Oh? What is it?" Qing Shen asked.

    He was curious as to what had made this disciplee to one of the dirtiest ces of the town to talk about something.

    Ye Tian Yun covered his nose while saying, "Well, I was hoping you guys can get two extra Ferghana horses."

    "Two more?" Fu Kai was confused even more.

    "Why would we need two more?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and said, "I will exin once you guys are back. Just buy two extra Ferghana horses."

    "Boy, do you even know how much a single Ferghana Horse costs?" Qing Shen asked with a frown.

    He was slightly annoyed with Ye Tian Yun''s demand and thought this guy was ying a prank here.

    It wasn''t hard to hear Qing Shen''s thoughts from his irritated face. Thus Ye Tian Yun asked, "How much do they cost?"

    "One hundred low-tier Spirit Stones." Qing Shen smirked.

    He was already depressed from the death of his friend, Pan De, and here, a disciple was nowing to pull his leg.

    ''Let me see how you embarrass yourself now.''

    But to his surprise, Ye Tian Yun didn''t flinch from the price.

    Instead, he actually let out a sigh.

    A sigh of relief.

    "Both of youˇ­ I thought they were expensive from the faces you made." Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun took out a pouch from his Spatial Ring and tossed it to Fu Kai.

    "Take it, and get me two Ferghana horses."

    Without waiting for their response, Ye Tian Yun left the market.

    Fu Kai and Qing Shen remained silent for a moment, assessing what they had just seen.

    "What''s inside this?" Qing Shen asked.

    Fu Kai frowned and peeked into the pouch.

    Slowly his frown turned into a shock. His reaction confused Qing Shen even more.

    "What is it? Spirit Stones?" He asked once again.

    Fu Kai slowly nodded.

    "How much?"

    Fu Kai let out a sigh, "Enough to buy this whole market."

    "What!?"

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun slowed down only after getting out of the market.

    Even for a cultivator, the smell of horse shit was still not something one would like to smell for long.

    "What''s going on?"

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was about to turn towards the Tavern, he suddenly heard amotion.

    "Isn''t that Kai Yang?"

    He suddenly noticed Kai Yang, one of the disciples who were part of the mission.

    "Who''s he arguing with?"

    Judging from the situation, Ye Tian Yun was sure that the fight could start at any moment.

    "Damn, this guy will dy everyone once again."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and headed straight towards themotion.

    "Boy, it''s better you don''t mess around anymore. Even if you''re from the Fu n, I, your father, will send you to your maker with a flick of my finger."

    Ye Tian Yun heard them arguing as he stepped closer.

    There was already a crowd standing around them, enjoying the show.

    "What''s going on?"

    Ye Tian Yun politely asked about the situation from a bystander.

    The bystander shrugged, "That kid is messing with the wrong people. He won''t even know how he died if those people got serious."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes.

    He contemted getting involved in the situation.

    After all, he needed Kai Yang to see if he was also a hidden Token holder or not.

    ''But if they kill himˇ­ won''t that also make things easier for me?''

    After all, his main target was to kill Kai Yang because he was the only unknown variable in the story.

    "What should I do?" Ye Tian Yun had to decide before things got out of hand.

    "Fuck it, this will be the first andst time I will ever try to be a hero."

    Ye Tian Yun cursed himself and pushed through the crowd.

    Soon, he was standing at the front.

    Thismotion immediately attracted everyone''s attention.

    Even Kai Yang and the guy with whom he was arguing turned their heads towards Ye Tian Yun.

    Aftering out in the open, Ye Tian Yun frowned at Kai Yang and said, "Why are you here? Weren''t you told to remain in the Tavern?"

    Kai Yang slowly nodded his head.

    But then pointed his finger at the guy in front of him.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t make heads or tails of the situation. But he didn''t wish for them to resume the argument.

    "Come with me." Ye Tian Yun pushed Kai Yang.

    "Hey!" The guy in front of them finally came back to his senses, "Stop!"

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What do you want?"

    The guy sneered, "Don''t you dare to y like a fool and take your friend out of here. He had made a grave mistake, and now he must pay."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, turned towards Kai Yang, and then looked at the guy, "What did he do?"

    The guy gritted his teeth, "This boy dared to flirt with my woman."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a loud sigh, "If a eunuch guy can take your girl''s heart, then it''s better for you to look at yourself first."

 Chapter 315 - The Unfortunate Story Of Yang Kai

    "Eunuch?" The guy frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and made a very tired face, "Yes. This is my friend, Yang Kai."

    "He is also known as the youngest eunuch of our Fu n tradingpany."

    "How can I believe that he is a eunuch?" The guy frowned, but his expression had softened a bit.

    ''It''s okay, brother. I understand your pain.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and put his arm on Kai Yang''s shoulders, "Yang Kai is my childhood friend. Last year, he messed up, and the n head of Fu n, Fu Ker, had him castrated."

    "What did he do?" Everyone around him gave a look of pity to Kai Yang.

    Kai Yang, on the other hand, was stunned motionless due to what was happening.

    And when he tried to say anything, he felt Ye Tian Yun''s grip over his shoulders tighten, forcing him to keep his mouth shut.

    Ye Tian Yun looked around everyone and whispered, "I can''t tell you the story. Actually, I don''t want rumors to spread about my dear friend and the Fu n."

    The guy said, "It''s alright, it''s alright. We all are brothers here."

    "Yes-yes!"

    "Yeah, we all are brothers."

    "We won''t tell a single soul."

    "I will take the secret to my grave."

    People chimed in, interested to know what had happened.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Sigh, I can''t tell you much, but trust me, things aren''t easy for him."

    "Just fill us in on the major details." Someone in the crowd heckled.

    "Yeah, just tell the important things."

    "Yes-yes, just give us a basic story. No need to go into details."

    People around him tried to insist more.

    Ye Tian Yun finally let out another sigh and made an expression of defeat, "Since you guys want to know the truth, I don''t think I have the right to hide it."

    Taking a deep breath, he continued, "You guys all know the rivalry between the Kang n and Fu n, right?"

    Seeing everyone nod, Ye Tian Yun continued, "This rivalry is for some unknown reasons. However, it has now be so intense that Fu n head, Fu Ker, wants to build a wall between the Kang n and the Fu n''s territory."

    "Unfortunately for my friend, Yang Kai, hees from a simple n, and the members of his n work in both of those big ns."

    "But if a wall were to be really built, he would have to choose between his work or his family."

    "This choiceˇ­ as you can see, isn''t something we would like to face in our simple lives. But my friend here had to choose one. There was no other option."

    "But then, he came up with an idea. He alone went and argued with the n elders and tried to convince them."

    "But he was beaten and told to shut the fuck up."

    "And got castrated?" The guy in front of him added.

    "Ohhh!" The crowd gave a look of pity to Kai Yang.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "No."

    "Ahhhh!" The crown let out a sigh of relief.

    "He protested." Ye Tian Yun said.

    "He protested that he would cut his balls off if they didn''t stop the wall contraction. He told his friends, his parents, his n members, and his whole town that he would cut his own balls if the Fu n really went on and decided to build the wall."

    "What?" The confused crowd turned their heads to Yang Kai.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "The Fu n didn''t listen to his protests, and the proposal to build the wall was passed."

    "And on the day those peopleid the foundation of the wall, my dear friend Yang Kai cut his balls."

    Kai Yang: "..."

    The Crowd: "..."

    Ye Tian Yun continued to speak with an emotional expression, "And to this day his balls hang on the Wall of Fu n - a testimony of his testicr protest."

    ˇ­

    The crowd remained silent and then slowly shook their heads.

    They didn''t know how to react.

    Whether tough or pity Kai Yang.

    Even the guy had aplicated expression.

    After a moment of silence, seeing no one saying anything, Ye Tian Yun added, "I apologize to everyone," Then, turning towards the guy, he added, "I hope you can now believe me."

    The guy nodded, and with a pitying face, he patted Kai Yang''s shoulders and gestured to them to leave.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, and without any dy, he took Kai Yang with him.

    Not long after, the whole market suddenly burst intoughter.

    ˇ­

    "What the fuck!" Kai Yang almost snarled as soon as they entered the Tavern, attracting everyone''s attention.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t pay any heed and directly headed to his table.

    Jun Xie was sitting alone at the table and was taken aback by the sudden outburst from Kai Yang.

    Seeing both Ye Tian Yun and Kai Yang take a seat, Jun Xie asked, "What happened?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "He''s angry because I saved his life."

    "No! You told the whole world that I am a eunuch!" Kai Yang gritted his teeth.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "Don''t worry. No one was surprised."

    "You-you bastard!" Kai Yang suddenly went on to punch him.

    Surprisingly his punch went directly through Ye Tian Yun, confusing him for a second.

    Something suddenly dawned upon him, and he stared at Jun Xie with irritation, "Senior Brother Jun, please remove the illusion."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Don''t fight here."

    Kai Yang gritted his teeth and epted defeat. He knew there was no other way around the situation.

    Jun Xie nodded, "That''s better."

    And in the next instant, Ye Tian Yun appeared on the chair opposite of Kai Yang, and the one to his adjacent chair disappeared.

    "Now," Jun Xie said with a serious expression, "I don''t want you guys to start any fight before the mission is over. Take it back to the sect.. More importantly, I have something urgent to discuss."

 Chapter 316 - A Little Help From Xiao Ming

    "Don''t fight or start any more arguments." Jun Xie said.

    "We will wait for sometime before those two return, and then I will speak about the urgent thing."

    Ye Tian Yun slightly frowned; he couldn''t guess what Jun Xie was referring to.

    On the other hand, Kai Yang muttered, "I am surprised how annoying you can be, Shu Xian."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Trust me, I am more surprised by the fact that you can actually speak something."

    "Hmph!"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t waste any more attention on him. Instead, he looked at the table on the other end of the floor.

    ''He left?''

    Surprisingly, Peak Master Duan had already left his seat.

    His action caught Jun Xie''s attention, and when they made slight eye contact, Jun Xie shrugged, indicating he had no idea where Peak Master Duan was.

    Ye Tian Yun slightly nodded his head and then gestured towards a waiter.

    After ordering some good food, he turned towards Kai Yang and said, "Yang Kai, don''t you want to take a bath?"

    Kai Yang gritted his teeth, "Don''t you dare call me with that name. I am Kai Yang."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Yang Kai sounds much better, and it even saved your life today."

    "Hmph!" Kai Yang clenched his fists, "It made me a eunuch."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "What was I supposed to call you then? Kai Yang? Have you ever heard of a eunuch named Kai Yang? I had to use Yang Kai; that sounds more like a name a eunuch will have."

    For some reason, Ye Tian Yun felt the killing intent rise exponentially from Kai Yang''s direction.

    ''Don''t tell meˇ­ his real name is Yang Kai?''

    ''What the fuck! Why do I encounter people only with hidden and powerful backgrounds?''

    Ye Tian Yunmented his life while taking another sip of wine.

    Jun Xie suddenly moved, took out the room keys, and put them in front of Kai Yang.

    Kai Yang stood up and headed upstairs.

    "Come back before the food arrives." Ye Tian Yun called from behind.

    "Don''t try to act friendly. We''re mortal enemies." Kai Yang clenched his teeth.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes backward and slowly whispered, "Who is acting friendly? I just don''t want my Spirit Stones to go to waste."

    Jun Xie: "..."

    ˇ­

    After about ten minutes, Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming came downstairs.

    They nodded at Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie while taking their seats.

    "Kai Yang didn''te back?" Yuan Shuchun asked.

    Jun Xie replied, "He returned and went upstairs. Should be back soon."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded and asked, "Any news on Qing Shen and Fu Kai? They have been gone for a long time now."

    Jun Xie shook his head and asked Ye Tian Yun, "Shu Xian, you know anything about the situation?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Well, it will take some time before they can return."

    "Hm? Did something happen?" Yuan Shuchun asked.

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while replying, "Well, yeah. I asked them to buy two extra Ferghana horses."

    "Two more?" The other disciples on the table were confused.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yeah, two more. We need to avoid the ambush and any other kind of attack in the future."

    Jun Xie frowned, "Are you saying we should send scouts?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    Xiao Ming said, "Who will we send? We''re only seven people."

    "Thest time I counted, seven was greater than two." Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes at him and then said to everyone, "Two people can go ahead and scout the way."

    "This way, we can avoid any other ambush and might save ourselves from losing anymore."

    Xiao Ming interrupted, "I don''t think there will be any more ambushes."

    Ye Tian Yun gestured him to stop, "It would be better if you don''t speak anything else. Among everyone in the group, you''re the weakest. I highly doubt you will be able to survive another ambush unless you hide once again in Senior Sister Yuan''s skirt."

    Xiao Ming gritted his teeth, "You-!"

    "Alright, stop both of you." Yuan Shuchun put her hand between them.

    "Hmph!" Xiao Ming stared straight at Ye Tian Yun, "I am the weakest? Shu Xian, oh Shu Xian, you will be surprised."

    Ye Tian Yun was quite amused with his words; however, he knew that Xiao Ming wasn''t faking his confidence.

    ''I will still whoop your ass when the timees.''

    At the end of the day, Ye Tian Yun didn''t care about Xiao Ming''s confidence. After all, no matter how agile a zebra is to a lion, he''s only a meal.

    "Who will go to scout ahead?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Since I have proposed the idea, I should be one of the scouts."

    Jun Xie nodded, "Who will be the second scout?"

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly thought of something and asked, "Xiao Ming, why don''t you be the scout? Or are you gonna hide once again?"

    Xiao Ming gritted his teeth but didn''t reply yet.

    This confused Ye Tian Yun a bit because he wasn''t anticipating such a reaction.

    Seeing no response, even Jun Xie and Yuan Shuchun slightly frowned at him.

    Xiao Ming gritted his teeth, "Well, I can''t go because I specialize more in a frontal assault. Scouting needs much more than just straight-up attacking."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, ''You will live one more day, Xiao Ming.''

    Then asked, "Who will be the third one then? How about you, Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun?"

    Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes on him, "Shu Xian, did you forget about what we talked about just half-hour ago? Do you really believe that I would agree to this?"

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "What do you propose?"

    Jun Xie added, "Should Ie?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No. We need you back here."

    "What about Kai Yang?" Xiao Ming suggested.

    Hearing his words, Ye Tian Yun''s lips twitched.

    ''Never thought Xiao Ming would unknowingly help me.''

 Chapter 317 - Ye Tian Yuns Decision

    "What about Kai Yang?"

    Yuan Shuchun and Jun Xie remained silent on Xiao Ming''s suggestions, while Ye Tian Yun had no ns to quote anything here for now.

    He didn''t wish to sound like he wanted Kai Yang to leave with him.

    After a few minutes, Yuan Shuchun spoke, "I think it''s a good idea. As long as Kai Yang agrees, both Shu Xian and he will leave first and scout the way ahead."

    Jun Xie nodded, "Agreed. Let''s put this decision on Kai Yang. We will send him ahead, only if he chooses to go."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright."

    After a few minutes, the food finally came on the table.

    And as the waiter was putting the food down, someone approached them.

    It was Kai Yang, who had juste downstairs.

    Ye Tian Yun nced at him but didn''t care much.

    The tasty food on the table was much more worth thinking about than Kai Yang''s whole existence.

    Just then, the tavern''s gates were pushed open, attracting attention from many people.

    Jun Xie zed over and whispered, "Ah, it''s them. They came back."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded. He had already sensed Fu Kai and Qing Shen''s aura as they approached the taverns.

    "Just in time," Fu Kai smiled and took a seat, "I was getting hungry."

    Qing Shen also took a seat beside him and sat down as the waiter served everyone the dishes.

    After everyone began to eat, Jun Xie asked, "So, did you guys get it?"

    Qing Shen smiled, "Yes, I think our bad luck is finally gone. We got good horses and carriages. If the weather doesn''t get bad, we will be able to recover the lost time and get to the Silver Mist City in time."

    "Ah, that''s good."

    Everyone at the table was relieved to hear that.

    They had already lost too much time due to the detour to meet the Crown Prince and then the ambush.

    If things got dyed anymore, it would only decrease the chances of their sess. And they might even end up missing the target if they did not reach the city in time.

    Luckily for them, Qing Shen and Fu Kai were able to get the horses.

    "We are leaving as soon as we finish the food?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips and turned towards Kai Yang.

    Everyone else, too, followed his gaze and turned towards him.

    Kai Yang, who was cluelessly enjoying the dishes, sensed the awkward silence and raised his head only to find that everyone was staring at him.

    "What?" He asked.

    Jun Xie cleared his throat and said, "Kai Yang, while you were upstairs, we were discussing something, and Shu Xian gave a proposal."

    "About what?" He asked as he slowly put down the chopsticks back on the te.

    Ye Tian Yun replied to him, "I suggested that two people should go ahead and scout the path while the main group follows behind."

    Kai Yang, "So why are you asking me? Oh wait - are you telling me I should go ahead as a scout?"

    "No, it''s not an order. It''s more like a choice for you. Do you want to go ahead as a scout?" Jun Xie rephrased the question.

    Kai Yang frowned, "Who''s the second person?"

    "Me." Ye Tian Yun replied with a friendly smile.

    Kai Yang thought for a moment and gave a slight nod.

    Ye Tian Yun asked Fu Kai, "You got the extra horses?"

    "Um.. about thatˇ­ unfortunately no." Fu Kai gave a wry smile.

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun felt a sudden disappointment.

    He was one step away from clearing his path.

    "Howe you didn''t get the horses?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Everyone at the table looked at him. His tone sounded weird to them - it sounded angry?

    They were confused.

    What''s the need to be angry in this?

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and let out a sigh, "There wasn''t even a single Ferghana horse avable?"

    Qing Shen replied, "There were many, but buying the carriage with it was necessary."

    "So?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "So we bought an extra carriage. But the main problem was, there were only a total of three Ferghana Horses avable, so only three carriages."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "You got three of them, right?"

    Fu Kai nodded his head, "Yeah, but we couldn''t get the fourth one. There were only three in the whole city."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned. His n to kill Kai Yang after getting out of range was now useless.

    ''I need to think of a way to at least save the situationˇ­''

    "I will go ahead alone then." After a few moments of silence, Ye Tian Yun spoke his mind.

    "You will go alone?" Everyone was a bit confused.

    Ye Tian Yun slowly nodded his head, "Yes. Someone needs to scout. We can''t lose any more members."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "You going alone isn''t the solution here. In fact, that''s not even a scout."

    "If you go alone and get ambushed, how will you inform us? If it were the two of you, one of you would be able to escape and warn the others."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I understand what you''re getting at, but that will only happen if I do get ambushed. And I can assure you that you''re underestimating me."

    Jun Xie shook his head but didn''t argue anymore.

    No one else said anything and continued to eat the dishes.

    After about half an hour, everyone was standing outside of the tavern.

    They were standing beside three carriages, attracting a lot of attention from the passers-by.

    "So you will be leaving earlier while we wait for some time to create a gap between us?" Xiao Ming asked Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Why would we do that?"

    "How will you scout if you go with us? And all carriages will have almost the same speed." Xiao Ming replied while shaking his head.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes at him, "Why will I take the carriage with me? I just need the horse.. As for the carriage, we will just leave it here."

 Chapter 318 - Ye Tian Yuns Decision

    It waste afternoon, and the gates of the Blue Pole Town were unusually quiet.

    Apart from the two guards at the gate, there weren''t many people passing through, mainly because this was the hottest time of the day.

    The two guards, Ding Qi and Han Chao, werezing around, looking over to the empty road.

    Halfway through their shift, a man came strolling from inside of the city. Noticing the two guards, he made his way over to them.

    Ding Qi and Han Chao greeted the man with a friendly smile, and Han Chao went into the room to drink some cold water and quench his thirst.

    On the other hand, Ding Qi moved his head and gestured at the man to ask what he was looking for.

    "E-ex-excuse-se-se m-m-me" The man stammered.

    Ding Qi stared at the man, and without responding, he turned the other way.

    The man was miffed for a moment but then asked again.

    "E-ex-excuse-se-se m-m-me!-! Do-do y-you kn-no-know if th-the-there i-is a ca-carri-carriage for C-Capital Ci-City?-?"

    Again Ding Qi looked at the man, and with a sigh, he looked away.

    Getting fed up with the rudeness, he tried again, the agitation showing in his stammering voice.

    "I-IS THERE CAR-CARRI-CARRIAGE F-FOR CAPI-CAPITAL CI-CITY?!-?!"

    With a frustrated look on his face again, Ding Qi looked at the man and looked away.

    The man, obviously fed up, walked away in a huff.

    Han Chao, who had noticed the scene from the room, came out and walked up to his colleague.

    "Mate," He said, "What happened? I didn''t hear it clearly, but why didn''t you respond? That was very rude."

    Ding Qi looked at his brother and said, "D-DO YA-YOU WA-WANT MA-MA-ME TA-TO GE-ET PU-UNCHED I-IN THE-A FA-FACE!!-!!"

    *tigdig* *tigdig*

    Just then, hooves of running horses echoed, and two carriages went past them; leading those carriages was another man on a Ferghana horse.

    The guards turned their heads to them, but seeing the Fu n symbol, they didn''t say anything else.

    The man leading the carriage was precisely Ye Tian Yun.

    He was heading ahead under the pretense of scouting.

    ''It''s not like I will really meet anymore ambushes anyway.''

    With this thought, he marched forward, straight towards the direction of the Silver Mist City.

    Behind him were two carriages. However, the distance between the carriages and Ye Tian Yun was slowly increasing.

    Fu Kai handled the first carriage, and on it were Jun Xie and Kai Yang.

    While Qing Shen led the second one, and inside it was Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun.

    "Why do I feel there''s something fishy in the way Shu Xian was acting?" Yuan Shuchun suddenly said.

    Xiao Ming, who had his arms wrapped around her shoulders, smiled and said, "He''s most probably acting unnaturally because his mental state is in a mess. You have confronted him, and now he doesn''t know what to do."

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips and nodded her head, "Maybe you''re right, but the way he was acting was very different from the Shu Xian I have known over the past few years."

    "Not only was he raising his voice in front of me, but he was also suggesting ideas without consulting me. It was as if he was a whole different person."

    Xiao Ming shook his head, "You''re worrying too much. It''s alright."

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips, "I don''t know, but the way he was hurrying to get ahead and go to scout the area was very suspicious. There''s definitely something big going on. He might be onto something."

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips, "I don''t know, but the way he was hurrying to get ahead and go to scout the area was very suspicious. There''s definitely something big going on, he might be onto something."

    Xiao Ming slightly frowned, "Yeah, can''t ignore that. Even though I felt something was off, I didn''t care much."

    Yuan Shuchun let out a sigh, "I don''t know what''s he nning, but he better not do something stupid, or he won''t even know how he lost his life."

    "You will kill him?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "I won''t even get the chance."

    "Then who?" Xiao Ming was a bit confused, "Don''t tell me you were referring to Peak Master Duan?"

    Yuan Shuchun thought of a moment and shook her head.

    "I don''t know where Peak Master Duan is. Most probably Sect Leader Su just said it to boost our confidence."

    Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes but didn''t say anything.

    Yuan Shuchun let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

    ''Xiao Ming, there''s a lot you need to do before you can gain my trust.''

    Yuan Shuchun''s heart may have melted for him, but it was still very hard for her to trust anyone.

    Peak Master Duan was her trump card in this mission, and she wanted it to keep it that way.

    If something happened to her, she didn''t wish to let the enemy know about Peak Master Duan''s presence.

    This is why she didn''t even confide about it to the only person she ever liked.

    ''As for Shu Xianˇ­ let''s see what he''s nning.''

    While Yuan Shuchun was confused over Ye Tian Yun''s actions, Jun Xie too was thinking about everything that had happened.

    ''Shu Xian is actingˇ­ different.''

    He was sure about this. But what confused him, even more, was Shu Xian''s interaction with Yuan Shuchun.

    ''They were acting like strangersˇ­''

    He couldn''t wrap his mind around the situation, and Shu Xian''s eagerness to go and scout ahead of them caught him off guard.

    After a few minutes of thought, Jun Xie finally shook his head and gave up on worrying too much.

    ''There''s no need to waste my time on thinking about this.''

    ''What I need to focus on is finding a way to get out of hereˇ­''

    Jun Xie wanted to disappear.

    ...

    a/n: this chapter is yet to be edited.. I am still writing, so please leave ament if you see any typos or errors. ty

 Chapter 319 - Jun Xies Plight, And The Massacre On The Path

    Jun Xie wanted to disappear from the Lower Heavens and go to the Middle Heavens to look for his n.

    ''If Master knows about this, he definitely won''t allow me to even step out of the sect.''

    That was why he needed to do things discreetly.

    But how could it be easy just to disappear?

    Not to forget that he was also one of the most renowned disciples.

    If he just disappeared all of a sudden, there would be a serious investigation organized by the sect and his master.

    It won''t be long before he''s found out and brought back to the sect.

    His master didn''t wish to confine him or anything. Instead, he was worried that Jun Xie''s n would kill him, or he would die on the way to get to the n.

    In simple words, ording to his master, Jun Xie was just too weak.

    Even though Jun Xie clearly understood these words, he couldn''t hold himself back.

    He wanted to get to his n right now.

    Call it idiocracy or the hot-bloodedness of youth, but Jun Xie found it hard to control the urge.

    ''If I am in the sect, it will take me years to get to the Core Formation Realmˇ­ and there''s also the fight for the Sect Leader positionˇ­''

    ''Although my master cares a lot about me and wants me to be a core part of the sect, I can''t be a Sect Leaderˇ­ Even if that is what he wishes for.''

    Jun Xie couldn''t help but sigh at his luck.

    For these reasons, this mission was a heaven-sent opportunity for him.

    A secret mission with a high chance of losing your life.

    ''If I dieˇ­ why will they search for me?''

    ''Even if they did, I will be long gone from the city. And head to the Wu Kingdom.''

    Jun Xie had resolved himself to create an illusion of his death and head for the Wu Kingdom and start his journey to get back to his n.

    However, there was one big problem in front of him - Peak Master Duan.

    ''I can fool others, but I can''t do anything about him.''

    Peak Master Duan was a Core Formation Realm cultivator.

    His illusion would amount to nothing in front of him.

    ''I can only pray and hope for an opportunity to kill myself.''

    As long as other disciples could confirm his death, the sect might not even waste time investigating everything.

    ''Not to forget that this is a secret mission. The sect wouldn''t be able to investigate anything even if they wanted to.''

    This made it a golden chance for him to be free from his shackles, get out of his cage, and chase his goal.

    Thinking of all this, he suddenly remembered the one disciple he had met during the banquet.

    ''That guyˇ­''

    ''What was his name?''

    ''Ah yes, Fang Chen.''

    He remembered very clearly that Fang Chen had easily seen through his illusion during the banquet.

    ''He was only a new inner Court disciple.''

    Fang Chen was very powerful, and the only thing he felt from him was danger.

    ''Sword Intent.''

    Fang Chen had a very powerful Sword Intent.

    It was only thanks to his Spirit Sense that he was able to see through Fang Chen''s power and sense the Sword Intent.

    However, he didn''t tell anyone about this.

    Because of what Fang Chen had told him.

    He had called him by his real name.

    ''How does that guy know about my name?''

    At first, Jun Xie felt that Fang Chen was merely bluffing, but it only took him a second to judge how wrong his thought was.

    ''What should I do?''

    Jun Xie hated to think about this topic, but it always popped up in his mind.

    ''I didn''t even see that guy after thatˇ­''

    Last Jun Xie heard of him; Fang Chen was sent to the Sword Stele to cultivate.

    ''Lucky bastard.''

    Jun Xie let out a sigh, ''I will just go on my own and find the truth.''

    Even though Fang Chen most probably knew everything about his n, it would not be easy to get the information out of him.

    This was what made him resolve himself to fake his death and leave everything behind.

    But there was one thought that kepting back to him.

    ''I didn''t even try. What if I had tried to ask Fang Chen?''

    "Ugh."

    Jun Xie felt quite annoyed.

    To meet Fang Chen, Jun Xie would have to go back to the Sect.

    But if he went back, he would never be able toe outside and go on a search for his n unless he reached the Core Formation Realm.

    ''It will be hard to convince Masterˇ­ noˇ­ it will be impossible.''

    Jun Xie let out a sigh and leaned back on the carriage.

    ''We will see what the future holds for me.''

    ˇ­

    The caravan of the Gracious Sword Sect disciples had long left the Blue Pole Town and was now inching closer to Silver Mist City with every passing moment.

    It had been two days since they resumed their journey and were still moving nonstop.

    They hadn''t stopped at any town they passed along the way and were moving ahead with full speed.

    It would take them about two more days to get to the Silver Mist City, and then they will be able to rest at ease.

    None of the members of this entourage had ns of stopping before getting to the destination.

    Well, this was what they thought when they resumed the journey.

    But then, a few things happened on the way.

    Good things.

    And considering their luck in thest two days, none of them felt doubtful that they would be dyed under any circumstances.

    One might ask, where did that confidencee from?

    It came from the things they saw along the way.

    To be more specific, it was the number of corpses they saw along the way.

    Just after a few hours of getting out of the Blue Pole Town, they came across a massacred group of bandits.

    They wouldn''t have cared much about it, but then they saw a g with the Fu n insignia at the center of the battlefield.

    And who was the one going through this path, alone and with Fu n''s insignia?

    Shu Xian.

 Chapter 320 - The Bloody Massacre On The Path

    After a short assessment, everyone concluded that this was indeed done by someone from the Fu n, and a single person did this.

    It became evident that Shu Xian had killed his way through the jungle and was clearing a path for everyone.

    The corpses that were lying on the ground were of bandits.

    This wasn''t hard to judge.

    After a few more minutes of looking here and there, they resumed the journey.

    A few hourster, they once again passed through a massacre.

    This time too, they say the Fu n insignia.

    After a few more hours, everything repeated.

    This time however it was Gracious Sword Sect insignia.

    It became solid proof that the person clearing the way was indeed Shu Xian.

    ''This guy is really this powerful!?''

    Everyone in the caravan was surprised at Shu Xian''s battle prowess.

    From the wounds and cuts on the bandits, it wasn''t hard to notice that all of them literally died from a single sh.

    ''This guy is really this powerful.''

    The question had now turned into a fact.

    Even Yuan Shuchun was slightly rmed from the massacre she witnessed along the way.

    ''Was he always this powerful?''

    Being one of the core members of the Heavenly League, Yuan Shuchun had personally tested Shu Xian''s battle prowess and defeated him easily.

    But the massacre that Shu Xian had shown everyone in thest two days wasn''t a small deal.

    Not only one needed a high cultivation realm, but also willpower and stamina to maintain killing nonstop.

    ''This guy was really hiding his strength.''

    She had no other choice but to look at Shu Xian in a new light.

    No random disciple would be able to do what Shu Xian was doing.

    If even Yuan Shuchun was feeling apprehensive, then it was certain that no other disciple in the Gracious Sword Sect could repeat such a thing.

    Even Xiao Ming, who was beside her, had a very serious expression.

    He had never imagined that Shu Xian would be this powerful.

    ''This will be a tough opponent.''

    He was never on the same page with Shu Xian, and in thest few days, the hostility with Shu Xian was bing pretty much evident.

    And now, with such a showcase of power, Shu Xian had unknowingly put a lot of pressure upon Xiao Ming.

    s, it was only his bad luck that he didn''t know that the Shu Xian he was worrying aboutˇ­was long dead.

    On the carriage ahead of them, Jun Xie and Kai Yang both had serious expressions.

    ''This guyˇ­ something''s wrong with this guy.''

    Jun Xie found it hard to believe that Shu Xian was able to massacre all the bandits that crossed his path.

    The bandits were not nobodies.

    They were genuine Qi Stabilization Realm cultivators.

    Some old ones might even be on the threshold of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

    Yet, they were cut into two by Shu Xian.

    ''I have misjudged him too much.''

    The only thing that Jun Xie was feeling relieved about was his Spirit Sense having a good effect on Shu Xian.

    ''He wasn''t able to get out of my illusions during the banquetˇ­''

    Just then, the carriage suddenly jerked and stopped.

    Jun Xie was pushed sideways and barely was able to bnce himself.

    "Another one?" Kai Yang, who also woke up due to the jerk, asked.

    "Yeah, looks like one." Fu Kai replied from outside.

    Jun Xie frowned, "What''s the need to stop?"

    Fu Kai cleared his throat and said, "You should see this."

    Jun Xie and Kai Yang made eye contact and nodded at each other; both of them came out of the carriage.

    In front of them was a very familiar scene.

    Tens of corpses were lying around; all cut into half with a single slice of a sword.

    "Another one." Jun Xie let out a sigh.

    This was another one of Shu Xian''s massacres.

    "What happened?"

    Xiao Ming called out from behind, Yuan Shuchun following behind him.

    "Ohˇ­" He was surprised to see this scene.

    "I thought we decided not to stop anymore?" Xiao Ming turned towards Fu Kai and asked.

    Fu Kai pursed his lips and pointed towards something.

    Everyone frowned, and when observed, they found Fu Kai pointing at a heap of corpses.

    "What?" Xiao Ming asked in confusion.

    He sounded impatient.

    "That hand!" Suddenly Jun Xie eximed.

    Everyone focused on a hand lying a few feet away from the heap of the corpse, only half visible within the dense grass.

    Jun Xie moved towards and picked it up.

    He observed it for a few moments and said, "This belongs to Shu Xian!"

    "What!?" Everyone was shocked by the sudden revtion.

    Jun Xie looked around and noticed the traces to battle through the path ahead.

    "Let''s get going! Shu Xian might be in danger!"

    Everyone nodded and swiftly jumped back to their carriage.

    Within a few moments, the carriage was running straight through the path, following the asional bloodstains and corpses.

    Slowly after a few minutes, the bloodstains turned scarcer, and even the corpses seemed to have almost disappeared.

    ''Was he able to escape?''

    Even though Yuan Shuchun didn''t hold Shu Xian in the same regard as she used to do, she still felt a bit worried about him. After all, he had been a very close ally to her for thest few years.

    Just as everyone sighed relief, a few corpses appeared once again.

    This time, even the forest and surroundings were quite damaged.

    ''Looks like we''re approaching the main battlefield!''

    Jun Xie frowned.

    He was sitting beside Fu Kai at the front of the carriage.

    And just as he had expected, they suddenly came out in the open.

    Jun Xie was surprised by the tens of corpses lying around, but something immediately caught his eye.

    A cross.

    And on that cross was hanging a corpse!

    The clothes worn by this corpse were the same as those on the arm he had found a few minutes ago.

    This coincidence made his heart drop, ''Shu Xian!?''

    ˇ­

    A/n: here, the cross is of the shape X, not + (viz.. the one rted to Jesus.)

 Chapter 321 - Last Meeting With Shu Xian

    Jun Xie immediately jumped from the carriage and ran straight towards the corpse hanging on the cross.

    As he came closer, his breathing quickened.

    He wanted to confirm if this really was Shu Xian!?

    Behind him, the others had also jumped off from the carriages and wereing closer to the cross.

    Their eyes were filled with shock and uncertainty.

    They stopped a few feet away, and only Jun Xie went on to examine the corpse.

    After a few minutes, Kai Yang asked, "Is it really Shu Xian?"

    The corpse was badly mutted. Thus it was hard to confirm who it was just from a look.

    It was only due to the clothes worn by the corpse that they knew that this person could be their ally.

    And it was most probably Shu Xian.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips and nodded.

    "Thisˇ­"

    Others were surprised by the confirmation.

    Even though they knew this was most probably Shu Xian in their hearts, the confirmation still shook them.

    They had lost another member.

    Half of them were now dead, and they hadn''t even reached the destination.

    Yuan Shuchun frowned and moved forward to have a look personally.

    It didn''t take her long to confirm.

    This was indeed Shu Xian.

    "Who did this?" She asked.

    Jun Xie looked around and saw the corpses. "Most probably those bandits."

    Yuan Shuchun frowned, "These people are already deadˇ­ don''t tell me there were a lot of them?"

    The corpses they had seen in the past two days could have amounted to more than a few hundred.

    It was hard to believe that there were even more bandits!

    "He killed a lot of them." Xiao Ming said as he walked towards the cross.

    Looking at it from up to down, he added, "The massacre that he had ensued must have angered all the bandits within the province. I am sure the news of this massacre had already spread through the region. It''s just we didn''t stop anywhere, so we''re unaware of this."

    Kai Yang shook his head, "We didn''t stop anywhere. This means we should be the first ones toe across this massacre."

    Jun Xie replied, "You''re underestimating the bandits. They will know about this within a few minutes. We don''t know when this massacre even happened."

    "Where''s Shu Xian''s horse?" Qing Shen suddenly asked.

    Everyone looked around, and yes, indeed, there was no horse.

    "We should search for it." Xiao Ming suddenly said.

    Jun Xie nodded, and everyone spread in all directions.

    This area was an open ground within the jungle, with long grass.

    It wasn''t hard to miss a horse corpse. Thus everyone only took a few minutes before returning.

    "It''s not here."

    Jun Xie dered his findings.

    "Guys,e!"

    Just then, Fu Kai, who wasst to arrive, called out.

    Everyone moved towards him and saw him pointing at something on the ground.

    It was the footprints from the hooves of a horse.

    Jun Xie looked in the direction in which the hooves were heading.

    This was sideways into the jungle. Not on the path towards the Silver Mist City.

    "Is it really Shu Xian''s horse?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Fu Kai shook his head, "I am no expert in identifying the horse from its footprint, but I can assure you that this is a fresh hoofprint of a Ferghana horse."

    Xiao Ming frowned, "Bandits too could have Ferghana Horses. After all, they need to be always on the run."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head, "Yes, I have seen bandits with Ferghana Horses. They are very few and rare in number."

    Qing Shen kneeled near the hoof print and examined it, "Indeed it''s a Ferghana Horse, and it''s most likely the one by Shu Xian."

    "He could be alive?" Xiao Ming asked.

    "Shu Xian? Didn''t we see his corpse just now?"

    "Ah, yes."

    Jun Xie turned towards the corpse, "Let''s see if we can find any more clues. Or at least give Shu Xian a proper burial. That is more important than this horse."

    Everyone gave a slight nod and went back to the cross.

    "This is weird." Suddenly Jun Xie said.

    "What?"

    Everyone turned to him in confusion and curiosity.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips and frowned at the corpse.

    "Thisˇ­"

    "Oh, it''s nothing." After a while, he just shook his head.

    "What is it?" Yuan Shuchun asked.

    "They beheaded him." Jun Xie said, "His head is just not lying on his neck. It''s not attached."

    Xiao Ming slightly smiled and thought of something.

    Then moving forward, he slightly flicked his head.

    *puck!*

    The head of Shu Xian fell down from the body.

    "Dude!" Jun Xie looked at him in shock.

    "It is indeed unattached." Xiao Ming nodded as if he had verified a big mystery.

    "Wha-t!" Jun Xie looked at him like he was an idiot.

    Xiao Ming just shrugged and said, "Let''s give him a proper burial and resume the journey. We still have a long way to cross."

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes at him and started to remove the corpse from the cross.

    After a few minutes, they had carefully ced the body in a small pit and then covered him back with sand.

    "There were about sixteen cuts on his body, but his Fu n robes were blood-red, so I couldn''t identify more injuries."

    Jun Xie said as they headed back towards the carriage.

    "Well, it was the beheading that killed him. So other cuts don''t matter." Xiao Ming shrugged.

    Jun Xie gave a slight nod and nced for onest time at the burial ce of his friend.

    Letting out a sigh, he jumped back on the carriage, and the rest of the group followed him.

    As they resumed their journey, Fu Kai, who was driving the carriage, said, "Jun Xie, I don''t know how you feel, but I am here to help in any way I can."

    Jun Xie gave a slight smile and shook his head, "It''s alright."

    ''I am not grievingˇ­ it''s justˇ­ Shu Xian''s corpse wasn''t fresh. It was definitely a few days old!''

 Chapter 322 - Jun Xies Suspicion & Yuan Shuchuns Resolve

    Jun Xie couldn''t wrap his mind over the situation.

    It was hard for him to judge what had happened.

    ''Shu Xian was alive and well today, but his corpse was three days old.''

    ''That''s impossible!''

    He couldn''t think of any way this could have happened.

    The only reasoning that he could think of was that the Shu Xian who was with them through the whole journey was not the real Shu Xian!

    ''How did that guy hide from my Spirit Sense?''

    Jun Xie frowned.

    He was very confident about his Spirit Sense, but this was the second incident when his Spirit Sense had turned quite useless.

    It was Fang Chen a month ago, and now Shu Xian.

    ''What is going on?''

    There was definitely something that he was missing. It was just hard for him to wrap his mind around it.

    ''This is not Yuan Shuchun''s trickˇ­ she was genuinely stunned after seeing the dead Shu Xian.''

    Unfortunately, she couldn''t judge the age of the corpse, neither could anyone else.

    It was just too well prepared.

    Unfortunately, that person had underestimated Jun Xie''s Spirit Sense.

    ''Still, whoever did that, must be a very powerful assassin.''

    Jun Xie let out a long breath and closed his eyes.

    Now he was sure that this mission was not going to be as simple and straightforward as they had thought.

    ''What was that assassin''s goal?''

    This was another question in his head.

    ''He wanted to run from the sect?''

    This was the most probable answer.

    If Shu Xian''s corpse was about three days old, then it means he died within the sect.

    ''His corpse was kept in a spatial ring, so it didn''t decay much.''

    The only motive behind killing Shu Xian would be to get out of the sect.

    Because there was no other way since the whole sect was still being investigated and was under lockdown.

    ''The assassin was most probably a part of the Devil Sect.''

    This was the conclusion that Jun Xie arrived at after considering all the sides of the story.

    After another sigh, he closed his eyes and leaned back on the carriage.

    ''Next few days will be full of surprises.''

    ˇ­.

    "Next few days won''t be any surprise."

    In the carriage behind him, the argument was opposite.

    Xiao Ming was talking to Yuan Shuchun, "All the variables are now dead, so you can rx."

    "How can I rx?" Yuan Shuchun frowned, "Even if Shu Xian once tried to kill me, he was still an old friend."

    Xiao Ming shook his head, "Your vision is not clear. You do not see the bigger picture here."

    "What do you mean?" Yuan Shuchun was now feeling a bit irritated from Xiao Ming''s indifferent attitude, "The only picture I see right now is you being happy that your rival is now dead."

    Xiao Ming rolled his eyes, "Rival? I never considered him to be one. At most, he was a nuisance to me. And you''re seeing the wrong picture."

    "What is the picture then?" Yuan Shuchun asked with a frown.

    Xiao Ming cleared his throat and said, "Did you forget what we saw along the way till we met Shu Xian''s corpse?"

    "Dead bodies?"

    "Yeah," Xiao Ming nodded his head, "Now tell me, dead bodies of who?"

    "Bandits." Yuan Shuchun shrugged.

    Xiao Ming nodded, "Now, see this, Shu Xian was able to kill all of them easily."

    "Yeah." She nodded.

    Everyone had seen that the bandits were killed with just one sword sh.

    Xiao Ming''s expression turned serious, "Now tell me, which disciple in our sect has this much power?"

    "Hm?" Yuan Shuchun frowned, and after a thought, she shook her head, "No one."

    Xiao Ming smiled, "Exactly."

    "Now, do you remember what Shu Xian said in his defense when we used him of the assassination attempt?"

    "He said he wouldn''t think about killing you because there was no way he could defeat the other core disciples."

    "Yeah." Yuan Shuchun''s expression turned grave. She was now seeing what Xiao Ming was talking about.

    "Now you get it." Xiao Ming smiled, "If Shu Xian can kill all these bandits, it''s clear as day that he can easily defeat any Core disciple within the sect. This means he was lying. And why would he lie? To hide the truth."

    "And what was the truth?" Xiao Ming paused for a moment before continuing, "The truth was that he did try to kill you because he was greedy to get the Sect Leader position."

    "He wanted to remove you from the way. You were a hindrance to his path."

    Xiao Ming leaned back with a smug expression and Yuan Shuchun well in a thought.

    After a few minutes, she let out a sigh, and her eyes turned emotionless once again.

    This was the first time she felt betrayed by Shu Xian.

    Earlier, she wanted to believe that there must have been a reason that forced him to go against her.

    But nowˇ­ she felt as if the truth was as clear as the sky above.

    She gulped and tightened her grip on her sword.

    ''This will be thest time I will blindly trust someone.''

    ˇ­

    About a hundred miles ahead, through the dense forest, Ye Tian Yun was heading straight for the Silver Mist City.

    He had unleashed his full cultivation and was passing through the forest like a sh of light.

    With the help of his cultivation, he was able to move faster than a Ferghana horse, and it also allowed him to be versatile, thus allowing him to not follow the usual path and direct pass through the forest, thus saving him a lot of time.

    ''I will at least be one whole day ahead of them by the time I get to Silver Mist City.''

    One whole day was enough for him to make enough preparation and make a deal with the Devil Sect people who would be lying in ambush.

    ''Just a few more days, and I will finally have my hands on the Token Of Fate.''

 Chapter 323 - The Prophecy That Sent Heaven Oracle Sect In Chaos

    Ye Tian Yun''s n was pretty simple.

    By showing Shu Xian''s death to everyone, he was able to buy himself enough time and also increase more options for himself.

    ''I don''t need to appear as Shu Xian in front of them anymore.''

    Since he couldn''t bring Kai Yang with him, he decided to make some changes and get away from the radar of Peak Master Duan.

    The only person that he was wary of within the whole group was Peak Master Duan.

    ''I will strike at the right time. They don''t expect to meet Shu Xian or me anymore, and this will give me a big chance to ambush those people.''

    Ye Tian Yun smirked and increased his pace.

    The earlier he reached Silver Mist City, the better.

    He didn''t doubt that they would miss Shu Xian''s body.

    In fact, he had ced enough clues for them to find out, and a single hint was enough.

    ''Fu Kai wouldn''t miss the arm.''

    Fu Kai was a very intelligent person, and the Fu n''s robes were also very eye-catching.

    Now that everything was settled, Ye Tian Yun sped towards the Silver Mist City.

    He had two targets in mind - Xiao Ming and Kai Yang.

    Xiao Ming had the Token Of Fate.

    Kai Yangˇ­ Well, he was the only one whom Ye Tian Yun wasn''t sure about if he had any token or not.

    The only thing Ye Tian Yun could do right now was to go after Kai Yang.

    ''It wouldn''t be a problem. I will simply assassinate him.''

    ''The troublesome people will be Xiao Ming. A single mistake and the Token Of Fate wouldn''t appear.

    As its name suggested, the Token Of Fate had something to do with one person''s fate.

    It didn''t give good luck; there was a different artifact for that, Emblem Of Luck, which Ye Tian Yun possessed in his previous life.

    ''Even with such heaven-defying artifact, I got killed.''

    He couldn''t help but let out a sigh.

    Unlike Emblem Of Luck, Token Of Fate was more interrted to the Fate of its possessor.

    ''System, will the Token Of Fate help me with the Fate Points?'' Ye Tian Yun asked a question.

    [Yes, Host. It definitely will.]

    "How many kill points do I have?"

    [Kill Points: 87,056]

    "Hmm, this should be enough."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, ''Should be enough for next few days.''

    Once he reached the Silver Mist City, his next step was to get in touch with the Devil Sect''s people.

    ''Hopefully, they have few brain cells and will not attack me as soon as they see me.''

    He was going to meet them in Shu Xian''s disguise.

    ˇ­

    About a thousand miles ahead of Ye Tian Yun.

    A carriage was slowly heading to Silver Mist City.

    "You mean we will reach there by sunset?" A male voice called out from the carriage.

    The carriage driver nodded his head and said, "Yes, Master. We will reach our destination by sunset as long as we don''t take any more breaks."

    "Hmm, we won''t." The male voice replied, and the carriage once again turned silent.

    Inside the carriage were two people.

    If one were to look carefully, he would see that these two were no different from young love birds, and if someone from the Gracious Sword Sect were to see them, they would recognize this pair in an instant.

    This was the notorious pair of Qin Wentian and Ji Yi.

    A few days ago, while rxing in the Gracious Sword Sect and nning to frame a disciple called Fang Chen, something happened, and both of them abruptly left the sect, without even informing anyone!

    The higher-ups were shocked about this, but they didn''t care much.

    Both of them were just uninvited guests for the sect. Now that they had left on their own, the sect couldn''t ask for a better option.

    As for the two of them, they already knew what Gracious Sword Sect thought of them, but they didn''t care.

    They were from the Heaven Oracle Sect, and within a few years, both of them would have enough cultivation and power to level the whole sect to ground with a flick of the hand.

    [A/n: so they did care.]

    However, today, both of them had more urgent business than framing a random disciple, which was also why they were rushing to the Silver Mist City.

    "Senior Brother, how will we find him?" Ji Yi, who was still dressed as a boy, snuggled into Qin Wentian''s arm.

    Qin Wentian smiled at her and said, "Junior Sister, we just need to wait for the right time."

    "Did the Grand Elder give you any clues?" Ji Yi asked.

    Qin Wentian pursed his lips and replied, "Didn''t you hear the prophecy? Whole Heaven Oracle Sect is in chaos right now."

    Ji Yi nodded, "I did hear it, Senior Brother. But I can''t understand why you are so sure that everything will happen in the Silver Mister City?"

    Qin Wentian shook his head, "It was not me. It was Master who sent me here."

    "Silver Mist city is just a normal city, but in the next few days, an unprecedented incident is about to happen, making it the center of attention for the whole world."

    "These were the exact words my Master said. You weren''t in the courtyard, so you didn''t hear them. He told me about this after the prophecy was revealed."

    Ji Yi slightly frowned but didn''t say anything for some time.

    Qin Wentian then recited the words.

    "In the Silver Mist shall there be bloodbath. One will possess the token, and everyone will change their fate."

    As Ji Yi raised her head at him, he continued, "These were the words, right? There are four ces with Silver Mist in the Middle Heavens and only one in the Lower Heavens. The best part about this is while everyone in our sect is trying to search the Middle Heavens, we alone will be in the Lower Heavens."

    Ji Yi frowned, "What if this is not the case and Token Of Fate doesn''t appear in the Silver Mist City?"

 Chapter 324 - Silver Mist City

    "What if this is not the case and Token Of Fate doesn''t appear in the Silver Mist City?"

    Hearing this, Qin Wentian frowned, but after a moment, he smiled once again.

    "Don''t doubt my Master''s ability. He even prophesied Emperor Ye''s rise to the throne and his conquest for the Middle Heavens."

    "And in this generation, he made the prophecy about Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun''s conquest to be the Heavenly Emperor."

    "Now, he has divined this prophecy; how could this not be true!"

    "And considering the fact that he personally told me about the Silver Mist City, I am sure he changed the prophecy a bit and omitted a small part of it before telling it to everyone in the sect."

    Ji Yi nodded, "This should be the most probable case."

    Qin Wentian smiled, "Indeed. And once I get the Token Of Fate, both of our futures will take a turn for the better."

    Ji Yi''s lips curled into a sweet smile, "Yes, Senior Brother."

    Qin Wentian added, "Token Of Fate will bring boundless opportunities for both of us, so just be prepared for a bloodbath in the next few days."

    Ji Yi shook her head, "Senior Brother, with our cultivation, I don''t think there will be many cultivators who can stop us in that city. Not to forget that we''re also going to arrange a whole array system throughout the city."

    Qin Wentian nodded, "Yes. The array system is the reason we are rushing to Silver Mist City. We will start working on it tonight. Master gave me a week, but we will get there at least two days earlier."

    "Coincidentally, I have an acquaintance in this city. I have already informed him about our arrival, he is making arrangements for us as I speak."

    ˇ­

    Silver Mist City.

    A small city in the Southern Province of the Xin Kingdom was home to many families.

    The name, Silver Mist, is mainly derived from the mystic scenery that is the trademark of this city.

    Silver Mist City is located behind a mountain called Silver Mist Mountain.

    ording to old stories, once upon a time, two great experts fought a battle to the death on this mountain.

    The battle was so devastating that it led to them breaking the mountain into two.

    That incident created a teau, and on that part is where the Silver Mist City is located.

    A huge pit formed by the battle is now filled with flora and fauna, and its cold temperature led to the formation of silvery mist all year round.

    Thus, giving the city its unique name.

    [A/n: City art here is in paragraphment or chapterment.]

    The city was filled with many markets, and the majority of these markets were under the control of three ns. While the three ns were the most powerful in Silver Mist City, other big shops were also.

    These three ns were the Zheng n, Ao Ba n, and Jia Lie n.

    The three great ns of Silver Mist City had a strange rtionship, each wanting to consume the other two''s businesses, but none dared to act out against the other n, fearing the left-out neutral n would gain from them doing so. Moreover, even if the two of them joined hands, they could not avoid suspecting their ''partner''. Thus, unless they were assured ofpletely wiping out one party, all three sides could only continue in thisplicated and brittle stalemate that had formed between them.

    This simple yetplicated city was also one of the resting stations for caravans and traders.

    Thus, allowing the whole city to be prosperous with a flushing economy.

    However, the hidden schemes and undercurrents were always going on through the city, as the three main ns of the city fought for hegemony over the city.

    These days were also pretty simple ones. Just this time, however, the three ns were about to go all out against each other.

    By coincidence or by fate, all three of them had found a powerful ally and were going to ask for help from these allies to get rid of the other two ns.

    As the days approached closer, the higher-ups of these ns were sharpening the weapons. Because, in a few days, an all-out war was about to begin.

    ˇ­

    Jia Lie n.

    This n was one of the three main ns and also the most powerful among the three.

    Unfortunately, it didn''t have absolute power and was afraid of the two enemies'' ns forming an alliance to eradicate them, thus didn''t try to instigate too much trouble.

    But a few days ago, some people arrived in their n.

    The normal nsmen didn''t know who they were, but one thing did shock them - their n Head was treating them as if they were literal gods.

    He even ordered the guards to kill anyone who dared even to disturb the guests.

    This made the atmosphere of the n quite solemn.

    In the main hall of the n, n Head Jia Lie Shan was sitting quietly.

    However, if anyone from the Silver Mist City were to see this simple scene, they would be shocked to the core because the Jia Lie Shan was not sitting on the n head seat but rather on one of the side seats!

    Moreover, every now and then, he was ncing at the person sitting on his seat, and beads of sweat slipped on his forehead.

    After a long ufortable silence, the person sitting on the main seat asked, "What is it, Junior Brother Shan? You''re staring at me as if I fucked your daughter. Don''t worry, I just nced at her."

    Jian Lei Shan suppressed his emotions and said, "Senior Brother, everything here belongs to you. I just want to know what is going on? You havee unannounced, and you''re not even letting me serve you properly."

    The man sitting on the seatughed, "You will know pretty soon, Junior Brother.. This whole mountain is soon going to need a new name."

 Chapter 325 - The Devil Sect Hears The Procphecy

    "You will know pretty soon, Junior Brother. This whole mountain is soon going to need a new name."

    "A new name?" Jia Lei Shan was a bit confused.

    "Yeah," The man smirked, "Instead of Silver Mist City, it would be better if you call it Blood Mist City."

    "Ah-ha-ha," Jia Lei Shan fakeughed and praised, "Senior Brother, your humor is still the greatest."

    The man nodded his head.

    Just then, he frowned and looked at the entrance door of the hall.

    In the next instant, his breathing quickened, and a trace of fear appeared in his eyes as the frowning changed into an expression of panic.

    He immediately stood up from his seat and smiled at the door.

    "Ah, Elder, you returned quite early."

    Seeing the sudden change in the man, Jia Lei Shan''s expression turned to confusion for a second, but when he heard the words from his mouth, a wave of fear washed over him as cold sweat trickled down his back.

    "You seem quite rxed. Did you do what I asked?" An old man entered the hall.

    His eerie voice made both the man and Jia Lei Shan tremble in fear.

    "Yes, Elder." The man immediately nodded his head.

    The Elder then turned towards Jia Lei Shan and slightly frowned, "Are you Disciple Jia from the Southern Branch?"

    Jia Lei Shan nodded his head and gave a respectful reply, "Yes, Elder. I am Disciple Jia Lei Shan from the Southern Xin Branch, and also the Leader Of Sixty-Ninth Outpost."

    "Hmm," The Elder''s stern expression softened a bit when he heard Jia Lei Shan''s reply, "Good to know that you at least remember your roots."

    Jia Lei Shan cupped his fists and said, "It''s all thanks to the sect that I am standing here today, Elder. I owe everything to the sect."

    The elder nodded; his expression eased even more.

    He then turned towards the man beside Jia Lei Shan and asked, "Exin to me what happened."

    The man nodded and gestured towards the n Head seat, "Elder, please have a seat."

    The Elder frowned and shook his head, "Disciple Yin, I didn''t expect you to act like this."

    The man, Yin Shan, was a bit confused, "What happened, Elder?"

    The Elder replied, "Don''t forget you''re a guest in this ce. Even if you''re ranked high, you shouldn''t act like you own this ce. That is the n head''s seat, show some respect."

    Then ncing at Jia Lei Shan, he said, "Disciple Jia, arrange some seats."

    Jia Lei Shan smiled, "Yes, Master."

    Yin Shan scratched the back of his head and shrugged.

    He wasn''t angry or ashamed. It was just how he was.

    After a few minutes, some servants arranged a table and a few seats for them, so all of them could sit in equal ranks.

    There were elder seats too in the hall, but Jia Lei Shan didn''t dare to think about them because then, he would have sat on the n head seat, which is something he didn''t dare to do, at least not in front of the Elder.

    Once the three of them were seated, the Elder nced at Yin Shan and asked, "Disciple Yin Shan, tell me what has happened."

    Yin Shan took a long breath and said.

    "Elder, you told me toe here and wait for Shu Xian. Once he arrived, we were supposed to kill him. But then, there were few changes in the instruction, and I was told that there is someone important from the Wu Kingdoming to this city."

    "They will be arriving within the next few days, so I was preparing the arrays."

    The Elder stared at him for a second and said, "You didn''t have to go into so much detail."

    Yin Shan didn''t say anything.

    The Elder then asked, "Did you finish the arrays?"

    Yin Shan nodded, "Yes, Elder. I already finished it yesterday."

    The Elder let out a sigh, "There was another changest night."

    "Hm?" Both Yin Shan and Jia Lei Shan were confused.

    "I got a new update. A new prophecy has been revealed in the Heaven Oracle Sect."

    "A prophecy?" This confused them even more.

    "Elder, what does it have to do with us? We''re too far away and out of line from the Heaven Oracle Sect. I don''t think they will make a prophecy rted to us."

    The Elder shook his head, "I wish this were true. The prophecy has revealed a huge secret, and many of the higher-ups have gone to the Middle Heavens."

    "Oh?"

    "Yes, also, some are heading to this ce."

    "What is the prophecy, Elder?" Yin Shan asked. His curiosity increased with every passing instant.

    The Elder pursed his lips and said, "I don''t know the exact words. However, I do know what it is about."

    "What?"

    "Token Of Fate."

    "Token Of Fate!?"

    "Yes." The elder nodded his head with a solemn expression.

    He had already expected this reaction from Yin Shan and Jia Lei Shan.

    "Elder, don''t tell me the Token will appear in this city!?" Jia Lei Shan''s breathing quickened as a sense of panic slowly began to overwhelm him.

    "Why will the Token appear here?" Yin Shan shook his head and reassured him, "If it was going to appear in this city, then why would the higher-ups rush to the Middle Heavens?"

    The Elder interjected, "They rushed because of the ce they needed to get to."

    "Which ce?"

    "Don''t know the exact one, but there''s Silver Mist there."

    "Silver Mist... " Both Yin Shan and Jia Lei Shan whispered.

    The Elder nodded, "I know what you''re thinking. And yes, this ce could be one of the prophesied ces."

    "But Elder, what if this is not one of those ces?" Jia Lei Shan asked.

    The Elder shook his head, "There''s a high chance it is. I saw two people some time ago, a boy and a girl, both of them had the mark of Heaven Oracle Sect and were roaming in the city."

    "Thisˇ­"

    Just then, someone came into the hall.

    "n Head, there''s a disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect, named Shu Xian.. He says you are waiting to meet him."

 Chapter 326 - Ye Tian Yuns Changing Plans

    "Shu Xian?"

    As soon as the three of them heard the name, they were confused.

    ''Why would Shu Xiane here?''

    The Elder asked, "I thought Shu Xian knew that he was about to die."

    Yin Shan nodded, "Yes, Elder. Someone in the Sect did tip him off about it. I thought Shu Xian would run away. He''s pretty daring if he has decided toe here."

    "Should I bring him here, Elder?" Jia Lei Shan asked.

    The Elder thought for a moment and said, "Alright, bring him in."

    Jia Lei Shan turned towards the guard and nodded his head.

    The guard understood the instructions and went back to bring in Shu Xian.

    "Let''s first deal with this boy. Then we will continue with the discussion. There''s still enough time for us to carefully n everything." The Elder said as he stared at the entrance of the hall with a slight frown.

    "I am more curious about the thing that gave this kid so much confidence."

    ˇ­

    Outside Jia Lei n.

    Ye Tian Yun was waiting for the guards toe out with the response from their n head.

    ''These people are leaving their aura all around. It wasn''t hard to find them.''

    Ye Tian Yun was feeling quite disappointed in the people who were supposed to kill Shu Xian.

    It had just been a few minutes when he had entered the city.

    It was indeed pretty calm, and the silver mist in the teau made it look like there was no base below, just like the endless ravines in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    If not for the few high trees that had grown below, it would have been hard to judge the depth of the ce.

    ''This ce seems like a nice vacation spot.''

    But that''s only the surface.

    ''The whole city is full of arrays.''

    He felt the situation was moreplicated than it looked.

    ''Who made these arrays? Is it from some other enemy? Or is it by the Third Princess of Wu?''

    Quite a few questions were buzzing in his head.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was mulling over his thoughts, the guard came back from inside and replied to him with a respectful tone, "Young Master, n Head is waiting for you in the Main Hall, please follow me."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and followed the guard inside.

    Though inwardly, he was a bit surprised, ''The first step went pretty easy. Now I only need to convince them to find out some important information about their ns.''

    Earlier, when Ye Tian Yun first came out of the Gracious Sword Sect, he had actually nned to use the Devil Sect people to kill the disciples and hold back Peak Master Duan.

    But once he went ahead and faked his death, he thought about changing the n.

    The situation had pretty much changed for now, and with most of the disciples dead, and only variable, Ye Tian Yun didn''t need to waste his time with the Devil Sect.

    The variable was, of course, Kai Yang. But Ye Tian Yun didn''t give it much thought. He could kill that guy with a flick of his finger.

    Then he could target Xiao Ming and get the Token Of Fate, as soon as their ambush n began and Peak Master Duan got upied with the Core Formation Realm guard beside the Third Princess of Wu, Wu Qingwu.

    However, as soon as he stepped into the Silver Mist City, he had to make a few changes once again andbine his old and new ns.

    The reason behind this was the number of arrays; most of them were the type that could block Qi, create poison dome, or even paralyze the enemy.

    If Ye Tian Yun went in alone in this obstacle course, he would only waste a lot of his time.

    ''I need cannon fodders.''

    And this was where the Devil Sect entered the scene once again, and Ye Tian Yun came to the Jia Lei n, where Devil Sect members were hiding.

    "n Head, he''s here." The guard''s voice rang through the hall as he and Ye Tian Yun entered the room.

    The first thing Ye Tian Yun saw in the hall was a middle-aged man sitting at a table in the center of the hall.

    There were two more chairs, but they were surprisingly empty!

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips twitched and had to almost control hisughter, ''These old bastards, hiding behind curtains to make a surprise entrance so they can scare me.''

    "Greetings, Senior Jia Lei Shan." Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists.

    "You know me?" Jia Lei Shan acted ignorantly.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "I am Disciple Shu Xian, from the Eastern Xin Branch."

    "Hmm," Jia Lei Shan slightly frowned, "What''s that?"

    "I am a member of the Eighteenth Outpost." Ye Tian Yun added.

    Only after hearing this did Jia Lei Shan''s expression eased a bit.

    But in the next instant, a sh of killing intent surrounded Ye Tian Yun, "Disciple Shu Xian, weren''t you assigned in the Gracious Sword Sect? Why did youe here?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Senior, there''s something important that is about to happen in this city. Thus I arrived as soon as I can to inform you about it."

    Jia Lei Shan frowned, "I know what you''re talking about. But Shu Xian, if you know about all this, I am sure you also know about your own fate."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and said, "Senior, I know that there are some sect seniors who have decided that I am bing a hindrance, and it''s better to kill me than take any further risks."

    "Yet you havee here?" Jia Lei Shan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Senior, I havee here because I think it''s not worth killing me."

    "Oh?" Just then, an eerie voice replied, "What gives you the courage to think that?"

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips twitched once again when he heard these words.

    ''Oh my, I am so scared~.''

 Chapter 327 - Convincing (I)

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head towards his right and said, "Elder, I am confident that once you give me a chance, I will definitely prove my worth."

    "What will you prove?" The voice asked with a disdainful tone, "You couldn''t even sense me and turned your head to the other side. That alone shows your worth."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and then turned his head towards the voice, "Senior, I was not replying to you. I was telling the Elder who is hiding behind the curtain for some reason."

    Jia Lei Shan: "..."

    Yin Shan: "..."

    The Elder: "..."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and said, "I would like you to at least listen to my words."

    After a moment of silence, the Elder and Yin Shan quietly came out and took their seats on the table.

    n Head Jia Lei Shan nced at the entrance of the hall and called out, "Bring another chair."

    Within a few minutes of silence, a servant brought a chair and left.

    Jia Lei Shan said, "Shu Xian, take a seat."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and sat down.

    Coincidentally, the seat was arranged in a way that all of them were divided into two groups - Ye Tian Yun on one side, and the remaining three on the other side.

    "Tell me, Shu Xian." The Elder spoke first, "What is it that you have that can increase your worth in the eyes of the sect?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I have information. Also, I have something important that you might be interested in."

    "Information?" Yin Shan scoffed, "I don''t want to sound condescending, boy, but what kind of information do you have that the sect doesn''t know of?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I trust in Devil Sect''s intelligence-gathering ability. However, I am sure you will definitely like this piece of information that I hold."

    The Elder frowned, "Don''t take us in circles. Just tell us the information."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Seniors, as much as I respect you, I also love my life. I can''t help but be cautious about what you will do after you get the information. I have a feeling I am just digging my grave here."

    The Elder squinted his eyes, "Disciple Shu, don''t worry about it. If your information is really important, then no one will even harm you. You will get three more chances to get your contribution points to the positive side."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    He clearly understood what the Elder''s words meant.

    In the Devil Sect, there was a contribution system, which would increase if the disciple brought merit and would go negative if the disciple created trouble or made the sect face a loss.

    Once the points reached a certain mark on the negative side, the disciple would be given a death penalty.

    The Elder meant that Ye Tian Yun wouldn''t be killed or harmed, and his contribution points would be set to zero.

    On top of that, he will get three chances to prove his worth.

    In simple words, there was no more trouble for him from the Devil Sect as long as the information he provided was important.

    Clearing his thoughts, Ye Tian Yun yed his first card, "Seniors, you may have heard about the mission that Gracious Sword Sect disciples are performing secretly."

    Seeing the three of them nod, Ye Tian Yun continued, "I know the person whom they are targeting."

    "Oh." The three nodded.

    ''They are not interested?'' Ye Tian Yun was slightly surprised, ''Looks like I will have to slowly reveal stuff and wait for them to take the bait.''

    "Not only do I know about the target, but I also know that there''s someone among the Gracious Sword Sect disciplesing for the mission who will be useful for you."

    "I mean, that disciple has something that might be useful for you."

    The three of them suddenly frowned and looked at each other.

    ''Weren''t we just discussing itˇ­''

    ''So it''s with a disciple from the Gracious Sword Sect. Hmm.''

    "Which Disciple is it?" Yin Shan asked.

    The impatience in his voice made Ye Tian Yun quite suspicious.

    ''This guyˇ­ knows about it?''

    Ye Tian Yun had a strong feeling that the three in front of him knew more than what he had gauged earlier.

    Getting no response from Ye Tian Yun, Yin Shan urged, "Who is the disciple that had it?"

    ''They definitely know!''

    rm bells went off in Ye Tian Yun''s head.

    Pursing his lips, he said, "There''s a disciple called Kai Yang in their entourage."

    "Kai Yangˇ­" The three of them frowned.

    Yin Shan gestured at Jia Lei Shan about something.

    The other party lightly nodded his head and took out a few sheets of paper from his spatial ring.

    Ye Tian Yun nced at the paper and was surprised at the contents.

    The Elder chose one of the papers in his hands and began to read it out loud.

    "Kai Yang. Seventeen Years Old. Orphan."

    "Suspected to be part of the Great Yang Family."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun suddenly raised his head and stared at the paper in shock.

    ''The Great Yang Family!''

    ''Fuck! Why is every random person that I know has a better backstory than me!?''

    "Hm?" The Elder nced at him, "You know about the Great Yang Family?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "One of the most powerful families in the Middle Heavens. Of course, I know them."

    "Hmm," The Elder nodded his head and continued to read.

    "Kai Yang, or his supposedly real name, Yang Kai, is in the Gracious Sword Sect to live a normal life and experience the hardships."

    "Unlike the other Yang Family descendants, Yang Kai keeps a low profile and has not shown any signs of being a super-genius cultivator."

    "Assessment: Average. Need not to care about him."

    Reading this, the Elder put down the sheet of paper and said, "Shu Xian, this was the report on him.. Now, show me the proof that Yang Kai holds the Token Of Fate."

 Chapter 328 - Convincing (II)

    Reading this, the Elder put down the sheet of paper and said, "Shu Xian, this was the report on him. Now, show me the proof that Yang Kai holds the Token Of Fate."

    Ye Tian Yun slightly frowned upon hearing the Elder''s words.

    ''Damn, here I thought Kai Yang would be a random nobody. To think this guy is also importantˇ­''

    ''Well, no matter how important he was, it''s only natural that he was supposed to lose his life here. I don''t think I have any use for him, so let''s just go with fate.''

    Clearing his throat, Ye Tian Yun replied, "Seniors, I can''t show you the proof because Kai Yang himself told me and revealed the existence of the Token."

    "He told you?" Yin Shan stared at Ye Tian Yun, "Do you think your answer is believable?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Senior, it will be after you hear the second part."

    "When he told me, it wasn''t in a direct way. In fact, everything stems from a veryplicated story." Ye Tian Yun added.

    "Complicated story?" Elder frowned, "Boy, you''re wasting everyone''s time."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Seniors, I am sure in the papers in front of you, there''s a good amount of information about me. Please have a look carefully."

    "Hm?" The Elder frowned and took a paper in his hand.

    It was a report on Shu Xian.

    "There''s nothing special here besides the mission you have done. I can put you in any branch, and the evaluation will still be just above average." The Elder replied as he put down the paper.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Elder, I didn''t mean that you need to judge my performance. I wanted you to notice if there''s anything unnatural in the list."

    "Hm?" The Elder frowned, "What do you mean?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I am talking about my mission to Crimson Bay."

    The Elder nced at the paper once again and read, "About three years ago, you went to the Crimson Bay to assassinate an important official."

    "You were injured and stayed in a mortal''s house to recover."

    "That''s it. Except for the mission details, there''s nothing else."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Elder, what I want you to know is that this mission is where I came to know about the Token OF Fate."

    "Hm?" All the three of them frowned at him.

    "How?" Yin Shan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I overheard a conversation. And I found out that the Great Yang family''s descendent is one of the Token Possessors."

    "But I didn''t know about the validity of this information. Thus I didn''t mention it to anyone."

    "However, I kept it in my mind. I just had an intuition that this was going to be useful."

    "Later, I found Disciple Kai Yang''s action quite suspicious, and just yesterday, I found out that he hates the name, Yang Kai. I felt it was quite dumb, but then it shed."

    "I knew I had to do something about it, and thus I created an opportunity for myself to get here earlier than them and inform you about it."

    "And when I came and told you about my suspicion, you confirmed that Kai Yang, whose real name is Yang Kai, is indeed one of the young masters of the Great Yang Family from the Middle Heavens."

    "Now that I have told you the name of a Token Possessor, I am sure I have at least earned enough merit to keep my life."

    As Ye Tian Yun finished his words, the other three of them looked at each other.

    "Boy, I will trust you. But tell me, how did you find out that we were behind the curtain?" The Elder said.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I never mentioned it, but I am quite talented when ites to Spirit Sense."

    "Oh?" The Elder was surprised, "Hmm. Well, alright."

    After a slight pause, the Elder said, "You have shown your worth. Go and have some rest."

    Ye Tian Yun was quite surprised, but he had no other choice.

    n head Jia Lei Shan stood up and gestured at Ye Tian Yun to follow him.

    After a few minutes, he returned, having ordered the servants to arrange a room for Ye Tian Yun.

    As soon as he took a seat, the Elder asked, "Do you believe his words?"

    Yin Shan and Jia Lei Shan looked at each other for a moment and nodded their heads at the Elder.

    The Elder let out a long breath and said, "We can''t continue the earlier discussion. For now, I need to go and make a few arrangements."

    "The Devil Sect must get the Token Of Fate."

    "Yes, Elder!"

    ˇ­

    In a certain room, Jia Lei n.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as soon as he sat on the bed.

    ''They believed? So easily?''

    He couldn''t believe it.

    ''I had too many loopholes.''

    ''There must be something that made them believe in my words.''

    Looking at the clear sky outside his window, he couldn''t help but let out a sigh.

    ''I need to sneak out of the room tonight. It will be too troublesome if I go out during the day. That means for the next twelve hours; I am stuck here.''

    ''Still, it''s quite hard to believe that they believed in my wordsˇ­ either they were faking itˇ­ no, there was no need to fake or give me false hope.''

    ''If they didn''t believe me, they could have easily attacked me.''

    Earlier, when Ye Tian Yun arrived, he had nned to put Kai Yang on a pedestal and make him Devil Sect''s target.

    However, everything went into disarray when it was revealed that Kai Yang was actually a part of the Great Yang Family.

    ''Those fuckersˇ­ they send their youngsters to live at the bottom of the world for ten years, and then make each other fight for the n Head positionˇ­''

    ''Out of billion cultivators in the whole Lower Heavens, the only guy I wanted to use as bait turned out to be part of the huge n.. Luckily those guys believed my bullshit story, or else it would have turned out pretty nasty.''

 Chapter 329 - Discussion (I)

    Time flew like a flowing river, and it was soon evening.

    ''Just a few more hours.''

    In his rooms, Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes after cultivating for the whole day.

    He was waiting for the sky to darken to sneak out and assess the arrays throughout the city and look for possible escape routes.

    After all, there were two Core Formation Realm cultivators, and considering the Devil Sect, now there were three of them.

    Even though Ye Tian Yun had the confidence of escaping from their grasp, he didn''t wish to take any stupid action and end up turning into a pile of meat.

    After all, he wasn''t the only one with trump cards. Those old cultivators had already seen the nature of the world, and they definitely had something hidden in their pockets that they regarded as their trump card.

    He was waiting for the night because if he sneaked out in the day, he might get himself in trouble if the cultivators from the Devil Sect called him out, and he was not in the room.

    *knock* *knock

    Just then, someone from the outside called out.

    "Young Master, you have been called to the dining hall. Please follow me."

    ''Ah, isn''t this what I was just thinking about?''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and stood up.

    After opening the gate, he found a guard standing respectfully by the entrance.

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun nod at him, the guard moved, and both of them headed for the dining hall.

    Inside the dining table, a huge table was arranged, and there were many chairs around it.

    This aroma of delicacies wafted through Ye Tian Yun''s nose as soon as he stepped inside the room.

    ''Nice.''

    He observed that only three people were sitting at the table as the servants began to serve food.

    n Head Jia Lei Shan gestured at Ye Tian Yun to take a seat.

    After Ye Tian Yun took his seat, the Elder turned his head towards him and asked, "Shu Xian, once we''re done with the dinner, follow me to the Main Hall. We have something important to discuss."

    Ye Tian Yun gave a surprised expression and then lightly nodded.

    ''It was about time.''

    Yin Shan asked, "Elder, will more reinforcements being?"

    The Elder shook his head, "I am afraid no. It will take them at least four days to get here, and everything will be over in the next two-three days."

    Ye Tian Yun felt a bit relieved that there would not be any unexpected guests from the Devil Sect.

    ''It would have just made things troublesome.''

    ''The people from the Gracious Sword Sect will arrive tomorrow, and there''s the Devil Sect. Not tooplicated from what I see - only these two parties, and I have ns for both.''

    ''The only thing I need to do is look into the arrays covering the city and try to get their origin. Did Devil Sect create them? By the Third Princess''s guards? Or there''sˇ­ someone else in hiding?''

    Even though the probability of a new party joining the stage was pretty low, it wasn''t zero.

    Ye Tian Yun was not going to let go of any possibilities.

    After about fifteen or so minutes, they were finally done with dinner.

    Once cleaned up, the Elder gestured at Ye Tian Yun to follow them.

    ''Let''s see their side of the story.''

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and followed behind three members of the Devil Sect.

    In the main hall, the table which Ye Tian Yun had seen was still arranged at the same ce.

    After the Elder took a seat, he gestured to the others to have a seat and said, "I had a talk with the Sect Leader, but in the end, I chose not to reveal anything about the Token OF Fate."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun was the only one who was surprised by this.

    And noticing Yin Shan and Jia Lei Shan''s nodding heads, Ye Tian Yun had a hunch of what''s going on.

    ''Hmm, this sect, too, is gued by the power struggle.''

    The Elder continued, "Even though the Sect Leader doesn''t know about the Token Of Fate, I am sure once this incident is over, he will definitely hear about this."

    "And that will also be the moment when we will face real difficulty. For the next two days, we just need to take care of a few kids, but once we get the Token, we need to get away from this city as soon as possible."

    "Hm?" Jia Lei Shan''s face slightly paled, "Elder but this ce is my home."

    The Elder nodded, "I know, and this will also be the reason why I don''t want you to enter the frontlines. In fact, Yin Shan alone will be able to handle everything; those are just kids who haven''t even reached Peak of the Tri-Qi realm."

    Yin Shan nodded his head, "Yes, Elder. Getting the Token will indeed be an easy task."

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly interjected, "Seniors, I would warn everyone to be cautious."

    "Hm?" the Elder frowned, "What do you mean, Disciple Shu?"

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and said, "Senior, there are two Core Formation Realm cultivators in the enemy camp."

    "What!?" The three of them were shocked to hear this.

    "What are Core Formation Realm cultivators doing here?" The Elder asked.

    A visible trace of worry clouded over his expression.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "One is from the Gracious Sword Sect, and the other is from the people they are trying to assassinate."

    "Oh? So both of them are enemies?" The Elder calmed down a bit.

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly smiled when he saw that the elder could see the advantage they had, rather than worrying over the disadvantage.

    Yin Shan suddenly asked, "Who are these people that the Gracious Sword Sect is targeting? In the report, it only said that they are important people from the Wu Kingdom."

    ...

    Author note: Privilege price will be back to the old price, and with more chapters from next month.. Also, I have decreased the chapter release speed back to 2ch/d for this week because I got bitten by a honeybee in my palm, so I am having trouble typing the chapters.

 Chapter 330 - Ye Tian Yun Is Told About The Prophecy!

    "Third Princess Of Wu Kingdom, Wu Qingwu."

    "Hm?" The Elder was surprised at Ye Tian Yun''s answer.

    After a moment, he nodded his head, "That exins why they have a Core Formation Realm as a guard for her."

    Ye Tian Yun said to him, "Senior, I am sure you''re also a Core Formation Realm cultivator, but this might take an unexpected turn, so please be careful."

    The Elder smiled, "Don''t worry about me. In a battlefield, the cultivation base isn''t the only factor that decides life and death."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I understand, Elder. Also, we have a really big advantage too."

    "Advantage?" The Elder frowned.

    "They don''t know that we know about them." Ye Tian Yun said.

    "Hmm," The Elder nodded his head and let out a sigh, "We will strike at the right moment and take the biggest benefit."

    Yin Shan nodded his head, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

    "Exactly!" The Elderughed.

    Ye Tian Yun also slightly smiled at this, ''And this oriole is unaware that there''s an arrow trained at its back.''

    Of course, the oriole was the Devil Sect, and the arrow was Ye Tian Yun, who was going to get the most benefits out of all this.

    The Elder suddenly gestured at Jia Lei Shan about something.

    Jia Lei Shan nodded his head, took out a wooden token from his spatial ring, and gave it to Ye Tian Yun.

    "Shu Xian," He said, "This is the n Head''s token. With this, you can roam the whole city, and no one will stop you."

    "Thisˇ­" Ye Tian Yun was a bit confused at this.

    n Head Jia Lei shan smiled and said, "You will need this. Take it."

    As Ye Tian Yun put the token in his spatial ring, the Elder said, "Disciple Shu Xian, when you entered the city, did you notice something out of order?"

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit surprised at this question, and after a moment of thought, he revealed, "Senior, I saw many arrays throughout the whole city. Almost covering all the corners."

    The Elder nodded his head, "I knew you would see through them. So, what do you think is going on?"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Those arrays weren''t arranged by you. Senior?"

    The Elder shook his head, "Not all of them. I only put up a few at the gates of the city."

    "Oh, then who covered the whole city with arrays?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    ''Is there really someone else involved in this!?''

    The Elder pursed his lips, "We don''t know who exactly it was, but we have a suspicion on some people."

    "Who?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    He wanted to know who this hidden party was creating puddles for him so he could fall into it before he released his arrow on the oriole, aiming for the mantis, who was preying on the cicada.

    The Elder asked, "Shu Xian, did you ever think why we believed your words in the morning?"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned and nodded his head, "I was a bit confused because no one asked me for deeper details. Like how did I hear about the Token and from whom did I hear it."

    The Elder nodded his head, "Indeed. If this were any other time, you would have been thoroughly grilled for those questions, but fate has helped you a lot because whatever you said directly fit in the story we were following."

    "When you mentioned the Token, and you even mentioned it was Token Of Fate, I knew that we could trust you because the information you brought was already in our hands."

    "But you didn''t know about this. However, you surprised me when you revealed the name of the Token Possessor. That too fits very well because the prophecy stated that the city shall bathe in blood, and it is simr to how in every generation, the Great Yang n baths a battlefield with blood."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned when he heard the Elder''s words, "Prophecy?"

    He asked, "Which prophecy, Senior?"

    ''What is he talking about? There was never a prophecy rted to Tokens or other emblemsˇ­ what is going on?''

    In his previous life, there had never been a prophecy that revealed anything rted to Tokens or Emblems.

    These were only revealed to be in possession of God''s Legion when they became powerful enough to reveal it themselves to the whole world.

    ''If Heaven Oracle Sect can prophesize about the Tokensˇ­ then why didn''t they ever reveal it to the outside world? I never knew about such a thing.''

    The Elder took confusion on Ye Tian Yun''s face as his reaction to his words and thus began exining it to him, "Shu Xian, you might not know, but we have a few spies even in the Heaven Oracle Sect. And it was revealed a few days ago that the Token Of Fate was going to appear in the Silver Mist."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and thought for a moment, ''But that doesn''t mean it was going to appear in the Silver Mist City, right?''

    As if the Elder had seen the question on Ye Tian Yun''s face, he exined, "Even though there were about four ces which are rted to the Silver Mist in the Middle Heavens, there''s only one in the Lower Heavens. And luck was on our side because we were already in this city, waiting to spoil the Crown Prince Xin and Gracious Sword Sect''s n."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "But Senior, what makes you so sure? And how is all this rted to the hidden party who had arranged the arrays all over the city?"

    The Elder smiled and said, "It has a lot to do with it. Because as soon as the Prophecy reached us, the next day, I spotted two disciples from the Heaven Oracle Sect."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    Because he knew who these disciples were.

    Qin Wentian and his junior sister, Ji Yi!

 Chapter 331 - The Map - Search For The Arrays Begin

    "We don''t know the identities of those two yet. However, we are sure that they are part of the Heaven Oracle Sect." n Head Jia Lei Shan said.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and asked, "Seniors, I may have a guess who they are. But were you able to confirm that they were two boys?"

    The elder nodded his head, "Indeed. They were male disciples. But how is that enough to pinpoint their identity?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Actually, about a month ago, two Disciples from the Heaven Oracle Sect came to the Gracious Sword Sect. However, just a few days ago, they suddenly rushed out of the sect without informing anyone why they were in a hurry."

    "They must have been rushing here because of the prophecy!" Yin Shan''s sharp voice echoed in the hall.

    Jia lei shan and the Elder nodded their heads with a grave expression.

    Ye Tian Yun too agreed, "Most probably."

    "So who are they? No - the important question is - does their identity matter?" The Elder asked.

    He didn''t wish to waste time discussing two random disciples when they had a lot to do.

    Ye Tian Yun shrug, "I don''t know if they are important Disciples in the sect or they are just randoms. I only know their names."

    "The one in the lead is a disciple called Qin Wentian, and then there''s his junior brother Ji Yi."

    "Qin Wentian?" The Elder frowned, "I may have heard of his name. It looks like I will have to look into his report before we can judge the situation."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don''t see any problem even if we consider him as an enemy and kill him if hees in our way."

    The Elder shook his head, "We don''t want to cross paths with the Heaven Oracle Sect for now."

    "How will they know it was us?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    ''There was never a technique to track a killer. If something like that existed, then the assassins would be out of business.''

    The Elder shook his head, "They won''t know it was us, but they will investigate the death of these disciples."

    "Also, don''t forget that we need to leave this ce as soon as we get the Token Of Fate. And if we kill them, then we''re announcing to the world that Token Of Fate appeared in this city."

    "Whole Middle Heavens wille here within a few days, and there will be mayhem all over the ce. I dare say that none of the cultivators within the city will be able to escape from a terrible fate."

    After letting out a sigh, the Elder added, "Shu Xian, you''re underestimating the greed and desire of people. They will devour each other to get what they want."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head; no matter how good he was, he wasn''t wless.

    "Elder, so we should just let them be? What if they use their backing to get the Token from us? What if they try to ckmail us?" Yin Shan frowned.

    "Senior," Ye Tian Yun replied before the Elder could say anything, "We can''t kill him, but we can put them to sleep for a few days, and by the time they wake up, everything will be long over."

    The Elder smiled, "Indeed. This is what we need to do."

    "So we need to arrange an array around them?" n Head Jia Lei Shan asked.

    The Elder nodded his head, "Yes," Then, staring at Ye Tian Yun, he said, "This is why I asked Disciple Jia to give you the Jia n''s token."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "I will be the one to put the array?"

    The Elder shook his head, "No, you don''t have to worry about that. What you need to do is work with Yin Shan to mark the arrays throughout the city."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a smile when he heard this, ''Isn''t this what I am waiting for?''

    "Elder, I have no problem with that. I will be d to use my talents to help the sect in any way possible."

    The Elder nodded his head with a smile, "That''s what I wanted to hear."

    As he said it, he stood up from his chair and continued, "We will part in two pairs and go through the city."

    "Me and Jia Lei Shan will go through the southern city, and Yin Shan, Shu Xian will assess the arrays on the Northern side."

    "From what I have seen, most of these arrays are dead. Most probably, the enemy is waiting for the right opportunity because of the sheer number of resources these arrays will take to run just for a few minutes."

    "Once we have assessed the arrays, we will mark them on these." The Elder took out two bluish sheets.

    "These are high-grade beast skin maps of the city. These are what I went to arrange for this morning."

    "Now have a look at this," The Elder then put the two sheets on the table.

    Bringing one of the maps closer, he took out a brush and inkpot and marked an X in the corner.

    "This is how you need to mark the array locations." He said as he put down the brush and then pointed at the second map that he hadn''t touched; he continued, "Look at the corner of that map."

    To everyone''s surprise, as well as Ye Tian Yun, there was an X in the exact same ce where the elder had marked it in the first map.

    "This is really good." n Head Jia Lei Shan couldn''t help but exim at this.

    The Elder nodded his head, "These are very rare materials, and I even arranged a map on this just for the location of the arrays."

    After a slight pause, he said in a very serious tone, "I hope all three of you understand how important of an opportunity this is for us. And if I can put such a precious treasure just to make a map of a no-name city, I can go way beyond what you can imagine."

    "In the next few days - I want you to give your everything. We MUST get the Token Of Fate! Understood!?"

 Chapter 332 - The Guests In The Silver Mist City

    "In the next few days - I want you to give your everything. We MUST get the Token Of Fate! Understood!?"

    "Yes, Elder!" All three of them replied in unison.

    The Elder nodded and gave the map to Yin Shan, and then looking at Shu Xian, he said, "Go with Yin Shan and mark the map with the arrays. Me and Jia Lei Shan will head to the southern part."

    "Yes, Elder." Both Yin Shan and Ye Tian Yun stood up and cupped their fists at the Edler.

    The Elder nodded his head and gestured at them to start their search.

    In the next instant, both of them disappeared.

    After a moment, the Elder let out a long breath and said, "Let''s go. I am sure people will recognize you, so don''t forget to put on a disguise or at least cover your face."

    "Yes, Elder." n Head Jia Lei Shan nodded his head and left the room to prepare for the search.

    ˇ­

    In one of thevish taverns of the Silver Mist City.

    Yu Piao, the owner of the tavern, was feeling giddy the whole day.

    Because today he got the biggest tip ever from a customer.

    In the morning, eight guests arrived in the tavern and gave him so much money that even his whole life''s earning up to that point would be just a simple change in front of that amount.

    When asked what they wanted, the leader of the eight, a very handsome man who seemed to be in histe twenties, replied, "This tavern is booked by us for the next one week. Remove everyone else from this building."

    With that said, all eight of them moved to the upper hall and never stepped down.

    Yu Piao didn''t dare to disturb such an esteemed guest, but he didn''t also wish to reveal his earnings to anyone. Thus he didn''t talk about this incident to anyone.

    After refunding the guests and putting a ''Close for a week'' sign, he went inside to arrange the best chefs and good wine for his eight guests.

    On the top floor.

    The top hall of the floor was quitevish, and today, there were eight people seated.

    These eight people referred to each other as brothers and sisters and were very close to each other.

    "You called us early, Big Brother." One of the young men sitting on the couch raised his head and said.

    He was looking at the man in front of him.

    This man was the same person who had booked the whole tavern for themselves and was currently standing near the ss wall, staring outside, admiring the full city view.

    His lips slightly curled upwards when he heard his brother''s words.

    Without turning around, he said, "Fourth Brother, how could we miss such an important event?"

    "If Ye Tian Yun seeds, he will quite possibly change the fate of the world!"

    The fourth brother nodded his head, "But what does that have to do with our objective?"

    "We need to head to the Wu Kingdom and kill that bastard!"

    The big brother shook his head, "You don''t understand how time works. I have told you, we can''t make changes in the past. The enemy still has a role to y."

    "I am sure we can at least find a better way than this, right?"

    It was someone else who spoke this time.

    The big brother smiled, "Third Brother, this was the best way. I know it came as a surprise for you, don''t forget your promise - you will not interfere."

    The third brother replied with disdain, "I will keep my promise. But I want to ask, what made you do this?"

    The big brotherughed and shook his head, "I wanted to see how Ye Tian Yun copes up with this challenge. But I can''t deny that I am enjoying the show."

    "You-!" The third brother gritted his teeth as everyone elseughed at his predicament.

    Seeing the smirks on the faces of his brothers and sisters, he frowned and turned to a beautiful girl who was sitting quietly, "Sister-inw, did you also know about this?"

    The girl shook her head, "Third Brother, if I knew what your brother was trying to do, I would have definitely tried to stop him."

    "Triedˇ­ that doesn''t sound reassuring enough." The third brother pouted and looked at the other side.

    "Now, now, don''t be a kid." Someone else spoke this time.

    "What did you say?" The third brother looked at him with a frown, "Ninth Brother, You do know who Ye Tian Yun will go after he gets his hands on what he''s after?"

    The ninth brother shrugged, "Well, I can''t interfere in this. Nor can you. Well, at least not yet."

    "So, let''s enjoy the show while we can, right? Also, it''s not going to change anything anyway."

    "I doubt that." The big brother suddenly said, "There will definitely be a few changes that will happen. Time is something we shouldn''t have touched. There is a reason why Emblem Of Time doesn''t go back more than a few seconds."

    "What kind of changes?" The third brother asked, "What if they create more trouble for us?"

    The big brother shrugged it off, "We can only watch for now."

    "What will happen if I interfere?" The Third Brother asked.

    The Big brother frowned, "Do you dare to?"

    The atmosphere suddenly turned around as everyone else nced at the third brother.

    ''Gulp''

    "No." After a few moments of silence, the Third Brother replied.

    The Big Brother smiled and said, "Xiao Ming, I know you don''t want to see yourself die at the hands of Ye Tian Yun, but this is important for us to change the future. You know what ising. We have no other choice."

    The third brother, who was an older version of Xiao Ming, nodded his head.

    The Big brother turned around and smiled at everyone, "Our God''s Legion had conquered the known universe. But onest enemy stands in front of us."

    "I, the Heavenly Emperor Wang Yao, will do anything to defeat this enemy.. Even if I have to kill Ye Tian Yun, the person I hate the most, a hundred thousand million times over."

 Chapter 333 - Xiao Mings Encounter

    "A hundred million times?" Someone said, "Big Brother, you haven''t exined to me why we even need to do this."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I wish it were easier to talk about it. You will have to see for yourself. Only then will you understand what I am trying to do here."

    Xiao Ming frowned, "Brother Wang, we have already witnessed a lot of changes. Ye Tian Yun''s actions are affecting the future. I don''t even know if everything will be the same once we return."

    Wang Yao smiled, "Don''t you guys worry. I have made a lot of arrangements. Even though Ye Tian Yun is making a lot of changes, everything will be useless because I will strike at the right moment - and will enjoy his expression as I tell him how all along he had just been a puppet in the grand scheme of things."

    "Can you do it before this guy kills me?" Xiao Ming interjected.

    "Hm?" Wang Yao frowned, "Third Brother, you have reached the pinnacle of power, yet to cling so much to a mere life."

    Xiao Ming pursed his lips, "It''s not that I want to cling. It''s just I don''t want to repeat seeing these incidents."

    "You could have chosen any other time and made it so that if I died, I wouldn''t have had any problems. But why did you have to choose the Silver Mist City? I hate this ce."

    Xiao Ming was gritting his teeth by the time his words came to an end.

    Wang Yao smiled at his expression and shook his head, "Third Brother, I see you''re still stuck in the past."

    "Whatever happened, happened. It was our human side. And you did what seemed right at that moment." After a slight pause, Wang Yao added, "Third Brother, you wanted to reach the top and be a powerful cultivator."

    "On that fateful day, you made a choice. And it was the right one."

    Xiao Ming closed his eyes and stood up.

    Letting out a long breath, he walked out of the room.

    Wang Yao smiled and shook his head once again at the disappearing back of Xiao Ming.

    ''Third Brother, even if this is your biggest regret, it was already written in the stones of time.''

    ''You can never prevent it. Even if you do choose to interfere, you will fail to change anything.''

    ''No one can change the past. Even if it''s Ye Tian Yun.''

    ''He''s just waiting for a miserable end.''

    ˇ­

    Outside the tavern.

    The gates of the tavern were pushed open, and Xiao Ming stepped out of the building.

    His handsome stature made many heads turn and be awed by his grace. However, his cold expression made him seem unapproachable.

    Xiao Ming looked up, and staring at the night sky; he squinted his eyes.

    In the next instant, to many bystanders'' shocks, he disappeared.

    On the ss wall at the top floor, Wang Yao frowned at his action.

    ''Not you, too, Third Brotherˇ­ don''t do anything stupid, or else you will suffer a fate worse than Second Brother Shi Yan.''

    ''His soul is still being used as a fuel to burn the hell.''

    ˇ­.

    About a hundred miles away from the Silver Mist City.

    The entourage of the Gracious Sword Sect was swiftly getting closer to the Silver Mist City.

    They hadn''t stopped for anything ever since they had buried Shu Xian''s body.

    While Jun Xie sat and thought about the possible paths he had to take in theing future, Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun were literally taking this mission as their honeymoon.

    "One more night, and we will soon reach Silver Mist City." Yuan Shuchun said as she snuggled deeper in Xiao Ming''s arms.

    He smiled, "Well, I will have to say that these days are about toe to an end. We will be separated once this mission is done."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and let out a sigh, "I won''t let us be apart for a long time. Just a few more months, and I will have full autonomy over my fate."

    "Hmm," Xiao Ming smiled and shook his head while staring at the opposite wall of the carriage.

    "Shu''er, there''s a high chance we will separate for a long time. But don''t you ever doubt my feelings for you."

    Yuan Shuchun smiled, "Xiao Ming, we both have our goals. The journey ahead will be long and hard. Let''s hope in the future when we look back; there''s no regret."

    Xiao Ming smiled and nodded his head.

    *thud*

    Just then, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.

    "What happened?" Xiao Ming called out.

    Qing Shan, who was outside, replied, "Don''t know what happened, but Fu Kai''s carriage suddenly stopped. Come out, let''s go."

    Xiao Ming nodded his head and came out of the carriage, Yuan Shuchun following him closely behind.

    They followed Qing Shan, headed towards the carriage at the front, and saw Jun Xieing out.

    He, too, seemed clueless as to what was going on.

    Even though the sun had already set a few hours ago, everything was visible to them because of the moonlight.

    The moonlight gave the surroundings a silverish look.

    "What''s going on?" Xiao Ming asked Jun Xie.

    Jun Xie shrugged and looked at Fu Kai and Kai Yang; both of them pointed at a rock on the side of the path.

    Everyone else turned their heads to the side and were stumped to see a man sitting on the rock and drinking wine from his guard.

    "Who are you?" Jun Xie asked.

    The man raised his head and jumped down from the rock.

    "Xiao Ming. Come forward." The man said, ignoring Jun Xie''s question.

    "Me?" Xiao Ming frowned and took two steps forward.

    The man, too, took a step closer, and everyone else was able to look at his appearance.

    His face was covered; however, the aura around him seemed majestic.

    ''This is not a random cultivator.''

    The same thought shed through everyone''s mind.

    In fact, if it weren''t for how easily he jumped down and the confidence in his voice, they would have thought that this person was just a mortal.

    Because they couldn''t sense any Qi from him!

    "Who are you?"

    The same question was asked, but this time by Xiao Ming.

    However, the man still chose to ignore it and said, "Follow me."

    Turning around, he jumped on the rock and then jumped more, disappearing in the darkness.

    "What should I do?" Xiao Ming asked for advice from others.

    He was confused about everything that was happening, and he was even somewhat scared - an emotion that he rarely felt - he was scared from the look that the man had in his eyes.

    ''I am powerless in front of him.''

    Suddenly he frowned.

    No one replied to the question he asked.

    When he turned his head, he almost jumped in shock after seeing everyone''s expression.

    Everyone, be it Fu Kai or Yuan Shuchun, had a dull expression and closed eyes.

    It was as if they were sleeping while standing.

    "Don''t worry about them. They are just tired after a long journey."

    The man''s voice reached his ears.

    It wasing from the forest.

    Xiao Ming took a deep breath and followed the direction of the voice.

    ''I have no other choice anyway. It''s better to see what this guy wants from me. How does he even know my nameˇ­''

    *tap* tap* *tap*

    Xiao Ming passed the huge rock and came to an open area.

    It was a small grassy spot within the dense forest.

    At the center of this small field was the man who had just called him out.

    He had his back turned on Xiao Ming and was staring at the moon in the west.

    "Wonderful, isn''t it?" The man asked.

    Xiao Ming frowned at him, "Who are you?"

    "Hmm," the man shook his head, "Why are all of you so interested in my identity?"

    Xiao Ming frowned, "Because I would really want to know who this man is drinking wine in the middle of the jungle at night."

    The manughed, "Well, I was bored, and was waiting for you, Xiao Ming."

    Xiao Ming asked, "How do you know my name?"

    "I would be pretty dumb if I didn''t know your name," The man turned around.

    He still had his mask on, making it hard to judge his expression for Xiao Ming.

    "What do you want?" Xiao Ming asked the most important question.

    The man nodded his head, "I like it that you are curious."

    "Well, we don''t have much time anyway. I will get to the topic."

    "Xiao Ming, if you answer my two questions, I will give you advice that will change your whole life."

    Xiao Ming frowned, "Ask away."

    The man smiled, "First question, Xiao Ming, tell me, what do you desire the most in this world?"

    Xiao Ming replied without any thought, "Power."

    The man nodded, "Second Question, tell me, how far have you gone in your path to pursuing thisˇ­ this power?"

    Xiao Ming smiled, "I fell in love with a girl for it."

    The man nodded his head, "Indeed you did."

    Xiao Ming asked, "These were your answers. Now, give me your advice."

    The man let out a sigh and stared at him for a long time before saying anything.

    "Xiao Ming, I will say something that I am not supposed to speak off."

    "First of all, you can trust me. I know more about you than you do yourself."

    "Secondly, you can stop using that Token Of Fate on me. And focus on what I am about to say."

    As soon as Xiao Ming heard these words, his expression nked from shock, "How do you know about Token Of Fate!?"

 Chapter 334 - 334 | Ye Tian Yuns Suggestion

    It was early morning in Silver Mist City, and the mist was covering the whole sky.

    Even though winters were far away, the weather was still quite chilly, making everyone wish to snuggle in their silky nkets.

    However, things were different in one of the top three ns of the city, the Jia Lei n.

    A heated discussion was going on in the n main hall, and all the elders of the n were barred from entry.

    In fact, no one was allowed to step within fifty steps of the main hall - except for the certain special guests and the n Head.

    Even though everyone in the n was quite curious about what was going on, no one dared to disobey the orders and create trouble for themselves.

    Everyone was intently staring at the main hall, wishing to know what was going on.

    "There is no way out!" Yin Shan mmed the table in a fury.

    Last night, he and the other three in the room had divided themselves into two pairs and went on the search for the arrays arranged throughout the city.

    "There is no way out without encountering these arrays." Yin Shan continued, "There is always something that''s barring everyone from getting out of the city."

    Ye Tian Yun, who had paired himself with Yin Shan, was seated quietly on his chair.

    Unlike the other three who were scratching their heads to solve the problem on the table, Ye Tian Yun''s mind was distracted.

    It was all because of one small incidentst night.

    While he and Yin Shan were checking through the northern part of the Silver Mist City - Ye Tian Yun felt something.

    He felt as if someone was staring at him.

    At first, he just brushed it off because he was used to this feeling, but something was out of the ordinary this time.

    It felt as if this was a hidden enemy - Ye Tian Yun instinctively had his guard up.

    He even asked Yin Shan if he felt anything weird, but Yin Shan just shook his head and continued to trace the arrays.

    However, Ye Tian Yun knew something was wrong.

    This made him alert at all times. However, after about an hour or so, this feeling disappeared.

    Even then, Ye Tian Yun didn''t lower his guard and continued to remain alert and ready to strike.

    But in the end, no one attacked or ambushed them.

    Ye Tian Yun could only grit his teeth and return to the Jia Lei n.

    ''Something''s wrongˇ­ I can feel it. But what is it? I can''t see itˇ­''

    "Shu Xian!"

    "Shu Xian!"

    Suddenly Ye Tian Yun felt a slight jerk on his shoulders, and he snapped out of his thoughts.

    "What are you thinking about?" Yin Shan asked.

    "Hm.. hm, nothing," Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    "Never mind, tell me if you find any way."

    Yin Shan pointed at the map and continued, "The only path of escape I see is through the Zheng n. But the Zheng n and Jia Lei n are enemies, so it isn''t possible to use their route."

    "Can''t you make amends with them?" The Elder, who had been quiet all this time, asked n Head Jia Lei Shan.

    Jia lei Shan pursed his lips and thought for a moment.

    "Elder, it''s not that amends can''t be made, but Zheng n will be too suspicious of us."

    "Suspicious of what?" The Elder asked.

    "Elder, actually in thest few months, we have been thoroughly going all out against each other and are literally having a trade war."

    "However, if I were to call for a truce, it wouldn''t be hard. The problem wille when I ask them for ess to the route."

    "They will never agree to that."

    The Elder frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly said, "We can''t go to the Zheng n, Elder."

    "Hm? Why?" Everyone put their attention on him.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "The Crown Prince has asked the Zheng n to make arrangements for the Gracious Sword Sect people."

    "If we were to call for a truce, things would getplicated, and there might be unnecessary attention on us."

    "Oh," The Elder nodded his head and asked, "So there''s no way out?"

    Ye Tian Yun kept quiet while Yin Shan and Jia Lei Shan shook their heads.

    "What if we remove the Zheng n from the equation?" The Elder suggested.

    "Hm?" The other three frowned.

    "We can just kill the Zheng n from the equation. We will have enough routes after that."

    Ye Tian Yun was suddenly rmed at this suggestion.

    ''Zheng n is home to Zheng Xiang... what should I do?''

    "Yes, Elder." Yin Shan nodded his head, "I have no problem with this."

    Jia Lei Shan smiled, "They are my n''s enemies. I would love not to hear the Zheng n''s name anymore in the city."

    After a moment of thought, Ye Tian Yun said, "We shouldn''t strike the Zheng n."

    "Why?" Jia Lei Shan frowned.

    He was so close to getting a huge enemy out of the way, and he was certainly not going to let a disciple sway the opinion of others.

    Ye Tian Yun could clearly see his intentions, "Well, as I said, Zheng n is a part of the Crown Prince Xin''s faction right now, and the Gracious Sword Sect people will soon be arriving in the city."

    "Don''t forget that there will be a Core Formation Realm cultivator with them."

    "So we can''t kill them before the Wu Kingdom people arrive here."

    "Also, we can''t kill them after they arrive, or else when the whole world''s attentionys upon this city, it will be Jia Lei n that will bear the blunt attack from all sides."

    His words put everyone else in deep thoughts.

    "So, what should we do?" Yin Shan asked, "Do you have a better choice?"

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "I will go to the Zheng n and make some arrangements. I am part of the Gracious SwordSect, so I am their ally in this scene."

    "Let me handle this."

 Chapter 335 - 335 | End Of Meeting

    "I will handle the Zheng n matter on my own." Ye Tian Yun said.

    The other three looked at each other for a moment, and then the Elder said, "Shu Xian, go ahead then. However, if things don''t turn out well, we will attack and destroy the n."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "I will leave as soon as this meeting is over."

    The Elder nodded his head, and looking at the map; he let out a sigh, "How did those two disciples from the Heaven Oracle Sect put arrays all over the city within just one night?"

    Yin Shan couldn''t help but grit his teeth at this, "Indeed, Elder. It took four of us just to mark the number of arrays, and we spent the whole night doing that."

    "Yet these two kids were able to set up arrays all over the city within just one night. Are they prodigies or hidden masters?"

    The Elder shook his head, "Heaven Oracle Sect''s methods are as mysterious as they could be, but this was really surprising."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t show any amazement or confusion.

    He knew how Qin Wentian did it.

    But there was one thing that did surprise him - Qin Wentian was just a disciple, yet he was given the authority to use the artifact that can cover the region throughout the city."

    "Elder," Jia Lei Shan suddenly said, "I have a feeling that not all these arrays were set up by the duo from Heaven Oracle Sect."

    "What do you mean?" Yin Shan asked.

    "Senior Brother, these arrays could also have been set beforehand by the people of the Wu Kingdom." Jia Lei Shan suggested.

    Ye Tian Yun also nodded his head.

    Indeed this was a possibility.

    Wu n was known for its array and alchemy expertise.

    That was what gave them an advantage over the Xin Kingdom.

    The only thing that brought back the bnce was the fact that the Xin Kingdom only had to face the Wu Kingdom. On the other hand, the Wu Kingdom had to face the Xin Kingdom from one side and the Devil Sect from the other.

    The Devil Sect''s headquarters were situated in the Sea Beyond Horizon, on the eastern side of Wu Kingdom.

    The Elder too nodded his head, "This could be a possibility, but we can''t deny the fact that this is most unlikely."

    "Even though the Wu Kingdom is known for the arrays and alchemy, all of their arrays are already studied by our sect."

    "And the arrays I saw through the city were mostly new to me. This is why I didn''t mention anything about the Wu Kingdom earlier."

    Ye Tian Yun slightly frowned and rxed his eyebrows.

    Devil Sect had a deep grasp over the Lower Heavens.

    They had more than two hundred outposts in the Xin Kingdom and knew the ins and outs of the Wu Kingdom.

    Not to forget that they were influencing the politics in both countries.

    ''This sect will either be of great use in theing future or will be a big enemy.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but have this thought.

    When two parties go for the pinnacle, they are bound to cross each other''s path.

    Since the Devil Sect had put their hands pretty deep in the Lower Heavens, it was qu9ite clear what their main goal was - Dominance.

    ''They even have spies in the Heaven Oracle Sectˇ­ I wonder if they have someone in the Great Ye n too?''

    ''I should visit this sect one dayˇ­ Maybe once I am done with Xiao Ming?''

    "Alright, let''s end the meeting then."

    The Elder called out to everyone and added, "The people from Gracious Sword Sect should arrive today if nothing unexpected had happened. So we need to clear the issue rted to the Zheng n before they enter the city."

    Then looking at Ye Tian Yun, he continued, "Shu Xian, go to the Zheng n and see if you can make a few arrangements."

    "Don''t waste too much time there. We don''t know when the people from the sect will arrive."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and stood up from his seat.

    After cupping his fists, he left the room.

    Staring at the disappearing back of Ye Tian Yun, the elder whispered, "This guy has been acting weird ever since we came back from the search. Did something happenst night, Yin Shan?"

    Yin Shan frowned, "Nothing major. He was quite helpful and didn''t try anything funny. Oh yeah, he did ask me if I was feeling something weird."

    "Weird? How weird?" The Elder frowned.

    Yin Shan shrugged, "I think he meant to ask if I was feeling as if being stared at."

    "Oh?" the Elder''s frown deepened, "I will talk about this to himter. For now, I will go and report to the Vice Leader."

    "Yes, Elder." Both Yin Shan and Jia Lei Shan cupped their fists and saw the Elder disappear from his seat.

    Yin Shan looked at Jia Lei Shan and asked, "Now what happened to you?"

    Jia Lie Shan pursed his lips, "You know what happened, Senior Brother."

    "Hm?" Yin Shan frowned, "Is it rted to the Zheng CLan?"

    Jia Lei Shan slightly nodded his head.

    Yin Shan couldn''t help butugh at him, "Haha, Junior Brother, since when did you be so short-sighted?"

    "What do you mean, Senior Brother?"

    Yin Shan shook his head, "See, Junior Brother, you want the Zheng n dead, right?"

    Jia Lei Shan nodded his head, "Yeah, only then my n will move forward."

    Yin Shan asked, "Then what about the third n? Isn''t it also waiting for the right opportunity? Once they see the chance, I am sure they won''t hesitate to strike."

    "So what should I do? Let Shu Xian talk to the Zheng CLan and create an alliance with them?" Jia Lei Shan frowned.

    Yin Shan nodded his head, "Exactly."

    "Junior Brother, you''re forgetting that our priority is to get the Token Of Fate. As long as we have it, the sect will make you the king of this whole region, much less this insignificant city."

    "So keep your eyes on the bigger prize, don''t settle for just destroying a small enemy."

    "Yes, Senior Brother." Jia Lei Shan slightly nodded his head.

    ......

 Chapter 336 - 336 | Convincing Clan Head Zheng Yuan (I)

    Zheng n, Silver Mist City.

    As one of the three top ns of the city, it was a very bustling spot in the surroundings.

    The n also boasted of trade and auction centers, which was its main source of revenue and the vital key to making the n one of the top three within the city.

    And to add a cherry topping to this, there were rumors that Zheng n had very close rtions with the Gracious Sword Sect, and many of their offsprings were part of the Inner Court in the sect.

    Even the trash of the n, Young Master Zheng Xiang, recently became an Inner Court Disciple.

    And these days, the n was patiently waiting for the arrival of the kids from the Gracious Sword Sect, so they could flex their growth on the other ns of the city by arranging a n Tournament, to showcase the cultivation growth.

    However, to the higher-ups of the Zheng n, this really wasn''t the biggest worry as of right now.

    Last month they had received a letter from the Crown Prince, and in that letter, it was stated that Zheng n would be an ally of the Crown Prince if they made arrangements for the disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect who would be arriving in the city within a few days.

    This single letter had sent all the higher-ups of the Zheng n in disarray. Many of them were skeptical and even thought that this was just a prank. However, the n Head, Zheng Yuan, confirmed that this was, in fact, a real letter from the Crown Prince.

    This shock was enough to make all the elders in the n have a nervous breakdown.

    After recovering, everyone began to enthusiastically prepare for the arrival of the guests from the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Unfortunately, no one arrived.

    They even put up guards all over the city and were asking every random trader about their identity.

    This even confused the rival ns, but Zheng n returned to its usual calm after a few days.

    This was because they had received another letter.

    It stated that the mission was going to be postponed because of some assassination attempt on the Core Disciples within the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Due to that incident, the sect had gone into a lockdown, and none of the disciples were allowed to head out of the sect.

    This made the arrival of the disciples to the city postponed indefinitely.

    Just when n Head Zheng Yuan had lost hope, a third letter came.

    It happened a few days ago, and it stated that the disciples have left the Gracious Sword Sect and will arrive within the next week.

    This revitalized the excitement among the old elders of the n because this was a very good chance for the Zheng n to take a leap.

    With the Crown Prince and GRacious Sword Sect''s support, they could easily control the whole city.

    The only thing that remained to see was how these disciples were.

    If they were gullible enough, then the Zheng n could divert the attention of those disciples upon the enemy n and then simply use them to destroy those ns.

    However, considering that those were mostly Core Disciples, it was most unlikely that they would be gullible.

    Thus, the Zheng n began to make preparations.

    Be it wine, women, or wealth; Zheng n had prepared it all.

    Being the n Head of the Zheng n, Zheng Yuan was feeling pretty smug and inwardly relieved that his n will finally ovee their enemies and create a hegemony over the sect.

    Just as he was dreaming of renaming himself to the Silver Mist King, a guard knocked on his gate.

    "Huh?" He looked at the gate in confusion and called in the guard.

    The guard entered and respectfully cupped his fists before saying, "n Head, there is someone outside the n, iming to be a disciple from the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Hm!?" n Head Zheng Yuan''s expression immediately turned into tion, "Disciple from the Gracious Sword Sect!? Bring him in with utmost respect, and take him to the guest hall."

    "I will arrive there in a few minutes."

    "Yes, n Head." The guard cupped his fist and headed back.

    ''Finally, let''s see how this person is.''

    n Head Zheng Yuan corrected his dress and slowly headed towards the Guest Hall.

    After a few minutes, as he stepped into the hall, he was instantly attracted towards the disciple sitting on one of the seats.

    He smiled and headed towards him.

    When the disciple sensed him, he raised his head and stood up.

    Cupping his fists, the disciple said, "Greetings, n Head Zheng. I am Fang Chen. Inner Court Disciple from the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Zheng Yuan smiled, and he too cupped his fists, "Be seated, Disciple Fang. I am the n Head of Zheng n, Zheng Yuan."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and said, "It''s nice to meet you, n Head Zheng. I am here to talk about the mission."

    "Hm?" n Head Zheng slightly frowned, "Um... Disciple Fangˇ­ I hope you understand thisˇ­ actually.. I would first like to verify your identity. I hope you don''t take any offense in this, but this ispulsory because, as far as I know, this mission is pretty important for the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I understand, n Head Zheng," Then, from his spatial ring, he took out two tokens, "Here. This is my Inner Court Disciple token, and this is the mission token."

    "Ah, thank you." n Head Zheng took the tokens and inspected them.

    "Looks like I was worrying over nothing," After a few moments, n Head Zheng said, "What do you want to talk about, Disciple Fang?"

    Fang Chen cleared his throat and said, "n Head Zheng, you know that this mission is very important for the Gracious Sword Sect. However, I am here to tell you that this mission will define life and death for your whole n."

    "What do you mean by that, Disciple Fang?" n Head Zheng Yuan was quite offended.

    ..........................................ˇ­...

 Chapter 337 - 337 | Convincing Clan Head Zheng Yuan (II)

    "What do you mean by that, Disciple Fang?" n Head Zheng Yuan was quite offended.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "You heard it right. To be honest, this mission might leave the whole city bathed in blood."

    "Hm?" n Head Zheng''s expression turned serious, "Disciple Fang, I hope you''re not joking."

    "I am not," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I have been sent early to make a few arrangements for the disciples arriving in the Silver Mist City."

    "Oh! When will the rest of the disciples arrive?"

    "Hmm, they will arrive anytime now. Just look out for two carriages with Fu n banners."

    "Fu n? The capital city''s Fu n?" Zheng Yuan frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Indeed. That Fu n."

    n Head Zheng Yuan asked, "Then what is going on, Disciple Fang? Please exin it to me thoroughly."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and began to exin to him.

    "n Head Zheng Yuan, the situation is now prettyplicated."

    "At first, there was only going to be just us and our target. However, now it seems as if there are a few more parties gathered here."

    "They are waiting for us to strike first, and then they will reap all the benefits."

    "And this is where your nes into the picture: The Zheng n is where the Crown Prince has told us to stay, but considering the current situation, the Zheng n will be a battlefield if we choose to stay here."

    "Therefore, everyone had collectively decided not to associate with the Zheng n."

    Seeing the paling face of n Head Zheng, Ye Tian Yun added, "At least not yet."

    "We have decided that we will stay in a tavern."

    "Now, n Head Zheng, if you can arrange a good tavern for the Gracious Sword Sect, it would be a great help."

    n Head Zheng''s face rxed; they hadn''t fully lost the chance to be close friends with the Gracious Sword Sect.

    "As you say, Disciple Fang."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and added, "Now, n Head Zheng, there is onest thing I want to add."

    "Yes?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and nced once at the guard standing near the door.

    n Head Zheng immediately understood the implication, and stood up, and shouted, "Everyone, get fifty steps away from this ce. No one is allowed to enter this area unless I take back this order!"

    "Yes, n Head!"

    n Head slightly nodded his head and turned towards Ye Tian Yun; he asked, "What is it, Disciple Fang?"

    Ye Tian Yun leaned forward and began to whisper.

    "n Head, I hope you understand the importance of this situation and hide all the young ones by putting a lockdown within the n."

    "You can even alert the allied ns about this, but don''t reveal anything rted to the sect mission."

    "Now, the reason why I have made you send away the guards are because I want to tell you, and you alone, that the escape route of the disciples will be through your area."

    n Head frowned, "That''s no big deal. I would have objected if the escape route was through somewhere else."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "I know, but I doubt if you will say the same when you listen to what I am about to say next."

    "Actually, n Head Zheng, there''s another ally within the city, and he''s working for the Gracious Sword Sect alone."

    "Hm? What do you mean, Disciple Fang? Aren''t we also working for the Gracious Sword Sect?" n Head Zheng asked in confusion.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "There''s a difference. Also, Crown Prince Xin himself is involved with you. However, for this n, there''s only the Gracious Sword sect."

    "Which n is it?"

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and whispered, "Jia Lei n."

    "What!?" n Head Zheng Yuan was shocked.

    "Since when did they have connections with the Gracious Sword Sect?" He was confused about this.

    Jia Lei n had never shown any signs of affiliation to any powerful sect. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and stood alone.

    ''To think they are backed by Gracious Sword Sectˇ­ that bastard Jia Lei Shan hit it well.''

    n Head Zheng inwardly snickered, but then he suddenly remembered an important thing.

    ''Wouldn''t that mean we will have to be allies!? Impossible!''

    He looked at Ye Tian Yun, who just shrugged and gave him a wry smile.

    After a long thought, he let out a sigh and said, "Alright, Disciple Fang."

    "But tell me, what is Jia Lei n''s role in this mission?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Ah, don''t worry about that. Jie Lei n''s contribution is insignificant whenpared to yours. The only thing they''ll help with will be during the escape of the disciples. Even then, since we will be escaping through your area, the credit will go to you."

    "Oh," Zheng Yuan felt a bit relieved.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and stood up, "n Head Zheng, I will leave now. But keep in mind that you must not reveal this to anyone. Not even the Jia Lei n, or else they might hesitate and not give their best - in the end,promising the whole mission."

    "n Head Zheng, I hope you have understood my words, and also the fact that while you will get immense benefits after this event, you will also create a big trouble for yourself if this mission fails."

    n Head Zheng raised his hands, "Disciple Fang, we have already talked about this to the Crown Prince."

    "The Zheng n will give it''s all. If the mission fails due to the error of the Zheng n, I will present him my head. However, if it fails due to someone else''s mistake, the Zheng n shall not bear the brunt."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, that''s a good choice then. I hope Zheng n is ready for the next few days."

    "We are."

    "Alright then," Ye Tian Yun said, "Please prepare the tavern for the Gracious Sword Sect disciples and tell the guards that they will arrive in two Fu n carriages."

    "I will."

    After a few minutes, as Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Yuan were heading towards the exit, n Head Zheng Yuan suddenly asked, "Disciple Fang, do you know my son is also part of the Gracious Sword Sect? His name is Zheng Xiang. Have you two ever met?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled slightly when he heard those words.

    .........ˇ­...

 Chapter 338 - 338 | Jun Xies Confusion, Xiao Mings Dilemma

    About a hundred miles from the Silver Mist City, two carriages were heading towards the city.

    These carriages were indeed the ones belonging to the entourage from the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Fu Kai and Qing Shen were driving the Ferghana horses to move the carriage. However, they had slowed down a lotpared to the previous day, mainly because they were now very close to their destination.

    But none of them seemed to be pleased or excited about this.

    Instead, there was a weird mood all over the caravan.

    Especially around the people inside it.

    Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun, who were sitting in the second carriage, were unusually quiet.

    It was especially for Xiao Ming.

    He hadn''t spoken a word ever since they resumed the journey after encountering the man in the forest, and all this made Yuan Shuchun quite worried.

    She even asked Xiao Ming what was going on, but he just shook his head.

    It was clear that he didn''t wish to talk to her about the incident.

    Therefore, Yuan Shuchun decided to change the topic. However, this surprisingly annoyed Xiao Ming, and he went out and sat beside Qing Shen.

    His actions made Yuan Shuchun feel two emotions - anger and sadness - she was angry because he dared do that, and she was sad because he did it.

    After a long time, when it seemed as if this was the longest night she had ever passed, Xiao Ming removed the curtains and entered the carriage again.

    However, the silence still prevailed in the carriage.

    It was clear that something was going on in his head, but he wasn''t ready to talk about it.

    However, Yuan Shuchun wanted to give it onest try.

    "Xiao Ming, what is going on? Ever since we resumed our journey, you have been acting differently. I don''t understand what''s going on?"

    Xiao Ming didn''t reply.

    This confused and angered Yuan Shuchun, "Will you at least tell me what''s going on? Last night, after the man called you, you didn''t follow him. But now you''re acting as if you got the shock of your life."

    Xiao Ming slightly frowned, but he still didn''t say anything.

    "What is going on, Xiao Ming?" Yuan Shuchun''s voice lowered as she said, "Did I do anything? Are you angry at me?"

    She felt as if she was talking to a wall.

    Xiao Ming slowly looked at her, and after a long silence, he asked, "Yuan Shuchun, tell me, in the future, if you have to kill me to get your goals, will you do it? Or will you give up your goal for me?"

    Yuan Shuchun was suddenly stunned by his question.

    She fell in thought.

    After some moments, she looked at him in the eye and said, "Xiao Ming, I have already told you my goal is way different than you actually think. And I have never so easily opened up to anyone. I would first try to at least look for some other way."

    Xiao Ming pursed his lips, "If there''s no other way?"

    Yuan Shuchun let out a sigh, "Then it''s better for me to kill myself. I am tired of my life anyway."

    Xiao Ming frowned at her words and shook his head, "Wrong choice, Yuan Shuchun. Both of us have a goal in our mind, and that''s what keeps us ahead of the world because the goal gives us never-ending purpose and motivation."

    "If you chose to give up your goals for me, then that''s a grave mistake. Why should you give up everything for just one person?"

    Yuan Shuchun lowered her gaze, "Brother Ming, how is it a mistake? You say I will give up my goalˇ­ but the reality is, my goal just changed."

    "What do you mean?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Yuan Shuchun gave a small smile, "Brother Ming, my goal is you. I know you will soon surpass me, and after that, I will be chasing you."

    Hearing her words, Xiao Ming looked the other way and remained silent.

    Aplicated emotion appeared in his eyes.

    For the second time, he wavered from his goal.

    The first time wasst night when he met the man.

    Even though others didn''t know anything, he still remembered the meeting. He had followed the man to know what he wanted from him.

    ''To think I will meet my own future self?''

    ''His wordsˇ­ were filled with regret.''

    ''He wants to see a different result.''

    ''He wants me to love Yuan Shuchun.''

    ''But how can that be possible? How could I love this girl? I had already lost the chance to connect to someone after getting the Token.''

    ''Greed is a dangerous emotion. If she ever knows that I have the Token Of Fateˇ­ she will betray me.''

    ''It has happened to the previous Token Possessorsˇ­ and it will repeat itself if I were to fall in love with anyone.''

    ''I''ve got the memories of previous Token Possessorsˇ­ and have learned a lot.''

    ''And most important of allˇ­ the me from the future wants me to give up this Token Of Fate? That''s impossible.''

    ''I will y by my own rules, and I will rule my own fate.''

    ...

    Jun Xie, who was sitting in the first carriage, currently had a nk look in his eyes.

    He was feeling a bit depressed.

    Last night''s incident had made him lose all his sleep, even making him slightly paranoid.

    He didn''t understand what actually had happened, but he was sure that he had missed something big.

    But he couldn''t pinpoint what he had missed. It was just a feeling. However, this feeling was pretty strong.

    Last night, when the man had called Xiao Ming in the forest, Xiao Ming chose not to follow him.

    Well, this was what they had seen.

    But Jun Xie knew something was off.

    Even though he didn''t feel any suspicion at first, he got confused as soon as he turned around to enter the carriage.

    It was all because of the moon in the sky.

    The moon had changed ces.

    To be more exact, the moon had moved.

    This meant some time had passed. At least about half an hour!

    But how could that be possible? They had just stopped here for a minute or two!

 Chapter 339 - 339 | Entrouage Arrives At Silver Mist City

    It''s not a hidden fact that while the sun goes from east to west, the moon moves opposite, from west to east.

    The position of the stars and the moon is critical to understand the sense of time.

    And when Jun Xie''s eye fell on the moon, he noticed that the moon had moved.

    But he was so confused at that time that he couldn''t think about discussing this with others.

    After confirming it a few more times, Jun Xie became sure that some time had indeed passed.

    But the problem was - he couldn''t exin it to others, neither would others believe him.

    He tried to talk to Kai Yang about it, but he just brushed it off.

    "I couldn''t be bothered to pay attention to the moon when I came across a weird man drinking wine in the middle of the forest at night."

    This was what Kai Yang said before heading out to sit with Fu Kai.

    Fu Kai, too, agreed with this.

    No one had the thought of looking at the stars and the moon when they encountered the man.

    They were on guard and even thought that this was a possible ambush.

    Jun Xie could only sigh and keep his thoughts to himself.

    But he couldn''t sleep.

    He felt vulnerable when he thought he didn''t even know what he did in those thirty minutes.

    Being an orphan, Jun Xie may have the talent, but inside, he was hollow and weak.

    He had his insecurities.

    And this made him quite paranoid about not fully knowingst night''s incident.

    "We''re here."

    Just then, Fu Kai''s voice rang out.

    Jun Xie moved and put his head out of the curtain.

    In front of him was a huge mountain.

    "This is Silver Mist City?" Kai Yang asked in confusion.

    Even though he had already noticed the huge mountain, he hadn''t thought this was the destination.

    Fu Kai replied, "This is the Silver Mist Mountain. The Silver Mist City is behind this mountain."

    "Behind it?" Jun Xie frowned.

    None of the disciples in this entourage had been to this ce before.

    "Why is it behind the mountain?" Kai Yang asked.

    Jun Xie, too, nodded; he had the same question.

    Why was it behind the mountain?

    The city should have been in the front because from what it looked like; everyone had to make a round trip around the mountain to get to the city and thene back the same distance to get back to the main path.

    [A/n: consider the gas station to be the city and the highway to be the main road.]

    "It is because of what this city has to offer." Fu Kai smiled.

    "Hm? Does it have Qi Stone mines? Or Herb gardens?" Jun Xie asked.

    Fu Kai shook his head. "This is just a small city. There are no Qi Stone mines or Herb Gardens. There''s only one thing - a nt."

    "This nt is unique to this ce and grows in the valley or teau - whatever you call that ce - that''s in front of the city."

    "This nt is an important spice and can also be used to remedy fatal diseases and in a few medicinal pills."

    "What''s this nt?"Kai Yang asked.

    Fu Kai replied, "Silver Mist Holy Basil."

    "This grows here because of the mystic environment and also makes this ce important enough for traders to move out of the main path and get to the city."

    Jun Xie and Kai Yang nodded their heads.

    As they moved closer to the city, the mountain grew more and more in size.

    It was evident that they had clearly underestimated its massive size.

    "What if there''s andslide?" Kai Yang frowned, "Wouldn''t it bury the whole city?"

    Fu Kai shook his head, "It has never happened in thest thousands of years, and I don''t think it will happen again."

    "Do you see those reddish trees on the mountain?"

    Kai Yang and Jun Xie nodded their heads.

    "Those trees are called Blood-w trees. Their roots are like ws. And these are what hold the ground. Even though it rains a lot here, there has never been andslide."

    Just then, they saw a few people standing at the side of the road.

    "Who are they?" Jun Xie asked.

    "They seem to be wearing Zheng n guard robes." Fu Kai frowned.

    "Ah, didn''t Crown Prince Xin say Zheng n will be the ce where we need to stay?" Kai Yang asked.

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "He did, and these guards are most probably waiting for us. But we can''t go to the Zheng n. We have already discussed this earlier, right?"

    Kai Yang nodded his head, "Because we don''t want to implicate their n?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "One of the reasons."

    Soon, as they came closer to the group of guards, they were noticed by them.

    The guards immediately got into action and came to them.

    "Greetings, I am Hu Jin. Head Guard of Zheng n."

    Jun Xie cupped his fists and greeted back, "I am Jun Xie, Core Disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    The Head Guard, Hu Jin, nodded his head and said, "Young Master, pleasee with us. Crown Prince Xin has informed us about your arrival, and we have already made arrangements for your stay."

    Jun Xie took a breath and said, "Brother Hu Jin, we are thankful for your help, but few things happened along the way, and we have decided not to implicate Zheng n in our troubles."

    "Thisˇ­" Hu Jin slightly frowned.

    Jun Xie shook his head, "Please don''t say anything; we can''t change this decision. We can''t stay in the Zheng n, nor can we openly associate with you."

    "Uhˇ­" Hu Jin scratched the back of his head and said, "Young Master, we have already prepared for this too."

    "We have arranged a Tavern for your stay, and I am here to bring you to the tavern."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie couldn''t help but frown, "You knew beforehand that we wouldn''t be staying in the Zheng n?"

    ...

    A/n(6-aug): Only two chapters for today because I need to go out so i couldn''t write more.. Will resume 4ch/d from tomorrow. Please vote ps and head on for the next chapter!

 Chapter 340 - 340 | Ye Tian Yuns Plan (I)

    "You knew beforehand that we wouldn''t be staying in the Zheng n?"

    When Hu Jin heard this, he gave a wry smile while replying, "Young Master, please don''t jest. Even though the Zheng n is just ying a minor role here, we have put all attention on this mission. It will be our fault if you face any hups rted to your stay in the Silver Mist City."

    "Hmm," Jun Xie gave a slight nod and gestured to him to move.

    Hu Jin nodded his head, and turning to the guards; he said, "Everyone, let''s move."

    "Wait a second."

    Suddenly Jun Xie called out.

    "Yes, Young Master?" Hu Jin turned back to ask.

    "Didn''t I say we don''t want to be seen as associated with the Zheng n? It''s for your own good. Your n will bring trouble to itself." Jun Xie said.

    Hu Jin shook his head with a smile, "Don''t worry, Young Master. We have already arranged everything."

    "Hmmˇ­ alright then. Don''te to uster if people point figures at you when our enemies ask who''s allied with the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Hu Jin replied, "Zheng n will be honored to call itself part of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes at him, ''Quite good at bootlicking.''

    ˇ­

    Main Hall, Jia Lei n.

    "Did Shu Xian return?" The Elder entered the hall and asked.

    Yin Shan and Jie Lei Shan, who both had been discussing something, stood up from their seats and cupped their fists.

    The Elder gestured for them to remain seated and asked again, "What about Shu Xian?"

    Jia Lei Shan replied, "Elder, spies have told us that a Gracious Sword Sect disciple came to the Zheng n about an hour ago."

    "I am pretty sure it was Shu Xian. However, thest I heard, he hadn''t left the Zheng n yet."

    "Hmm," The Elder nodded his head, "This kid is quite good. Yin Shan, when all this is over, investigate the reports from Gracious Sword Sect carefully."

    "If Shu Xian is really like this, then I am sure the reports we have received about him from the sect must have been tempered."

    "I will investigate this carefully, Elder." Yin Shan nodded his head.

    "So, any news about the Token Possessor?" The Elder asked.

    Jie Lei Shan shook his head, "Not yet, Elder. As soon as the scouts see the Fu n caravan, they will inform us."

    "That''s good." The Elder nodded his head, "In the report, it said there were nine disciples and three traders from the Fu n, each riding a carriage."

    "Yes, Elder. That is what I have told my scouts to look out for." Jie Lei Shan replied.

    "Hm, if we remove Shu Xian from the equation, there are still eight more disciples. Do we have a portrait for Yang Kai?" Elder asked Yin Shan.

    Yin Shan let out a sigh before saying, "Unfortunately no, Elder. We didn''t pay much attention to Yang Kai before. So I didn''t arrange a portrait of him."

    The Elder nodded, "It''s alright. We will just ask Shu Xian to identify this Kai Yang."

    Just then, a knock was heard.

    "Come in." Jie Lei Shan nced at the Elder and said.

    A man in casual robes entered the Main hall and cupped his fists at the three people seated at the table.

    "Masters, we have just received a message from the scouts. They have seen a Fu n caravan; however, there''s one problem."

    "Hm? What is it?" The Elder asked.

    The man pursed his lip before saying, "Master, there are only two caravans. And about six people in the entourage."

    "Only six?" Yin Shan frowned, and staring at the Elder, he added, "Elder, could there be some other caravan?"

    Before the Elder could reply, the scout replied, "Master, there''s something else you need to hear. Outside the Silver Mist Mountain, the Fu n caravan came across the Zheng n guards, and now both the parties are heading to the Silver Mist City."

    "Oh?" the Elder asked Jia Lei Shan, "Does the Zheng n have any rtions with the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    Jia Lei Shan gave a nod, "Yes, Elder. They have a pretty close rtionship with them."

    "Hmm," The Elder frowned, "Looks like our targets are about to enter the city. Get the Sleeper Cells ready."

    "Yes, Elder." Jie Lei Shan nodded his head and headed for the exit.

    Just as he was about to go out, the Elder called him out.

    "Wait!"

    "Yes, Elder?"

    "Do you sleeper cells in Zheng n too?"

    "A few. But not too many."

    "That will do. Since Zheng n is in cahoots with the Gracious Sword Sect, then there''s a high chance Zheng n won''t agree with the truce. Get the Sleeper Cells ready."

    "Yes, Elder." Jia Lei Shan cupped his fists.

    Just as he was about to move, a voice rang through the hall.

    "It won''t be necessary, Elder. I have already made a pact with the Zheng n."

    Everyone focused on the person who had entered the hall.

    "Ah, Shu Xian, how did it go?" The Elder asked with a smile.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and replied, "Everything went well. I have convinced n Head Zheng Yuan. The Zheng n won''t interfere at all."

    "That''s good news." The Elder nodded his head, "We can now focus on the Gracious Sword Sect."

    ''They are here?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "How long till they arrive?" The Elder asked the scout.

    "In half an hour."

    "Alright, you may leave now." The Elder said.

    As the scout turned, Ye Tian Yun told him, "Inform us about the tavern they will use."

    "Hm? Oh, alright, Young Master."

    After the scout left, the Elder said, "Tonight, we will target the Token Holder, Yang Kai, and get our hands on the Token Of Fate."

    "We will swarm in at once. While I distract the Core Formation Realm Cultivator, you guys attack the disciples and kidnap Yang Kai. Try not to kill all of them, or else the Core Formation Realm cultivator might go all out. That will create trouble for us."

    "Elder."

    "Hm? Yes, Shu Xian?"

    "Elder, I have a different n in mind.. It will bring us more benefits."

 Chapter 341 - 341 | Ye Tian Yuns Plan (II)

    "Elder, I have a different n in mind. It will bring us more benefits." Ye Tian Yun said, "Not only will it bring a lot more to our te, but it will also not make us the lead characters."

    "Hm?" The Elder replied, "I would like to hear it then."

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and began toy out his n.

    "Seniors, first I will exin the effects of the current n, and then I will give out what I have in my mind."

    "First of all, let''s consider we follow the current n and can sessfully kidnap Yang Kai."

    "Once that is done, even though we will get the Token Of Fate, we will lose the other half of the prize."

    "The other half that I am talking about is - Third Princess Of Wu Kingdom, Wu Qingwu."

    "Let''s not forget that she is also an important target, especially for our sect. If we have her in captivity, the Wu Kingdom will be ready to kneel in front of us."

    "But following the current n, we will end up missing such a huge opportunity."

    "This opportunity is important for all of us because we can''t share the information rted to the Token Of Fate to anyone, so it won''t have any benefit to all of us. Even if it does have a benefit, let''s not forget that only one of us can wield it."

    "This is why I would like to suggest a new n. Because if we are able to capture Wu Qingwu, we will be honored within the sect, and all of us will get loads of benefits."

    "Hmm," The Elder nodded his head, "This is true. In fact, we can''t use the Token Of Fate amongst ourselves. We will have to give it to the Vice Sect Leader, but even then, we won''t give any information because people will be suspicious about us."

    "Cough," Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and said, "Seniors, even though I may be punished for remarking this, but please also think of the fact that we will be liabilities for the Vice Sect Leader once he gets the Token Of Fate."

    "Hm? You meanˇ­"

    "Yes, Elder. He may opt to silence us. Because only we will know about the Token Of Fate." Ye Tian Yun replied with a serious expression.

    The other three looked at each other and nodded after a moment.

    It was indeed a high possibility that the Vice Sect Leader might simply kill them after getting the Token Of Fate.

    "What''s your n?" The Elder asked.

    He was not eager to hear about what Ye Tian Yun had in his mind.

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight smile and said, "Seniors, we should wait for the right opportunity."

    "Right opportunity?"

    "Yes, Senior Yin Shan. The Gracious Sword Sect is here to target Wu Qingwu. It will be best for us to strike at that time and get our hands Wu Qingwu."

    "This will act as a shield for us when we return to the sect because everyone will be paying attention to us, and the Vice Sect Leader won''t be able to do anything."

    "Wu Qingwu''s value is too much, and we shouldn''t miss her," The Elder said, "But we could have also gotten her at the end of the previous n."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Elder, you''re forgetting that there''s also a Core Formation Realm cultivator among the Wu Qingwu''s guards. So we can''t go head-on."

    "This is why we will use the Gracious Sword Sect as a meat shield."

    "As both of these parties fight each other, we will strike at the right time and kidnap Wu Qingwu. Also, let''s not forget that there''s another hidden enemy - the disciples from the Heaven Oracle Sect."

    "However, for them, I have another n."

    "Wait- what about Yang Kai then? He''s as important as Wu Qingwu." Yin Shan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I was getting to that part, Senior."

    "What I have told you by now is part B of the whole n. That will happen tomorrow, or the day after that when Wu Qingwu arrives in the City."

    "Part A is about Kai Yang. It''s pretty simple- I will strike him, clean and swift."

    "Since I am also a part of the Gracious Sword Sect, it won''t be suspicious if I take Kai Yang anywhere, or if I meet him, he won''t be suspicious of me."

    "I will kidnap him and bring him here."

    "Won''t the Gracious Sword Sect know that he''s missing?" Jie Lei Shan asked.

    "Yes, they will. But can they do anything about it? No, they can''t. They can only keep their mouth shut and pray that nothing goes wrong."

    "Their priority right now is to get Wu Qingwu. It doesn''t matter if anything happens to Kai Yang or not."

    "Hmm," The Elder nodded his head, "When will you attack Kai Yang then?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "As soon as they get out of the Tavern, I will start my move."

    The Elder nodded his head, "Alright, I will await the good news."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I will definitely bring Yang Kai here."

    The Elder smiled, "I have confidence in you."

    "What about the Heaven Oracle Sect?" Yin Shan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I was thinking of taking them out tonight."

    "Hm? I thought you would wait for them," The Elder frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Elder, I would have, but then I suddenly remembered one thing - the arrays covering the city.

    We can''t let them activate the array system. We don''t even understand the consequences of half of the arrays, and they are new to us. So it''s better we don''t give them a chance to activate."

    "That is why I will assassinate them first, and then, I will bring Kai Yang."

    "Once this is done, the only things left would be to wait for the confrontation between Qu Wingwu and the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "At the right time, we will strike and capture Wu Qingwu easily."

    "As for the escape route, I have already arranged it with the Zheng n, but we might not need it if I sessfully assassinate the Heaven Oracle Sect disciples."

 Chapter 342 - 342 | Devil Sect Greets The Heaven Oracle Sect

    "Will you be able to handle the duo from Heaven Oracle Sect?" Yin Shan asked Ye Tian Yun.

    "I can handle them." Ye Tian Yun reassured him.

    Yin Shan frowned, "Shu Xian, you''re being overconfident here. And trust me, I have seen hundreds of overconfident people get a miserable death."

    "Cough, that''s a new kind of confidence booster." Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    The Elder, too, shook his head and said, "Shu Xian, you should bring Yin Shan. He won''t interfere, but if you get into trouble, he will be able to assist you. At least you will be able toe back alive."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Elder, you''re underestimating my battle prowess. I promise that I will bring you those disciples'' heads."

    "Hmm," the Elder slightly frowned, and after a moment of thought, he said, "Alright, go ahead. I will wait for the result."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and left the room.

    Seeing his exit, the Elder nced at Yin Shan and gave a slight nod.

    Yin Shan understood the sign, and he too left the room, albeit from the window.

    "Elder, are you nning to send Senior Brother Yin Shan to protect Shu Xian secretly?" Jia Lei Shan asked.

    The Elder nodded his head, "Indeed. Shu Xian is important for us. Not only is he a talented disciple, but he also has high intelligence."

    "With his n, we can easily end this mission. However, be prepared for this one, Jia Lei Shan."

    "What is it, Elder?" Jia Lei Shan asked with a small frown.

    The Elder replied, "Shu Xian will be our liability once this is done. This is why when the timees... we will give a fitting end to him."

    Jia Lei Shan was slightly surprised but didn''t ask anything, "I will follow yourmands, Elder."

    "Hmm, now go and make preparations for the next two days."

    "Yes, Elder." Jia Lei Shan nodded his head and left the hall.

    ''After Shu Xian, it will be your turn, and then Yin Shan. Token Of Fate is too good for the Vice Leader; wouldn''t it be better if I chose to keep it?''

    ''With its power, the Token Of Fate will most likely push me to the Vice Leader''s position within the sect. Once I get there, I will have no fear from the Vice Leader.''

    The Elder felt quite relieved from the inside as he thought about finally escaping from his miserable fate.

    ...

    At night, In a certain tavern.

    Lust-filled wild moans echoed throughout the hall of this fully booked tavern.

    In thest few days, this was the third fully booked tavern, and just like the other three, this was also booked by a single party.

    To be more precise, it was booked by two male disciples two nights ago.

    The tavern owner had dly epted the hefty payment and had gone to prepare good food and wine.

    To his confusion, this duo disappeared from the inn. They had disappeared for a whole night - only appearing after the morning in front of the panicked tavern owner.

    Just as the tavern owner had calmed down, he suddenly began to hear an argument, and then there were weird noisesing from their room.

    At first, it felt as if they were fighting but then... When the tavern owner paid quite some attention, it was pretty clear that someone was moaning!

    Moaning out a pleasure!

    ''But they were two boys... I didn''t send any maid...''

    ''Wait, don''t tell me, they both... But that''s impossible! The moans are of a girl!''

    The situation confused the tavern owner a lot; however, in the end, he decided not to care about it.

    After all, those two boys had already paid for this ce.

    They could do anything they wished, and the tavern owner had no ns to interfere.

    But how long could he keep his mind still?

    The moaning went on for the whole day, albeit taking small breaks in between.

    ''Did they book the tavern because of this?''

    Finally, the owner couldn''t calm his curiosity.

    He wanted to know who this girl was!

    ''Don''t tell me it''s actually one of the boys!''

    In his mind, this was also a dreadful possibility, or else why would they book the whole tavern just to perform the hormone-let-go game for an entire day.

    After a few minutes of thinking, the tavern owner came up with an excuse to peek inside the room.

    ''One peek is enough for me to confirm the truth.''

    Taking a long breath, he filled himself with courage and walked towards the room.

    As he stepped closer to the halls, the moans grew louder.

    ''This is definitely a girl''s voice!''

    The tavern owner suddenly had a feeling that he shouldn''t barge inside, and after getting some consciousness, he turned around to head back.

    But suddenly, he felt his robe below the neck get wet.

    In confusion, he touched his neck, and suddenly an intense pain wafted throughout his body as he slowly kneeled on the ground.

    Feeling confused and overwhelmed.

    He tried to cry in pain, but nothing came out of his mouth, and within a few moments, his life withered, and his eyes closed for eternity.

    The upants of the room, busy in their hormone game, hadn''t noticed the smell of blood creeping towards them.

    By the time they did sense something wrong, it was toote.

    The door suddenly opened, and a half-naked teenager came out.

    He was none other than the Heaven Oracle Sect Disciple, Qin Wentian.

    Covering himself with the bedsheets, he was staring at the dead body of a man - who seemed to have a quite familiar stature.

    ''Isn''t that the tavern owner? Was he peeking? How did he get caught? But who killed him?''

    Fully alert, he signaled to Ji Yi, who was inside the room, and then slowly closing the door, he took out a sword from his spatial ring.

    However, after looking everywhere, he found no clue.

    ''Maybe the assassin isn''t here for me?''

    Suddenly he heard someone choking.

    It wasing from his room!

    "Ji Yi!"

    Qin Wentian rushed inside the room, and as soon as he pushed open the gate, he was shocked by the bloody sight in front of him.

    The first thing that caught his eye was the head of Ji Yi, spiked on a spear.

    And behind it, on a wall, was something written in blood red.

    [Devil Sect greets the Heaven Oracle Sect]

    "You bastards!!"

    A loud shout rang throughout the surroundings of the tavern.

 Chapter 343 - 343 | Aftermath

    A new day had begun in the Silver Mist City.

    And today, the talk of the town was a certain tavern.

    It was said thatst night a huge shout rang out from the tavern, and after a few moments, the whole building suddenly sted, waking up half of the city.

    With the rising sun, as the dust settled, people began to arrive at the incident site and discuss the possible reasons behind the incident.

    "They didn''t find anyone else''s body. Only Old Qian''s burnt body could be barely identified. Trust me, something like this had never happened in thest fifty years of me, Peng Ji''s stay within the city. " One of the bystanders was exining the incident to the neers.

    "The others couldn''t be identified, or they weren''t even found?" Someone asked Peng Ji.

    "There were few bodies, one of them was beheaded and spiked on a spear! But it was so burnt that no one could identify the person."

    "Damnˇ­ who was this cruel?"

    "Maybe the person who shoutedst night?" Someone quipped.

    Peng Ji nodded his head, "Could be. It was said that the shout came from a young man, and Old Qian was just an old tavern owner."

    "What if it was from the servants?"

    "This is also a possibility, but it''s highly unlikely because all servants were found in the kitchen, and most of them were burnt alive due to the explosion. However, we found three other bodies. One was Old Qian''s, another one was a girl''s head spiked on a spear, and thest one was a limbless body."

    "Unfortunately, we couldn''t identify the remaining two." Peng Ji let out a sigh as he finished his words.

    The people around him also quieted down.

    This was an unfortunate event.

    "What do you think could have been the cause?" Someone asked after a long silence.

    However, those who had the answer to this question were long dead in the fire.

    The others could only specte.

    Slowly after a few hours, people began to leave. This was an incident that didn''t affect them, so they didn''t care much about it.

    However, at a corner of the street, a young man was staring at the burnt building with a nk expression.

    The air around him made people suffocate, and they dare not approach this malevolent existence.

    Peng Ji, who had been at the center of the attention, had specially kept his eye on the boy.

    As the crowd slowly dispersed, Peng Ji got the chance to approach him.

    "Boy, you have been standing here for hours. Don''t tell me you knew someone from this tavern?" Peng Ji asked as he walked closer to the young man.

    The boy, who was in his teen years, nced at Peng Ji for a moment and then resumed staring at the burnt building.

    Peng Ji frowned but didn''t get angry. He didn''t wish to misunderstand the other party; what if the boy had lost someone close in the explosion? The current reaction was pretty much normal, if that was true.

    "Boy, if you had lost someonest night, let me tell you one thing. One of the storms we all must face in our lives is the passing of someone dear to our hearts. I am sorry you are facing this right now, but I know you are strong enough to get through it."

    "But if you''re admiring the burnt buildingˇ­ then fuck you!"

    With that said, Peng Ji turned and left without saying anything else.

    The young man nced at the back of the man, forever etching this silhouette in his mind.

    After some time, the young man took a long breath and stood up.

    "Ji Yi, a million Devil Sects won''t be enough to burn in your remembrance. But for now, let me bury this city with you."

    With this promise, the young man disappeared into the crowd.

    ˇ­

    Main Hall, Jia Lei Shan n.

    The three members of the Devil Sect were currently sitting and staring at the entrance.

    The atmosphere was heavy, and silence prevailed through the hall.

    After a few minutes, they frowned at the door as a faint tapping of footsteps echoed through the hallway.

    Someone wasing.

    The person they had been waiting for.

    "Greetings, Seniors."

    It was Ye Tian Yun, disguised as Shu Xian. He greeted the three of them and entered the hall.

    He wasn''t surprised by the expressions on the face of the three, and he had already expected this.

    The three of them remained silent and stared at Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Old psychological tricks? So this is how they want to deal with the situation?''

    It was clear that the three of them were angry. However, to assert dominance, they were not going to be the first to speak.

    But unfortunately, they were sitting in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    The guy with no friendsˇ­ the silence was hispanion.

    After a long time, seeing no panic on Ye Tian Yun''s face, one of them finally gave in.

    "Shu Xian, do you know what you didst night?" It was Yin Shan who spoke.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yes, Senior."

    "Do you think it was right?" Yin Shan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t hesitate to answer, "It was the best choice."

    "Best choice?" The Elder opened his mouth for the first time, "Weren''t you the one who strongly suggested that we should not attract attention?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Indeed. We can''t let the enemy know about our existence."

    "Oh?" Yin Shan sneered, "You don''t want anyone to know anything, and then you go and blow the building?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yes. I blew up the building for two reasons - I didn''t wish to leave any witnesses, and the second was - I didn''t wish for anyone two identify the Heaven Oracle Sect disciples."

    "Even though the chances were low that anyone would be able to identify them, we still can''t take any risks."

    "Then why didn''t you blow the building from the start? I saw you go after a girl, and then before I could assess anything, the building blew up."

 Chapter 344 - 344 | Predicting Plans

    "Why didn''t you just straight up blow the building?" Yin Shan asked.

    Ye Tian Yan pursed his lips, "If the building just blew up for no reason, people would have been more curious about the incident."

    "And we don''t want curious people. Also, it was easier to blow up the building once the girl was dead."

    "How?" The Elder frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply with the truth, "It was an intuition, Elder. When I moved in, I had only nned to kill the tavern owner and then blow the building - the Heaven Sect Disciples would havee under the coteral damage."

    "However, it seemed that they had ced quite a lot of arrays throughout the tavern. Thus I chose to target the girl in order to distract the disciple from the Heaven Oracle Sect and blow the building."

    "What about the other disciples? There were two male disciples." Yin Shan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Actually, the girl was the second disciple. She disguised herself as a man in front of the public."

    "Alright, so what''s the next step?" the Elder asked everyone.

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and said, "I will kidnap Kai Yang (also, Yang Kai) as soon as hees out of the tavern."

    "What if he doesn''t?" The Elder asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Elder, they will definitelye out because amongst them is someone with a high Spirit Sense - that disciple must have already sensed the arrays lying throughout the city."

    "Even though most of them are now useless, they don''t know about this fact."

    "So, he will definitely bring someone with him and go out to investigate."

    "Hm," The Elder nodded his head, "That will be a really good chance. However, are you sure you will be able to bring Kai Yang alive? We can''t let him die, or else we will lose the Token Of Fate."

    "You guys may not know it, but Token Of Fate won''t simply appear in front of you just by killing its holder. I will make the arrangements to extract the Token from Kai Yang, so he must not be harmed."

    Hearing the Elder''s words, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but inwardly roll back his eyes.

    ''Special method to take out the Token? Bullshit. The Token will appear as soon as its holder dies. Anyways, Kai Yang is not the possessor, but he will have to die, so there''s no variable left. As for this old manˇ­ he just wants the Token for himself.''

    It didn''t take more than two brain cells to sense the excitement and see the plot behind the Elder''s words.

    From the expression of Jie Lei Shan and Yin Shan, they too had understood that there was something wrong.

    Ye Tian Yun though disdained the old man, but he still gave him a respectful bow, "I understand, Elder."

    The Elder nodded his head and asked, "Before you go, tell me, are you sure the Gracious Sword Sect disciples won''t be suspicious ofst night''s incident?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied with a smile, "They will think it was just a normal assassination plot. After all, the world doesn''t revolve around them."

    ˇ­

    "I am telling you, this was just a normal assassination plot. The world doesn''t revolve around us."

    In avish tavern within the Silver Mist City, a group of young people was arguing amongst themselves.

    "Yes," Another boy replied, "I agree with Xiao Ming''s words. Everything is kept a secret, and why would our enemies blow up a random tavern? It''s not like we''re hiding. The whole city knows about us. It''s not hard to find us."

    These were the disciples from Gracious Sword Sect, for whom the Zheng n had arranged this tavern.

    If Ye Tian Yun were here, he would have definitelyughed at this sight.

    What he had thought, his enemy, Xiao Ming, had thought of the same thing, thus indirectly helping him for the nth time.

    And Jun Xie agreed with Xiao Ming.

    A rare asion.

    "I guess we''re worrying over nothing then?" Yuan Shuchun said.

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "Actually, we''re worried about the wrong thing."

    "Hm?" Yuan Shuchun frowned, "What do you mean?"

    Jun Xie pursed his lips and said, "When we entered the city, I observed something."

    "What?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Jun Xie moved towards the window, overlooking the city below him; he said, "This whole city is covered with arrays."

    "What!?" Everyone was shocked by this revtion.

    "Who would be this idiot to waste so many resources!?" The usually silent Kai Yang shouted.

    The reaction was expected. After all, to cover the whole city with arraysˇ­ it would take resources equalling to Gracious Sword Sect''s wealth. Even then, it wouldn''t fully suffice.

    "Is it done by the Wu Kingdom?" Yuan Shuchun suggested.

    Everyone felt this was a valid answer. After all, it wouldn''t be a big deal for a kingdom to cover a city with arrays, not to forget that their princess is also going to pass through this city.

    "What should we do?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Jun Xie let out a sigh, "I am not worried about the arrays being put here by the Wu Kingdom. What I am worried about is - what if a third party did this?"

    "What if we''re not the only ones toe after the Wu Kingdom princess? What if there''s someone else waiting for us to act as a meat shield?"

    His words silenced everyone. They had nothing to refute his doubts and suspicions. In fact, considering a few factors, his suspicions even seemed quite right.

    "We have to go out." Yuan Shuchun suggested.

    "Go out?" Kai Yang frowned, "Didn''t you just hear what Brother Jun Xie said? Sister Yuan, what if we get ambushed by the enemy?"

    Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "We won''t. The enemy, if there is one, will definitely want us to act as a meat shield and will attack at thest moment to steal the reward - Wu Qingwu."

    "Therefore, we must go out.. We need to prepare an escape route - we need a path that doesn''t have the arrays and can safely take us out of the city."

 Chapter 345 - 345 | Jun Xies Discovery

    "Therefore, we must go out. We need to prepare an escape route - we need a path that doesn''t have the arrays and can safely take us out of the city."

    "How will we go ahead with it?" Xiao Ming asked, "Should we go alone, or should we split into groups?"

    Jun Xie shook his head, "We can''t go alone - that''s a risky move."

    Then after thinking a bit, he continued, "In fact, even the groups are useless. How will you identify the location of the array without me? And I can''t be in all groups at once."

    Hearing this, everyone became quiet. Yuan Shuchun thought for a moment and said, "We still have a day or two before the people from the Wu Kingdom arrive in the city. Until then - let''s prepare ourselves."

    "Brother Jun and Brother Kai will roam the city to prepare an escape route. While Brother Ming and I will arrange the assassination."

    "Alright," Jun Xie nodded his head and nced at Kai Yang, who too nodded, indicating he had no problem with the n.

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips and added, "Onest thing - don''t make it obvious that you''re looking for an escape route. Just roam around the city as if you''re a tourist."

    Jun Xie nodded, "Yeah, that''s what I had in my mind."

    Yuan Shuchun replied, "Alright then, you guys should first move after sunset and roam the city. I will arrange a map of the city with the help of Zheng n''s head."

    "Sure, let''s do this." Jun Xie took a deep breath while staring at the picturesque view of the city.

    ˇ­.

    Next morning.

    After a whole night of searching through the city, the duo of Jun Xie and Kai Yang returned to the tavern.

    *p*

    "Guys, here." Jun Xie said as he put an opened map on the table.

    "Thisˇ­" Everyone was surprised to see the marks on the map.

    "Are these really the arrays!?" Yuan Shuchun couldn''t help but call out in shock.

    Jun Xie nodded his head with a serious expression, "Indeed. And this is just the southern part of the city. I haven''t even gone to the northern part yet. The situation here is more serious than we had anticipated."

    "Aren''t these too many? Are you sure this was done by a single party?" Xiao Ming couldn''t help but remark while staring at the map in amazement.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "I will get to that point. First, take a look at this."

    He pointed his index finger at the middle of the clustered dots on the map and said, "Here. This ce seems to be the heart of the array system."

    "Oh?" Yuan Shuchun frowned, "Doesn''t the heart of the array system, when destroyed, make the whole system useless?"

    "It does," Jun Xie nodded his head, "And this is also the reason why the heart of the array is usually well guarded and very hard to find."

    "But I just took one nce on the map and roamed half of the city to figure out the hearts'' location."

    "Isn''t that a good thing?" Fu Kai asked.

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "How should I put thisˇ­ wellˇ­ a heart is impossible to find, especially when ites to arrays from the Wu Royal n - they are famous for their arrays, and alchemy prowess."

    "But if such a silly mistake is to be done, that too for the protection of the Third Princess Wu, I am sure that there''s something more to this array system than what it shows."

    "With this suspicion, I began to reevaluate everything and even tried to assess the array types and origins."

    "Well, guys, we have a big problem."

    "What is it?" Everyone stared at Jun Xie for an answer.

    Jun Xie let out a long breath and nced at Xiao Ming as he said, "Just now you asked if a single party did thisˇ­ Well, the answer is no. I found traces of not one, but three different types of array structures."

    "Three!?" Everyone in the room couldn''t help but take a deep breath.

    Three different array structures - that meant there were three parties other than them.

    If they excluded the Wu Kingdom, that meant there were still two of them who were hidden in in sight, waiting for the opportune moment to strike and reap all the benefits.

    "Who are they?" Yuan Shuchun asked.

    Jun Xie replied, "I will get to that - but first see this -" Pointing his finger again at the same spot, he continued, "Can you spot from here which array belongs to whom?"

    "Hm.. no." Yuan Shuchun shook her head, so did the others.

    It was hard to distinguish just based on the location.

    "Me neither. But didn''t I say this is the heart of the array structure?" Jun Xie said, "That means all these arrays are of the same system!"

    "What?" Everyone looked at each other, and after a moment of silence, Qing Shen said with a pale expression, "Doesn''t that mean all three ofthem are working together!?"

    Jun Xie nodded, "Either that or there''s one party that''s making use of the rest."

    "Is that even possible?" Xiao Ming asked, "All sects have their own arrays system unless the arrays are of themon category."

    "There is one sect that can do this," Jun Xie said, "The Heaven Oracle Sect."

    "This sect has a system, which self-creates arrays based on the surrounding array system, and then uses them to attack it."

    "Heaven Oracle Sect!?" This shocked others even more.

    What was such a prestigious sect doing here in the city!?

    Jun Xie slightly nodded his head, "We don''t know why they are here, but this mission is not going to be easy. We still have half of the city remaining. Tonight I will be able to trace out all the arrays, and the first thing we will need to do is find an escape route."

    "Indeed." Yuan Shuchun nodded at him, and after a moment of thought, she added, "Also, I have found out why the people of Wu n will be stopping here."

    "Oh? Why is that?"

    ....

    A/n(6-aug): Only two chapters for today because I need to go out so i couldn''t write more.. Will resume 4ch/d from tomorrow. Please vote ps!

 Chapter 346 - 346 | Why Is Wu Qingwu Coming To This City?

    Hearing Jun Xie''s question, Yuan Shuchun cleared her throat and replied, "While you guys were gone, me and Xiao Ming asked n Head Zheng Yuan to arrange a report on the history of important ns and organization."

    "After going through them for a few hours, we found the only link between this city and the Wu Kingdom."

    Pausing for a moment, she said, "Do you know that there are three ns in this city fighting for hegemony over the resources in the valley down below?"

    "These ns are the Zheng n, Jia Lei n, and Ao Ba n."

    "While Zheng n and Jia Leo n are always openly fighting each other, the Ao Ba n tends to keep a low profile."

    "At first, I didn''t pay much attention to this; however, I came across an interesting fact - this n is actually pretty new and rose to power due to its caravan selling business."

    "And the biggest clue I got was the fact that this n actually migrated from the Wu Kingdom!"

    "Really?" Everyone was surprised to hear her words.

    "Indeed." Yuan Shuchun nodded her head and continued to say, "Well, we don''t have the time to check the full rtionship between the Wu Kingdom and Ao Ba n, but this n is the only connection between this city and the Wu Kingdom."

    "So I am sure that the Wu Kingdom people areing here to visit the Ao Ba n - other than that, there''s no reason for them to visit here."

    "What if they are here for the Silver Mist Holy Basil nt?" Kai Yang suddenly asked, "Isn''t this nt unique to this ce?"

    Fu Kai replied instead, "Even though the nt is unique, it can be moved and conserved in other ces too. This nt is also exported to the Wu Kingdom during the spring season. So I don''t think they will risk their lives just for this nt."

    Kai Yang nodded his head.

    Since they could get the nt in their own country, there was no need to visit here.

    Therefore it seemed like there was no other reason behind Wu Kingdom people visiting the city other than the Ao Ba n.

    Xiao Ming began to speak, "Tonight, while you guys mark the arrays, me and Sister Yuan will arrange the assassination spot near the Ao Ba n."

    "What if they are not here to visit this n?" Jun Xie asked.

    Yuan Shuchun shrugged at this, "This is the only connection we could find. If they don''te to this n, then it doesn''t affect anything."

    Jun Xie thought for a moment and nodded his head.

    It indeed didn''t matter.

    If Wu Kingdom people came and fell into the trap, it would make things easier. And if they didn''t visit the Ao Ba n, it was just the same as earlier - the Gracious Sword Sect disciples would ambush them near the city gates.

    "Alright then, let''s finish this work. If we look at the days, the Wu Kingdom people should arrive tomorrow evening, or early morning the day after tomorrow." Jun Xie said.

    Yuan Shuchun nodded her head, "I will arrange the trap outside Ao Ba CLan tonight. You guys go and mark the arrays - the biggest priority right now is to find an escape route. Because we don''t know how ugly things might get in the next two days."

    Jun Xie nodded and stood up.

    "Tonight, Kai Yang and I will get the whole array system on the city map. Let''s have a meeting tomorrow morning. For now, I need to recover from my exhaustion."

    ˇ­

    Jia Lei n.

    In the guest courtyard, Ye Tian Yun was sitting on a tumbona chair, basking in the sunlight.

    [A/n: Tumbona chair is also called the beach chair.]

    Sipping juice from a ss, Ye Tian Yun was having the best time ever sinceing to the Lower Heavens.

    But how could the heavens be happy seeing him having a leisurely time?

    "Shu Xian!"

    Just then, someone called him.

    ''Who the fuck-

    "Ah, Elder, greetings." Ye Tian Yun smiled and cupped his fists.

    "What are you doing?" The Elder asked with a frown.

    Behind him were Yin Shan and Jie Lei Shan, both of them shaking their heads as if they had seen the most shameful thing in their life.

    Unbothered from their antics, Ye Tian Yun replied, "Elder, I am having some peace of mind before I head to the mission."

    "Why didn''t you gost night?" The Elder asked.

    "Last night?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, waiting for the Elder to speak.

    The Elder nodded his head, "Yes, Last night. Yang Kai came out of the tavernst night. You should have struck at the right time."

    "And then give the Gracious Sword sect a whole day to find clues about him? And a chance for them to abort the mission? I am afraid I couldn''t make myself do it." Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    "What do you mean?" The Elder frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Elder, if we had kidnapped Kai Yangst night, the Gracious Sword Sect disciples would have been looking for him right now, instead of preparing themselves for the Wu Kingdom."

    "Didn''t you say they would prioritize the Wu Kingdom first?" Yin Shan spoke from behind.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "They would - but that would only be in a case when there''s very little time left for the assassination attack to begin."

    "If we were to give them a whole day, it would be no different from bringing the trouble on our head and giving them time to think about the situation. We must not give them time to think."

    "What if you fail tonight?" the Elder suddenly asked.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and said, "If I were not toe back tomorrow morning, then you should wait for the right time to take out both - Kai Yang and Wu Qingwu - at once. But this will be very, very risky."

    "Hmm," The Elder nodded, "I hope you can bring Kai Yang. It will save us from a lot of troubles, and I will make sure that you will get lots of benefits from the sect."

    "Thank you, Elder," Ye Tian Yun gave a ''you''re my god'' expression to the Elder.

    The Elder, acting indifferent, said, "Good luck for tonight. May the Demon God bless your soul!"

 Chapter 347 - 347 | Encounter

    The sun had already gone to sleep a few hours ago, and it was now time for the people who were hiding during the daytime toe out.

    Silver Mist City, though a small city, was still pretty bustling even during the night.

    Though only at the main marketce, the alleys and a few other ces were dead silent, as people were now asleep with their gates closed.

    However, this didn''t prevent any tramps from roaming the city - or thieves from scavenging a house - this was the best time of the day for them.

    But it wasn''t hard to asionally find a dead silent street.

    Jun Xie and Kai Yang hade across many such streets in thest two hours.

    They had left the tavern to mark the arrays on the map.

    Trying their best not to appear suspicious and blend themselves into the darkness of the night, both of them were slowly covering each street and marking any array that they coulde across.

    "This is getting moreplicated after every array I mark on the map." Jun Xie whispered while assessing the new array that they hade across.

    The he was referring to was, of course, the array system across the city.

    "How did Heaven Oracle Sect make this System?" Kai Yang couldn''t help but ask.

    To be able to use unknown arrays and control them, this is not something even top sects could do - it needed more than just unlimited resources.

    "Heaven Oracle Sect can predict the future, and this array is just a small thing to them." Jun Xie shook his head while replying.

    "Do you reckon that there could be an elder from the Heaven Oracle Sect in the City? If there is an elderˇ­ wouldn''t he be in the Half Saint Realm!?" Kai Yang''s tone became erratic by the time it reached the end.

    Jun Xie thought for a moment and shook his head, "Most unlikely. This array system is actually given to Core Disciples of the Heaven Oracle Sect - to protect themselves in case of being surrounded by an unknown enemy.

    "Oh?" Kai Yang couldn''t help but ask, "How do you know so much about the Heaven Oracle Sect? I have never heard about such a thing. Is thismon knowledge?"

    "Hmm, notmon knowledge. But as you get higher in the realm of array mastery, a whole new world will open for you. In terms of Arrays, while the Wu Kingdom dominates the Lower Heavens, the Heaven Oracle Sect dominates the whole world."

    "Damn," Kai Yang couldn''t help but sigh, "No wonder they are the top sect in the whole world."

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "It''s not easy to encounter this array system - so it''s a huge opportunity for me too. If I get to learn something from it, that would be really helpful for my breakthrough to the next stage."

    Kai Yang smiled, "Aren''t you also an alchemist? To also be an Array Master, your Spirit Sense must be heaven-tier or close!"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Not really a heaven-tier, but it''s pretty good. One of the things I am quite proud of, honestly."

    After a moment of pause, he added, "Alright, we''re done in this part. Let''s get to the next street. We need to increase our pace, or it will be hard to mark everything by sunrise."

    "Alright," Kai Yang nodded his head and followed him.

    However, in the next street, they encountered a man lying on the street side.

    "Must be a homeless drunk guy," Jun Xie shook his head as he began to assess the array.

    But just as they came closer to the man, he suddenly stood up and snarled at them -

    "You bastards! How dare youe back!"

    Kai Yang frowned, and just as he was about tond a kick on the man''s face, his next words stopped him.

    "Don''t you dare show your face back to the n! The Liu n doesn''t need you."

    Kai Yang frowned, "This guy... "

    Jun Xie, who had been marking the arrays, suddenly froze.

    After a moment of silence, he slowly turned his head to the drunk man, and in a trembling voice, he asked, "Wh-what di-did you say!?"

    His words got louder by the end.

    "Hm? What happened to you, Brother Jun?" Kai Yang asked in confusion.

    Earlier, he only stopped because of the mention of the Liu n - that was one of the big ns in the Middle Heavens unless this drunkard was talking about some other Liu n.

    Jun Xie didn''t seem to hear his doubts; he walked forward, and putting the map back in the spatial ring, Jun Xie bent his knees and sat on his toes - right in front of the drunk man, who had fallen back on the ground after the earlier outburst.

    "Which Liu n are you talking about?" Jun Xie asked.

    He had his guard up - there was a very high chance that this guy could be a part of the Liu n from Middle Heavens - then that would mean he had high cultivation.

    It was better to be safe than being sorry.

    "Hn?" The drunkard raised his head.

    His eyes couldn''t focus on Jun Xie''s face.

    However, after a few moments, the man suddenly got angry once again, "The Capital City Liu n, of course!"

    ''Oh, so a random n.'' Jun Xie let out a sigh and stood up.

    He should have expected this.

    Putting his hand on the pendant around his neck, he couldn''t help but let out a sigh.

    ''Liu''

    The name he had been living with for his whole life.

    ''One day, I will definitely get there.''

    Jun Xie took a long breath and turned around.

    ''Hn? Where''s Kai Yang?'' His mind nked for a second as he looked around in shock.

    "Kai Yang!?" Jun Xie immediately called.

    "I will join you in a few minutes, you go ahead."

    A voice replied.

    It was Kai Yang.

    "Hm?" Jun Xie frowned, "Whatˇ­"

    Kai Yang seemed to be running in the southern direction, and his voice lowered as the distance between them seemed to grow.

    "Weird guyˇ­" Jun Xie shook his head and resumed marking the arrays.

 Chapter 348 - 348 | Kai Yang Meets Ye Tian Yun

    About a few minutes ago.

    When Kai Yang saw the reaction of Jun Xie, he was confused by the outburst.

    But he didn''t mind much.

    Being a professional procrastinator, it was too much for him to meddle in others'' affairs.

    Just then, something whispered in his ears.

    "Ninth Young Master, it''s been a long time."

    It confused him even more and even made his head turn because of the words ''Ninth Young Master''.

    ''Wasn''t I also once called the Ninth Young Master?''

    But when he looked around, there was surprisingly no one else in the street!

    ''Must have been my mind messing with me.''

    Kai Yang didn''t care much.

    After all, no one knew about his identity in this ce, and he was just a Core Disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect to the others.

    "Ah, Ninth Young Master of the Great Yang n, please don''t ignore this nobody."

    The voice entered his hearing range once again.

    This time, however, it got a different reaction from Kai Yang.

    He froze for a second and immediately turned around.

    "Ninth Young Master, please head to the Southern City Main Crossing. I have an important message from the n. Try not to reveal your identity to the fellow beside you, or else I will have to silence him."

    Kai Yang frowned. He couldn''t decide whether to follow the voice or stay here.

    However, after a moment of consideration, he came to a decision.

    Since the man was confident enough to kill Jun Xie, it was not worth taking any stupid risks.

    On the other hand, this might be true, and there might really be some important message from the n.

    Kai Yang nced at Jun Xie once again and found him asking something from the drunkard.

    ''I will just go.''

    In the next instant, he disappeared in the direction of the voice.

    Just as he had crossed the street, he suddenly heard his name being called out by Jun Xie.

    ''That guy must have been shocked by my disappearance.''

    ''Sorry brother, revealing anything will put you in grave danger.''

    "I will join you in a few minutes, you go ahead."

    Kai Yang replied and moved faster.

    After about ten minutes, he was finally close to the Southern City Main Crossing.

    "You were pretty fast."

    The voice came out once again.

    "Hm?" Kai Yang came to a halt.

    The voice came from someone right in front of him!

    ''I didn''t even notice him!'' Kai Yang had his guard up.

    Out of the darkness, a young man came out.

    "Shu Xian!?" Kai Yang''s expression slowly morphed into a huge shock as he whispered the name.

    "How are you alive!? And how do you know my name!?" He asked, unable to wrap his mind around the situation.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Ninth Young Master, this humble one''s name is Xian Shu. I am one of the servants in the Great Yang n. I have been under the alias of Shu Xian in the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Kai Yang frowned, "You never seemed to haveˇ­ shown any signs of this earlier."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Young Master, I was instructed to do so."

    Kai Yang asked, "Then what about the incident in the Blue Pole Town? You made everyone think I was a eunuch!"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Young Master, I was saving your life. If I hadn''t told them that you were a eunuch, things would have gottenplicated."

    "I would have dealt with that guy on my own."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I was told to interfere for one time when your life is in danger, and I did so."

    Kai Yang asked, "So why did you fake your death?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Something important came up, and I had no other choice but to fake my own death and headed back to the n."

    "Hm? Head back to the n? Why are you here?" Kai Yang asked.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "It is for this Young Master."

    Saying that Ye Tian Yun took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Kai Yang.

    "What''s this?" Kai Yang frowned as he moved closer to take the letter.

    Ye Tian Yun also took a few steps, and while handing over the letter, he said, "Young Master, this letter was given to me by -!"

    "Ouch!" A sudden outburst from Kai Yang interrupted him.

    Kai Yang was pinching his thumb with a frown.

    "What was that?" He asked.

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "What happened, Young Master?"

    Kai Yang waved his hand and then showed him a small cut on his thumb.

    "The letter is pretty sharp." He grumbled.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Ah, apologies Young Master, I should have warned you about it."

    "It''s alright," Kai Yang frowned and began to open the letter.

    ''This is indeed Yang n''s seal.''

    It was the seal that made him trust Ye Tian Yun.

    But just as he opened the letter, a strange smell wafted through his nose.

    "What is the meaning of this?" Kai Yang looked at the letter in front of him.

    The letter was nk.

    Ye Tian Yun made a confused expression, "What happened, Young Master?"

    Kai Yang looked at him in anger, "Is this a prank?"

    Suddenly he felt a dangerous intuition, and in the next moment, he had a sword in his hand.

    "What do you want?"

    Kai Yang had a feeling that he had walked right into an ambush!

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and shook his head, "You''re thinking too much, Young Master."

    Kai Yang frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes and added, "Why would I bring more people to kill you when I alone am enough."

    "You-!" Kai Yang moved his sword toward Ye Tian Yun''s neck.

    He wanted to sh.

    He put his all in this sh.

    But something weird happened.

    His hand wouldn''t budge!

    It was paralyzed!

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "Great Yang n kids are always fun to deal with."

    "Yang Kai," Suddenly Ye Tian Yun''s expression turned serious, "You shouldn''t have tried to kill me. Maybe you could have lived a long life."

    "What do you want?" Kai Yang gritted his teeth.

    His body below the neck was paralyzed!

    Let alone using his other hand to attack, he couldn''t even move an inch.

    Ye Tian Yun gave him a friendly smile, "Nothing of value.. Just need your pathetic life."

 Chapter 349 - 349 | Killings

    In the next moment, Kai Yang suddenly began to feel weird.

    *cough*

    Blood coughed out of his mouth as he raised his head in shock.

    "You-!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It was fun knowing you. Legend of Eunuch Kai shall remain forever etched in the minds of Blue Pole Town people, haha."

    "You bastard-!" Yang Kai gritted his teeth and fell face-down on the ground.

    *thud*

    "Oh, my bad, Young Master, I should have caught you." Ye Tian Yun made a regretful face.

    "What do you want?" Yang Kai gritted his teeth, "Just tell me. I will give it to you."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised to hear this, "Really? Well, that was a bit of an unexpected offer; it''s very generous of you to say that."

    "What do you want? Just name it!" Yang Kai asked.

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "How about your face?"

    "Huh? What?" This confused Yang Kai.

    "I want your face." Ye Tian Yun smiled at him.

    "My face?" Yang Kai frowned, "You- you want to infiltrate the Yang n!?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Why would I waste my time with that?"

    "Then why do you want to disguise as me?" Yang Kai couldn''t guess the reason behind it.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a breath and said, "You were supposed to die anyway, even though that''s a hypocritical way of justifying your death, but this is the truth."

    "You want to disguise as meˇ­ don''t tell me you''re not Shu Xian but someone else disguised as him?" A very bad feeling began to welup in Yang Kai''s heart.

    Ye Tian Yunughed, "Why would I need to disguise myself when we both know the oue of this encounter - death."

    *cough*

    Yang Kai suddenly began to cough up more blood.

    "You bastardˇ­. Why didn''t you dare to fight head-on? Pathetic coward!" With no way to resist, Yang Kai could curse at Ye Tian Yun.

    However, Ye Tian Yun was unaffected by this banter.

    This was also his battle for survival.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and put his palm on Yang Kai''s forehead.

    Yang Kai gritted his teeth and shook his head to remove Ye Tian Yun''s palm from his forehead.

    However, suddenly he stopped - his eyes opened wide in shock as everything began to blur out; only despair and regret filled his eyes.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the corpse with a nk look and removed his hand from its forehead.

    Once the hand was removed, a visible ck line appeared over the surface where Ye Tian Yun had his index finger.

    Slowly, blood trickled out of that ck line and swept on the ground.

    The ck line was actually a deep cut, right inside Yang Kai''s forehead, which effectively killed him.

    The cut came from a dagger that Ye Tian Yun had in his spatial ring.

    With just a slight will, the dagger flew out and stabbed right in Yang Kai''s forehead.

    ''Time for a new look.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and began preparations.

    ˇ­

    About a hundred feet away from him, someone had witnessed the whole scene that had transpired.

    It was Yin Shan.

    He was sent as a backup for Ye Tian Yun in case he failed to capture Yang Kai.

    However, to his surprise, Ye Tian Yun was able to capture Yang Kai easily.

    But a huge plot twist came when he suddenly saw Ye Tian Yun directly kill Yang Kai and then stash his corpse in a spatial ring.

    ''This bastardˇ­''

    Yin Shan was furious.

    ''This son of a bitch must have done it to get his hands on the Token Of Fate!''

    ''Unfortunately, the Token didn''t appear, or else he would have run away with it.''

    ''Now that he has killed Yang Kai, let''s see what he has to say to the Elder!''

    Yin Shan smirked and turned away.

    However, just as he had turned around, a thought shed through his mind.

    ''Wait a minute - howe Token Of Fate didn''t appear? Don''t tell meˇ­ Yang Kai isn''t the one with the Token!?''

    ''But how is that possible!? There must be something that I have overlooked!''

    Yin Shan felt he must get to the Jia Lei n n as soon as possible and inform the Elder about this incident.

    ''This bastard Shu Xian must have lied to everyone!''

    This was the only reason that Yin Shan could think of behind all this.

    ''I need to hurry!''

    With that thought, Yin Shan jumped up.

    *thud*

    However, just as he jumped up. Yin Shan was pulled back to the ground by something.

    To be more specific, it was someone.

    Yin Shan gritted his teeth, but before he could recover, he suddenly felt as if someone had ced a boulder behind his back. It was actually someone''s foot, pressing him down.

    ''Who is this?''

    He gritted his teeth and tried to move, but he couldn''t budge.

    Many of his bones were broken from the sudden strike which had mmed him on the ground.

    "Who are you?" He gritted his teeth and asked.

    "Heh, did you think I wouldn''t notice you, Yin Shan?" A very familiar voice entered his ears.

    ''Shu Xian!''

    Shock covered his whole expression as an impossible name appeared in his mind.

    ''How did he sense me? My cultivation realm is way higher than him!''

    Unfortunately, before he could say anything, a sudden feeling of rxation flooded his senses.

    ''Whatˇ­ isˇ­ thisˇ­.''

    It felt very relieving.

    ''It''s as if I don''t have my limbs anymoreˇ­''

    ''Waitˇ­''

    ''No!!!''

    Indeed.

    Yin Shan''s head was detached from his body.

    "Piece of trash."

    Ye Tian Yun put back the sword in his spatial ring and began to make a few arrangements to remove the suspicion from himself.

    ˇ­

    After a few minutes, the southern city was suddenly awoken by a huge explosion, alerting everyone from their deep sleep.

    This was the second explosion in thest few days.. First being in a tavern, and now in an unknown location.

 Chapter 350 - 350 | Explosion In The Southern City

    "This is it."

    Jun Xie let out a sigh as he finished one more street.

    ''Northern side of the city doesn''t have as many arrays as the Southern side.''

    When Jun Xie had started marking the arrays tonight, he and Kai Yang encountered many arrays.

    At first, there were going to be many more arrays than the southern side, which they had traced on the map the previous night. However, as it turned out, after Kai Yang suddenly left the group, things changed, and surprisingly, Jun Xie only encountered two arrays in thest seven streets.

    ''If this goes on, I will be able to trace all of the arrays by morning easily."

    Jun Xie took a deep breath and moved out.

    Suddenly, someone jumped right in front of him.

    "What the hell!"

    Jun Xie almost jumped from the sudden scare.

    "It''s me."

    "Kai Yang?" Jun Xie frowned, "What the hell, dude, no need to jump like that!"

    "You couldn''t sense me?" Ye Tian Yun, who was this time under Yang Kai, aka Kai Yang''s disguise, smiled while asking.

    "I was concentrating on the array here." Jun Xie pointed at the wall, "Next time, be careful. I forgot what I was thinking, sigh."

    "Ah, my bad." Ye Tian Yun replied, clearly not sorry about his actions.

    Jun Xie slightly frowned and began concentrating on the array while asking, "Where have you been?"

    "Went to meet an old friend." Ye Tian Yun gave a nonchnt reply.

    Jun Xie paused for a moment and then nodded his head.

    "How many more streets left?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "We have covered one-third of the Southern region, and I think we will be done before sunrise."

    "Alright."

    Just then -

    *boom!*

    "What was that?" Jun Xie turned his head and frowned in the Southern Direction.

    "Another explosionˇ­" Ye Tian Yun also acted ignorantly.

    Jun Xie frowned, "Did something happen there?"

    "How am I supposed to know?" Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    "Didn''t you juste from that direction?"

    "I did, but that doesn''t mean I know everything that''s happening there."

    "Should we check it out?" Jun Xie suggested.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don''t know, up to you. Though if you really want to know, I would suggest we finish marking the arrays first. We will know what happened there once we get back to our tavern."

    "Hmm, alright, let''s finish this." Jun Xie nodded and marked the array on the map, "Let''s get to the next street; we still have a lot to do."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and followed him behind.

    ˇ­

    Jia Lei CLan.

    "Elder! Elder!" Jia Lei Shan suddenly came running to one of the guest courtyards.

    "I know! Slow down now." the Elder replied from inside, "I aming out."

    Jia Lei Shan took a deep breath and waited for the Elder.

    When the Elder came out, he couldn''t help but be confused by Jia Lei Shan''s act, especially with the traces of panic he saw in thetter''s face.

    "What happened?" the Elder frowned.

    Jia Lei Shan gulped and said, "Elder, you didn''t hear the explosion?"

    "Explosion? Yeah, I did. Waitˇ­ don''t tell me this one is rted to us too." The Elder had a bad feeling about this.

    Jia Lei Shan nodded his head, "I am afraid it''s true, Elder. The explosion urred in the Southern part of the city, and the worst part is - we have found two bodies."

    "Two bodies? Why two? And who are they?" the Elder frowned.

    "I couldn''t confirm the identity of the second one. However, one of them is confirmed to be Senior Brother Yin Shan!"

    "What!" The Elder was shocked to hear this, "How is that possible!? Did someone else interfere? What happened to Shu Xian? Was he able to kidnap Kai Yang?"

    There were many questions; however, no one to answer them.

    "Let''s head to the ce of incident, Elder." Jia Lei Shan suggested, "We will be able to understand more about the situation once we get there."

    "Yes, let''s go!" The Elder nodded and followed Jia Lei Shan.

    After a few minutes, the duo reached the ce of the explosion.

    A huge crater had formed at the center of the road.

    "Was there a huge fight? Any witnesses?" The Elder asked.

    Jia Lei Shan pursed his lips, "Not that we know of, but I have already instructed the guards to begin the search operation. I will thoroughly investigate everything."

    "Where are the corpses?" the Elder asked.

    Jia Lei Shan nced at a building and said, "This way, Elder."

    Soon, both of them reached a building that was actually a spice shop.

    The shopkeeper was standing at the gate, and in the shop were two charred corpses lying on the surface.

    "Thisˇ­" The Elder frowned at the burned corpses, "How did you confirm one of them is Yin Shan? His spatial ring?"

    "Indeed, Elder. Senior Brother''s spatial ring was in one of the corpse''s fingers."

    "What about the other corpse? Were there no spatial rings?" The Elder''s frown deepened as he crouched down to observe the corpses.

    "Yes, Elder. There was one. But I couldn''t identify it." Jia Lei Shan sighed.

    The Elder nodded his head and said, "Bring it here. I will see."

    Jia Lei Shan nodded and nced at the Shopkeeper; he said, "You heard the Elder. Why are you still here? Get the ring!"

    "Yes, Master."

    Within a few minutes, the shopkeeper returned from one of the rooms and handed over a spatial ring to the Elder.

    "Thisˇ­" Elder observed it for a second and shook his head, "This is useless. Due to the heat, the spatial array on it is destroyed, now we can''t ess the items inside. Even the ring is charred ck - it''s impossible to identify if it belongs to Shu Xian or not."

    "Elder, there could be two possibilities here - either this is Yang Kai, and Shu Xian had run away with the Token Of Fate, or this is Shu Xian and both him and Senior Brother Yin Shan, were killed by Yang Kai!"

    ˇ­.

    A/n(6-aug): Only two chapters for today because I need to go out so i couldn''t write more. Will resume 4ch/d from tomorrow. Please vote ps!

 Chapter 351 - 351 | Ye Tian Yuns Real Intentions

    "Both of these are highly unlikely... " The Elder frowned.

    "Hm? Why Elder?" Jia Lei Shan asked.

    The Elder pursed his lips while saying, "There''s one problem - Yin Shan. Be it Shu Xian or Yang Kai, how the fuck did those Tri-Qi Realm brats were able to kill him?"

    Jia Lei Shan shook his head, "I don''t know, Elder, but we can''t just remove the possibilities based on this."

    The Elder shook his head, "We can''t remove these possibilities, but there could be another possibility."

    "Hm? What else could there be, Elder?"

    "Simple - Yin Shan betrayed us and took the Token Of Fate." The Elder replied.

    "Huh? How is that possible? Senior Brother Yin Shan is lying in front of us!" Jia Lei Shan asked in confusion.

    The Elder shook his head, "You said this just because a corpse had Yin Shan''s spatial ring."

    "Even though this ring is made of high-grade material and won''t lose its ability in fire, I find it hard to believe that Yin Shan got killed just like that."

    Jia Lei Shan pursed his lips when he heard Elder''s words.

    Indeed he had confirmed that the corpse belonged to Yin Shan, but that was only based on the Spatial Ring he found in the corpse''s finger.

    "But Elder, there''s no other way to confirmˇ­" Jia Lei Shan let out a sigh.

    The Elder frowned, "First you go and block all exits out of the city - don''t let anyone go without confirming their identity!"

    "Already done!"

    "Good," The Elder squinted his eyes, "As for the fact whether this is indeed Yin Shan or not - we will know the truth tomorrow morning."

    "How?"

    "Keep an eye on the Gracious Sword Sect tavern. If you see Yang Kai - this means there''s a high chance this body is Yin Shan, but if you don''tˇ­ it means we had a traitor amongst us." The Elder clenched his fists as he finished his words.

    ''I will skin anyone of them alive if they dare to take my Token Of Fate!''

    Suddenly, ncing at Jia Lei Shan, the Elder asked, "Let''s head back. And tell the guards to search for any witnesses. Anyone who knows about this incident must be found out and brought to your n."

    "Yes, Elder!"

    ˇ­

    A new day began, and soon the Silver Mist City was once again swept with the news of another explosion.

    Because this one happened in the middle of the street, everyone believed that this was a fight between two cultivators, and most likely, one of them self-exploded, killing everyone with him.

    However, there were others who didn''t agree with this. After all, everything happened within an instant - and there was neither any noise of fighting earlier nor were there any signs of fighting in the surroundings.

    Just a huge ck crater in the middle of the hall.

    While the outside people were making stories anding up with reasons to connect thest two explosions, earlier a tavern and now one on the road, the Jia Lei n was trying to filter out the lies from the truth.

    Unfortunately, nothing seems to be a valid argument as there were always some facts that debased it.

    "What should we do, Elder?" Jia Lei Shan asked the Elder.

    The Elder thought for a moment and asked, "Did you send someone to the Gracious Sword Sect''s tavern?"

    Jia Lei Shan nodded his head, "I did, Elder. Kai Yang is yet to be seen. However, only two disciples of the sect are in the tavern - this means the other disciple, who was with Kai Yang, is yet to return."

    The Elder nodded, "Wait for that disciple. He should be alive."

    "Yes, Elder."

    Just then, a guard entered the hall.

    Cupping his fists in front of the two, the guard said, "Elder, Disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect have returned to the tavern?"

    "How many?" The Elder asked.

    "Two of them, Elder."

    "Twoˇ­" Elder frowned.

    "Are you sure?" Jia Lei Shan asked to confirm.

    "Affirmative, n Head. I personally saw the two disciples enter the Tavern."

    "Elder, thisˇ­" Jia Lei Shan nced at the Elder.

    "I knowˇ­" The elder let out a sigh, "Yang Kai is alive. This means the corpses we sawst night belonged to Yin Shan and Shu Xian!"

    "Yes, Elder." Jia Lei Shan lowered his head, saddened by the death of his senior brother.

    "Sigh, this is life, Disciple Jia. We gain and lose people, don''t feel too down. Go and have some rest. We will definitely avenge both of them!"

    "Elder, why don''t we go and attack now?" Jia Lei Shan gritted his teeth.

    "Don''t talk nonsense. Get a hold of yourself." The Elder shook his head, "There''s a Core Formation Realm cultivator among them, so we can''t go head-on."

    "Also, don''t forget that we need those people as a meat shield against the Wu Kingdom."

    "But Elderˇ­ what if Kai Yanges out once again?" Jia Lei Shan asked.

    The Elder thought for a moment and replied, "We still can''t kill him. It''s too dangerous and risky."

    "We will get both, Kai Yang and Wu Qingwu, at once."

    "Yes, Elder!" Jia Lei Shan said and headed out of the main hall.

    ˇ­

    In the Tavern where Gracious Sword Sect was staying.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped on the top floor and couldn''t help but smile as he overlooked the city.

    He was sure that currently, there was chaos going through the Jia Lei n after they confirmed that Yang Kai was still alive.

    Unfortunately for them, they would never know that both of them had yed right on Ye Tian Yun''s palm.

    Ye Tian Yun had achieved the goal of killing Kai Yang without letting the others in the entourage get any suspicions, and he had also managed to stop Jia Lei n from avenging their fallen members.

    ''I know the Elder won''t attack. He would want to trap all these fishes at once and will wait till he gets both, Yang Kai and Wu Qingwu, in his!''

    ''Unfortunately for him, I used his greed against him.''

    ''During the assassination, I hope it''s the Elder whoes to get me, or else it won''t be fun anymore.''

    ˇ­...

 Chapter 352 - 352 | The Escape Route

    About a few hundred miles away from the Silver Mist City.

    A small carriage was slowly approaching the city, and guarding it were three middle-aged men with a cold expression.

    One in the front, and two behind, all of them alert and ready to fight off against any ambush as they sat on their Ferghana horses.

    Outside the carriage were a maid and the driver of the carriage.

    It was unknown who they were, but what they didn''t know was the fact that a huge event was about to ur upon their arrival in the city.

    ˇ­.

    *p*

    A map wasid open on a table, and six people closed in, staring right on the map.

    These people were none other than the Gracious Sword Sect entourage, and the map was the one on which Jun Xie had marked all the arrays throughout the city.

    "Is there a way out?" Yuan Shuchun asked.

    Jun Xie took a breath and said, "I am trying to assess the situation."

    "Can anyone here help you with this?" Xiao Ming suggested.

    Jun Xie shook his head, "I wish. Actually, there are different types of arrays here - with different ranges."

    "Sigh, I made a small mistake - didn''t mark the range of the arrays."

    "Uhˇ­ how are you going to assess them then?" Xiao Ming asked in confusion.

    "Don''t worry; everything''s fit in my mind. It''s just I didn''t think of saving time by marking it on the map."

    "Well, mark it right now then," Ye Tian Yun chipped in, "If you can visualize it on paper, things would be much easier for you."

    "Alright," Jun Xie nodded his head; taking out a quill, he began to draw circles around the arrays, marking their expected range.

    After a minute or two, Jun Xie raised his head and let out a long breath, "Here, guys."

    Then pointing at a certain area on the map, he continued, "This is the Ao Ba n - the ce where we think Wu Qingwu is supposed toe."

    Ye Tian Yun was silently leaning on the wall frowned for a moment before getting back to his nonchnt expression.

    "Sister Yuan, this location is under your supervision. How''s everything going there?" Jun Xie added.

    Yuan Shuchun replied, "I set up everythingst night. However, you shoulde with me tonight. With your illusion technique, we will be able to strengthen the traps."

    "Hm, alright." Jun Xie nodded, and staring at the map; he continued, "Now, we need to prepare an escape route - from Ao Ba n to any exit. The closer to the city, the better."

    Ye Tian Yun asked with a frown, "Are you guys going to ambush the Wu Kingdom people in front of the Ao Ba n?"

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "I think that is the perfect ce to ambush because they will be confident that no one would be stupid enough to attack them in front of their ally and the heart of the city."

    "Things will be much harder if we ambush them outside the city because they will be highly alert at all times."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "That''s a valid argument, but I don''t understand why are we choosing this exact location? Why not a little far off from here?"

    "Because the farther we go, the harder it will be to ambush them," Yuan Shuchen replied to him this time.

    Ye Tian Yun was puzzled, mainly because he wasn''t a part of their earlier discussion. He didn''t even know why someone from the Wu Kingdom would visit a random n in a small city?

    "Remind me, what was the rtionship between Ao Ba n and Wu Kingdom people?" Ye Tian Yun asked directly; his normal and confident voice helped him avoid any suspicions.

    "Kai Yang, didn''t we just discuss it yesterday?" Xiao Ming replied to him with a disdaining tone, "Ao Ba n had some rtionship with the Wu Kingdom, and they might possibly have migrated to this city a few years prior."

    "Hmm, I remember now," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, and then looking at the map, he said, "In my opinion, we should not look for the nearest exit, but the farthest."

    "What do you mean?" Jun Xie frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped forward and pointed at the map as he said, "You see this path? This path goes to the nearest exit - but there''s one problem - it''s through the Ao Ba n territory."

    "Now this," Ye Tian Yun dragged his finger through another path while saying, "This path leads to the second closest and possibly the exit that you''re looking for. But there are two things you need to keep in mind before you choose this - first of all, this exit is closer to the Jia Lei n, and considering our closeness to the Zheng n, I am pretty sure they have already heard about us,and also consider us an enemy even if they don''t know our identity."

    "The second thing that you need to note is actually a question - what will you do once you get out of the city?"

    "What if things get a bit out of hand, and even though we seed in capturing the target, the enemies chase us. And trust me, my instincts tell me that this is most likely to happen."

    "It will be easier for them to chase us through the forest because of the marks and exhaustion we will have. However, in the city, we have much higher advantages. Therefore, this path is actually not very ideal."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head and found everyone contemting over what he had just said, thus he took a small pause and continued after a few moments, "Here."

    Pointing at another path from the Ao Ba n, he said, "This is the path we need to choose. Not only is this the longest, but in fact, it''s as if this path was made for us!"

    "What do you mean?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and dragging his finger all the way to the exit; he said, "This area is under none other than the Zheng n!"

 Chapter 353 - 353 | Wang Yao And Xiao Ming

    "This area is under none other than the Zheng n!"

    "What!?" Everyone''s eyes lit up.

    Zheng n was their ally!

    That meant they wouldn''t face any trouble and would even be able to stall the Wu Kingdom people who might chase them.

    If they chose any other path, things might go in the wrong direction because those exits were not really a part of friendly territory. Things might get dyed if the respective ns tried to interfere.

    However, it would be much easier for them in the Zheng n path. In fact, the Zheng n might even help them get a lead ahead.

    "This is a good understanding." Jun Xie nodded his head, "Let''s follow this. Now we just need to find a route with the least troublesome arrays to cross and get to this exit."

    Ye Tian Yun slowly nodded and came out of the group.

    ''To think I had to exin everything to these people.''

    Compared to this situation, what happened in the Jia Lei n was quite different.

    There, Elder Li had already analyzed the situation pretty well and was able to judge this course.

    Even though he didn''t exin anything behind it and just shrugged it off as the easier path, Ye Tian Yun knew that there was more to this.

    And after analyzing the map for some time, he was able to find a good reason behind Elder Li''s ns.

    "Let''s call n Head Zheng Yuan!" Yuan Shuchun''s words interrupted Ye Tian Yun''s train of thoughts.

    "I will go." Fu Kai nodded his head and went out.

    After a few minutes, he came back with n Head Zheng Yuan, who had already been informed about the situation along the way.

    "No problem, In fact, we have already started preparation regarding this." n Head Zheng Yuan replied with a smile.

    "Really?" Everyone except Ye Tian Yun was surprised to hear his words.

    Jun Xie couldn''t help but say, "n Head Zheng Yuan, you''re quite amazing. You prepared a tavern, and now you have even thought of this? That''s pretty good."

    "Um... ah, no, the thing is -"

    "We need to prioritize something else right now," Ye Tian Yun interjected before n Head Zheng Yuan could reveal anything.

    "We will have all the time to discuss this once we''re done with this mission. Don''t forget that we need to write a report anyway, so we need to discuss everythingter. For now, let''s get to the main question - n Head Zheng Yuan, what are the preparations you have made?"

    Zheng Yuan cleared his throat and said, "Well, first of all, I have made arrangements for an easy escape for you. All of you will be able to get out of the city without facing any hups within the territory of Zheng n."

    "And what if enemies are chasing us?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "About thisˇ­" Zheng Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Well, I haven''t really arranged anything about this as of yet, but I am considering it."

    "What I currently have in my mind is quite simple - as soon as you guys escape, we will create a barricade and try to dy the enemies as much as possible."

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Wouldn''t your n lose a lot of manpower in this? You might even be fully wiped out."

    "Uhˇ­" n Head Zheng Yuan was speechless for a moment, but after a thought, he let out a sigh, "We can only leave it up to fate."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Fate is never reliable, here''s what you should do - in fact, here''s what you whole n should do - as soon as we escape, announce enemy attack, and stall those people for just a few seconds, and then, let them go."

    "What?" Xiao Ming interrupted, "What''s the point of all this then?"

    Ye Tian Yun gestured him to shut up and continued to say to n head Zheng Yuan, "Once the guards have backed down, immediately resume the market. Let the enemy struggle while passing through the crowd of ignorant people."

    n Head thought for a moment, and then it finally dawned upon him what Ye Tian Yun was trying to do, "Alright, Young Master. I will do as you say."

    The others nodded their heads too; Ye Tian Yun''s words did have some merit.

    After about ten or so minutes of more discussion, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone went back to their rooms while n Head Zheng Yuan returned to make arrangements for the fateful day.

    As for Ye Tian Yun, he was doing his new favorite thing - overlooking the city through the huge tavern ss wall.

    ˇ­

    About a hundred or so meters away, in another tavern.

    A ''closed for business'' sign hung on its main gate. However, a few nearby vendors knew very well that there were quite special guests staying in this building.

    On the top floor, there was a simr ss wall that presented the whole city view through it.

    A man was staring at the city through the ss.

    "Would anyone have ever imagined that this small and insignificant city is actually the ce where the wheels of fate, space, time, and chaos will turn in a new direction?" The man said with a smile.

    He was none other than Heavenly Emperor Wang Yao, ruler of all that is known.

    "I don''t know about Time, but I know for sure that you are underestimating the power of Fate." Someone replied to him.

    The man turned his head and had a pleasant expression on his face, "Ah, Third Brother, you returned! So, how did your trip go?"

    Xiao Ming, Heavenly King Of Fate, let out a sigh and took a seat, "It was just a short trip. I wanted a breath of fresh air."

    Wang Yao frowned and said, "Third Brother, I hope you haven''t tried anything funny. This is the past, and we can''t interfere directly or indirectly."

    Xiao Ming frowned, "Haven''t you interfered already? After all, how is it possible that Ye Tian Yun even had a rebirth?"

    "If you haven''t done anything, how is it possible that Ye Tian Yun could go through Rebirth?"

 Chapter 354 - 354 | Xiao Mings Regret

    Wang Yao slightlyughed at this question, "Third Brother, do you know what everyone calls me?"

    "Heavenly Emperor Wang Yao, ruler of all that is known." Xiao Ming frowned.

    Wang Yao nodded his head, "Indeed, that is true. But is everything known to us?"

    "Noˇ­" Xiao Ming let out a sigh.

    Wang Yao slowly nodded his head, "Indeed. We don''t know everything. And one of these things includes the reason behind Ye Tian Yun''s rebirth."

    "Hm? What do you mean?" Xiao Ming frowned, "It wasn''t you?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "It wasn''t me. In fact, why would you even think that I would do such a thing?"

    "Even if I stand at the peak, that doesn''t mean I would drown myself in arrogance so much that I would give my enemy a chance to change everything with the knowledge of the future."

    Xiao Ming nodded, "That''s trueˇ­ but we all thought since you are the one who brought us here, and also being the most powerful being, it was you who gave Ye Tian Yun a second chance."

    Wang Yao let out a long breath, "Third Brother, I have a few reasons toe here. And one of them includes finding the reason behind Ye Tian Yun''s rebirth."

    Xiao Ming shrugged, "I don''t understand why you even care about it? What if he changes the past? We have already lived our lives, our past selvesˇ­ though made quite a lot of mistakesˇ­ it''s now on them."

    Wang Yao frowned slightly, "Third Brother, tell me, what do you regret? When we first met, I asked you a simple question - what do you desire the most? You replied with one word - power. Do you have it right now? I think you have a lot of itˇ­ or you want to be the most powerful?"

    Xiao Ming gave a self-mockingugh, "Powerˇ­ indeed that was my answer. Big Brother, when we started our quest, I promised you two things - even though I was more powerful than you - the first one was that I would forever follow you and support you. So don''t question my loyalty."

    "As for regrets, I do have a few." Xiao Ming let out a sigh and stared out of the side window.

    ˇ­

    In the Gracious Sword Sect''s Tavern, Yuan Shuchun suddenly stopped and looked at her window.

    ''What was that? It was as if someone was staring at meˇ­ but the window is closedˇ­''

    ''Maybe I am just too tired.'' She let out a sigh and resumed her cultivation.

    ˇ­

    "Yuan Shuchun?" Wang Yao suddenlyughed, "That girlˇ­ I thought you both hated each other, haha."

    Xiao Ming frowned and let out a sigh, "Big Brother, it seems as if after all these years, you never understood me."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I never needed to. You are an open book, Xiao Ming. In your younger days, you were arrogant, scheming, and vicious. Now you act like an old man who has lived a life of regret and wishes to change the past."

    After a slight pause, Wang Yao replied, "But that''s impossible."

    Xiao Ming remained silent for a long time before asking, "Tell me, Big brother, if you know the secret behind Ye Tian Yun''s rebirth, what will you do? Will you also go back in the past and return to your fourteen-year-old self?"

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and replied, "No. I have achieved what I want, and I have no regrets. Unlike you, I don''t live in the past. I live in the present and n for the future."

    Xiao Ming slightly nodded and suddenly asked, "Where''s everyone else?"

    "They have gone back." Wang Yao replied.

    "Back? You mean, back to our timeline?" Xiao Ming frowned.

    Wang Yao nodded his head, "Indeed. They got bored, so they left."

    "Is everything still the same?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Wang Yao smiled, "Of course. Do you think I will let Ye Tian Yun seed?"

    "You''re nning to kill him? But then, how will you find the truth behind his rebirth?" Xiao Ming was a bit confused,

    Wang Yang shrugged, "I am close to the truth. Once I satiate my curiosity, I would only need a flick of my finger, and not even a drop of his blood will remain."

    Xiao Ming nodded his head and turned back, "I shall return back too then."

    "Hm? Don''t you want to see yourself fighting Ye Tian Yun?" Wang Yao asked,

    Xiao Ming shook his head, "Even though we only know what Ye Tian Yun sees, I am sure many enemies are lying in wait for the right time. However, I have already killed Ye Tian Yun. To me, this is just an illusion of time."

    Wang Yao smiled at his words but didn''t respond much.

    He just flicked a finger, and a portal appeared, twisting the space and time in the room.

    Seeing the familiar portal, Xiao Ming took a deep breath and went in. This was the same portal through which they hade here.

    *zip*

    After the portal disappeared, Wang Yao stood alone in the hall and let out a sigh.

    ''Ye Tian Yunˇ­ to think we would once again be enemies. I can''t imagine the Heavens chose you over me.''

    ''To think you will go through rebirthˇ­ so much hassle, I have better ns.''

    ˇ­

    Next morning.

    A few miles away from the Silver Mist Mountain.

    A caravan slowly turned and faced the Mountain for the first time.

    Though they had seen many mountains, everyone in the caravan was still surprised to see its majesty.

    "This mountain stands out a lot." The carriage rider couldn''t help butment.

    The maid who was sitting beside him nodded her head, "This mountain isn''t thergest we have ever seen, but it does stand out a lot."

    "With every inch, we move closer to the mountain, I feel as if we''re walking right into a monster''s mouth."

    "Should we increase the guard?" An ethereal voice replied to her from inside the carriage.

    "We should." The maid nodded her head.

    "You heard what she said," The ethereal voice replied,manding the three guards surrounding the carriage, "Don''t lower your guard even though we have almost reached the Ao Ba n."

    The voice seemed quite young, and it was pretty clear that she was the center of this caravan.

 Chapter 355 - 355 | Peak Master Duan Appears

    In the Gracious Sword Sect''s Tavern.

    All of the members of the entourage were discussing the n they had arranged for the uing ambush.

    "What were those arrays, Sister Yuan? I have never heard of you being an array master," Jun Xie suddenly asked.

    Yuan Shuchun paused for a moment before revealing, "Well, mainly because they are not much known. I have especially brought them here to nt them to ambush the target."

    "You didn''t even exin to me what that array does," Jun Xie said.

    Yuan Shuchun gave a smug smile, "Just wait and watch. You will like it more if it''s a surprise."

    Jun Xie shrugged; he knew there was no point in asking anymore. Yuan Shuchun was not going to reveal the mechanism behind the array - after all, this could be one of her trump cards.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun asked, "When will Peak Master Duan enter the scene? I hope he''s ready."

    "Hm? Peak Master Duan is here?" Many exmations resounded in the room, some real, others fake.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but have an urge to roll his eyes at this.

    He cleared his throat and said, "Well, the Sect Leader did say he would be here. I suppose he has arrived here by now?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "I don''t know, but I hope he''s here - the Core Formation cultivator is all on him. We won''t start the ambush unless there''s full certainty."

    "Don''t worry, I am here." Suddenly, a middle-aged man''s voice sounded in everyone''s ear.

    Those who were familiar knew that this was none other than Peak Master Duan.

    Yuan Shuchun slightly frowned one moment but regained herposure in the next.

    "I will just slide it this time."

    Then turning towards the gate, she said, "Pleasee in, Peak Master Duan."

    As soon as she said that, the gate opened up, and someone entered the hall.

    "Sigh, I was expecting more people." It was Peak Master Duan who had entered.

    Everyone else cupped their fists and greeted him.

    Peak Master Duan waved his hand and gestured at them to be at ease.

    Then sitting on one of the couches, he said, "What happened to the rest?"

    Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun raised their eyebrows and secretly gave him a look of disdain.

    ''Bastard knows about the ambush and death of others but is acting ignorantly.''

    Yuan Shuchun, however, made a regretful expression and said, "We faced an ambush and lost half of the members."

    "That was unfortunate," Peak Master Duan let out another sigh and added, "But we can''t let their sacrifice go in vain. Gear yourself up because the prey is now very close."

    "Hm?" Yuan SHuchun frowned, "The Wu Kingdom people have arrived in the city?"

    Peak Master Duan shook his head, "Not yet entered the city, but they are close to the mountain behind us as we speak."

    Yuan Shuchun took a deep breath and said, "Alright then, we will ambush as soon as they begin their return journey."

    Peak Master Duan suddenly said, "There''s one problem though - I couldn''t identify the guard who had Core Formation Realm cultivation. They are using a special artifact to hide their cultivation."

    "What if there isn''t any Core Formation Realm cultivator among them?" Xiao Ming frowned.

    Peak Master Duan shook his head, "That would be impossible. I am pretty sure the information is true."

    "We will make him show himself," Yuan Shuchun said, "The array that I have put out - it is a very effective one. I am confident that this hidden powerhouse will be forced to reveal himself, or else he would end up losing his master."

    Peak Master Duan smiled, "That''s a great thing then. As long as you can bring the guy out in the open, I can handle the rest while you focus on securing the Princess."

    "Ah, this reminds me," Jun Xie asked, "Peak Master Duan, were you able to confirm that it was indeed the Third Princess Of Wu, Wu Qingwu?"

    Peak Master Duan pursed his lips and nodded his head, "I couldn''t see her face, but I heard her voice, and I am pretty sure she''s a female. Also, a maid was sitting out the carriage."

    "A maid?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Guys, what if this maid is Princess Wu Qingwu? What if she''s pretending to be a maid?"

    Yuan Shuchunughed, "If she''s pretending to be a maid, then she will be the first to die because it''s usually the closest guard that''s targeted first."

    As everyone else nodded, Peal Master Duan suddenly said, "Well, everyone in the carriage seemed to listen to the girl inside the carriage, even the maid. So I doubt they would pull such silly tricks."

    "Oh?" Yuan Shuchun shrugged, "Well, I guess there won''t be any surprises anymore then."

    Jun Xie nodded, "Even then, we need to be prepared about everything. Don''t forget that there''s another hidden enemy who is nning to take all the benefits."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''They know about the Devil Sect?''

    "The Heaven Oracle Sect?" Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "If there really is an elder among them, or there''s a huge difference of strength, we will simply give up this n."

    ''Oh, the Heavenly Oracle Sectˇ­ they must have judged it based on the array system in the city.'' Ye Tian Yun thought.

    ''As long as it''s not the devil sect they found about, it''s good. Or else, the real surprise will be ruined.''

    "I searched the whole city but didn''t find anything rted to the Heaven Oracle Sect," Peak Master Duan replied, "I have a hunch it''s those two disciples who ran away without informing us."

    "Who?" Xiao Ming frowned.

    "Two disciples from the Heaven Oracle Sect visited us a month ago. They came to investigate things rted to a disciple''s death and then decided to stay in the sect."

    "However, a few days back, they went back, running out of the sect in a hurry. At first, the higher-ups thought something important must have happened in the Heaven Oracle Sect. And we were not quite sad to see those two leaving. So no one actually bothered anymore about this incident."

    "But then, just in the next few days, you guys had to leave for the mission."

    "Now, it seems that we might be meeting our two little friends quite soon."

 Chapter 356 - 356 | Each Sides Awaits For The Opportunity

    "If that''s really true, then I think we will be able to handle them." Yuan Shuchun said, "Array Masters aren''t usually great in directbat."

    "Yeah," Jun Xie agreed with this point.

    As an aspiring Array Master himself, he understood the strengths and weaknesses of this path.

    "But still, keep your guard up," Jun Xie said, "Even though the enemy has a Core Formation Realm cultivator, I am sure they must have some other trump card too."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and said, "And considering the fact that they have an advantage in terms of Arrays, we must be careful."

    Everyone else nodded their heads and began preparing for the news.

    ˇ­

    Ao Ba n.

    One of the three main ns of the city, this n was well known for its sudden rise in prominence and ability to confront the other two main ns directly, the Zheng n and the Jia Lei n.

    However, it wasn''t quite outgoing and didn''t prefer confrontations with the other ns. Even though it showed the ability to go head-on against the other big ns when it first arrived, itter settled the dispute privately indoors and kept a low profile ever since.

    Today, however, the whole n was quite active and seemed to be preparing for a big asion.

    But what they did not know was that there were a lot of people currently eyeing them.

    Unnoticed by the Ao Ba n guards, there had been a sudden rise of vendors in the street outside the n, and other than that, there were two taverns that were fully booked by two different anonymous groups.

    ˇ­

    In one of the taverns close to the Ao Ba n.

    "Are you sure they wille here?" An old man''s voice rang through the hall.

    "Yes, Elder, there''s a ny percent chance that they wille out."

    "Hmm," The old man nodded his head.

    If Ye Tian Yun were here, he would easily recognize this duo - the Elder and n Head Jia Lei Shan.

    "Elder, I have arranged a few guards too. We all are just waiting for your signal."

    The Elder replied, "And I am waiting for the Gracious Sword Sect to make a move."

    After a slight pause, the elder asked, "Are the Wu n people already in the Ao Ba n?"

    Jia Lei Shan shook his head, "No, Elder, not yet. They will reach here within a few minutes."

    "Hmm, when do you think those disciples from the Gracious Sword sect will make a move?"

    "I am not sure, Elder. But I think their aim is to catch the enemy off guard - so attacking right when the Wu Kingdom people get out of the Ao Ba n will be the option."

    "Indeed," The Elder nodded, "There will only be a small opening - as long as Gracious Sword Sect makes use of that chance, things would turn out very favorable for them - until we reap all the benefits."

    "Yes, Elder." Jia Lei Shan, "But I haven''t seen any of them ever since they left the tavern."

    The Elder frowned, "You didn''t send anyone to follow them?"

    "Umˇ­ I did send a few, but I haven''t received any updates from them. Most likely, the Core Formation Realm hidden among the group must have caught and killed them."

    The Elder let out a sigh, "We will avenge them, don''t you worry."

    "Yes, Elder." Jia Lei Shan replied with a solemn face.

    ˇ­

    In another tavern somewhere close to the main entrance of Ao Ba n.

    "This is the ce where most of the foreign arrays are concentratedˇ­." A young man stared out of the window, overlooking the whole market in front of the Ao Ba n.

    This young man was none other than Qin Wentian.

    Two days ago, he suffered from an assassination attempt and even lost someone very close to his heart.

    However, it seemed that the assassin wasn''t really interested in his death. Thus he was left to live after getting a huge beating and then thrown out of the building.

    Before he could attack back, the tavern was sted into smithereens.

    ''The assassin must have died with itˇ­. Those people even found two bodies near Ji Yi''s corpse.''

    ''But this wasn''t the work of that assassination alone - it was the organization behind him.''

    ''The Devil Sect.''

    ''Those bastards shall pay a huge price for this enmity.''

    ''They must be here too,'' Qin Wentian was sure about it.

    The Devil Sect was very well aware of the array system the core disciples of the Heaven Oracle Sect possess, and they even had spies in the sect, so Qin Wentian was sure that Devil Sect was also here for the Token.

    ''They wanted to kill me because the Array System throughout the city was tooplicated for them, so the only way left for them was to kill me so that the array is gone for good.

    Qin Wentian tightened his grip over the sword sheath and was waiting for the Devil Sect to show themselves.

    He was going to attack at the right moment and kill them alone.

    ''Only then will Ji Yi''s soul rest in peace.''

    ˇ­

    In another tavern, but this one was across the city.

    Wang Yao stood near the window and stared at the Ao Ba n.

    "This n will be the battlefield? Interesting." He couldn''t help but smile.

    Even though he was all-powerful, currently, he was in the past. As per thews guided to him by the Emblem Of Time, he could not do anything.

    ''I will soon be free from all constraints.''

    He couldn''t help but smile at this.

    The reason why he hade back in time was not that he wanted to - it was because there had been an anomaly in the timeline.

    The wrong guy had gone through rebirth.

    "But it doesn''t matter - I found another way for myself. As long as Ye Tian Yun kills Xiao Ming, the whole future will be erased out of existence, and so will the constraints on me."

 Chapter 357 - 357 | Wu Qingwu Enters The City!

    As the sun went directly overhead, a carriage entered the gates of Silver Mist City.

    Surrounding the carriage were three guards on Ferghana horses.

    They had no banner or badge which indicated their identity. However, from the intimidating look, the guards gave to everyone, no one dared to block their paths.

    As soon as the carriage crossed the gates, someone approached them.

    The guard at the lead brandished his sword and warned, "Do note close! Identify yourself!"

    The man cupped his fists and replied, "I am Ao Ba Ho."

    "Ao Ba n?" The guard frowned.

    "Indeed."

    "Are you here to greet us?" The guard asked, "Or this is just a coincidence."

    The man replied with a smile, "I have been sent here by the n Head to greet the guests."

    "Oh? Show the token." The guard asked, tightening the grip around his sword even more.

    Ao Ba Ho smiled, took out a wooden token from his spatial, and handed it over to the guard.

    The guard examined it for a moment and then nodded his head, "Lead us."

    "Please follow this way," the man snapped his fingers, and a servant brought him a Ferghana horse.

    Jumping on its back, the man nced at the guards and said, "Come this way."

    The low-key guard was impressed by the man''sposure; unbeknownst to them, Ao Ba Ho had his whole back covered with sweat.

    ''Damn this n Head - almost got me killed! Who the fuck had Core Formation Realm guard!?''

    ˇ­

    After a few minutes, the group slowly reached the area in front of the Ao Ba n.

    Their arrival attracted the attention of almost everyone.

    After all, they were riding Ferghana horses - and there were six of them!

    Two pulling the carriage, and four others.

    Another thing that attracted attention was none other than Ao Ba Ho himself.

    "Looks like you''re pretty famous," The Head Guard suddenly said, "What''s your rtion with Ao Ba Pa?"

    Ao Ba Ho smiled and said, "I am the younger brother of n Head Ao Ba Pa."

    "Oh? You must have been pretty young when your n first migrated here?" The guard inquired more.

    "Yes, I was about five or six years old, maybe even less. I don''t really remember." Ao Ba Ho replied in a respectful tone.

    "Hmm," The Guard nodded his head, "If you were older, you would have recognized me."

    "Oh?"

    "Yes. I am an old friend of your father''s. Is he still around?"

    "Ah, really?" Ao Ba Ho was surprised, "Well, Father is pretty sick these days, but I am sure he will be d to meet you."

    "Ah, that''s good news."

    "But my father didn''t tell me that his friend would being. I was only told that some very important guest ising."

    "It''s alright. We decided not to reveal ourselves. Nobody in your n knows about the identity of my group."

    "Oh.."

    ˇ­

    The carriage slowly passed through the market as they continued to chat.

    After it entered the Ao Ba n, the hustle-bustle in the street resumed.

    "I never knew a maid could be this beautiful." Someone suddenly said.

    It was Jun Xie.

    Disguised as vendors and random bystanders, the Gracious Sword Sect entourage had blended itself within the market.

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun, who was partnered with him, slightly frowned when he heard Jun Xie''s words.

    "Don''t act ignorant," Jun Xie said, "I am sure you must have seen the maid''s face too."

    "Sigh, to think even a simple maid of this princess is so beautifulˇ­ we can only imagine how graceful she herself would be." He added.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but say, "Well, the maid is indeed beautiful, but not my type."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "What''s your type then?"

    "I would rather pursue a simple girl than a princess."

    "The maid seemed like a simple girl." Jun Xie gave him a side look.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head but didn''t say anything.

    Love and rtionships were concepts that Ye Tian Yun was never familiar with. Even in his previous life, he had only liked one girl, but that was not even his true feeling. Honestly, everything was arranged by his father because some rumors were floating around that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun liked to surround himself with men.

    This was why he and the princess from the Great Ling n were formed as a couple.

    ''That Great Ling nˇ­ root of all my troubles.''

    The enmity between him and Wang Yao began from the princess of the Great Ling n.

    ''That bitch should still be in the Lower Heavens, right? Sigh, I will have to return to the Middle Heavens once again in a month or two, or else my trap wille out.''

    ''This reminds meˇ­ is Butler Liu still sleeping? Damnˇ­ it''s been almost six months.''

    "You''re pretty boring, Kai Yang," Just then, Jun Xie''s words brought Ye Tian Yun back from his thoughts, "You should have fun with your life. I wish the other side weren''t an enemy, or else I would have at least interacted with the maid. The princess is too far away from me."

    Ye Tian Yun nced at him and shook his head.

    ''I wonder what he will do if I tell him that this princess will be his wife in the future?''

    ''Even more than that, I wonder if these two will even interact with each other since fate has changed a lot.''

    ''It will be fun to watch.''

    Ye Tian Yun sighed as he saw thest of Wu Kingdom''s carriage through the closing gates of the Ao Ba n.

    After a few minutes, Jun Xie suddenly asked, "How long do you think they will take?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Can''t say anything for now. Let''s hope they don''t decide to stay in the n."

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "Yes. And worst of all, if they decide to leave at night, things would be much worse for us because they will be more alert than ever."

    Ye Tian Yun agreed, "Let''s wait and see. Whatever be the case, just hope that things don''t go awry."

    ''Even if something does happen, I do have a few ns as a backup.''

 Chapter 358 - 358 | Assassi-!

    It was evening.

    The sun would leave the sky in a few hours, and the market would slowly begin to calm down.

    The sellers and vendors would leave for their homes, and the entourage hiding among them would also have to head back empty-handed.

    After more than six hours of waiting, it didn''t seem like the Wu Kingdom people wanted to leave this city.

    "What are those bastards doing?" Jun Xie frowned, "It will be night soon."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    "Kai Yang," Jun Xie called him while keeping an eye on the Ao Ba n''s gate, "Where are Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I know as much as you know."

    Earlier today, when they had secretly left the tavern, Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming had gone a different path, saying that they were going to prepare for the ambush.

    As for the remaining four, they divided themselves into two groups. One included Jun Xie and Kai Yang, who were vendors in the market, while the other pair of Qing Shen and Fu Kai was acting as scrap sellers on the other side of the road.

    All four of them were waiting for the ambush to begin, and then at the right moment, they would strike and abduct the princess.

    But even after another hour of wait, it didn''t seem like the Wu Kingdom had any ns to leave before sunset.

    The sun had already half-drowned in the western horizon.

    "Looks like it was just a waste of tiˇ­." Jun Xie''s voice suddenly trailed off at the end.

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head and looked at him in confusion.

    ''What happened?''

    ''Where''s he looking?''

    ''Hm? Ao Ba n? Thisˇ­''

    The gates were slowly opening!

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and slowly clenched his left fist.

    He was ready to take out his sword at a moment''s notice.

    Beside him, Jun Xie also took a deep breath and prepared for the confrontation that they had been waiting for all this time.

    As the gates were finally open, a carriage appeared inside the n.

    Surrounding it were three guards sitting on the Ferghana horses.

    Two of them moved forward and stood at each side of the gate, and began to inspect the surroundings.

    Near the carriage, a middle-aged man with a long mustache was standing beside the carriage and was talking to someone inside the n.

    "That man''s n Head of Ao Ba n, Ao Ba Pa." Jun Xie whispered while not ncing at the n gates and acting nonchnt.

    Ye Tian Yun gave a light nod and continued to act normal.

    ˇ­.

    In the Ao Ba n

    "Third Princess, we won''t be able to return to the Wu Kingdom. However, if you ever need our help, just send us a letter. No need to trouble yourself." Ao Ba Pa said in a respectful tone.

    "It wasn''t big trouble, n Head Ao Ba pa. You''re like my uncle, and it''s my pleasure that I visit you at least once."

    A youngdy''s voice replied.

    It had an immacte charm that attracted anyone who heard her.

    n Head Ao Ba Pa let out a sigh, "Third Princess, you call me uncle, and yet you won''t stay in my humble abode even for a day."

    "I am sorry, n Head Ao Ba Pa, even if I want to, I can''t stay here longer. Things are gettingplicated in the n, and I have already been away for about a month now."

    "Alright," n Head Ao Ba Pa didn''t insist anymore, "Please have a safe journey, Third Princess."

    "Thank you, n Head Ao Ba Pa."

    As the words drifted across the gate, the maid sitting outside the carriage gestured to the driver to start their journey.

    The guard nodded his head and whipped the Ferghana horses, making the carriage move forward.

    Seeing them leave, n Head Ao Ba Pa let out a sigh.

    Behind the carriage was the third guard on his Ferghana horse, and he was none other than the Head Guard.

    As the carriage passed by, the Head Guard came closer to the n Head.

    The n Head cupped his fists as their eyes met and said, "I hope to see you soon, Uncle."

    The Head Guard nodded, "You will see me every day if youe back home."

    "Uncle, this is my home now." n Head Ao Ba Pa smiled.

    The Head Guard shook his head and moved ahead.

    ˇ­

    As the carriage passed through the gate, Jun Xie gulped and tightened his fists, ready to take out the sword as soon as the ambush began.

    Suddenly he felt an arm on his shoulder, almost making him flinch.

    "Calm down. You will make them suspicious," Ye Tian Yun''s voice entered his ears.

    Jun Xie took a deep breath and took hold of himself.

    "I think thest guard is the Core Formation Realm cultivator," After a moment, Jun Xie whispered.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at the guards and tried to sense their cultivation once more.

    He had already done this earlier when they passed, but he failed.

    This time too, it was a failure.

    ''Well, I just need to get the Peak Master Duan busy so that I can attack Xiao Ming.''

    Ye Tian Yun marked his objective.

    ''But even then, I need to get a backup n at least and try not to have Jun Xie killed. Sigh, I really don''t wish to meddle too much.''

    Everyone got ready to pounce as the carriage came closer with every passing moment.

    Suddenly the carriage came to a halt for a moment, making everyone at the scene confused.

    *whip*

    The driver whipped once and forced the Ferghana horses to move.

    Suddenly the driver made an angry expression and kicked the maid beside him out of the carriage!

    The maid flew out and banged right on the wall, dropping unconscious.

    This move confused everyone; however, in the next moment, the driver gritted his teeth and called out, "Assassi-!"

    Before he could finish, his head fell down from his body, and the horses in front of him were also cut into two.

 Chapter 359 - 359 | Sudden Change In Situation!

    "Fucking horse!"

    Yuan Shuchun cursed at the scene, "Why did those bastards stop!"

    She punched the wall beside her and said, "You go and bring out the Core Formation cultivator. I will handle the rest."

    "Yes, Miss!" someone replied from across the wall.

    Yuan Shuchun tightened her fists, and a sword appeared in her hand, "It''s time to kill!"

    ˇ­

    Near the Ao Ba n Gates.

    The sudden kick to the maid by the guard had just confused everyone when suddenly the driver lost his neck, and even the Ferghana horses were cut into two.

    After a moment of total silence, as the guard''s head rolled on the ground, with his mouth still open, chaos ensued as everyone in the market began to run for life.

    A chill went through the Head Guard, and he jumped from his horse andnded right in front of the carriage.

    "Everyone stop!"

    He bellowed, but the fear was too much among the people, and it seemed as if no one cared.

    This angered the guard,

    "Anyone who moves dies!"

    This time he was louder.

    Many people came to a halt, but those who didn''t were suddenly killed.

    This frightened the people even more!

    "As I said, those who move will be killed." The Head Guard repeated himself and revealed his cultivation.

    Core Formation Realm!

    This shocked many, but for a few, this was what they were waiting for!

    Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie slightly nodded at each other and were ready to attack as soon as Peak Master Duan engaged the Head Guard.

    n Head Ao Ba Pa came running from inside and stood a few distances from the Head Guard, "Uncle, should we take the princess back in the n?"

    The Head Guard immediately shook his head, "This ce is the safest for her."

    Before Ao Ba Pa could reply, a sudden pain struck his chest as he felt being hit by a huge rock.

    "NO-!"

    The Head Guard was shocked by the scene at his side - Ao Ba Pa had been impaled on the ground, and his lifeless body was hanging on a spear!

    "Bastard! Who did this!? Come out if you have only one father!" The Head Guard snarled at the people in front of him.

    Seeing no reaction from them, "Come out, or all of you shall die!"

    "So feisty!" A voice called out.

    "Hm?" The Head Guard looked right in front of him, in the direction of the voice.

    A middle-aged man slowly walked out and stood fifteen steps away from the Head Guard.

    He was none other than Peak Master Duan Ming.

    However, for a Core Formation Realm, fifteen steps were nothing.

    In the next instant, the Head Guard was already above Peak Master Duan and shed his sword right through him.

    But his sword hit only air because Peak Master Duan had disappeared from that spot.

    "Bastard!" The Head Guard cursed and attacked once more - he had already noticed the location where Peak Master Duan had appeared.

    This time Peak Master Duan didn''t disappear - he counterattacked!

    Another Core Formation Realm aura suppressed everyone else.

    The other two guards had already rushed closer to the carriage - they had to guard the princess at all costs.

    "You-!" The Head Guard was surprised for a moment, "So you guys came prepared!?"

    Peak Master Duan smirked, "I alone am enough to handle all of you, haha!"

    As soon as he finished, the Head Guardunched himself in the air, and both of them began to exchange moves.

    With body light as a feather and heavy as the sky at the same time, a Core Formation Realm cultivator can fly in the air.

    And thus, both of them began fighting in the air. Peak Master Duan slowly was taking the fight away from the Princess.

    After a few minutes of silence -

    *boom!*

    A white smoke exploded through the market, blinding everyone for a second.

    In the next instant, Yuan Shuchun''s voice rang out -

    "NOW!"

    Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie immediately headed for the kill - targeting the guard on the left.

    Fu Kai and Qing Shen also ran forward - targeting the guard on the right.

    But just as Jun Xie was about to sh his sword on guard, someone caught his cor and pulled him back!

    "Retreat!"

    It was Ye Tian Yun!

    Jun Xie looked at him in confusion and anger; however, he felt powerless from the clutch.

    On the other hand, as soon as Fu Kai heard Ye Tian Yun''smand, he stopped for a moment. As for Qing Shen, he directly shed his sword right through the guard.

    But horror dawned upon both of them as the guard caught the sword with this bare hand and molded it!

    In the next instant, a dangerous aura suppressed both of them - the aura of a Core Realm Formation Cultivator!

    This guard was a Core Formation Realm cultivator!

    Before any of them could digest anything, the guard sneered and clenched Qing Shen''s forehead in his hand.

    *paat!*

    Blood mist covered the area in the next moment, and only a few blood drops of Qing Shen remained!

    "Fuck!"

    Everyone from the Gracious Sword Sect felt their hearts drop.

    The guard turned his head towards Fu Kai.

    Just one nce, and Fu Kai knew this was the end!

    "Ugh!"

    Suddenly something pulled his back.

    It was Ye Tian Yun.

    He pulled Fu Kai back and brought him closer to Jun Xie.

    ''Gulp!''

    Silence prevailed in the area, and slowly the smoke dispersed.

    The guards appeared in front of them.

    The left guard stood at his earlier location, while the other stepped forward and stood in front of a blood patch.

    This blood patch was Qing Shen just a few moments ago.

    "Fuck," Jun Xie gritted his teeth, "All of them are Core Formation Realm cultivators! Fuck Fuck fuck fuck!"

    Around them, the vendors and sellers who had been standing were now cut into two parts!

    Clearly, it was the work of the guards - they had spared only four of them - because a simple death wasn''t enough to satisfy these guards.

    Ye Tian Yun tightened his grip on the sword and readied himself to use all of his power.

    However, the guards were unaffected and even gave them a friendly smile.

 Chapter 360 - 360 | Ye Tian Yuns The Backup Plan?

    In one of the buildings, just a few blocks away, both Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming were hiding in shock!

    None of them dared to get to the battlefield - they knew this was the end for Jun Xie and the other two.

    ˇ­

    In a tavern just beside them.

    Qin Wentian frowned at the scene, "Whatever happens, the result will still be the same - none of them will be able to leave today! This city shall be buried with my Ji Yi."

    ˇ­

    On the Ground.

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and prepared himself tounch at least one attack.

    There was a forty percent chance that he was going to end up in a death-like state after this and a sixty percent chance that he was going to die.

    ''That guy will be appearing soon. My backup n should give us enough time to overturn the situation.''

    "Your efforts aremendable," The Guard on the right, who had just killed Qing Shen, said, "But you are really underestimating Core Formation Realm if you think there''s even the slightest chance of you to escape."

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth, "We will see."

    Just then -

    The Guard frowned and looked at the side.

    "Who are you?" He asked.

    An old man walked forward, "This young man belongs to us. Spare him, and we won''t interfere. Dare to harm him, and you will face death."

    ˇ­

    A few minutes earlier.

    In the tavern, the Elder was shocked to see the sudden turn in the situation.

    "Didn''t Shu Xian say there will be only one Core Formation Realm cultivator? Why the fuck are there three of them?"

    Even he couldn''t restrain himself from cursing.

    "Elder, what should we do?" Jia Lei Shan whispered.

    Even though he wasn''t on the battlefield, he felt frightened.

    Three Core Formation Realm cultivators were enough to level the whole Silver Mist Mountain!

    And he was just a Peak Qi Stabilization Realm cultivator.

    He won''t even survive a flick.

    The Elder frowned, "We can''t lose Yang Kai - the princess isn''t as important as him. I will distract the guards for a moment. You go and capture Yang Kai!"

    "Yes, Elder!" Jia Lei Shan nodded his head and nced at Ye Tian Yun, who was currently disguised as Kai Yang, a.k.a Yang Kai.

    ...

    "Who are you?" The guard frowned and asked again.

    The old man replied in an arrogant tone, "You are not worthy of knowing me. Just move aside, and do yourself a favor." Pointing at Ye Tian Yun, he said, "This kid belongs to us. You can take the rest and do as you like."

    The guard frowned, "We will know who''s worthy and who''s not. As for this kid, he dared to make an assassination attempt on her highness - he deserves death!"

    The Old man, who was actually the Devil Sect''s Elder, snarled at the guard, "You dare!"

    "Hmph!" The guard ignored him and flew towards Ye Tian Yun.

    In the next instant, he was about to cut Ye Tian Yun in two, but he suddenly felt being struck by a boulder from the side.

    "Piak! Cough cough!" The guard somersaulted a few times and struck on the wall, coughing up blood.

    "Old bastard!" The guard snarled and moved for an attack!

    "It''s been a long time, haha -e!" The Elder snarled and went for the attack.

    Another pair of Core Formation Realm began to fight, and the Elder, too, just like Peak Master Duan, took his opponent quite a distance away from the location.

    ˇ­

    Now, on the ground, there remained only five people - three people from Gracious Sword Sect''s side, thest guard, and the Third Princess Of Wu.

    The guard didn''t move - his priority was not killing the enemies but keeping the princess safe.

    He had confidence in his brothers, and he knew that those two would return in no time.

    Just then, someone called out - "We will handle these bastards!"

    It was Ao Ba Ho!

    The younger brother of the dead n Head Ao Ba PA!

    And behind Ao Ba Ho were all the guards from the Ao Ba n!

    The guard slightly nodded his head and permitted them to interfere.

    Ye Tian Yun, Jun Xie, and Fu Kai - the three of the entourage took a deep breath and readied themselves for a fight to the death.

    While Jun Xie and Fu Kai were focused on the Ao Ba n members in front of them - Ye Tian Yun''s mind was focused on something else.

    A hidden enemy!

    Waiting for the right opportunity to strike!

    ''The Devil Sectˇ­ only Jia Lei Shan remains. His cultivation was Peak Qi Stabilization, just like Yin Shan. I will be able to handle him.''

    ''But I hope my backup n - the Elder - survives long enough.''

    The main reason he had chosen toplicate matters rted to Shu Xian and Kai Yang and then disguise as Kai Yang was so that he could get back into the group, and there would be a protective cover on him.

    This protective cover was none other than the Devil Sect members.

    Unfortunately, he had to kill Yin Shanst night, or else the meat shield would have been a bit thicker!

    ''I still have my trump card.''

    ˇ­

    Within the tavern, Jia Lei Shan was waiting for the attack from Ao Ba n to begin - he had decided to use them as a distraction and attack from behind.

    He was not going to release any killing intent - by the time Yang Kai noticed him, it would be toote.

    "Attack!"

    Just then, Ao Ba Ho gave a war cry, and all the guards from the Ao Ba n jumped on the trio - ready to cut them into pieces.

    As soon as the first few guards reached them -

    "Now!"

    Jia Lei Shan went straight for Yang Kai.

    But something weird happened.

    As soon as he came out - including himself, everyone on the ground suddenly felt as if a wall of strong gale of air brushed past them.

    In the next moment, a very frightening pressure descended upon everyone!

    ...

    A/n (aug5): only two chapters today. I am currently traveling to the capital city so won''t be able to write anymore. please vote.

 Chapter 361 - 361 | Counterattack?

    Before Jia Lei Shan could understand what happened, he suddenly felt his body getting lighter and drowsy.

    By the time he reached the ground - Jia Lei Shan had breathed hisst.

    *paak!*

    *thud*

    His body and his head were separated in a clean strike.

    Everyone was shocked by this sudden change.

    "That''s the n Head of Jia Lei n!" One of the guards close to the corpse whispered.

    However, in the silence, his voice was loudest.

    Many took a deep breath after hearing those words.

    n Head of one of the top ns - Dead!

    This was the second death of a n Head in thest few minutes!

    Everyone turned their heads towards the person who killed n Head Jie Lai Shan. To their surprise, it was a disciple from the Gracious Sword Sect!

    ''Wasn''t this the disciple that old man wanted?''

    ''And that pressureˇ­''

    Many were confused about what they had suddenly witnessed, but for some - this was more shocking than the death of Jia Lei Shan.

    "Sword Intent!" Two words exploded in Jun Xie''s mind.

    ''This guy has a Sword Intent!''

    ''How the fuck- wait - it''s the same!''

    His breathing quickened as he joined one thing with the other - ''This aura was the same as Fang Chen, which he revealed in the Banquet a month ago!''

    ''But this is Kai Yang? How do both of them have the same aura!?''

    ˇ­

    In one of the alleys -

    Yuan Shuchun had a simr shocked expression.

    She, too, had identified the aura that suppressed everyone for a moment - it was the same as the one which a disciple in the banquet had revealed.

    ''But this one''s more powerful - did he breakthrough?'' She was confused, ''O no wait - this is Kai Yang - how could he have the same aura as that disciple.''

    ''Fang Chen was his nameˇ­ don''t tell meˇ­ Kai Yang is Fang Chen!? What the hell is going on?''

    ˇ­

    ''That was Sword intent?'' The guard was also frowning.

    ''Looks like I will have to be serious for a moment - but I couldn''t identify his Sword Intent realm - looking at his age, he will at most be in the Sword Intent Manifestation Realmˇ­''

    He readied himself for the attack.

    Even though he was a Core Formation Realm cultivator - if the enemy had Sword Intent, then even he needed to be careful and cautious.

    ''First, let''s assess his power.''

    "Why have you stopped?" The guard then suddenly shouted, "Kill them!"

    The guard looked at each other for a second and moved for the attack.

    Three guards jumped on Jun Xie and cut him into two!

    Another three stabbed Fu Kai to death!

    At the same time, few others attacked Ye Tian Yun and beheaded him!

    But before the guards could rejoice, the guard near the carriage suddenly shouted - "It''s an illusion!"

    Unfortunately, he was toote, and the guards were already lost in the dreams.

    Soon bodies plopped down as they fell to their death - not even knowing what killed them.

    "Dumb fucks!" The guard gritted his teeth and began striking the enemies.

    Just then - the ground suddenly lit up, and to everyone''s shock - spikes suddenly appeared from the ground!

    "Get back!" The guard gritted his teeth and flew in the air.

    "Ah!"

    "No!!!"

    "Ugh!"

    Many more guards died, but a few of them were able to survive this ambush.

    "Fuck!"

    Fu Kai suddenly shouted as a spear passed right through his foot!

    "Damn, where did this arraye from?"Jun Xie gritted his teeth, and together with Ye Tian Yun, he pulled Fu Kai to safety.

    As they got back, the ground was now divided into two sides -

    In the sky, the Core Formation Realm guard stared down at them, assessing everything on the ground to locate any more hidden arrays. And below him, on the ground, were the remaining guards of Ao Ba n.

    Unfortunately, they were not as motivated as the guard in the sky and were staring at the front in pure horror.

    In front of them was the corpse of Ao Ba Ho, who had led this attack, cut into two halves.

    The spear that came out from the ground right between his legs and then went past through his head, cutting his body into two parts and giving an instant death!

    The guard looked at the corpse in disdain for a moment and then focused on the targets.

    Just as he was about tounch himself on them - two people jumped from behind and stood in front of the injured Fu Kai.

    Jun Xie let out a relief when seeing the two - something that he had never thought he would feel.

    These two were Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming.

    "Sorry for the dy, but I was waiting for the right time." Yuan Shuchun said.

    Fu Kai clenched his teeth to ovee the pain, "It''s alright, but next time, at least tell us about such a thing first."

    "Hmph!" Suddenly, the guard in the sky grunted and said, "There are no more arrays - kill them!"

    The Ao Ba n guards took a deep breath and went straight towards the enemy - jumping over the dead bodies and spears erected from the ground.

    "Kai Yang, try to hold that guard back as much as you can. Peak Master Duan will be here soon," Yuan Shuchun said and went for the attack.

    She was clearly referring to him about the Sword Intent he had just released.

    Unfortunately, it didn''t seem like Ye Tian Yun had heard her words - he was staring on the ground with a nk look in his eyes.

    Jun Xie, who was also about to follow Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming, noticed this and jerked Ye Tian Yun''s shoulders, "What happened!?"

    But Ye Tian Yun gave him no response.

    Before Jun Xie could do anything else, the Ao Ba n guards had already reached them.

    "I will handle him - you go!" Fu Kai suddenly shouted and stumbled closer to Ye Tian Yun.

    Jerking Ye Tian Yun''s shoulders, Fu Kai began to shout in his ears.

    "Wake up! What happened to you all of a sudden?"

 Chapter 362 - 362 | Sword Saint!?

    ''What the fuck is going on!?''

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and tried to focus.

    The sudden release of Sword Intent had affected him; however, the drawback wasn''t as intense as it was during the Gracious Sword Sect''s time.

    ''Ugh!''

    Suddenly Ye Tian Yun felt a jerk on his shoulder and was brought back to reality.

    "We need to retreat fast! Kai Yang!!"

    It was Fu Kai who was calling.

    ''Hmm? '' Ye Tian Yun frowned and looked at his side.

    There were lots of corpses lying around. They were either guards ormoners. Even n Head Jia Lei Shan''s head was lying just a few feet away from him.

    ''Concentrate!''

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and focused on the remaining enemies.

    However, one thing shocked him - the remaining guard of Princess Wu Qingwu had Xiao Ming held up in the air by his neck.

    ''Fuck! If this guy died, then everyone would know about Token Of Fate!''

    Ye Tian Yun had to do something before the guard killed Xiao Ming.

    ''To think I will one day save Xiao Ming''s lifeˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun grunted and charged forward.

    He passed Jun Xie, and Yuan Shuchun - both of them were fighting off the guards from Ao Ba n.

    Suddenly a thought sprang in his mind, and without turning back, he whispered something - only audible to one person in the whole battlefield - Fu Kai.

    Fu Kai, who was currently incapacitated due to the spear through his leg, was confused by Ye Tian Yun''s words but chose to trust and started looking for an opportunity.

    ˇ­

    In the tavern, Wang Yao frowned at the scene in front of him.

    "He chose to reveal his Sword Intent? Interesting. But it''s clear that even though he had the power, he hasn''t used it much."

    "How did he get the Sword Domain so fast? Is it because of that thing?"

    He couldn''t help but contemte.

    ''Hm? Will he save Xiao Ming? The Token Of Fateˇ­ didn''t that bastard Xiao Ming tell everyone that he found the token during the mission? Then what''s the need to keep him alive? Why is this guy saving Xiao Ming?''

    Sometimes, Wang Yao felt confused about Ye Tian Yun''s actions - and this was mainly due to the constraints of using the Emblem Of Time.

    Due to the emblem, he could only look at the target''s actions and nothing else.

    He couldn''t interfere.

    He couldn''t see what was happening in other ces. Like he didn''t know what Xiao Ming did after leaving this tavern three days ago.

    He only knew what was happening with the target - even then, he couldn''t read their thoughts.

    ''So troublesome.''

    Wang Yao hated this constraint.

    And this was also the reason why he was patiently waiting here even though everyone else from the God''s Legion had returned back to the future.

    To them, Ye Tian Yun was already dead - the difference between Ye Tian Yun and Wang Yao''s current cultivation was just too huge.

    Ye Tian Yun would have to risk his life to hold back a Core Formation Realm cultivator, but for Wang Yao, a single look would be enough to kill the same.

    This was why they lost interest and returned back to the future - everything here was anticlimactic to them.

    ''Those idiotsˇ­''

    To some extent, Wang Yao was relieved that they left - because this constraint had actually made him quite weaker.

    ''Fucking Emblems - they just create difficulty. Godly artifacts, my ass!''

    ''Just a few more minutes and I will get what I need - if things get to worse, I will interfere - the Heaven''s Will can suck my dick.''

    ˇ­

    Outside the city,

    Peak Master Duan and the Head Guard were standing in front of each other.

    However, the condition of the two was heaven and earth apart - one was standing nonchnt, while the other was severely injured.

    "You should give up. Just tell me who you are, and I will leave your corpse intact."

    The Head Guard''s cold voice echoed in the valley.

    In front of him, Peak Master Duan gritting his teeth, said, "You fucker, to use poison - how low can you be?"

    It was Peak Master Duan who was in a near-death state, and the Head Guard was standing with his hands behind his back, with a cold and expressionless face.

    "It''s quite hypocritical of you to say that when you''re the one who''s the assassin here." The Head Guard replied.

    "Hmph! This is not over," Peak Master Duan took out two more swords and moved for another attack.

    ˇ­.

    Near the Jia n Gates,

    *plop*

    A body suddenly fell to the ground.

    It was the Elder from Devil Sect.

    "That wasn''t hard." The guard smirked and flew higher in the air.

    After some time - he observed two battlefields.

    ''Looks like there won''t be any trouble with the new princess Wu - there''s no high-rank cultivator in the vicinity, just a few kids.''

    ''But thereˇ­'' The Guard frowned and slowly moved towards the battlefield in the valley.

    After a few minutes, he hid himself and waited for the right opportunity.

    In front of him, the assassin and his Head Guard were fighting.

    But after a few blows, it seemed the assassin was finally taking the high ground and would be able to defeat his superior in a few more blows.

    ''I told him poison could only do this much.'' The guard let out a sigh and prepared for a sneak attack to kill the assassin.

    After a few seconds, as soon as an opening appeared -

    ''Now!'' the guard tightened his grip over his sword and moved for the kill.

    It hadn''t even been an instant that suddenly the clouds in the sky converged and hid the bright sun.

    *crackle!!!!*

    Lighting began to strike on random ces!

    But the guard went on for the kill - he was not going to miss this opportunity!

    However, before he could reach the assassin - a sudden pressure overwhelmed everything and anything around him, including the three of them in the valley.

    Only one thought popped in their heads -

    ''There''s a Sword Saint!?''

 Chapter 363 - 363 | Death

    A few minutes ago.

    Gritting his teeth, Ye Tian Yun had gone straight for the guard who was about to kill Xiao Ming.

    Seeing him approaching, the guard smirked and took out a sword from his spatial ring in his free hand.

    Just when Ye Tian Yun was a few feet away from him, the guard immediately shed his sword.

    Ye Tian Yun moved his wrists and blocked the iing sword Qi sh!

    Both of his hands had a sword, forming an ''X'' to block the attack.

    However, the attack was still powerful and agonizing - it ripped through Ye Tian Yun''s robes and even scratched his skin.

    However, he wasn''t affected much, and as soon as the pressure stopped, Ye Tian Yun made his move -

    ''One Sword For All!''

    *siu!*

    The Core Formation Realm guard, however, easily blocked his attack.

    "Brat, don''t you see the difference in our cultivation? The only reason why you''re still alive is that I want to have some fun." The guard smirked.

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and went for another attack -

    But this time, the guard frowned, "Alright, if that''s what you want."

    He moved his hand and threw the powerless body of Xiao Ming in the air and then headed straight for Ye Tian Yun!

    Before Ye Tian Yun couldplete his move, the guard was already above his head.

    He smirked as he saw the expression of utter fear and despair in Ye Tian Yun''s eyes and shed his sword right through his head.

    *plop!*

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t resist, and his body was sliced into two halves!

    "Trash, hmph!" The guard grunted and turned his head towards Yuan Shuchun - his next target.

    Just then, a bad premonition overcame his senses, ''Oh no!''

    Before he could fly away-

    *siu*

    *plop*

    "AARGHHHH!!!!!" The guard cried out loud as his arm fell on the ground!

    Ye Tian Yun appeared and once again went for the head - unfortunately, the guard had already gone out of range.

    "You brat!" The guard covered his fleshed arm and cried out loud.

    Ye Tian Yun took a fighting position - ready to attack.

    He gave a side nce at Jun Xie, and both of their eyes met - nodding their heads, they acknowledged the cooperation.

    Just a few seconds ago, when the guard attacked Ye Tian Yun, Jun Xie used his illusion technique at the right time - making the Guard ''see'' himself cutting the enemy in half.

    However, in reality, Ye Tian Yun had moved from his position and had sliced his sword on the Guard''s head.

    Unfortunately, the illusionsted for that mere instant, and the guard became aware of this trick.

    He immediately flew in the air, but the sword had alreadye close to him. However, the sword missed his neck and hit him just below his shoulder - cutting his arm.

    Staring at the guard, Ye Tian Yun prepared himself for another attack - the guard was not severely weakened. It still wasn''t enough to turn around the situation.

    In the air, the guard took a pill, and after easing the pain, he went straight for Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun brandished both of his swords and was ready to defend.

    However, something unexpected happened - right before the guard reached Ye Tian Yun, he changed direction!

    "Fuck!" In the exact instance, Ye Tian Yun knew what the guard was up to - he was going after Jun Xie!

    Jun Xie, despite having high cultivation, he was weak inbat because he focused more on his Spirit Sense - and the gap of power between the guard and him was so much that he couldn''t even do anything but stare at the approaching death!

    In the next moment, the guard moved his sword and sliced at Jun Xie''s chest.

    With this illusion technique useless, Jun Xie could only confront the guard with this sword; unfortunately, the gap between the power was too much.

    The Guard''s sword cut through Jun Xie''s chest, and then, turning his body, the guard gave a powerful kick to Jun Xie.

    *bang!*

    Jun Xie''s body mmed on the opposite wall.

    He wasn''t breathing!

    Nor was his heart beating!

    ˇ­.

    "NO!!!!!!"

    Ye Tian Yun''s face was filled with shock and disbelief as he stared at the unmoving body of Jun Xie.

    ''Fuck fuck fuck fuck!''

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth - his mind suddenly became nk.

    Jun Xie was not supposed to die!

    How the fuck was he dead!?

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t believe what had just happened.

    ''He died because of meˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun regretted the fact that he had secretly signaled Jun Xie to create the illusion earlier to trick the guard.

    Unfortunately, the guard had survived and killed Jun Xie.

    ''Fuck, I didn''t even tell him about his fatherˇ­ what will I tell his fatherˇ­ ugh..''

    This was Ye Tian Yun''s biggest regret at the moment.

    Jun Xie''s father was very close to Ye Tian Yun, and now Jun Xie died because of Ye Tian Yun.

    Before he coulde back to his senses - the guard had suddenly moved!

    *bang*

    The guard went for a kick and sent Ye Tian Yun flying.

    Ye Tian Yunnded on the corpses of the horses that got cut by the array when the ambush began.

    "Brat, you won''t die this easilyˇ­ I will take out every ounce of your blood."

    The guard gritted his teeth and then focused once again on Yuan Shuchun.

    He was now going to target her!

    "Duan Ming!" As soon as he turned, Yuan Shuchun immediately shouted Peak Master Duan''s name.

    It may seem cowardice, but this was the only solution in this situation.

    Her shout even confused the guard and made him on alert.

    The guard jumped and flew in the air, staring all around. He tried to look for any hidden enemy.

    "Hmph!" Seeing no oneing, the guard went straight for the kill.

    Ye Tian Yun saw this and immediately moved.

    He wasn''t looking for a chance to save Yuan SHuchun, but rather wanted to catch the Core Formation Realm cultivator off guard!

    ''Sword Intent! Come out!''

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and used all his strength towards the guard.

    In the next instant - a huge shockwave exploded with Ye Tian Yun at its center.

    Dark clouds converged in the sky and covered the sun.

    *crackle!*

    *boom!*

    Lightning struck the ground out of nowhere, and before anyone could judge what was going on, another bolt of lightning came and hit the guard!

    ˇ­.

 Chapter 364 - 364 | Black Lightning Sword Domain Swallows The Silver Mist City!

    It''s an irrefutable fact that only Sword Saints can create Sword Domains.

    There had never once been an instance in the history of cultivation when a cultivator below the Half Saint Realm reached the threshold of Sword Domain.

    So when a sudden pressure descended upon the Silver Mist City, almost everyone had one single thought - this was a Sword Saint!

    Even the heavens agreed to this as the clouds began to cover the sky, and thend was lit up by lightning.

    "Thisˇ­"

    Everyone in the city looked at the sky. Some were horrified, a few were overjoyed, but all were shocked.

    Thest time a Sword Saint appeared in the Silver Mist City was when trees could walk, and rocks would talk.

    And today, people of this city felt as if they were witnessing a historical moment.

    However, not everyone was excited about this -

    Outside the city, the two guards and Peak Master Duan stopped in their tracks and stared at the sky.

    "Thisˇ­ this is a huge Sword Domain!" Peak Master Duan said aloud.

    Suddenly, a bad premonition popped in his mind, ''There''s no Sword Saint among usˇ­ don''t tell me a Sword Saint is guarding the Princess!? Fuck!"

    However, a simr thought shed through the minds of the guards -

    ''There''s no Sword Saint amongst usˇ­ don''t tell me there''s a Sword Saint here to assassinate the princess!? Fuck!''

    However, when the three stared at each other - it didn''t take a long time before they judged from each other''s expression that this Sword Saint didn''t belong to anyone''s party.

    This made all three of them think of the same conclusion -

    ''Don''t tell me we have disturbed a reclusive Sword Saint hidden in the city? Fuck, I will nevere back here if I can leave alive today.''

    Without any further thoughts, all three of them dropped fighting and rushed back to the Ao Ba n.

    ''I need to protect the Princess!''

    The same thought shed through them once again.

    Albeit, for the guards, the princess was Wu Qingwu, but for Peak Master Duan, the princess was Yuan Shuchun.

    ˇ­.

    While the whole city and everyone in the surroundings were stunned by the pressure and the dark sky, one group was shocked by something else.

    It was the Ao Ba n guards and the Gracious Sword Sect entourage.

    They were not staring at the sky but rather at a figure in the middle of the ground.

    It was the figure of a young man, who had suddenly turned himself into the God of the sky - his eyes turned white, and his upper robs turned into smithereens, revealing his bulging muscles, his hair flying backward, while his whole body was wrapped with lightning!

    And the worst of all, this was a never-seen-before colored lightning - ck Lightning!

    ''Sword Saintˇ­.''

    A single thought shed through everyone''s mind.

    Yuan Shuchun stared at the scene with her eyes open as wide as they could be. She was whispering one single word, "Impossibleˇ­ Impossibleˇ­ Impossibleˇ­ "

    With every passing second, it was getting harder for her to believe that the young man in front of her, whom she had never even considered her equal, was actually a Sword Saint!

    Just like everyone else in the city, she felt like she was dreaming.

    How could there be such a young Sword Saint!? And weird of all, his cultivation was barely reaching the peak of Qi Stabilization Realm!

    ''But this can''t be fakeˇ­''

    She could see from the corner of her eyes that the lightning striking from the sky was doing big damage to the ground around them.

    Even the guard, a Core Formation Realm cultivator, was heavily injured after a single strike from the ck Lightning!

    ''How could such a thing be faked?''

    She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Not because of her unstable emotions, but rather, she needed help!

    After a second, she opened her palm, and something plopped on the ground - it was hard to define what it was because it was crushed.

    In the valley, Peak Master Duan paused for a moment and then doubled his speed.

    Simr to her, Fu Kai was looking at the scene in pure shock and amazement. Finally, he felt like there was some hope and then remembered the task Ye Tian Yun had whispered to him a few minutes earlier. Fu Kai gulped and began moving once again.

    ˇ­

    The Core Formation Realm guard, who had been thrown back by the sudden lightning attack, stood back up on his feet and got ready to attack.

    Even though he knew that the chances of leaving this ce were now unexpectedly minimal, he was not going down very easily.

    "I will take you with me," He gritted his teeth as he stared at Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, was trying to get used to the Sword Intent.

    ''Fuck, the first thing I will do after all this is done is practice Sword Domain. I shouldn''t have hurried too much. I never got the chance to use it before this fight.''

    The guard took Ye Tian Yun''s silence as a sign of arrogance.

    "You fucker! Just because you have Lightning Sword Domain, you think you can beat me?" The guard gritted his teeth while saying, "There''s no way you will be able to handle Sword Domain for long - your cultivation is still in the Qi Condensation Realm!"

    It didn''t take long for the guard to get a hold of himself from shock and anger to assess the situation.

    Having gone through many life and death battles in his life, the guard was a veteran, and he could regain hisposure and fight.

    The guard prepared himself for another attack.

    "Fuck it, as I said, even if I die, I won''t go down this easily." The guard gritted his teeth and headed straight towards the young man wrapped in lightning.

    However, just as he reached - the young man suddenly disappeared!

    "What the fuc- ugh!"

    In the next instant - the guard was immediately cut into blocks!

    "NOOOO!!!" A shout echoed through half of the city.

 Chapter 365 - 365 | "Hes Not Yours To Kill!"

    "NOOOO!!!" A shout echoed through half of the city.

    Yuan Shuchun and Ye Tian Yun turned their heads towards the shout - and to their surprise, it was the Core Formation Realm cultivators that had left the city to fight.

    Peak Master Duan, the Head Guard, and the other guard.

    It was the Head Guard who had shouted, and currently, he was seething in anger and shock.

    Beside him, the guard was stumped after seeing how easily the Sword Saint had killed one of his brothers.

    As for Peak Master Duan, he was in a heavily injured state - mainly due to the poisonous attacks done by the Head Guard.

    He, too, was surprised, But the worry for Yuan SHuchun surpassed anything else for him, and his expression became visibly relieved when he saw Yuan Shuchun safe.

    "You fucking brat! I will kill you!" The Head Guard suddenly shouted and went for the attack on Ye Tian Yun.

    Seeing Yuan Shuchun standing nearby, the other guard easily concluded that she was an enemy, and thus he went after her.

    In the next instant, both of these guards appeared right behind the two disciples of Gracious Sword Sect!

    Peak Master Duan, shocked by the sudden change, used all his power to save the disciples.

    Unfortunately, he was alone, and the disciples were two - that meant he could only save one of them!

    The choice was obvious.

    Peak Master Duan immediately appeared in front of the guard and blocked his attack on Yuan Shuchun.

    On the other side, Ye Tian Yun moved his sword and blocked the iing attack.

    Being a Peak Core Formation Realm cultivator, the Head Guard was confident that he could take out the kid in front of him.

    However -

    *bang!*

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun did a flip and appeared right behind him.

    Before the Head Guard could do anything, Ye Tian Yun had already shed his sword!

    However, in thest instant, the Head Guard moved sideways and barely saved himself from getting beheaded.

    *piak!*

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t hesitate even a single bit; since the sword attack had missed, he immediatelynded a kick behind the Head Guard''s back and sent him flying on one of the taverns.

    *boom!*

    His body walloped right through the walls.

    "Be careful; he uses poisons!"

    These words entered Ye Tian Yun''s ears.

    He instantly knew whose voice it was - Peak Master Duan.

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight nod and went towards the Head Guard, who was trying to get his bnce in the destroyed tavern.

    "Fuck, what the hellˇ­ that bratˇ­ I was sure he wasn''t a Sword Saint as soon as Iid my eyes on him, but the Sword Domainˇ­ it''s real! How the fuck is this possible!?"

    The Head Guard couldn''t wrap his mind around the situation.

    He gritted his teeth and tried to get up.

    Suddenly -

    "Oh shit!"

    *boom!*

    A barrage of lightning began to strike the destroyed tavern!

    *bang!*

    *boom!*

    *crackle!*

    *ziuk~!*

    ˇ­

    Meanwhile, a minute ago, the guard and Peak Master Duan were engaged in a fierce fight on the other side.

    Peak Master Duan was giving his all - he was not going to let anyone harm Yuan Shuchun in his presence.

    But the guard wasn''t focused on the battle - he was confused.

    Confused by the sudden increase of aggression from his opponent.

    ''If he continues to fight like this, I am bound to miss one of his attacks and die here!''

    The guard wanted to ask his opponent why the hell was he not using full power during the fight with the Head Guard - if he had, the Head Guard would have been easily killed!

    ''I am lucky that he is poisoned and weakened, or else I wouldn''t even be his opponent.''

    The guard gritted his teeth and tried once again to go offensive instead of defensive.

    Suddenly his enemy shouted - "Be careful, he uses poisons!"

    ''Hm? Now!''

    This small distraction in the enemy was enough for the guard to take heavy advantage of his enemy.

    Just as he swung his sword, the guard suddenly noticed something.

    ''This guy is not protecting himselfˇ­ he''s protecting the girl!''

    The guard moved and tried to attack the girl, but his enemy instantly blocked him!

    He tried a few more times, and every time he did so, his enemy would interfere, no matter how battered his condition was.

    ''This guyˇ­''

    The guard clenched his teeth and suddenly retreated.

    As expected, his enemy didn''t chase him.

    ''He really is protecting the girl!''

    The guard frowned, ''Why? Don''t tell me that girl is some princess? No - a princess won''te out to assassinate an enemy.''

    Suddenly, the guard noticed a young man trying to move and regain his senses.

    ''He''s wearing the same robes as that girlˇ­ he''s also an assassin.''

    ''Let''s see how he protects him!''

    The guard moved and appeared right in front of the young man''s head.

    Seeing his surroundings, it was easy to assess that this young man was thrown on the wall and had gone unconscious.

    ''He must have been thrown on the wall.''

    The guard moved and picked the young man by his cor and then took him high in the sky.

    Just then -

    *bang!*

    *boom!*

    *crackle!*

    *ziuk~!*

    A sudden attack of lightning on a building shocked him.

    And seeing the young man with Sword Domain moving towards the building, a fearful thought popped up in his mind, ''Don''t tell me that guy is attacking my Head Guardˇ­''

    "Put him down!"

    Suddenly, a shout attracted his attention.

    "Put him down, you bastard!"

    It was the girl from earlier, the one whom his enemy was trying his best to protect.

    The guard frowned and looked at the young man in his hand, ''Don''t tell me this is someone important! That''s a jackpot!''

    He smirked at the girl and said, "Brat, you people have annoyed me too much - watch as I cut this boy into pieces!"

    Suddenly, another voice was heard.

    "He''s not yours to kill."

    It was low yet terrifying!

    Before the guard could think of anything, he was suddenly struck by an endless barrage of lightning, just like his Head Guard.

 Chapter 366 - 366 | The End

    *bang!*

    *boom!*

    *crackle!*

    *ziuk~!*

    Nonstop lightning fell from the sky in two ces - creating two ck pirs of lightning!

    "Thisˇ­"

    Both Peak Master Duan and Yuan Shuchun were shocked to witness the scene in front of them.

    "This guy is terrifyingˇ­"

    Peak Master Duan gulped.

    He clearly remembered when Sect Leader Su had told him that there was a disciple who had reached the Sword Attainment Realm of Sword Intent in the Inner Court; that alone had shocked him so much.

    And today, there was a Core Disciple in front of him who had actually reached the Sword Domain realm before even crossing the Tri-Qi stages!

    ''Once all this is over, everything that happened here is going to shock the whole worldˇ­''

    Just then -

    *Boom!*

    "I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU! YOU BASTARD!"

    An angry shout suddenly entered his ears.

    Turning his head, he found the Head Guarding out of the tavern - half of his skin was charred!

    Yet the Head Guard ignored his own condition and shouted, "You son of bitch! Do you think a mere strike of lightning can hurt me!?"

    ''Hm?'' Ye Tian Yun turned his head and stared at the man for a second. And then, slightly bending his knees, he ran straight towards him.

    "Come, you bastard!" The Head Guard clenched his teeth and took out his sword.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun approached him, the Head Guard raised his sword and went for a direct sh!

    When he was just a few feet away from the Head Guard, Ye Tian Yun jumped in the air and moved his sword to cut down the Head Guard into two pieces!

    On the ground, the Head Guard smirked as he waited for Ye Tian Yun to get into the range, and then with just a simple sword move, he would be able to cut Ye Tian Yun!

    Suddenly, something weird happened.

    When Ye Tian Yun reached the peak of his jump and was just about to start falling straight on the Head Guard - the lightning covered his sword once again!

    Peak Master Duan, who was witnessing this from the side, saw a sh of ck dragon-like lightninging down from the sky and wrapping around the disciple, and then it went on to gulp the Head Guard!

    *booom!!!!!!*

    Thend below the feet suddenly shook as sparks and debris flew far from the impact of the attack!

    Many buildings were destroyed, and a huge cloud of dust filled the sky!

    After a few minutes, as the dust settled and the view became a bit cleared, Peak Master Duan, who had covered Yuan Shuchun and had his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

    In front of him was the disciple - Kai Yang covered in lightning and sword intent.

    And near his feet were two charred pieces of meat!

    ''He killed the Head Guard!''

    Even though Peak Master Duan had known the result somewhere in his heart, he was still shocked by the result.

    The Head Guard was a Peak Core Formation Realm cultivator. Even if Peak Master Duan went all out against him, there was a chance he might not seed in killing the Head Guard.

    On top of that, the Head Guard was also a poison master, which increased the danger exponentially.

    Yet, the disciple in front of him was able to kill such a powerful opponent easily!

    ''This guyˇ­ must not be an enemy of Miss Yuan!''

    Peak Master took a deep breath and looked around -

    Everywhere there were bodies, limbs, and heads...the whole ce seemed like a ughterhouse!

    ''Where''s the princess Wu Qingwu!?''

    A question popped up in Peak Master Duan''s head.

    They sacrificed so much, and yet they hadn''t evenid eyes on the target!

    Peak Master gritted his teeth and flew towards the unmoving carriage, leaving behind Yuan Shuchun, who was still stumped by the fight between the Head Guard and Ye Tian Yun.

    ˇ­

    Peak Master Duan moved closer to the carriage. Tightening his grip over the sword, he shed right across it!

    *siu!*

    The carriage was suddenly cut into two!

    Peak Master Duan inspected the insides and was shocked by the findings.

    There was a female corpse inside.

    And white foam was oozing out of her mouth!

    "That fucker!" Peak Master Duan turned his head towards the charred body of Head Guard, "He killed the princess with his own poison!"

    The corpse had the attire of a princess, and there were few spots on the corpses, which were exactly the same as the ones on Peak Master Daun!

    And he got them when he fought against the Head Guard!

    ''They were nning to kill the princess!? Then why the fuck guard her and even give your life for someone you killed with your own hands?''

    Peak Master Duan was confused about what was going on.

    Suddenly, the sky began to clear out.

    Peak Master Duan nced at Ye Tian Yun, who was now returning to normal as the Sword Domain slowly got back.

    "Fucker sealed his own death." Ye Tian Yun growled.

    For him, mother was his reverse scale. The moment Head Guard called him a son of bitch, his coffin was sealed.

    "Now where the fuck is Xiao Ming. It''s time to finish the real job."

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and turned towards the unconscious Xiao Ming.

    In front of him were Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming.

    It seemed that while he was fighting the Head Guard, Yuan Shuchun had gone to Xiao Ming and was now trying to wake him up.

    The guard whom Ye Tian Yun had cut into pieces had first targeted Xiao Ming, and had almost killed him even after Ye Tian Yun''s interference.

    And after some time, the guard had then thrown Xiao Ming on a nearby building, making him unconscious and incapable of fighting.

    Ye Tian Yun flipped his palm and instantly a sword appeared in his hand.

    *ziu!*

    In the next instant, Ye Tian Yun had already reached Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming and was about to sh his sword.

 Chapter 367 - 367 | They Meet

    *ziu!*

    In the next instant, Ye Tian Yun had already reached Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming and was about to sh his sword.

    But right at that time -

    *ng!*

    Peak Master Duan blocked Ye Tian Yun.

    "What are you trying to do!" Peak Master Duan shouted.

    He was confused by sudden actions from Ye Tian Yun.

    "They are our allies! Get a hold of yourself!" He added.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at him and was ready to take out Sword Intent once again, but -

    *tap*

    *tap*

    *tap*

    A man slowly walked out in the open.

    All three of them turned towards him.

    Peak Master Duan frowned, and suddenly, out of instinct, he put his hand in front of Yuan SHuchun, guarding her.

    The man was wearing violet robs and had a very different air around him.

    Looking at the scene around him and letting out a smile.

    "That was an intense one." He said, and then ncing at Ye Tian Yun, he added, "I honestly was surprised with your Sword Intent."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Who are you? You look quite familiar."

    Indeed the man seemed quite familiar. It was as if they had met, yet Ye Tian Yun couldn''t tell who this was.

    "We met when I was young." The man replied, "Maybe you would remember that."

    Ye Tian Yun''s expression eased it a bit, "I don''t remember, but if you were watching the whole fight, and you didn''t show yourself earlier, clearly you are here for something or someone. What do you want?"

    The man smiled, "I want a lot of things, and one of them is here. But before that," He then turned towards Peak Master Duan and said, "Every time you fought, you gave priority to Yuan Shuchun''s safety. I mustmend your loyalty."

    "Your young miss is lucky to have you as a guard."

    Peak Master Duan frowned and was ready to defend against any sudden attack.

    As if the man had read his mind, he smiled at him, "Duan Ming, you''re too worried. I am an ally of yours."

    "Ally?" Peak Master Duan frowned, "How do you know my name? And if you were an ally, why didn''t youe out and help us earlier?"

    The man shrugged, "I didn''t care."

    "Then why do you call yourself an ally of the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    This question made the manugh, "Ally of Gracious Sword Sect? Oh no, no, I don''t care about this sect. I was talking about Yuan Xuming."

    As soon as Yuan Shuchun and Peak Master Duan heard this name, their expression turned pale.

    Peak Master Duan immediately got a hold of Yuan Shuchun''s hand, ready to run away at a moment''s notice.

    Then he asked, "How do you know him?"

    The man thought for a moment and said, "You can sayˇ­ long ago, we used to be business partners."

    "Business partners?" This term made both of them even more alert.

    The man shook his head, "Well, you''re not the one I am here for, so don''t be afraid."

    Then turning his head at the confused Ye Tian Yun, he said, "I am here for you, Ye Tian Yun."

    ''Ye Tian Yun..? Who is that? Isn''t he Kai Yang?''

    This name confused the two, but for Ye Tian Yun, this was a big shock.

    Within a moment, he recovered hisposure and replied, "I am Kai Yang. I think you got the wrong person."

    The man shook his head, "There''s no need to hide anymore, Ye Tian Yun. To think the most talented person under the heavens was hiding in the Lower Heavens, constantly changing identities and even risking his cultivation speed - just for a mere token."

    Ye Tian Yun immediately frowned, and before he could have been ignorant, but now it seemed that this man knew all his secrets!

    "Who are you?" Ye Tian YUn asked him.

    The man let out a sigh, "I thought you would see me and go crazy, but it seems your memory has clouded. It''s just been about six to eight months since west met."

    Peak Master Duan suddenly interjected, "How about having this meet and greet after some time? We need to get out of here before someone elsees - we don''t want any witnesses!"

    The man thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, this is what I was thinking - I don''t want any witnesses too. But the thing is, I can''t just let you people leave this ce. I came here to destroy something very important, and now I will, but today''s incident quite entertained me, so I will be quite generous and not start anything unless you leave the city."

    Ye Tian Yun nced at Xiao Ming and said, "Well, Xiao Ming won''t be leaving this ce."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked and moved for an attack.

    "No!!" Yuan Shuchun shouted and came in between.

    *sh!*

    *plop!*

    "MISS!!!" Peak Master Duan shouted in despair as he saw Yuan Shuchun''s dead body fall on the ground. He was facing the man instead of Ye Tian Yun, and even with this cultivation realm, it all happened so fast that he couldn''t even react.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t hesitate and went for Xiao Ming.

    But suddenly, something weird happened -

    He felt himself going backward!

    And then, Yuan Shuchun''s head began to roll back towards her body.

    After a few more backward steps, he saw Yuan Shuchun''s head getting attached, and she too went backward, and then she moved to cover Xiao Ming.

    Everything was getting undone!

    Time was going back!

    "Thisˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun immediately understood what was going on.

    Emblem Of Time!

    Wang Yao!

    He slowly turned his head towards the man, and with a shocked expression, he whispered, "Youˇ­."

    The man was amused at his reaction, "Indeed, it''s me. How have you been?"

    "You fucker!" Yellow-ck lightning covered Ye Tian Yun in the next moment, and his Sword Domain spread out!

    The man simply shook his head and raised his hand.

    *snap!*

    With a snap of the finger, everything returned to normal!

    Ye Tian Yun''s sword intent got suppressed!

    "Even when you were at your peak today, I would still need a snap of my finger to defeat you." Wang Yao smiled.

 Chapter 368 - 368 | Ye Tian Yuns Analysis

    "Even when you were at your peak today, I would still need a snap of my finger to defeat you." Wang Yao smiled.

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and tried for one more attack, "One Sword For Al- ugh!"

    He suddenly felt a jerk on his stomach and was thrown backward.

    Wang Yao had appeared at his ce and had kicked him back to the ground.

    Tightly gripping his sword and putting his body weight on it to bnce, Ye Tian Yun slowly stood up while looking for an opening.

    Wang Yao shook his head seeing this, "Ye Tian Yun, it''s just been a few months, and your bones have be rusty. I am only a peak Qi Stabilization Realm cultivator right now, yet you''re powerless in front of me."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at him.

    Indeed Wang Yao was a Peak Qi Stabilization Realm cultivator, which was just two levels above him. However, the power difference was somehow too huge.

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "How can you have the same cultivation as me? Last time I saw you, you were a half saint."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Well,ing back in the timeline has its repercussions. Unfortunately for you, only my cultivation realm is suppressed."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and changed his swords in an instant.

    Wang Yao shook his head, "It''s no use. Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, you''re just a little sheep in front of me now."

    This small exchange rmed Peak Master Duan and Yuan Shuchun.

    Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun!

    In the Middle Heavens, before a kid even learned to walk and talk, they would have already heard of his name.

    Ye Tian Yun was a household name.

    But they didn''t understand what was going on.

    No matter what be the case, Peak Master Duan understood that now his priorities had to be adjusted!

    Just as Wang Yao was about to move for another attack, Peak Master Duan jumped right between him and Ye Tian Yun.

    "Hm? Do you really want to die this sooner? Didn''t I say I am feeling generous today and will let you leave this city?" Wang Yao asked with an expressionless face.

    Peak Master Duan gritted his teeth, "I serve Sword Saint Yuan Xuming."

    "Oh? So Yuan Xuming and Emperor Ye were friends way before anyone could have thought." Wang Yao frowned.

    It was clear that Peak Master Duan was trying to protect Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun after knowing his identity, and his actions were a representation of Sword Saint Yuan Xuming''s will.

    Him protecting Ye Tia Yun meant that Sword Saint Yuan Xuming and Emperor Ye were actually close friends!

    This was news for Wang Yao, because to the public, they had always acted as if both hated each other''s guts but couldn''t kill the other one because of almost equal strengths.

    However, Wang Yao no longer cared much about this fact.

    In his timeline, both Emperor Ye and Sword Saint Yuan Xuming were now ghosts of the past.

    "Duan Ming, oh Duan Ming, don''t you wish to keep your young miss safe?" Wang Yao shook his head, "The only reason why you both are still alive is out of respect for Xiao Ming, or else I would have cleaned the side dishes before getting to the main buffet."

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun has the same status as Miss Yuan - I will not abandon one for the other." Peak Master Duan immediately replied and gestured to Yuan Shuchun toe to him.

    Yuan Shuchun looked at unconscious Xiao Ming and reluctantly came towards Peak Master Duan.

    Behind them, Ye Tian Yun was very confused by this turn of events.

    ''Since when my father and her father were friends?''

    He never knew about this matterˇ­ not even once.

    ''If I knew about this, I would have made a better use of Yuan Shuchun.''

    Ye Tian Yun sighed and put his focus on Wang Yao.

    Even though he was quite appalled by the situation, he got a hold of himself and began to swiftly analyze the situation.

    There was no doubt in him that the person in front of him was indeed the Wang Yao that had once beheaded him.

    And now he hade back to the past.

    But the question was - why would hee back?

    Considering the fact that in his previous life, killing Ye Tian Yun meant Wang Yao would be the Heavenly Emperor. And there was no doubt Wang Yao seeded in his endeavor.

    But then whye back in time?

    Ye Tian Yun had a few guesses, but none of them were positive ones for him.

    ''Is he here because of my rebirth? Or else how would he know about my location? After all, in my previous life, I was cultivating in my pce at this time.''

    ''He had a lot of enemies, even though I was one of the major ones, there was no reason for him to focus all his attention on me to the point ofing here after me.''

    ''It''s very clear that he wants somethingˇ­ but what?''

    ''I don''t even have my own Emblem yet!''

    ''Is he after Token Of Fate too? But why will he need to go after me for that? He could simply kill Xiao Ming.''

    ''Or does he want to save Xiao Ming? After all, if Xiao Ming dies, then the future would change a lot! All the things that Xiao Ming did for God''s Legion will turn meaningless and won''t happen!''

    ''Maybe there''s a chance that Xiao Ming''s death might change the future so much that it might directly harm Wang Yao''s chances for the Heavenly Emperor''s throne?''

    ''This is the most likely reasonˇ­ but there''s still onest question.''

    ''How did he get back in time? There has never been an artifact or even the God Emblem can''t do such a thing.''

    ''He did possess the Emblem Of Time, but that can only turn back time a few seconds or give him a bit of extra time to cultivate. He can never return back in time with the Emblems.''

 Chapter 369 - 369 | Wang Yaos Revelation

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but have cold sweat behind his back when he thought of how powerless he was in front of Wang Yao, even though the difference between their cultivation wasn''t much.

    ''He''s clearly using something, or else there was no way he could have suppressed my Sword Intent with just a snap of his finger.''

    His Sword Intent had decimated a Peak Core Formation Realm cultivator, yet it took Wang Yao one snapping of his finger to suppress the Sword Domain.

    There was no way Wang Yao had aplished this just with his cultivation realm alone.

    There had to be something that Wang Yao was hiding or something that Ye Tian Yun had missed.

    ...

    While Ye Tian Yun was analyzing the situation, Wang Yao was distracted by Duan Ming and Yuan Shuchun.

    Surprisingly in a few exchange of words, Wang Yao had gone from ''I will spare you out of respect for Xiao Ming'' to -

    "Yuan Shuchun, you are one stupid girl. You im yourself to be one of the most talented and intelligent cultivators of your generation, yet you couldn''t see through a simple scheme yed in front of your own eyes."

    "What do you mean?" Yuan Shuchun asked.

    "The Xiao Ming that you love so muchˇ­ well, spoiler alert, he''s not into you, but rather after something that you possess." Wang Yao replied with a smug face.

    "What is it?" Yuan Shuchun asked.

    Surprisingly her expression was calm!

    Even Wang Yao didn''t expect this. He thought Yuan Shuchun would shout, ''I don''t believe your bullshit.''

    "Well," Wang Yao nced at unconscious Xiao Ming and said, "He wants the ck book. The book that contains the Arcane Path Cultivation Methods."

    "Hmm," Yuan Shuchun gave a slight nod.

    Her expression was still calm, as if she wasn''t affected by the truth behind Xiao Ming''s false love for her.

    This confused Wang Yao, "You already know all this?"

    Yuan Shuchun took a deep breath and replied, "I knew it since the day I first saw him at the banquet. I did an intensive background check on him and knew it would be impossible for him to fall for someone he just saw for a single time. Taking into ount the fact that I was awarding the Arcane Path Cultivation manual in the banquet, I had my doubts regarding him."

    "Oh," Wang Yao had a bored expression on his face, "I guess I won''t get to see any drama hereˇ­ so what''s your use?"

    *snap!*

    "Young Miss!" Peak Master Duan, who was already on guard, immediately took Yuan Shuchun''s hand and pulled her behind him.

    "It doesn''t matter," Wang Yao shook his head.

    As soon as Wang Yao finished his words, Peak Master Duan suddenly began to feel churning in his heart, and his chest suddenly began to expand!

    Before he could understand what was happening -

    *boom!*

    Peak Master Duan exploded!

    ˇ­

    A few seconds ago.

    Ye Tian Yun was quite surprised at Yuan Shuchun''s work on Xiao Ming.

    ''I guess this is the reason why she survived in my previous life.''

    ncing at the unconscious Xiao Ming, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but clench his fists.

    He was so close to his goal, and the person who stopped him was simply an untouchable existence for him.

    How was he going to defeat Wang Yao and get the Token Of Fate from him?

    For the first time since his rebirth, he simply couldn''t see a way out.

    ''What to do? What to do? What to do?''

    He even tried to think about escaping this ce. After all, as long as he was alive, he would be able to have his revenge.

    But then, seeing how nonchnt Wang Yao was and how much Wang Yao knew about him, it was clear that Wang Yao wouldn''t need to put any effort to catch him.

    Suddenly he thought of the one thing that could be of help in this situation -

    ''System! Do you have anything?''

    No reply came.

    ''System?'' Ye Tian Yun was confused. The System usually liked to prompt the message of denial. Why was it suddenly silent?

    ''System you there? At least give me a hint to get out of this situation? Should I use my father''s token? Should I release array bombs? What about the Nine Heavens Painting? Is there any way to get out of this?''

    No matter how many times Ye Tian Yun called the system, there was no reply from it.

    Just then -

    "Young Miss!!" He heard Peak Master Duan''s shout.

    Before he could understand what was going on -

    Peak Master Duan exploded!

    But the main problem was, Peak Master Duan wasn''t a normal person.

    He was a Core Formation Realm cultivator.

    A huge amount of Qi was stored in him, injected in all his cells, and as his body exploded, a Qi-explosion took ce, and like a nuclear bomb, it suddenly created a huge ball of fire!

    The impact suddenly destroyed anything in its vicinity - be it a cultivator, mortal, or just a simple building.

    One-fourth of the city was suddenly destroyed, killing thousands of people who had been either hiding or were simply unaware of such a huge incident taking ce in the city.

    The explosion shook the whole city and brought everyone''s attention towards it.

    A few people ran away, but many wanted to witness its cause.

    They began to head towards its source.

    Just as they were about to reach -

    *BOOM!*

    Another explosion shook the ce, and half of the people who came to look got charred or crushed under the debris!

    This scene made everyone else remaining scared of their lives and ran away.

    Witnessing the scene, Wang Yao smiled, "I like to double-check."

    Looking around, Wang Yao found himself in the debris, with no signs of life around him.

    There was no Yuan Shuchun, no Peak Master, or no Ye Tian Yun.

    The two huge explosions that had shocked the city had also changed the lives of these three.

    Just then -

    Wang Yao raised his head to stare at the horizon; he could feel two very powerful iing auras.

    "Well, those are some familiar auras. But I can''t reveal myself in this state. I am still not done with my work here."

    A circr portal appeared and swiftly moved towards Wang Yao.

    As soon as it crossed him, Wang Yao disappeared from the scene.

 Chapter 370 - 370 | Burying The City For You!

    Silence prevailed throughout the Silver Mist City after two back-to-back explosions.

    The preparator, Wang Yao, had already disappeared.

    And now, only the half destroyed city remained.

    Remaining cultivators didn''t dare toe close - they had already sensed many Core Formation Realm cultivator auras and even the legendary Sword Saint cultivator had made an appearance.

    At first they were very curious, but when the explosions destroyed half of the city, they understood it very clearly - whoever those high realm cultivators were, they didn''t give a damn about the lives of people in the city.

    This was why, everyone subconsciously decided to not go forward for some time.

    There might still be high realm cultivators or there could be another explosion.

    Why risk your life for nothing in return?

    Thus, no one approached the destroyed half of the city, except for the few who also didn''t go too close to the centre of the incident.

    At the centre, a huge crater had formed and everyone in the Ao Ba n was dead.

    Even from the surrounding markets, and taverns, no one survived.

    There were charred and broken dead bodies lying all around.

    Most of the time, only a limb or two was visible because the rest of it was crushed under the debris.

    *thump!*

    Suddenly, a wall moved and fell down.

    "Cough, cough!"

    A heavily injured young man came out from the debris.

    "Ugh, damn those people, if I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn''t have wasted my time in this god forsaken city."

    The young man moved and dragged himself out of the destroyed building.

    "Thank goodness I had the sect''s artefact, or else I would have died just because I was a bystander." He gritted his teeth and after a moment, he leaned on the broken wall beside him.

    Staring in the sky, he couldn''t help but smile.

    He had survived.

    And he had witnessed a huge conversation.

    "So Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was indeed hiding in the Gracious Sword Sectˇ­" The young man shook his head.

    He still remembered the day when he had first informed his master in the Heaven Oracle Sect that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was in the Lower Heavens.

    However, his master didn''t believe him in the end.

    "This bastardˇ­" To some extent, he now hated the Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    ''If you weren''t in the Lower Heavens, then I wouldn''t have had to waste my time searching for you, nor would I havee here for the prophecyˇ­ Ji Yi might still be alive.''

    He couldn''t help butment at these turn of events.

    One thing led to another, and he had lost almost everything now.

    He was so injured right now that he couldn''t even feel his leg.

    ''I hope I don''t be a cripple, or else I won''t have any ce in this world.''

    He sighed. Due to how shaken his body was, he couldn''t use Qi right now.

    This young man was of course Qin Wentian, the disciple from Heaven Oracle Sect.

    "Wang Yaoˇ­ Ye Tian Yunˇ­ Yuan Shuchunˇ­ so many thingsˇ­ sigh." He gritted his teeth, "Considering the fact that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was hiding in the Gracious Sword Sect, and then came here during the prophecy, I am sure he knew about the Token Of Fate before anyone else."

    Qin Wentian gritted his teeth and began to ponder about the scenes he had witnessed earlier. A lot of it wasn''t revealed, but there were quite many things which he could make use of in theing future.

    But first, he needed to get out of here.

    Calming his mind, he began to circte his Qi.

    But -

    "Ugh!"

    There was no Qi flow in him!

    "Fuck! That explosion did cripple me!"

    He immediately regretted staying hidden in the scene.

    He had many chances to make a move but he wanted to get to the bottom of all this, and there was also a feeling inside of him which told him that the Token Of Fate will appear soon.

    Even as he saw the Devil Sect''s people die one by one, he didn''t interfere no matter how much he wanted to be the one to kill those people.

    In the end, he became a bystander during the whole incident.

    ''I was going to bury all of them, so I never cared about anything.''

    Indeed.

    Qin Wentian had decided that he would kill everyone in the city and make this ce the burial ce for Ji Yi.

    ''Since she died here, no one is allowed to disturb her peace. Even though I couldn''t personally kill her killers, the real people behind this are still alive.''

    ''The Devil Sect.''

    ''Ugh, If only I had my cultivationˇ­ I would have taken revenge. I would have burned the Devil Sect to the ground.''

    ''But now it seems everything is useless.''

    ''If I want to bury this city, I will have to stay in it. If I still had my cultivation, I would have done this without hesitationˇ­ but nowˇ­ I won''t be able to move.''

    ''I can''t dy this too, or else, people from powerful sects will soon arrive in this city and the whole array system will be revealed.''

    Qin Wentian clenched his teeth and decided, ''I will take this city down with me.''

    Before his mind could have any second thoughts, he immediately took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and tore it apart.

    *BOOM!!!*

    Suddenly, another explosion shook the city and made everyone raise their heads.

    Because this one didn''te from inside the city, but from the mountain above it!

    *BOOM!*

    *BOOM!*

    Two more explosions shook everyone, and to everyone''s horror, the Silver Mist Mountain began to move down.

    *rumble~!*

    It was andslide!

    "Run!! Or else we will be buried with this city!"

    "AHH! RUUUUN!!!!"

    People panicked and began to run.

    Death was just a few seconds away from swallowing them!

    Qin Wentian watched the sliding mountainnd and rolling rocks with a smile on his face.

    ''Ji Yi, I am sorry I couldn''t take revenge, but I have made sure that no one will disturb us!''

    Soon the tsunami of rocks and movingnd was upon the city.

    But just then, a shout echoed throughout the city -

    "Heaven Oracle Sect has quite a daring disciple!"

 Chapter 371 - 371 | The Two Mysterious Men

    "Heaven Oracle Sect has quite a daring disciple!"

    Everyone in the city heard the voice, and in the next instant, thendslide froze!

    It had simply stopped moving!

    As if time had stopped on the mountain!

    Everyone came to a halt and stared at the monstrous wave ofnd and rocks that had suddenly stopped in mid-air!

    From mortals to cultivators, everyone was stumped.

    This was a horrifying yet breathtaking scene!

    They wanted to know who could perform such a miracle!?

    Qin Wentian, who was waiting for death to swallow him, was shocked after hearing the shout!

    And was even more stumped when he saw the wholendslide suddenly stop as if frozen in an instant!

    If the arrays had be disabled, he would have definitely found it easier, but to freeze an exploded mountain in air, was not a feat that a normal person could achieve.

    Also, from the words spoken by the voice, it was made very clear that this hidden expert knew what had caused all this.

    He knew about Qin Wentian and his deeds!

    ''Even those people didn''t know I had nted arrays in the mountain; how could someone else know?''

    Of course, ''Those people'' here were the people of Jia Lei n and the Gracious Sword Sect disciple who had marked the whole array system throughout the city.

    After Ji Yi''s assassination, Qin Wentian had made up his mind to bury the whole city with her - thus, he even nted bombing arrays on the Silver Mist Mountain above the Siver Mist CIty.

    To this day, he was still confused why the enemy had spared him, but he was not going to let this opportunity go to waste.

    While the few people in the city were investigating the arrays, Qin Wentian had changed his whole n and had even removed the arrays within the city from the equation.

    ''They had no use since I was going to bury everything and everyone anyway.''

    ''But nowˇ­ looks like I failed to do even that.''

    *tap* *tap*

    *tap* *tap*

    *tap* *tap*

    Suddenly, the noise of footsteps brought Qin Wentian out of his thoughts, and as he stared in front of him - two middle-aged men slowly came to view.

    ''They are not from hereˇ­''

    It took him only one nce, and Qin Wentian confirmed that these two were not from the Lower Heavens.

    They had a whole different air around him. It was royal, and the aura around them was full of authority.

    Both of them were not walking side by side; instead, one of them was just a few steps behind, clearly indicating who was the senior among them.

    Suddenly he sensed the auraing out of the second man.

    ''Saint Realm!?''

    Fear and shock overwhelmed him within an instant. This was the worst time to encounter an enemy Saint Realm cultivator.

    Qin Wentian was ready to give up on his life, but a Saint Realm cultivator can prolong his life easily.

    Only the peak characters of the Middle Heavens had reached the Saint Realm!

    Even his master was just in the lower tier of this Realm, yet he was one of the Grand Elders of the Heaven Oracle Sect and had arge influence over the Middle Heavens.

    Even though Qin Wentian couldn''t judge the exact tier of the second man, he was sure that this person was a lot more powerful than his master.

    As for the first man who was walking in the frontˇ­ Qin Wentian couldn''t even sense his cultivation.

    If he swept his spirit sense, it was as if he was punching the ocean.

    ''This guy is clearly the leaderˇ­ to be ranked higher than a Saint Realm cultivatorˇ­''

    Qin Wentian gulped.

    ''Is he above the Saint Realm!?''

    "Did you do all this?" The second man asked as they came closer to Qin Wentian. His voice was filled with anger.

    Qin Wentian gulped, and taking hold of himself, he spoke the truth.

    "Greeting seniors," He somehow managed to cup his fists and replied, "If seniors are talking about thendslide, then it''s indeed me. But if he''s mentioning the destroyed city, I am afraid I am not the person you''re looking for."

    "Who destroyed the city then?" The man asked with an impatient tone.

    Qin Wentian also noticed a trace of worry and anger in his words.

    He thought for a moment and replied, "There were a lot of different parties, but not many yed a major role."

    "Name them." The man asked with an expressionless face.

    Before Qin Wentian could reply, the senior man suddenly said to the second man, "FIrst get your son; we will talk about everything elseter."

    The man pursed his lips and nodded his head. With a wave of his hand, he sted the nearby debris away.

    There were many crushed bodies below it.

    But it seemed as if he didn''t get what he was looking for.

    With another wave, he threw away the debris of another building.

    After a few more times, he finally found what he was looking for -

    A young man.

    Surprisingly, he wasn''t crushed under the weight!

    The man immediately got the young man and checked for vital signs.

    Taking a huge sigh of relief, he said, "He''s alive."

    The first man nodded his head, "That''s good. Let''s bring him back; the boy has suffered enough."

    "Won''t it cause trouble?" The second man asked.

    Even though he wanted to bring back his son, he just couldn''t get him where only misfortune awaits.

    "Everything elseester." The senior man replied.

    The second man nodded and raised the unconscious young man, his son, in his hands.

    Qin Wentian couldn''t help but frown.

    He immediately recognized the unconscious young man.

    He may not have known him personally, but he knew his name.

    Jun Xie.

    One of the very talented disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect!

    ''He''s the son of Saint Realm cultivator!? Fuckˇ­ oh waitˇ­ this could be an opportunity for me!''

    Qin Wentian saw a chance to get revenge for Ji Yi''s assassination!

 Chapter 372 - 372 | Fake Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun

    Half an hour ago.

    The Middle Heavens.??

    It is said that the world is divided into three different parts - the Lower Heavens, the Middle Heavens, and the Upper Heavens!

    Each progressing heaven has a totally different living condition and qi density.

    The higher the cultivators went, the denser the Qi is and easier it bes to cultivate.

    For instance, it is rare to see a Core Formation Realm cultivator in the Lower Heavens, and someone of that caliber is usually a high-ranked member of an organization, sect, or n.

    However, Core Formation Realm cultivators are prettymon in the Middle Heavens, and even the younger generation cultivators can get to this realm at an early age.

    As for the Upper Heavens, it isn''t usually in the picture - because to get to that ce, one must surpass the unachievable - Great Saint Real!

    Great Saint Realm is the highest cultivation level in the Middle Heavens, and such cultivators can be counted on one hand.

    The most famous of all is none other than the Emperor Of Middle Heavens, Ye Tian Xuan,monly known as Emperor Ye.

    Unlike the Lower Heavens, the Middle Heavens are under one supreme rule of the Great Ye n!

    While there are many other huge ns and terrifying organizations, none of them can evene close to the Great Ye n''s influence and power.

    Emperor Ye was the most powerful genius in history, and in this generation, his son Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, took on the mantle.

    Even though the n was huge and there were lots of people in the sect, the mainline of the family was very simple.

    Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was the only son of Emperor Ye; thus, there was no hidden political struggle or schemes for power.

    He would usually spend his days in his pce, fully focused on cultivation and increasing his battle prowess.

    Even though Ye Tian Yun had not made a name for himself based on his own merits, just because of his father, many people in the Middle Heavens were willing to give up on everything to get acquitted with this legendary prince.

    However, ording to the servants and other n members of the Great Ye n, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun had been acting pretty weird for thest few months.

    Earlier, he simply used to focus on his cultivation and never bothered to even nce at the servants. However, one day, aftering out of the secluded cultivation, he changed.

    It happened about six or so months ago. At first, he had sent Butler Liu on an important mission, who wasst seen heading towards the Lower Heavens.

    Then after about a month, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun suddenly came out of seclusion and did something that confused everyone in the pce.

    He called the ountant and started tallying all the expenses and even looked at all the matters going on in the household. Everyone in the Crown Prince Pce was shocked to see that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun knew what was going on in the house!

    It was as if he had always looked after the pce even though he acted so indifferent!

    He just needed to take a look at the sheets and expenses, and he was able to tell what was going on or if there was anything wrong.

    Many were confused by his odd behavior, but they were not disappointed or angry; rather, they were thrilled!

    Their indifferent master thought about them!

    This was the first time ever Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun had shown interest in the pce work since the pce was built.

    How could the old servants, from cooks to the guards, not be surprised and thrilled about this?

    But all this suddenly came to a sudden halt.

    One day, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun suddenly dered that he wouldn''t be meeting anyone at all. Only the pce servants were allowed to meet him, and that too only if it was important. Though a few were given the unlimited privilege to disturb him, like the ountant of the pce, who was living the dream of his life - being able to work with the Crown Prince himself!

    But this decision didn''te out of nowhere. About a month ago, when the Grand Elder of Heaven Oracle Sect, suddenly arrived to greet the Crown Prince, and after that meeting, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun dered that he wouldn''t meet any outsiders because he will be facing an important breakthrough in his cultivation.

    And after that, things became more and moreplicated, and no one, not even close friends of Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, was allowed to enter the pce.

    But there was one person whose words the Crown Prince couldn''t ignore.

    Today, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun''s Father, the Emperor, had called him to the Imperial Pce.

    ''Fuck, of all people, it had to be him!''

    Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun walked from one corner to another, thinking about any possible excuse to escape the situation.

    He knew that everything woulde out if he went to the pce - he might even be punished!

    After all, he wasn''t the real Crown Prince.

    ''Damn, where did the Crown Prince go?'' He was confused and had no answer to this question.

    And he couldn''t even ask anyone about it. When Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun went to the Lower Heavens for some unknown reason, he had to do something and hide the fact that real Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was missing.

    In fact, if not for his own identity, he would have never known that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun had gone to the Lower Heavens.

    "Crown Prince, pleasee with me. The Emperor had said that this matter is urgent." The Eunuch was standing at the door, confused by the Crown Prince''s panic.

    ''Ugh, alright, we will see what happens. This meeting summon is unavoidable. Sigh.''

    "Let''s go!" The fake Crown Prince gestured at the Eunuch to take the lead.

    The Eunuch nodded slightly and headed for the pce, the fake Crown Prince following right behind.

    Soon, they had reached the Emperor''s courtyard.

 Chapter 373 - 373 | Ye Tian Yuns Marriage & Butler Lius Dispair

    The Emperor''s Courtyard.

    This was the ce where Emperor Ye''s true self was mostly at, if not the Upper Heavens.??

    The Courtyard was simple and serene, with no special decoration; however, it had a majestic aura around it, making anyone bow down to its glory.

    The fake Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but gulp when he entered the courtyard. After all, he was going to meet the real body of Emperor Ye. Not that he hadn''t ever met him before, but he didn''t wish for the Emperor to misunderstand.

    But there was no way his identity would remain hidden.

    ''I just hope he doesn''t get offended.''

    The Eunuch didn''t go in and gestured at the Crown Prince to go forward.

    The Crown Prince took a deep breath and stepped inside.

    Soon he was in the main hall and found himself facing the back of a man.

    The man was, of course, none other than Emperor Ye, Ye Tian Xuan.

    He was standing in front of a huge window overlooking the Imperial City.

    "Hm?"

    As soon as this sound of confusion reached his ears, the fake Crown Prince couldn''t help but have cold sweat trickle down his back.

    "Interesting."

    Emperor Ye said as he turned around to make eye contact, "Well, I was sure the rumors had some truth, but I didn''t think it would be this serious."

    "Cough, your majesty, I can exin." The fake Crown Prince had never noticed this, but today, the floor was quite beautiful.

    "There''s no need for an exnation. If someone else dared to do this, be it for the good of Yun''er or bad, he would have definitely gotten a huge punishment. But it turned out to be you, Brother Liu. I am more amused seeing you like this. Now, call me father, and I will forgive you."

    The fake Crown Prince, who was Butler Liu in disguise, coughed.

    "I apologize, your Majesty. But I had no choice."

    Emperor Ye smirked, "Hehe, Brother Liu, all will be forgiven if you call me father. Also, didn''t I tell you not to use honorifics when no one''s around? You''re my closest friend, and there''s no need for such bullshit."

    Butler Liu gulped, "Cough, Brother Ye, the honor of calling you father is too much for me."

    Emperor Ye rolled his eyes, "Sigh, as long as you consider me your father in your heart, I would be satisfied. By the way, do you know where Ye Tian Yun is these days?"

    Butler Liu couldn''t help but sigh, "I apologize, Brother Ye; however, the Crown Prince didn''t tell me anything before he left."

    "Oh? That''s rare. He shares almost everything with you. You know things that I have no idea about. But he didn''t even mention where he was going?"

    Butler Liu shook his head, "No, I don''t know. I only know that he went to the Lower Heavens, and he wasst seen in the tavern where he asked for information about the things happening in Lower Heavens. I know all this because he went disguised as myself."

    "Hmm," Emperor Ye nodded his head, "I have called you for something important."

    "Yes, Brother Ye, do tell." Butler Liu frowned.

    "I want you to go to the Lower Heavens and bring back Ye Tian Yun.

    "Lower Heavens? Did something happen?"

    "Yes, well, many things have happened," Emperor Ye replied, "The princess of the Great Ling n is betrothed to Ye Tian Yun."

    "What? When did this happen!?" Butler Liu almost shouted.

    He had never heard of even the slightest news or rumors about such a thing.

    This was shocking news for him.

    No, this was shocking news to the whole Middle Heavens!

    Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was not a small figure - his mere presence made him the center of attention wherever he went.

    The matter of his marriage would, of course, shake the heavens!

    "Your majesty, thisˇ­ are you sure about this?" Butler Liu could only muster these words out of tens of questions in his mind.

    The Emperor shrugged, "It was inevitable - but that''s not the main topic. I have two jobs for you."

    "The Lower Heavensˇ­" Butler Liu frowned.

    Emperor Ye thought for a moment and replied, "Yes. Find Ye Tian Yun and then take him to my brother''s house to bring Princess Ling of the Great Ling n here, to the Middle Heavens."

    "Your brotherˇ­ Heavenly King Wang!?" Butler Liu thought for a moment, and something dawned upon him, "Your majesty, so the Great Ling n hid the girl in Heavenly King Wang''s house?"

    Emperor Ye nodded his head, "Yes, and take this," he said as he took out a scroll from his spatial ring, "This will take you to my brother''s ce."

    "Umˇ­ Your Majestyˇ­ I don''t dare to say no to youˇ­ butˇ­ won''t Heavenly King Wangˇ­ kill me as soon as he sees me?" Butler Liu gulped.

    "Maybe, but most probably not. My Sister-inw will save you."

    "And what about Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, your majesty? How will I find him? He could be anywhere in the Lower Heavensˇ­" This was what confused Butler Liu the most.

    Emperor Ye smiled, "Don''t you worry about that. With your cultivation, it won''t take long. And now, here''s the second thing that I want you to do."

    "Yes, Brother Ye?" Butler Liu asked.

    Emperor Ye remained silent for a while before saying, "I want you to bring your son back to the Middle Heavens."

    "Thisˇ­"

    "I know there are still hidden troubles that you''re facing, but that kid has been like that for sixteen years now. It''s time you get him back. Don''t worry about his safety, we will just put him with Ye Tian Yun."

    "Brother Ye, it''s not that I -"

    Just than -

    *crack!*

    A sudden oppressing aura filled the courtyard -

    "Thatˇ­" Emperor Ye stood up and frowned at Butler Liu.

    The aura was actuallying from Butler Liu!

    To be more specific - it wasing from the pendant on his neck!

    Butler Liu took out the pendant and stared at it as horror and despair welled up in his eyes.

    He raised his head, and looking at Emperor Ye; he whispered, "My sonˇ­"

    "Let''s go!" Emperor Ye moved and put his hand on Butler Liu''s shoulders - both of them disappeared in the next moment.

    ...

    A/n: Please read creator''s thoughts below this.

 Chapter 374 - 374 | Emperor Ye And Butler Liu Arrive In The Lower Heavens

    Barren Lands, Lower Heavens

    *zoom*??

    In an unknown location, a portal appeared, and two men walked out.

    They didn''t stop to look around and swiftly went towards the southern direction.

    These two were obviously Emperor Ye and Butler Liu, and surprisingly both of them had simr movement speeds!

    One must know that Emperor Ye was the most powerful person in the Middle and Lower Heavens, yet butler Liu didn''t seem to be far behind him.

    Both of them moved very swiftly; cultivators below them didn''t even feel anything strange. It was as if nothing had happened.

    They weren''t even holding back. However, the Lower Heavens wasn''t a smallnd.

    Even though the average cultivation realm was pretty lowpared to the Middle Heavens, its overall size was pretty big.

    There were many small powers and huge forests scattered throughout thends.

    This was why, even though both of them were flying very fast, it was still taking a lot of time.

    "Is he at least alive?" Emperor Ye asked through voice transmission.

    Voice transmission is a skill that only saint realm cultivators can achieve. It lets the cultivatorsmunicate between themselves without actually speaking.

    "I don''t know. There''s a high chance something bad has happened." Butler Liu replied in a very nervous tone.

    He didn''t know what was going to happen. But there was a very high chance that he might lose his son today.

    ''I didn''t even talk to him in my life.''

    Due to the circumstances around him and his n, Butler Liu had suffered many problems and was even chased by unknown enemies.

    Only when Emperor Ye wasn''t in the Middle Heavens did the enemies get the chance to single him out at that time and assassinate him.

    "That pendant he has, is it the one from Jadeite Peak?" Emperor Ye asked as they passed by the Capital City of Xin Kingdom.

    Butler Liu nodded his head, "Indeed it was. That pendant is the only reason why I could let him be in the Lower Heavens."

    "It had an array, right?" Emperor Ye asked.

    Butler Liu thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, it should keep him safe, but we can only hope the damage wasn''t huge before the pendant broke."

    Emperor Ye nodded as they inched closer to the location.

    "How much further is it?" Emperor Ye frowned, "We need to get there as soon as possible."

    Butler Liu replied, "It will take us a few more minutes. I can''t pinpoint his location, but I can get a basic direction."

    Emperor Ye replied, "Your son is my nephew. If anything happens to him, the whole Lower Heavens shall suffer."

    Butler Liu pursed his lips and increased his speed.

    After about twenty or so minutes, they first saw the Silver Mist Mountain from afar.

    "It''sing from that mountain," Butler Liu immediately pointed at the mountain and went full speed.

    They could see smoke rising from behind the mountain.

    "Looks like there was a huge fight there?" Soon both of them reached the other side of the mountain.

    To their surprise, there was actually a small city behind this mountain!

    However, what attracted their attention the most was that the city was half-destroyed!

    A huge crater was formed at the center of the destroyed city, indicating the explosions that caused this state.

    They also saw cultivators leaving the mountain in panic, while some didn''t move and wanted to investigate the incident.

    "It''s near that crater," Butler Liu pointed at the explosion site, "I can still feel it!"

    "Let''s move!"

    But just as they were about to move -

    *BOOM!*

    *BOOM!*

    *BOOM!*

    There was a sudden shockwave, and the top of the mountain exploded!

    In the next instant, a hugendslide urred and was about to bury the whole city.

    "It''s an array system?"

    "Heaven Oracle Sectˇ­" Emperor Ye frowned at the mountain and moved his hand towards thendside.

    In the next moment, everything above the city suddenly froze in ce and stopped moving.

    "Heaven Oracle Sect has quite a daring disciple!"

    Emperor Ye said aloud.

    It took him just a single nce to know that this was the doing of the Heaven Oracle Sect, and with just one look at the city, he easily identified the Heaven Oracle disciple.

    ''He''smitting such a huge thing, and yet he''s also wearing the Heaven Oracle Robes.''

    Emperor Ye shook his head, and then both he and Butler Liu went to the Heaven Oracle Sect disciple who was lying in an injured state.

    After a minute or two, when Butler Liu recovered his son from the debris, only then did both of them sighed in relief.

    Butler Liu''s son, Jun Xie, was surprisingly safe!

    "What happened to him?" Emperor Ye first asked Butler Liu, who was examining Jun Xie.

    "He is unconscious because of a huge hit on his chest and head. Also, there are signs of a sword attack on his chest. Luckily the sword attack first hit his chest, thus saving his life and also rming us."

    Emperor Ye nodded his head, then looking around, he suddenly frowned, "This ceˇ­."

    ncing at the injured disciple on the ground, he asked, "What is your name, boy?"

    With just one nce, Emperor Ye was able to see through the disciple.

    ''He''s crippledˇ­ but there''s still a chance to recover.''

    Having expected this question, the disciple replied, "Seniors, I am a Core Disciple of the Heaven Oracle Sect, Qin Wentian."

    "Hmm," Emperor Ye nodded his head. He had never heard of any disciple with this name, but he chose to believe the kid in front of him.

    "What happened here?" Emperor Ye asked.

    Qin Wentian took a deep breath and began to recount everything that had happened, except for the part that there was a Token Of Fate that was about to appear.

    He also didn''t mention the mysterious man who easily defeated Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun and exploded a Core Formation Realm cultivator with a snap of his finger, only making the Devil Sect the main antagonist in his story!

 Chapter 375 - 375 | Heavenly Constraints

    "In the end, the Peak Master of the Gracious Sword Sect exploded himself to buy time for everyone. However, just after that, a second explosion urred, and that was the main reason behind the majority of the destruction around us."

    Qin Wentian finished recounting the incident.??

    Emperor Ye slightly frowned.

    ''This kid is really underestimating meˇ­''

    As an Emperor, he was experienced enough to see through the lies and deceit.

    However, he wasn''t interested in getting to the bottom of this.

    ''The person we cared about is alive. When he recovers, we will know the truth anyway.''

    Emperor Ye looked at the frozenndslide above then and said, "You''re from the Heaven Oracle Sect, right? What is a Core Disciple from such a huge sect doing in this small city?"

    Qin Wentian pursed his lips and immediately thought of a reply, "I amˇ­ I am here to find someone important."

    "Oh? And who that might be? I want to know what makes you think that killing thousands of people is a good move."

    Qin Wentian clenched his teeth, "I was just taking revenge. This city has taken everything from me - my cultivator, my longevity, my love - everything! Why should I not retaliate? Also, the reason I was here was to find the Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun."

    "Who?" Both Butler Liu and Emperor Ye suddenly turned their heads at him.

    "Crown Prince Ye Tia Yunˇ­ you don''t know about him?" Qin Wentian was puzzled by their expression.

    Emperor Ye and Butler Liu made small eye contact and subtly nodded their heads at each other.

    "Where is Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun?" Butler Liu asked first.

    Everything else was a second priority if Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was involved.

    Qin Wentian didn''t reply and looked at them cautiously.

    Seeing his act, Butler Liu took out the n token and brought it in front of Qin Wentain.

    "The Great Ye n!" Qin Wentian was quite shocked by coincidence, and then, taking a gulp, he replied, "I only saw Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun once before the explosion. Maybe he''s also under one of the buildings?"

    Emperor Ye frowned, and with a flick of his finger, all the rubble around them was clear.

    With a quick scan, he assessed the situation.

    "He''s not here."

    But Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun wasn''t here.

    Not even his dead body or a drop of blood was here.

    "Are you sure you saw Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun?" Emperor Ye asked, "What was he up to? Why would hee here?"

    Qin Wentian regretted not telling these two mysterious men about the powerful man.

    "I don''t know what he was here for, but I know for sure he was here for something very big and important. I was mainly tasked to confirm if it was really him."

    "So you''re not sure if that was Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun?" Emperor Ye let out a sigh, "The only reason why I am patient with you is that I want to hear the truth from you. I can tell before your mouth even opens whether you want to lie or reveal the truth."

    Qin Wentian pursed his lips.

    ''Looks like there''s no way out.''

    "Actually, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was a part of the Gracious Sword Sect, and they were here to fight the Devil Sect. But after everything was over, a man came and did all this."

    "Do you know who it was?" Emperor Ye frowned.

    Qin Wentian shook his head, "I don''t know his identity. However, he was in peak Qi Stabilization Realm, but he thoroughly suppressed Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun. Even his Sword Domain was nothing but air in front of that man."

    "Sword Domain? Ye Tian Yun is still in Qi Stabilization Realmˇ­ how does he have Sword Domain? And he still lost?"

    Qin Wentian nodded his head, "It was hard to believe even though I was personally witnessing it; however, this is the truth."

    "Where are they now?" Emperor Ye frowned.

    "Brother Ye!"

    Suddenly, Butler Liu called him from behind.

    "Come here!"

    Emperor Ye turned around and saw Butler Liu standing near a corpse.

    Upon closer observation, he found out that it was a girl who was still breathing, albeit very weakly.

    "Do you know her?" Emperor Ye asked in confusion.

    Butler Liu slowly nodded his head, "I was just searching for the Crown Prince''s traces when I suddenly noticed this girl. She''s unconscious."

    "Who''s she?" Emperor Ye asked again.

    "She''s Yuan Xuming''s daughter. I think her name was Yuan Shuchun?" Butler Liu tilted his head as he stared at the unconscious girl.

    Taking out a pill from his spatial ring, he put one in her mouth. He had given a simr one to his son too.

    "What''s Yuan Xuming''s daughter doing here? Her robesˇ­ it is very simr to Jun Xie''sˇ­ it looks like she''s also from the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Butler Liu suddenly let out a smile, "To think my son Jun Xie and Yuan Xuming''s daughter Yuan Shuchun would know each other through their fake identities. Haha, I am sure they are good friends."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Now, only one person of this trio remains. Where''s he?"

    Emperor Ye frowned and began to look through his divine sense.

    Suddenly he noticed something -

    "Thisˇ­" For the first time, a shocked expression formed on Emperor Ye''s face.

    "What is it, Brother Ye?"

    Emperor Ye frowned, and after a long time of staring at an unknown ce, he said, "I can notice a lot of Heavenly Constraints in this ce."

    "Heavenly Constraints only appear when a huge anomaly disrupts the bnce. And with the number of countless Heavenly Constraints at this ceˇ­ it''s as if the whole Heavens is suppressing a very powerful existence."

    "Who could it be, Brother Ye?" Butler Liu stood up and looked around.

    Emperor Ye pursed his lips, "Someone who shouldn''t exist at all. Someone who shouldn''t appear at all. Someone who can disrupt fate itself and disrupts the space-time bnce.

    ...

    A/n: please read ''Creator''s thoughts'' below this.

 Chapter 376 - 376 | Many Wang Yaos

    "Ugh!"

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly coughed up blood.??

    He tried to gain his senses, but -

    *bang!*

    Another kicknded right on his stomach, and he was thrown about thirty feet away.

    ''I need to get up.''

    He tried to do something, but he failed miserably.

    Every time he tried to move even a little, he would be kicked and end up flying in the air and hitting the ground very hard.

    But this time, just as the kick was approaching, Ye Tian Yun pressed his palm on the ground and pushed himself in the air.

    He did it very fast - before the enemy could react, he was already above him.

    Clenching the enemy''s hair in his ws, Ye Tian Yun moved his body and mmed this enemy''s head on the ground.

    *boom!*

    Blood and meat spurted out at the enemy''s head that was crushed.

    Ye Tian Yun took a few moments of catch breath and then looked around himself.

    He was in a ruined city.

    There was a gigantic crater nearby, clearly formed from a huge explosion, which must have been the reason behind the ruined city!

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly remembered something -

    ''The Silver Mist City! Assassination! Wang Yao! Explosion!''

    He immediately went on guard and took out his sword.

    But there was no one around him.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and slowly began to look for any survivors.

    ''Xiao Mingˇ­ fuck, I don''t want to lose Token Of Fateˇ­''

    ''And that Wang Yaoˇ­ where is he? How did hee here from the future? Why was his cultivation equal to mine?''

    He had many unanswered questions, but unfortunately, no one was around him to reveal the mystery behind everything.

    Suddenly, he observed one thing.

    There were no dead bodies around him!

    ''There''s no way all bodies evaporatedˇ­''

    He looked around, but there was nothing.

    ''That guy!''

    Just then, the enemy that was kicking him came to his mind.

    Ye Tian Yun immediately went to the corpse and began observing it.

    ''These aren''t Gracious Sword Sect robesˇ­ so this isn''t Xiao Ming.''

    ''Wait, these areˇ­ there are Wang Yao''s robes!''

    ''This guy is Wang Yao!? What the fuck!''

    Ye Tian Yun got even more confused with the situation.

    Just before the explosion, he was powerless in front of Wang Yao and was getting his ass kicked, and now he had easily killed him?

    ''This can''t be the real Wang Yao.''

    This was the first thought that came into his mind.

    After all, if someone can travel back in time, there''s a high chance they might also be able to prepare a clone for themselves.

    "Wang Yao,e out!" Ye Tian Yun shouted.

    He wanted to see if his thoughts were true or not.

    However, no one replied.

    This confused him even more.

    ''What the hell is going onˇ­''

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was trying to figure out any possible answers to whatever was happening around, he suddenly heard a movement.

    *siu!''

    Without any dy, he instantly shed his sword.

    *ng!*

    Ye Tian Yun''s sword met with another sword.

    There was a young man blocking his attack.

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes when he saw the young man''s face.

    ''Wang Yaoˇ­''

    Clenching his fists, Ye Tian Yun moved and shed one more time.

    This time it was much faster, and Wang Yao was instantly sliced into two!

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t lower his guard and continued to look around.

    In this small fight, he had noticed one thing.

    Even though this Wang Yao was very weakpared to the one he met before the explosion, this one was much more powerful than the one who was kicking him earlier.

    ''Maybe the next one will be much more powerful?''

    Ye Tian Yun''s doubts turned out to be true.

    After a few minutes, he met another Wang Yao.

    This one was more powerful than thest two, but just like the previous two, his cultivation was the same as Ye Tian Yun!

    However, Ye Tian Yun had no problem in defeating.

    With just a few sword shes, he beheaded Wang Yao.

    Slowly, more and more Wang Yao''s began to appear, and Ye Tian Yun continued to kill them.

    After about ten or more fights, Ye Tian Yun threw his sword and took out a pair of new ones.

    ''Now, where is the real bastard?''

    He had fought more than ten to fifteen Wang Yaos, and none of them was his match.

    In fact, he didn''t even need to use sword cultivation techniques against them, just basic sword moves, and his opponents were defeated.

    But these fights weren''t actually useless.

    Ye Tian Yun had figured out something.

    ''This is an illusion or an independent spaceˇ­''

    He was more inclined to thetter because things were too real around him.

    Also, in the secondst fight, he threw Wang Yao on a broken wall and then smashed his head on it, killing him.

    However, in the next fight, even though Wang Yao''s dead body was still lying there, Ye Tian Yun noticed that the wall had turned back to normal!

    There were no cracks or blood sshes due to Wang Yao''s head mming on it!

    Ye Tian Yun kept his guard up and waited for the next enemy.

    He had no other choice here.

    Suddenly, he frowned and turned to his side.

    A young man was standing on top of the destroyed gates of Ao Ba n.

    It was indeed Wang Yao.

    But this one gave a different feeling to Ye Tian Yun.

    ''He''s the real one!''

    Ye Tian Yun immediately came to a conclusion.

    The danger level was the same as the one he met before the explosion.

    "You have finally shown yourself?" Ye Tian Yun tightened his grip over his swords.

    Wang Yao slightly smiled, "That was a good show. I hope I didn''t keep you bored."

    Ye Tian Yun spat on the ground and cracked his neck; he said, "Well, I wasn''t bored because they felt more real."

 Chapter 377 - 377 | Secrets

    "That was a good show. I hope I didn''t keep you bored."

    Ye Tian Yun spat on the ground and cracked his neck; he said, "Well, I wasn''t bored because they felt more real. The weak and pathetic version of you. But they were the real ones. The one in front of me seems more fake."??

    Wang Yao shook his head, "Ye Tian Yun, Ye Tian Yunˇ­ I think you still haven''t understood your own situation here."

    "This is my yard," He smirked, "I can make you fight hundreds of me and would love to see you die, but I guess it''s your lucky day."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You can''t kill me?"

    "Haha, no, it''s just, your time hasn''te yet." Wang Yao smiled, "Before you die, I want to take back something very important from you."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "From me? Didn''t you seed in bing Heavenly Emperor? What is it that I have that you can''t have?"

    "Well, it turns out even the Heavenly Emperor can''t have everything he wishes for." Wang Yao shrugged.

    Ye Tian Yun looked around for a moment, "Where''s Xiao Ming?"

    "Hm? Are you still interested in that guy? I have already taken care of him." Wang Yao smirked.

    "You sent him to a safe ce?" Ye Tian Yun smirked, "So much for your future brother, eh?"

    "Bah!" Wang Yao sat on the wall in front of him and said, "What brother? Just a bunch of useless baggage!"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun got confused by this, "What do you mean?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Ye Tian Yun, let me tell you, when I first began my journey after our first encounter, I met a lot of talents."

    "And one day, I thought of creating a legion of such talented young cultivators who would help me in reaching the peak."

    "In the first few stages, they were a huge help. But then, things began to deviate."

    "They began to slow me down."

    "Even though they had Tokens or Emblems, I was way ahead of them. But I wasn''t the Heavenly Emperor as yet. I still needed their presence.

    And finally, on an unfortunate day, one of them betrayed me. I was shaken. And from that day, I kept my guard up. I already knew many things about this world, and I learned many things I had no idea about when I was young.

    This was when an idea struck me. I wanted to go back. I wanted to restart my journey. I already had two Emblems. Emblem of Time, which you know about, and Emblem Of Chaos, which I got after Shi Yan''s death."

    "Shi Yan died?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    Shi Yan was almost as powerful as Wang Yao, maybe even a bit more powerful. But the most notable thing about him was not his strength but his loyalty.

    "Shi Yan was a hard nut to crack," Wang Yao replied, "It pained me when I slit his throat. But he had asked for something that was never his, to begin with. He wanted to be the Heavenly Emperor. That was simply ridiculous."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked when he heard this, "In my opinion, Shi Yan deserved the Throne more than you."

    Wang Yao narrowed his eyes, "Ye Tian Yun, you do know that this is not the Hundred Realm Refining Stage, right? The difference between our strengths is unsurpassable. So choose your words wisely. Don''t forget that I can kill you with a flick of my finger."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun smiled at him, "Wang Yao, among both of us, we know who''s not afraid of death. And don''t you talk about the Hundred Realm Refining Stage. That day, on that stage, we both fought, and I crushed you. If not for the God''s Legion''s intervention, it would have been you who lost your pathetic life."

    "As for you killing meˇ­ well, now you have the chance,e on, do it. This is not a storytime, get me some action."

    Wang Yao shook his head upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words, "I will kill you, don''t be in a hurry. But, aren''t you curious why am I even here? What is actually going on? Orˇ­ how did YOUe back in time?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at him, "Of course, I am curious. But, what are the chances that you will tell me the truth?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Ye Tian Yun, do you remember the reason why we became enemies?"

    Ye Tian Yun slightly nodded, "Of course, I remember. That day I came to your home in the Lower Heavens to fetch the great Ling n princess. And you, like an idiot, misunderstood that I was lusting for her beauty."

    "Were you not?" Wang Yao frowned, "Also, weren''t you engaged to her? How can I remain calm after hearing this? I made it my goal to crush you. Ye Tian Yun, believe me or not, you were my motivation back in those days."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "What''s the point of discussing all this?"

    Wang Yao sighed, "Actually, this talk is important. Maybe not for you, but for me, it is."

    "Have you heard of a saying which goes like this, ''there''s a mountain beyond the mountain and heaven beyond the heavens.''?"

    "Ye Tian Yun, when we were fighting for the Heavenly Emperor''s throne, in our minds, that was the peak of the universe."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Are you saying it was not?"

    "Indeed." Wang Yao nced at the clear sky above, "The world is beyond our imagination. It''s beyond what we could have ever asked for."

    "And trust me when I say this, to be Heavenly Emperor, you don''t need the Emblems and Tokens alone. You need something else too."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Wang Yao let out a sigh and shook his head, "I don''t know."

    "Hm? You don''t know?" Ye Tian Yun was a bit confused, "Didn''t you just say that you sat on the Heavenly Emperor''s throne? And now you''re saying you don''t know?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "The world beyond the Middle Heavens is too vast. We, cultivators, are just a drop in the ocean of powerhouses. And to conquer this ocean, I havee here. Because you hold something that can change my fate."

 Chapter 378 - 378 | Wang Yao Vs Ye Tian Yun

    "Because I hold something that can change your fate?" Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Why am I not surprised to hear something like this? Even after reaching the peak, you want something that''s in my possession."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "It''s not yours. You just have it for the time being."??

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "So what is it then?"

    He didn''t even have his Emblem Of Luck, nor did he have Xiao Ming''s Token Of Fateˇ­ So what was it that made Wang Yaoe back in time to get it from him?

    Wang Yao replied, "I am here for the Emblem System."

    "The wha- Emblem System!?" Ye Tian Yun was stunned as his expression morphed into one full of shock.

    ''He knows about the System?''

    ''System, are you still nning to keep quiet?''

    Wang Yao nodded his head at Ye Tian Yun. He had expected this reaction.

    He knew the Emblem System was Ye Tian Yun''s biggest secret.

    "Indeed, the Emblem System." Wang Yao added, "It wasn''t supposed to be yours, to begin with."

    His words confused Ye Tian Yun even more.

    He wanted to hear answers, but Wang Yao wouldn''t share such details.

    ''I need to defeat him to get answersˇ­ but how will I do that? He''s too strongˇ­''

    ''System, what is the reason behind his power? His cultivation is almost the same as mine, but his battle prowess is almost equalling the Saint Realm.''

    Ye Tian Yun asked, even though System hadn''t replied to any of his previous calls.

    This time, too, there was no reply.

    ''System, are you afraid of Wang Yao?'' Ye Tian Yun asked.

    [No.]

    ''Oh, so you''re alive. Why are you not answering my calls?''

    [Host, System will get bound by the Heavenly Constraints if it tries to help you in this situation openly.]

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, ''Just answer me this question - is the reason why Wang Yao is so powerful because of his Emblem Of Time? Or is it something else?''

    [Emblem Of Time]

    Ye Tian Yun thought, ''Time?''

    ''He had control over timeˇ­ if there''s no concept of time left, both of our powers should be as per our cultivation realm. Let''s hope this theory is true.''

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head and found Wang Yao staring at him.

    "How did your talk with the System go?" Wang Yao smiled, "I wasn''t expecting it to say anything."

    Ye Tian Yun was shocked by his words.

    Having expected this reaction from him, Wang Yao added, "Well, don''t be surprised just by this. There are a lot of things that will truly shock youter on."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and tightened his grip over his sword.

    Seeing this, Wang Yao shook his head, "It''s useless, Ye Tian Yun. There''s no point in wasting time like this. I can beat you with just a snap of my finger."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t deny his words.

    He wasn''t going to act ignorant and forget the fact that Wang Yao had suppressed his Sword Domain with just a finger snap.

    ''He has the Emblem of Time. How can I defeat an Emblem head-on?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t see any way out of the situation.

    Just then -

    Wang Yao suddenly disappeared, and in the next instant, he appeared right above Ye Tian Yun.

    *ng!*

    He shed his sword downwards, which was blocked by Ye Tian Yun with his dual swords in the nick of time.

    However, the impact was too much, and the ground under Ye Tian Yun''s feet cracked, forming a ten-foot spider-web-like crater, with Ye Tian Yun at the center.

    Before he could gain any bnce, Wang Yao attacked once more, and this time, he used more power -

    *ng!*

    *siu!*

    "Ugh!" Ye Tian Yun grunted while being pushed back a few more feet.

    The difference of powers was quite clear.

    Wang Yao was still standing calm and motionless, while Ye Tian Yun''s breathing had quickened.

    Each iing attack had more power than the previous one, and it was getting almost impossible for him to make a counter-attack.

    And the worst part was the fact that Ye Tian Yun could feel that Wang Yao had clearly not gone all out.

    "Let''s end this," As if reading his thoughts, Wang Yao said to him.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and gripped his swords.

    *Bang!*

    In the next moment, lightning converged in the sky, and darkness welled up as Ye Tian Yun released his Sword Domain once again.

    Within an instant, ck Lightning with yellow sparks covered his body!

    In front of him, Wang Yao smiled and pointed his sword at Ye Tian Yun.

    In the next instant -

    *Boom!*

    A malevolent aura suddenly erupted, and another Sword Domain was released!

    Both Sword Domains struck each other1

    *siu!*

    Ye Tian Yun moved from his ce, and then appearing right behind Wang Yao, he shed his sword on his neck!

    Wang Yao immediately turned around and blocked the iing attack.

    *crackle!*

    *boom!*

    The ground below them cracked into spider-web design as soon as their swords met.

    *Boom!*

    The pressure from the strikes sted both of them a few steps behind.

    However, Ye Tian Yun suddenly moved and took the chance to attack Wang Yao before he could regain any bnce.

    But just as he was about to reach Wang Yao -

    "Ah!" Ye Tian Yun cried out in pain and was thrown to the side, directly hitting a broken wall.

    Someone had kicked him from behind!

    Ye Tian Yun pressed his hands on his broken ribs and managed to stand up after regaining some bnce.

    In front of him were two people.

    Two Wang Yao''s.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, but just then -

    *Bang!*

    The wall behind him suddenly moved, and he was sent flying forward.

    Another person jumped from behind the wall and stood beside the other Wang Yao.

    Now there were three Wang Yao''s.

    Ye Tian Yun clenched his jaw and got ready to face any ambush from another Wang Yao.

    "Begin!"

    Suddenly, one of the Wang Yao''s spoke, and in the next moment, Ye Tian Yun felt such intense pain in his hand that the sword in his hands dropped.

    "AHHHH!!"

 Chapter 379 - 379 | Wang Yao Vs Ye Tian Yun (II)

    "AHHHH!!"

    Ye Tian Yun''s cry echoed through the ruined Silver Mist City as the pain continued to increase.??

    *paak!*

    The excruciating pain made him fall on his knees while holding his head between his hands.

    With the throbbing pain, it felt as if his mind was getting bloated and was about to explode in any second.

    However, even under such pain, Ye Tian Yun moved his body closer to his sword because he was afraid that Wang Yao might try to kill him at any time.

    After what seemed like a neverending moment, Ye Tian Yun suddenly heard -

    "It''s done!"

    And in the next moment, the pain was gone!

    Ye Tian Yun moved his body and faced the sky as heid on the ground.

    Slowly his mind calmed down, and he began to return to his senses.

    But he was feeling very rxed.

    It was as if someone had removed huge baggage from his back.

    Suddenly, the most unexpected notification appeared in front of him -

    [The Emblem System Shutdown Process Initiated]

    Before he could react, a few more notifications popped up in front of him -

    [Host: Ye Tian Yun]

    [Kill Points: 81,034.]

    [System will convert all Kill Points to High-tier Qi Gathering Pills]

    [Shut Down Reason: Previous Host''s Request.]

    [System Inventory Items Release: 50 Aura Suppressing Pills, 34 Thousand Faces Pill, 1 Nine Heavens Paintingˇ­]

    [Time Remaining For Full System Shutdown: 5 Minutes]

    [Time Remaining For System Transfer: 12 Minutes]

    [Thank you, Host]

    Ye Tian Yun stared in front of him with a nk look in his eyes.

    "Stop the shutdown!"

    He yelled with no choice left. If the System was gone, he wouldn''t have any way left for him.

    "Shit shit shit! Stop the shutdown!"

    He yelled once again.

    "It''s useless." Someone replied. It was Wang Yao.

    Just then -

    [Command Overruled. Time Remaining For Full Shut Down: 4 Minutes 51 Seconds]

    Ye Tian Yun was confused.

    "Why is it overruled!?" He asked.

    [Command Issued by the Previous Host cannot be changed by the Sessor Host!]

    "Previous Host?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Who was the Previous Host? Wang Yao!? That''s impossible! He''s from the future!

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head towards Wang Yao, "How can you be the previous owner!?"

    There was only one Wang Yao in front of him; the rest of the clones had already disappeared.

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and stood up.

    Since the System was not listening to hismands, he had to remove Wang Yao from the equation!

    Even though the chances of it were almost minimal, there was no other way for him. He had to give his all once again.

    Wang Yao smiled at him as if he had already read his mind.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath, and he went for an attack in the next moment!

    *BOOM!*

    Wang Yao didn''t move from his ce and took Ye Tian Yun''s attack head-on.

    However, it didn''t seem like he had to spend much effort in this as he easily diverted Ye Tian Yun''s attack to the side.

    Ye Tian Yun clenched his teeth and went for another attack.

    He was sent flying back once again, but he stood up and went for another attack.

    Releasing an endless barrage of attacks and even releasing his Sword Domain, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t make Wang Yao serious for the battle.

    At the corner of his eyes, he could see the countdown approaching an end -

    [3:43]

    [3:42]

    [3:41]

    *Boom!*

    Ye Tian Yun was once again sent flying and stuck a tavern wall behind him.

    Gritting his teeth, he stood up for another attack.

    There was still more than one minute left; he wanted to give his all to save his biggest trump card for his journey of revenge.

    But just then, he noticed something on the ground, and a crazy idea popped up in his mind1

    "So you''re using the power of timeˇ­ Let''s see what will happen when there''s no presence of timeˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and got back on his feet.

    Pursing his lips, Ye Tian Yun moved and struck another sword attack.

    *ng!*

    Wang Yao pushed him back a few steps.

    "So you''re not gonna make a move?" Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Looks like even after taking my system, you haven''t made up your mind whether to kill me or notˇ­."

    Wang Yao squinted his eyes and jumped right on Ye Tian Yun!!

    Just as his strike was about tond, Ye Tian Yun immediately moved and appeared near Wang Yao''s feet, and in the next instant, he gripped Wang Yoa''s legs in his hands and moved -

    *BAM!*

    Wang Yao''s bnce slipped, and before he could make sense of what had happened - Ye Tian Yun pulled him down.

    *siiiuup!*

    Both of them disappeared!

    There was no one left on the ground. Only Ye Tian Yun''s items were left, which had been thrown out by the System Inventory.

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and found himself in a white space.

    In front of him, Wang Yao was looking around in confusion.

    Ye Tian Yun tightened his grip over the swords and moved for another attack.

    In front of him, Wang Yao saw the iing attack and barely managed to defend against the dual swords.

    *nG!*

    "Bang! BAM!"

    One of the two was pushed back.

    And for the first time, it was Wang Yao.

    He opened his eyes wide in shock as he stared in front of him -

    "Where is this?" He gutted his teeth and asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, and without any response, he moved for another attack!

    "Fuck!" Wang Yao cursed and tried to defend against the attack.

    *siiiiiu!*

    Suddenly, lightning wrapped around Ye Tian Yun and his sword when he was in the air!

    "Thisˇ­" Wang Yao was shocked by the sudden release of Sword Intent.

    Clenching his teeth, he defended once again.

    *BAM!!*

    However, he was sent flying from the impact.

    He cursed his luck and looked around.

    Everything around him was white; he couldn''t sense anything.

    And worst of all, he actually couldn''t use the power of the Emblem Of Time!

    Just where the hell had Ye Tian Yun brought him!?

 Chapter 380 - 380 | Ye Tian Yun Vs Wang Yao (III)

    *Boom!*

    *spurt!*??

    Blood fell from his mouth as Wang Yao tried to stand up.

    ''What the hell is going on?'' He couldn''t understand where he was.

    Just a few minutes ago, he was an untouchable existence, but then he appeared in this white space and was left powerless.

    His enemy, whom he had considered just a bug all this time, was thrashing him badly, not even giving him a chance to catch a breath.

    "Ye Tian Yun, you bastard!" Wang Yao held his stomach as he somehow managed to stand up, "Where the fuck have you brought me!?"

    Ye Tian Yun, who was standing in front of him, hadn''t spoken a word and was beating him up like a machine.

    "Speak up!" Wang Yao clenched his teeth, ready to attack, but stopped just in time when he remembered that it was a foolish move.

    However, it was different for Ye Tian Yun.

    This was the biggest opportunity for him, and he was not going to let it go.

    He moved and shed his sword once more.

    Wang Yao grunted and defended once more.

    "Ugh!" Even though he was able to defend himself, the impact, however, pushed him back.

    Ye Tian Yun jumped backward and once again attacked with full momentum.

    Wang Yao gritted his teeth and tried to defend himself once again.

    But this time, something unexpected happened!

    Ye Tian Yun moved his swords and jerked his body to change the trajectory.

    Before Wang Yao could react, Ye Tian Yun appeared right behind him!

    *siu~!*

    "AHHH!"

    A cry of pain echoed through the white space as Wang Yao plopped on his knees with his hands on his shoulder.

    Beside him was his hand!

    "You bastard, what do you want!?" Wang Yao gritted his teeth and popped a pill in his mouth to relieve himself from the pain.

    Ye Tian Yun had cut his hand!

    "I missed." Ye Yian Yun appeared a few distances away from him and let out a sigh.

    Staring at the helpless Wang Yao, Ye Tian Yun spoke, "Wang Yao, stop this System, and I may give you a chance."

    Wang Yao frowned.

    Clearly, Ye Tian Yun was talking about the System Shutdown countdown that was still going on.

    Even though Wang Yao''s Emblem Of Time was useless in this space, the System''s countdown was still going on.

    Wang Yao also noticed this.

    He asked, "How can you - ugh - how can your System work here? There''s no concept of time in this ce!"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    Even he, himself, didn''t know the answer.

    When he first brought Wang Yao here, his main aim was to stop the System countdown and get Wang Yao on equal grounds to him.

    But here, even though Wang Yao''s Emblem Of Time was useless, the System countdown was still going on.

    ''Maybe this is because this space was technically given to me by the System?''

    This white space that Ye Tian Yun had brought Wang Yao in was actually the Nine Heaven Painting!

    Earlier, when System had ejected everything from the Inventory space, it had also released the Nine Heavens Painting.

    This painting was the one he bought during his time in the Sword Stele. It had an independent space, and basically, the concept of time was prettyplicated in this ce.

    This artifact was simr to a spatial ring, but the only catch was that living things could also be put in this space.

    This was why Ye Tian Yun was able to bring Wang Yao here.

    Luckily, his bet worked, and the Emblem Of Time became useless!

    However, the countdown was still going on.

    [1:53]

    [1:52]

    [1:51]

    With every passing moment, Ye Tian Yun was losing valuable time.

    Now that he had the situation in control, he was not going to lose this chance.

    Ye Tian Yun moved and sent a kick right on Wang Yao''s face.

    *bang!*

    Wang Yao''s body was hurled to the side, and he ended up lying on the ground head first.

    He was feeling helpless and weak.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped closer to him, then clenching Wang Yao''s hair, he raised Wang Yoa''s head.

    "Stop this countdown." Ye Tian Yunmanded.

    Wang Yao gritted his teeth, and after a moment, he suddenly began tough.

    "Ahahaha, this is good, really good, you will soon lose the System, hahahaha."

    Wang Yao''s maniacalughter echoed through the white space.

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and clenching Wang Yao''s hair tighter; he mmed his head on the ground!

    *bang!*

    He mmed it a few more times.

    *bang!*

    *bang!*

    *bang!*

    "Now you feel like talking?" Ye Tian Yun brought Wang Yao''s face right in front of him.

    Wang Yao''s body was aching from every corner. His face was hurting a lot. Even though he had taken a pill, it wasn''t having much effect because the pain was just too much.

    With a broken nose, cracked skull, lost teeth, and flowing blood throughout his face, Wang Yao whispered, "You bastard, you were never even supposed to get this System. It was never yours."

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes, "We both were never supposed to appear here. Yet we''re here. I won''t believe it if someone says it was just a random oue. Now stop this System shutdown, and maybe we can leave this space."

    Wang Yaoughed, "As if I would believe your bullshit! Hmph! Themand is irreversible."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned when he heard this.

    Clenching his teeth, he mmed Wang Yao''s head once again on the ground.

    "Ugh!" Wang Yao grunted and looked at him in pure hatred, "Bastard, you can''t stop the countdown. The System won''tst long. It''s just a matter of time."

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and threw Wang Yao a hundred feet away.

    *bang!*

    *plop plop!*

    Wang Yao finally lost consciousness after a long beating.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at his unmoving body and let out a sigh.

    Then asked, ''System, is there no way to stop this countdown?''

    [Host, this countdown cannot be stopped.]

    ...

    A/n: Please read ''creator''s thoughts'' below this.

 Chapter 381 - 381 | Countdown Ends

    [Host, this countdown cannot be stopped.]

    ''Even if I kill Wang Yao?'' Ye Tian Yun asked.??

    [Previous Host Wang Yao''s life and death are now not rted to the System. The shutdownmand was not only for you but also for him.]

    ''Previous Host?'' This part was the most confusing for Ye Tian Yun.

    How can Wang Yao be the Previous Host of the System?

    However, all these doubts were not the priority right now.

    ''Is there really no way?''

    [No.]

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh.

    Everything happened so fast and unexpected that he had no way to even react to it.

    Looking at the countdown, which was in itsst minute, Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and shook his head.

    ''System, after you shut down, where will you be transferred?''

    There was no response.

    Ye Tian Yun nced at the unconscious Wang Yao and had a strong urge to kill the guy. s there were still many answered questions and unknown sides of this situation.

    [0:30]

    [0:29]

    [0:28]

    ''The future will beˇ­ unexpected.''

    He understood the fact that once his System was gone, things would be much harder and unpredictable.

    [0:13]

    [0:12]

    [0:11]

    ''I am helpless.''

    There was nothing that Ye Tian Yun could do in this situation.

    Even the powerful System didn''t have any solution.

    [0:03]

    [0:02]

    [0:01]

    [System Full Shutdown Sequence Begins]

    [System wishes the Host good luck in future endeavors.]

    [System Transfer Sequence Begins]

    .

    .

    [System Sessfully Transferred]

    .

    .

    [New Host: ]

    [beep-beep]

    .

    .

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly felt weak and rxed.

    *plop*

    He fell on his one knee and let out a sigh.

    ''System?''

    There was no response.

    ''System?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t feel its presence.

    ''Looks like it''s gone.''

    Taking a deep breath, he stared at the unconscious Wang Yao.

    *zik!*

    Ye Tian Yun instantly jumped and appeared near WangYao.

    Turning him over with a kick, Ye Tian Yun frowned at him.

    He was feeling conflicted as to what to do right now.

    Not that he was having any ideas of sparing Wang Yao; instead, he wanted to know answers first.

    After a moment of thought, he took out a sword from his spatial ring and shed it on Wang Yao.

    *siu!*

    *siu!*

    *siu!*

    Intense pain overwhelmed Wang Yao and forced him to wake up.

    "AHHHHH!!!!"

    Wang Yao wailed in pain.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him with an emotionless expression.

    He had cut all limbs of Wang Yao.

    Taking out a pill from his spatial ring, Ye Tian Yun threw it in Wang Yao''s might.

    "Ugh!"

    The pill melted in Wang Yao''s mouth as soon as it touched his tongue.

    The intense pain slowly disappeared within a few moments as if nothing had happened; even the blood stopped gushing out of the wounds.

    "Thisˇ­" Ye Tian Yun''s actions confused Wang Yao.

    He raised his head towards him and asked, "How long was I unconscious?"

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this question, "I thought you would like to know why I gave you the pill."

    Wang Yao''s face suddenly rxed, "You aren''t in panicˇ­ Did the countdown end?"

    Suddenly, he frowned, and a confused expression morphed on his face.

    "Waitˇ­ even I can''t sense it.." Wang Yao almost cried out.

    Ye Tian Yun got confused, "What?"

    Wang Yao gritted his teeth and asked, "Who is the new host!?"

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Why should I tell you?"

    Wang Yao got angered, "Bastard, tell me who is the new host!"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Why should I?"

    Wang Yao snarled, "Fuck you, Ye Tian Yun! Do you even know what you have done!?"

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes, "Shout once again, and you will lose your tongue next."

    Wang Yao gulped and said as his breathing quickened, "Do you even have the slightest idea how hard it was to track you down!? Now I will have to look for the new host, fuck!"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Well, I do know the name of the new host, and I am even willing to tell you."

    Wang Yao stared at him, "What''s the catch?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Answer my questions, and then I will tell you the name of the next host."

    Wang Yao took a deep breath, and after a long silence, he said, "Alright, ask."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, and sitting on his heels; he asked Wang Yao, "I will start with the first question that bugged me, "Why are you here? And why is your cultivation so low?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I was, of course, here for the Emblem System. It chose the wrong host and forced me to temper with the timeline to correct things."

    Ye Tian frowned, "Why do you need the system?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Well, the answer to this is a bitplicated, but in simpler words, I needed the system to change the future."

    "The future?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You became the Heavenly Emperorˇ­ why do you want to change it?"

    Wang Yaoughed and shook his head, "That is your future and my present. My future is what happened after I became the Heavenly Emperor."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was intrigued, "What happened after you became the Heavenly Emperor?"

    Wang Yao replied, "A lot of things came to light. Ye Tian Yun, would you believe me if I said that we all are just pawns in a grand scheme by the Heavens itself?"

    "Pawns?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao nodded his head.

    Staring at the white sky, he said, "Do you remember why all the cultivators strive to be the Heavenly Emperor?"

    "Because the Heavenly Emperor rules everything under the Heavens and is also a big figure in the Upper Heavens,'''' he added.

    "Everything under the heavensˇ­" Wang Yao then gave a self-mockingugh, "This is simply a reminder of the fact that the Heavenly Emperor is below the Heavens."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What are you trying to say?"

    Wang Yao smiled as he looked at him and said, "Ye Tian Yun, the Heavenly Emperor is chained to the constraints of the Heavens. He is nothing but a ve of fate."

 Chapter 382 - 382 | The Trigger Of Rivalry Between Wang Yao And Ye Tian Yun

    "Heavenly Emperor is chained by the constraints?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t make head or tail of what Wang Yao was trying to say.

    Wang Yao, however, continued to say, "After bing the Heavenly Emperor, a new door opened for me. And a whole new goal came before me. However, before I could explore anything or even step out, I was betrayed by my closest ally."??

    "Closest ally? The God''s Legion?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Wang Yao shook his head, "No, not them. They were just some innocent souls who got trapped in the grand scheme of Heaven."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while saying, "You''re trying to sound too mysterious. Let me ask you a simpler question, how is it possible that you''re the Previous Host? Aren''t you supposed to be from the future? How did you get the system before me then?"

    Wang Yao remained silent for a long time before saying, "Ye Tian Yun, do you remember the first time we met?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yeah, I remember it. I came to the Lower Heavens with Butler Liu to take the Great Ling n''s Princess back to the Middle Heavens."

    Wang Yao nodded his head, "Yes, she was staying at my ce ever since she was young, and both of us eventually met. I also got to know about your marriage with her, and that was the day when our rivalry began."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well yeah, but you''re half right. I never considered you a rival or an enemy until you assassinated my Butler Liu with the help of your God''s Legion. And about the marriage contract, well, that was the most stupid misunderstanding. You thought I was going to get married to your childhood sweetheart, and thus you hated me and eventually considered me an enemy."

    Wang Yao nodded, "What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to sit and watch while you took my Qing''er?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "See, this is the problem with you. To be fair, we were never supposed to be enemies. Simple misunderstandings caused huge changes in the future. Wang Yao, I was not your love rival but instead your brother-inw."

    "What?" Wang Yao was shocked, "How could that be possible?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, this was the truth until you came to the Middle Heavens. If you don''t remember, your childhood sweetheart had an elder twin sister. She was the one betrothed to me."

    "Whatˇ­" Wang Yao was confused, "My whole life was a lie!?"

    Ye Tian Yunughed and shook his head, "Not really. As I said, this was true and a fact until you came to the Middle Heavens."

    "Hm?" Wang Yao frowned, "What happened after that?"

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "The Eldest Princess of the Great Ling nˇ­ died."

    "Ohˇ­" Wang Yao let out a sigh, "I remember that. Qing''er had lost the happiness in her eyes when we first met in the Middle Heavens. That was indeed because of her Elder Sister''s death."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "And her death then led to someˇ­ decisions by the elders of the Great Ling n. They decided to change the bride and put the Ling Qing in her Elder Sister''s ce. And that was when you arrived in the Middle Heavens and heard about this ''new'' marriage."

    "Also, because the old arrangement wasn''t public, no one knew about it. That is why you''re clueless."

    Wang Yao suddenlyughed, "How fate ys with us is incredible. Ye Tian Yun, tell me, what if the Elder Princess of Ling n didn''t dieˇ­ would we have remained enemies?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don''t know. Maybe we will never know."

    Wang Yao let out a long breath and said, "Well, now let me get back to the answer. Just a few days before both you and your butler arrived at the Wang Estate, I encountered something very special."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What?"

    "The Emblem System."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded when he heard this answer.

    Wang Yao frowned, "Aren''t you surprised?"

    "I already knew." Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "But tell me, what happened after that?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "With the help of the system, I swiftly improved my cultivation and increased my powers. I also made many friends and formed the God''s Legion with my closest friends. With the help of the system, I knew the right people to make friends with, and soon, I had a whole group of friends, each with a Token or Emblem of their own. And they were all very loyal to me."

    "Slowly, we conquered the Lower Heavens and then ruled over the Middle Heavens."

    "Ye Tian Yun, after your death, I was crowned as the ruler of Middle Heavens, and then we all marched to the Upper Heavens. The final step to bing the Heavenly Emperor."

    "It was at this ce where things started to go out of my hand. My closest brother, Shi Yan, betrayed me. I became paranoid. I couldn''t help but be alert at all times."

    "Honestly, I was quite helpless. It was at this moment, the Emblem System suggested something."

    "It suggested that I go back in time and change the past."

    "As ridiculous as it sounded, it was possible. The Emblem System told me it would take me to the past, where I will be able to make changes and prepare myself for the Upper Heavens."

    "But a few things happened, and you got the Emblem System, forcing me toe here and take the system back from you."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "But you didn''t get the system. What were the ''few things'' that made youe here?"

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and asked, "First, you tell me, how did the Eldest Princess of Ling n die? Her death is the trigger of all this."

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Recalling the memories that he had forever sealed in his mind, he said, "Iˇ­ killed her."

    ...

    A/n: extra chapter for reaching 10 Golden Tickets target!

    Next target: 45 Golden Tickets.

    P.s: Before you read the next chapter, read [Chapter 4: Emblem Of Luck; What is a System?] This will refresh a few memories for the next chapter.

 Chapter 383 - 383 | The Grand Scheme Of Heavens

    a/n: Before you read this chapter, read [chapter 4: Emblem Of Luck; What is a System?] This will refresh a few memories.

    ˇ­??

    "You killed her!?" Wang Yao almost shouted, "Why did you do that!? Did you not like her or what? Damnˇ­ wasn''t she supposed to be your wife?"

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "Things happened. I don''t want to talk about it. You speak. Tell me what happened when I got the Emblem System?"

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and asked, "When the System first came to you, you must have asked it who it was, why it came to you and how you came back in time. What was the System''s response?"

    Ye Tian Yun recalled, "I was told that I got the system because I died in the presence of Token Of Life, which I got after killing Jiang Chen, Emblem Of Time, which was on you, and the Emblem Of Luck, which I possessed."

    "With the help of Life, Time and Luck - I sessfully came back in time and summoned the Emblem System."

    Wang Yao stared at him for a moment and asked with disbelief, "You killed Jiang Chen and got the Token Of Life?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "That''s what the System told me. Though I never felt the Token Of Life''s presence and neither did I see it when I killed Jiang Chen."

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and suddenly burst out inughter.

    "Hahahahahah!!!!!"

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was appalled by his reaction, "What''s so funny?"

    Wang Yao continued tough, "Ahahahaha, Ye Tian Yun, ah Ye Tia Yun, you got fooled! Hahaha!"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Fooled? If you''re talking about what the System told me, well, I had no other choice but to believe its words."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "Sigh... the System was really clever. I guess it''s your bad luck, nothing else. Jiang Chen never had the Token Of Life."

    "What are you trying to say?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t make heads or tails of his words.

    Wang Yao cleared his throat and said, "Jiang Chen never had the Token Of Life. And if possessing the three artifacts could send anyone back in time, wouldn''t just anyone go back? Also, you wanted to know the reason why I wished to get back in time, right?"

    "Yeah," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    "The thing is..." Wang Yao took a slight pause and said, "When I reached the peak and was proimed as the Heavenly Emperor, I was betrayed. The one who betrayed me was the Heavens itself."

    "Ye Tian Yun, the Heavenly Emperor''s Throne that each generation''s best talents fight for, is nothing but a mill that will harvest those talents to replenish itself."

    "What?"

    "Exactly what I said. All this ''summoning the throne to rule the heavensˇ­'' it''s all bullshit. The grand scheme behind all this is the Heavens using us to cultivate itself."

    "Our deaths, cultivation, lives,prehensionˇ­ everything goes to benefit the Heavens."

    "And I found this the hard way. But it was toote for me. So, the System, which had been my partner ever since I started to cultivate, revealed a n to me."

    "The n was to basically go back in time and change a few things in the past, and get all the opportunities to cultivate faster and defeat the Heavens."

    "How could the Heavens be defeated?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "It''s not a cultivator and doesn''t have a corporeal body. Do you want to defeat it by destroying it? Destroying the Heavensˇ­ aren''t you destroying the whole world with it?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "I had these same questions when I first heard this absurd n. But all this is indeed true. The Heavens can be defeated. But we need to reach the Peak first."

    "The Peak?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Weren''t you at the Peak?"

    Wang Yao took a light breath and, after a moment of silence, gave a self-mockingugh, "The Peak? Didn''t I say that after bing the Heavenly Emperor, a new door opened for me? How could I possibly be at the peak if such a thing happened?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and nodded his head, "Then what is the Peak?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I never reached it, so I don''t know. The Heavens can also be defeated, so clearly, the Heavens is not the Peak."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "What made you agree with the n? And if you agreed, why was I the one to go through the rebirth."

    Wang Yao smiled, "I did agree. But there was one slight problem. How could it be simply possible to go back in time? I needed to prepare myself first. Or else the Heavenly Constraints would crush my body and dissipate my soul."

    "In the end, the System revealed to me that it would go back in time, and then it would transfer my soul to my younger body."

    "This will allow me to get a second chance and get powerful at a swifter speed."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then what went wrong?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "Many things. After the System left, I was attacked by the Heavenly Constraints because I had tempered with the timeline. The System hadn''t informed me about anything as such, so I was caught unprepared."

    "But I didn''t mind much and began to look for a cure, and in the end, after years of search, I encountered something. I got to know a few things. And then, reality hit me hard."

    "The Grand Scheme of Heavensˇ­ had a hidden side that I was unaware of."

    "The Emblem Systemˇ­ was this hidden side."

    "I told you earlier that ever since it came to me in the younger days, it had helped me form the God''s Legion and then helped me bring the God'' Legion to the so-called peak."

    "Remember I told you what the Heavens is the mill and the talented cultivators are the harvest? Where can one find the most talented geniuses? In the God''s Legion, of course. And who was the architect behind this legion? The Emblem System."

    "From the very beginning, it was trying to collect these talents at one ce, and then they will be harvested by the Heavens."

    "Ye Tian Yun, do you know who''s the ''God'' in God''s Legion? It''s not meˇ­ it''s the Heavens itself."

    ...

    A/n: Please read ''creator''s thoughts'' below this.

 Chapter 384 - 384 | The Next Host

    "The Heavensˇ­" Ye Tian Yun was shocked.

    Wang Yao was revealing a lot of things. And many things were hard to believe.??

    "Yes, and it was the Emblem System who had suggested me the name." Wang Yao smiled.

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "So, are you saying that the whole God'' Legion was nothing but a sacrificialmb for the Heavens to feast upon?"

    Wang Yao let out a sigh, "Indeed."

    Ye Tian Yun, "So, when you got to know that the System was scheming all this time, you came back in time?"

    Wang Yao lightly nodded his head, "Yeah, but I was toote. I don''t know how, but the Emblem System already knew about my interference. It changed the original n and chose another host. And that was you."

    "Why would it choose me?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I was never nning to make an organization or a group."

    Wang Yao smiled, "Well, the System was suffering a loss, but it had no better options."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It had a better option. The fourteen-year-old you who is currently in some city."

    Wang Yao smiled, "I thought of that too, and that was why I spied on myself for a long time before confirming it was not me. Then I went to a different timeline and observed different people with who I had rtions."

    "In the end, only you stood out the most. As soon as I saw you that day, I felt the presence of the System."

    "And from then on, I have observed you. However, the Heavenly Constraints around me increased a lot in the past few months, even though I wasn''t nning to interfere yet. When you entered this city, I even invited the God''s Legion members."

    "Not because I wanted them to see how I killed you once again, but because I wanted to see if they could feel the system or not. Fortunately, none of them could."

    "But during the assassination, due to the Heavenly Constraints, I was waiting for you to kill Xiao Ming before making a move, but fate had different ns, and I was able to interfere before you could even get to Xiao Ming. I think this happened after your friend, Jun Xie died."

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes at the mention of Jun Xie and let out a sigh.

    After a moment of silence, he asked, "Why is your cultivation so low then? Aren''t you supposed to be above the Saint Realm?"

    "It''s the Heavenly Constraints. They have limited my cultivation."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "If you had killed me, what would have happened to the future?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "No one knows. The timeline had already deviated a lot. I am afraid the original one doesn''t even exist anymore."

    "How can that be?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Didn''t you say you send back the God''s Legion members who came here with you?"

    Wang Yao nodded, and with an expressionless face, he replied, "I did say that."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Doesn''t that mean the future God''s Legion doesn''t exist anymore!?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "They do not exist anymore."

    "Ye Tian Yun, a timeline is a delicate thing. One of the reasons I brought them here was that I wanted to talk to them onest time. Your actions had already damaged the future. Things were getting troublesome. So I brought them here."

    "And you didn''t even tell them that they would die once they got back to the future?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao let out a sigh, "Iˇ­ couldn''t bring myself to say anything."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked but didn''t say anything.

    After a long silence, he said, "So you came from the future because you wanted to get back the System and relive your life."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "That''s only half true. I returned from the future to get back the System, but I had no ns to relive my life. I nned to go back to the destroyed timeline after taking the System from you, and end this once for all."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "s, this is not possible anymore."

    Wang Yao nodded, "I didn''t get the system. Now, Ye Tian Yun, as promised, I answered your questions; tell me the name of the next host."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "What if I tell you and then kill you? Did you really not think of such a possibility?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I did. But there was never an option for me."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "True. Alright, the next host of the Emblem System is you."

    Wang Yao frowned, "What? But I didn''t get the sys- wait! Wang Yao got the System!"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Indeed, he did. And a new cycle has begun. If my calctions are right, a few dayster, me and Butler Liu will visit your house. And that is where our first encounter will happen."

    "Remember you told me how you got the system a few days before we first metˇ­? Well, now we know."

    Wang Yao''s eyes opened wide, "It came from youˇ­.."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and nodded, "Indeed, it did. The only thing that bugs me is how were you the Previous Host if you got the system after me?"

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and replied, "I think only the System knows the answer."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath, "I guess with the Emblem System against me, the difficulty just increased."

    Then ncing at Wang Yao, he asked, "Will you now go and take the System from yourself?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I can''t. I can''t take it from myself."

    "What about me?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Technically, I am the Previous Host right now."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "It''s not like that. The cycle isplicated. Only the System knows the exact answers. We can only try toprehend it."

    "There''s nothing to lose in trying," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I will give it a try when I meet the younger you in the next few days."

 Chapter 385 - 385 | One Decision To Change Fate Of All, The World Is In Shock

    "There''s nothing to lose in trying," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I will give it a try when I meet the younger you in the next few days."

    Wang Yao let out a sigh, "Indeed, there isn''t."??

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and took out a sword from his spatial ring, "Well then, Wang Yao, it was nice meeting you."

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was about to behead him, Wang Yao suddenly called out, "Wait!"

    "Hm? Anyst wishes?" Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    This was the Nine Heavens Painting. Everything was under his control.

    "You will also die if you kill me." Wang Yao said.

    "Oh? How so?" Ye Tian Yun was intrigued.

    "Don''t forget that the space outside is under mymand. If I were to die, not only will you be forever trapped in this space, you will also end up losing everything."

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun''s frown, Wang Yao added, "I have a deal for you. You take me out of this white space, and once we''re out, I will remove the separate space. And then, both of us will go our separate ways."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Hm, this is an interesting offer. And I will agree if you answer my onest question. Where is Xiao Ming?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "Take me out of here first. I will give him to you after that."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Wang Yao, this is not a negotiation."

    "Hm, he''sˇ­ outside the space. Unconscious. But he''s hidden. You will have to trust me on this; only then will I trust you." Wang Yao replied.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Sigh, such a waste of time."

    *siu*

    "Ugh!"

    Wang Yao opened his eyes wide in shock, stunned by Ye Tian Yun''s sudden actions.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him with an expressionless face.

    In his hand was his sword, and it stabbed its sharp end through Wang Yao''s throat.

    His biggest enemy was dead, just like that.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at him, "Wang Yao, I never once had a thought of sparing you or any of your God''s Legionrades. At least not the one from the future."

    "Unfortunately, you already killed them, and now I have to satisfy myself with just your blood."

    "You- ugh!" Blood spurted from Wang Yao''s mouth, and he breathed hisst.

    His eyes remained open in shock.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the corpse and then touched the space between Wang Yao''s eyebrows.

    Suddenly -

    *siu!*

    The skin that was in contact began to glow!

    Seeing this reaction, Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    And in the next moment, an octagonal-shaped que flowed out of Wang Yao''s forehead.

    It remained floating in the air for a good long minute, and suddenly -

    *siu!*

    It went into Ye Tian Yun''s forehead!

    "Ugh!"

    Intense pain struck Ye Tian Yun, and he copsed on the ground. Even though he had expected this pain, it was still far beyond his expectations.

    The pain began to spread throughout his body, starting from his head, shoulders, arms, chest, and subsequently the rest of the body.

    *bam!*

    Ye Tian Yun convulsed on the ground, feeling as if someone repeatedly stabbed thousands of needles all over his body.

    *plop!*

    After a long endurance test, Ye Tian Yun''s eyes closed as his body gave up.

    He had lost consciousness.

    With two bodies lying in the seemingly endless white space, it was as peaceful as it could get.

    ˇ­

    While everything inside the painting was peaceful, the world outside was in shock!

    Out of nowhere, dark clouds started to gather on the whole Lower Heavens. In a blink of an eye, the sky waspletely covered!

    Before anyone could react, everything fell into darkness! It was impossible for anyone even to see what was in front of him!

    It was just two hours before noon, yet it was pitch ck!

    Almost everyone under the heavens got terrified of the sudden change.

    ˇ­

    Silver Mist City.

    In the ruined half of the city stood two men staring at the pitch-ck sky.

    The moment the sky had turned ck, both of them had perceived something and immediately looked up at the sky.

    "Brother Yeˇ­ is this because of what I think it is because?" Butler Liu spoke in a trembling voice.

    Emperor Ye stared at the sky for a long time before saying, "We can''t know which one of them has appeared, but I am sure this is the dawn of a new era."

    ˇ­.

    Crimson Bay City.

    Heavenly King Wang and his wife Mrs. Wang stared at the sky with a steeled expression.

    "So it begins."

    "The quest for the Heavens."

    ˇ­.

    Not only in the Lower Heavens, but in the sky of the Middle Heavens at the same time also became dark!

    The top ns and sects of the Middle Heavens only had one thought in their minds.

    "The world is about to change. The battle shall begin. Be it Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun or any other talent; everyone will be swept up in this chaos. We must pass through this."

    ˇ­

    Heaven Oracle Sect.

    This was the only sect with no sect leader; instead, there were four Grand Elders.

    And right now, they were staring at the pitch-ck sky, some in fear, others in excitement.

    "An Emblem had appeared. The quest for the Heavenly Throne had officially begun."

    "Even though this phenomenon appeared a few months prior, it is now up to the new generation to battle for the Heavens."

    "We need to make connections with Wang Yao. He''s still young and can be manipted.

    ...

    The world was in shock. Almost every sect, n, organization, be it big or small, were going to have a meeting as soon as the sky returns to normal.

    The first Emblem had appeared in the new generation!

    With the prophecy already known, everyone knew that it was just a matter of time before they saw the rise of this era''s Heavenly Emperor!

    Ye Tian Yun was still in the Nine Heavens Painting, unconscious and unaware of the phenomenon he had caused. He did not know that because he decided to kill Wang Yao, the wheels of fate had turned in a new direction.

    In an unknown and unpredictable direction.

 Chapter 386 - 386 | Trapped

    Ye Tian Yun slowly opened his eyes and woke up from the intense pain.

    Frowning, he looked around and tried to gauge the situation.??

    For a moment, he was shocked by the corpse beside him, but in the next moment, memories flooded back!

    "Damnˇ­"

    He remembered his battle with Wang Yao and how he brought him inside the Nine Heavens Painting, where the Emblem Of Time was useless because there was no concept of time inside this independent space.

    After that, both of them fought, and Ye Tian Yun was able to defeat Wang Yao when they were at the same power level.

    Unfortunately, he couldn''t save the System and had lost it.

    ''But I got something elseˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t feeling fully hopeless.

    ''I got the Emblem Of Time.''

    After killing Wang Yao, he had gotten his Emblem Of Time.

    ''I need to get out of here to confirm.''

    He was still inside the Nine Heavens Painting. And since the concept of time didn''t work here, he needed to get out of here to use the Emblem OF Time.

    ''But first, I need to take care of Wang Yao.''

    With this thought, Ye Tian Yun moved and picked up Wang Yao''s hand, which was lying a few feet away from the main body.

    Removing the spatial ring from Wang Yao''s index finger, Ye Tian Yun tried to probe it.

    ''Hm?'' He frowned, ''It''s empty?''

    The spatial ring had nothing in it.

    ''Then why wear it?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned at Wang Yao, ''Why would you roam around the world with an empty spatial ring?''

    ''Is there anything elseˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun began to look for anything else he could scavenge from Wang Yao.

    After all, the Wang Yao in front of him was the Heavenly Emperor. How could he just dispose of him without looking for anything valuable?

    Unfortunately, the oue was unexpected.

    ''There''s nothing.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and got up.

    Then, he put Wang Yao''s body in the spatial ring he got earlier, and along with it, he summoned himself out of the Nine Heavens Painting.

    *Plop!*

    With a jump, he got out of the painting andnded right on it.

    Looking around him, he began to assess the situation.

    Earlier, Wang Yao had said Ye Tian Yun could never leave the separate space if he killed Wang Yao.

    And after assessing the situation, Ye Tian Yun confirmed that Wang Yao was not bluffing.

    ''But if I had taken him out of the Nine Heaven Painting, he would have easily recovered with the help of the Emblem of Time.''

    Right now, Ye Tian Yun was trapped in the Separate space formed by Wang Yao with the help of Emblem Of Time.

    This ce was the exact replica of the destroyed Silver Mist City.

    Ye Tian Yun jumped on the highest visible tavern and looked around.

    ''Let''s look for him first.''

    The ''him'' was, of course, Xiao Ming.

    Wang Yao had not revealed any information regarding Xiao Ming. He may have killed, saved, or simply imprisoned him in a separate space like this.

    Now Ye Tian Yun had to find Xiao Ming on his own and take the Token Of Fate from him.

    But the scene beyond the highest building shocked him.

    There was nothing!

    Only darkness.

    ''So Wang Yao created an ind of the destroyed Silver Mist City. And here, he had absolute control over everything.''

    This was indeed an amazing technique.

    ''Doesn''t that mean Xiao Ming isn''t in this space?''

    With the space so little, there wasn''t any need to waste more time.

    ''Let''s get out of this ce.''

    How was he going to get out?

    Of course, by using the Emblem Of Time.

    After all, Wang Yao had created this space using this artifact, so it was correct to say that Ye Tian Yun could get out of this space using the Emblem Of time.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun raised his hand in front of him and concentrated on the palm.

    A few seconds passed.

    A few minutes passed.

    But nothing happened.

    "What is going on?" He frowned, "I did get the Emblem Of Time, so why am I failing to summon it?"

    He tried a few more times, but nothing happened,

    "Is there a different method to use this Emblem?"

    That was also a possibility. Until now, he had used the method of summoning, which he used in his previous life for the Emblem Of Luck.

    However, this method didn''t seem to work here.

    ''Don''t tell me I am really stuck!?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t hesitate to kill Wang Yao because of the Emblem of Time.

    Due to Heavenly Constraints, all of Wang Yao''s power was heavily suppressed, and the Emblem Of Time yed a huge role in his confidence.

    Now even that seemed not to work.

    But Ye Tian Yun was not going to give up easily.

    He increased his concentration even more.

    Even after many tries, nothing happened.

    Yet, he wasn''t willing to give up this easily.

    However, he did not know that his actions were causing some trouble in the real world.

    ˇ­

    About half an hour earlier.

    As the sky returned to its normality, everyone under the Heavens was shocked by the sudden phenomenon.

    Thest time such a thing happened was in the previous generation when the then Crown Prince Ye Tian Xuan became the first cultivator to get an Emblem - the Emblem Of Chaos.

    And this time, a new Emblem had appeared, thus marking the beginning of a new journey.

    In the Silver Mist City, both Emperor Ye and Butler Liu were standing with a solemn expressions.

    "Brother Ye, what should we do next?" Butler Liu asked.

    Both of them knew that the world would be chaotic and new talents were about to rise. But what they cared about most was not the chaos and future, but their own sons.

    Emperor Ye said, "Both, Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun, have their own destiny. The most we can do is save them from certain deaths."

 Chapter 387 - 387 | Ye Tian Yuns Sister-in-law

    Emperor Ye said, "Both, Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun, have their own destiny. The most we can do is save them from certain deaths."

    Butler Liu frowned, "Death is synonymous with cultivation. If they want to rise, they must defeat death every single time. I don''t know if interfering is the right thing to do, brother."??

    Emperor Ye nodded, "I understand what you''re trying to say, and I agree with your words. I am not saying we need to shelter them; we just need to help them when there''s no other way."

    Butler Liu nodded, "Indeed."

    Emperor Ye then looked on the ground at the unconscious Yuan Shuchun and Jun Xie and said, "These two will wake up soon. At first, I had thought bringing all three kids to the Middle Heavens would be the better option, but now I have different thoughts."

    "With the dawn of the new era, this is the best opportunity for these three to rise above the masses and create a ce for themselves under the Heavens."

    Butler Liu looked around and said, "But I don''t see the third one. Where is he?"

    Emperor Ye looked around, "He''s here, yet he''s not here."

    "Hm? What do you mean, Brother Ye?" Butler Liu asked in confusion.

    Emperor Ye said, "I told you about the Heavenly Constraints a few minutes ago. I am afraid that the mysterious man that the Heaven Oracle Sect disciple mentioned has taken away Ye Tian Yun."

    "What?" Butler Liu was stumped by hearing this, "Brother Yeˇ­. doesn''t that sound a bitˇ­ far-fetched?"

    Emperor Ye shrugged, "It does. But that''s the only possibility."

    Butler Liu thought for a moment and asked, "Can we free him from this?"

    Emperor Ye shook his head, "Not unless I know the exact location. I can use the Chaos Qi to rupture this hidden space and free Ye Tian Yun. But it''s impossible to locate this separate space."

    Butler Liu frowned, and looking at a nearby wall; he said, "This kid is also unconscious."

    Emperor Ye nced at Qin Wentian and said, "He wouldn''t know it anyway. We need to wait for- hm?"

    Suddenly Emperor Ye stopped speaking midway and frowned in a certain direction.

    "What happened, brother Ye?" Butler Liu turned his head and asked him.

    Emperor Ye gestured him to stop and continued to focus in a certain direction.

    Butler Liu, confused by his sudden actions, also looked in the direction but found nothing was ordinary.

    ''Maybe a hidden enemy? But how could he escape my eyes?''

    Butler Liu took a deep breath and waited for Emperor Ye to speak first.

    After a long time, Emperor Ye suddenly smiled, "This is it."

    And in the next moment, he suddenly appeared a few miles away, in the valley below the Silver Mist City, and punched the air.

    BOOM!

    The whole area suddenly shook!

    The remaining cultivators in the Silver Mist City and its area fell on the ground due to the sudden earthquake.

    ''Another attack!''

    They were afraid that the fight had not finished and was soon going to engulf them too.

    Outside the city, Fu Kai also fell on the ground.

    He had somehow managed to get out of the explosion range unharmed.

    "Fuck!" Fu Kai cursed and looked at the rising smoke from the ruined half of the city.

    He was very much tempted to leave this ce, but his heart wouldn''t let him. Thus he was waiting.

    He was waiting for at least one survivor.

    ''If no onees out, I will at least go and confirm their deaths.''

    But to confirm, he needed to wait for some more time. He would be unlucky if he went in right now and came across the mysterious enemy.

    Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down and nced at the carriage.

    Inside the carriage was an unconscious girl.

    It was precisely the maid who was kicked by the carriage driver of Princess Wu Qingwu''s entourage when the assassination first began.

    Ye Tian Yun had secretly informed him that this maid was actually his Sister-inw, who was trapped in the Wu Royal n.

    This mission was an opportunity for him to free his Sister-inw.

    Being the righteous man he was, Fu Kai would definitely help his friend save the Sister-inw.

    He let out a long breath and sat on the carriage.

    He was going to take the whole carriage inside the ruined part of the city right now once things seemed to calm down.

    ''There is no way I am going to leave Kai Yang''s Sister-inw inw like this. His Sister-inw is also my Sister-inw now.''

    ˇ­

    Inside the Separate Space, unaware of Fu Kai''s loyalty, Ye Tian Yun was trying different ways to summon the Emblem Of Time.

    However, it seemed as if all his tries were futile.

    ''What to do, what to do, what to doˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and began to think of any other way.

    Taking a deep breath, he sat down in a cross-legged position and began to concentrate.

    Breath in, breath out

    Breath in, breath out

    Ye Tian Yun calmed his mind and focused on his dantian.

    Just then -

    A weird feeling slowly began to swell up in his heart, and his body suddenly began to rx.

    After a long time, he slowly opened his eyes.

    ''This is it.''

    He felt it.

    He felt the presence of the Emblem Of Time!

    Even though it was just a fleeting moment, he felt it.

    ''There''s hope.''

    As long as he tried hard enough, there was no doubt that he would be able to get out of this space.

    ''But before that, I need to collect my stuff.''

    Ye Tian Yun jumped down and moved at the center of the crater formed on the ground.

    There were thousands of Qi Strengthening Pills, Aura Suppressing Pills, Thousand Faces Pills, and his Nine Heavens Painting.

    With a smile, Ye Tian Yun swept his hand, and in the next moment, all of the items on the ground went inside his spatial ring.

    ''Now let''s-''

    Before he could finish his thoughts, the space suddenly shook!

    BOOM!

    White cracks began to appear in the sky and on the ground!

    ''What is going on?''

    Looking around in panic, he suddenly felt a very familiar aura.

    "Thisˇ­" Ye Tian Yun was at a loss for words.

 Chapter 388 - 388 | Father, Son And The Butler

    A familiar aura burst through the Separate Space as the cracks around Ye Tian Yun began to widen.

    He was first taken aback by the strange phenomenon, and then the aura shocked him.??

    "Fatherˇ­. What is he doing here?" Ye Tian Yun was confused and stumped.

    ''I guess there will be a lot of exining to do.''

    Without wasting any time, Ye Tian Yun jumped through one of the bigger cracks.

    *plop!*

    As soon as he passed through one of the cracks, Ye Tian Yun instantly appeared in a forest.

    Looking around, he observed the surroundings.

    ''Holy Basil herbˇ­''

    The first thing that entered his eyes was an aromatic herb with pointy leaves. This herb was all around him.

    He remembered Fu Kai talking about this nt when they were about to enter the Silver Mist City.

    ''It''s unique to the valley below the Silver Mist City; isn''t that how he described this nt?''

    ''So I am in the valleyˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I don''t feel his aura anymoreˇ­ Was that just a hallucination?"

    Just then -

    "You''re here."

    A stern voice called him out.

    Ye Tian Yun turned around and found a middle-aged man standing a foot away from him.

    One look from him made Ye Tian Yun very nervous.

    "Yes, Father." Ye Tian Yun lowered his gaze and replied.

    "Good," Emperor Ye nodded, "You had me worried there."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by his words, ''Really?''

    Clearing his thoughts, he asked, "Father, why did youe here?"

    Emperor Ye smiled, "You can say it was a pure coincidence. Now let''s go; there''s not much time."

    And with a wave of his hand, he made Ye Tian Yun float in the air!

    Soon both of them flew and arrived in the ruined part of the Silver Mist City.

    "Butler Liu!?" Ye Tian Yun got even more confused by the person in front of him.

    Butler Liu let out a smile, "Ah, Crown Prince, the Abracadabra Pill was indeed very effective."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a wry smile and wiped the sweat on his forehead, "I am d it helped you, haha."

    (-.-)''

    The Abracadabra pill was how Ye Tian Yun had tricked Butler Liu, and then in his disguise, he arrived in the Lower Heavens.

    Butler Liu shook his head and smiled.

    That day, when Ye Tian Yun had tried to fool him, Butler Liu already knew what Ye Tian Yun was up to.

    However, for some reason, he yed along.

    After all, how could it be easy for a powerful expert like him to be fooled so easily?

    Even as a Half Saint Realm cultivator, he usually showed just ten percent of his actual power to Ye Tian Yun and everyone else.

    Ye Tian Yun coughed and tried to change the topic.

    Just then, his eyesnded on the unconscious Jun Xie and Yuan Shuchun; his face paled, and he immediately went to them and asked, "How is he!?"

    Emperor Ye slightly smiled at his actions and said, "He will be alright, don''t worry."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh of relief, "Earlier, we were fighting a Core Formation Realm cultivator, and because of me, that man targeted Jun Xie, and all this happened."

    Butler Liu nodded his head, "I understand, don''t worry anymore, Crown Prince. He will be alright."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "But how is he alive? I saw him without a breath or heartbeat! It even made me go berserk and reveal my trump cards."

    Butler Liu smiled and said, "It was the Pendant. It''s a special jadeite pendant with a smallplex array on it. The pendant got destroyed because of the attack, which triggered the array, putting Jun Xie in a death-like state to fool the enemy. He remained in this state until the time I arrived here."

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "That''s a relief. It saved me from a huge regret."

    Butler Liu replied, "Crown Prince, I am happy that you consider my son as a friend."

    "A friend?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "No, he''s not my friend. He''s a brother of mine."

    Emperor Ye lightly nodded his head, "It''s good that you three are close friends."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun was confused, "Three?"

    Emperor Ye nced at the unconscious Yuan Shuchun.

    Ye Tian Yun immediately understood and couldn''t help but cough.

    With a wry smile, he said, "Father, thisˇ­ how should I put itˇ­ Yuan Shuchun and us don''t really consider each other as close friendsˇ­."

    "What?" Emperor Ye was surprised, "You people aren''t friends?"

    Butler Liu asked, "Don''t tell me you are enemiesˇ­?"

    Ye Tian Yun gave a wry smile, "Well, I am neither a friend nor an enemy of Yuan Shuchun, but the same can''t be said for Jun Xieˇ­ these two are at each other''s throats all the time."

    Emperor Ye suddenlyughed, "Haha, this is interesting."

    Ye Tian Yun, who was surprised to hear augh from his father, said, "This girl has a nut loose. She will do anything to achieve her goal."

    Emperor Ye smiled, "Then how is she different from you?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Umˇ­ I am more handsomeˇ­"

    Emperor Ye shook his head and, staring at the unconscious Yuan Shuchun; he suddenly smiled, "Like father, like daughter."

    And then, after a moment of thought, he asked Ye Tian Yun, "What are your new ns?"

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "Currently, my top priority is to kill a guy. I have been after him for months, and just when I was about to get him, something unexpected happened, and he escaped. I don''t want to make a mistake and give him a chance to grow powerful."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Well, that''s the right approach. Giving a chance to the enemies just because you''re far more powerful than them is the easiest way to court death."

    "But I don''t understand one thing. Who was the person who interfered and destroyed half of this city?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought a moment before replying, "Like me, he was also trying to change his destiny."

    Emperor Ye smiled, "Destiny ahˇ­ so, where is he now?"

    Ye Tian Yun let out a smile, "Dead."

 Chapter 389 - 389 | Ye Tian Yuns Request

    "Dead?" Emperor Ye nodded his head, "You seeded in killing him? From what I have heard, you were thoroughly suppressed by the enemy."

    Ye Tian Yunughed, "I got lucky."??

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Yeah, sure you did."

    Suddenly, something dawned upon Ye Tian Yun, and he asked, "Father, from where did you hear about it?"

    Emperor Ye nced at the side.

    Ye Tian Yun followed his gaze and noticed an unconscious young man.

    Qin Wentian!

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised to see him, "Wow, I guess, leaving him alive did have its merit."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "I made him unconscious."

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly frowned and looked up.

    "What the hellˇ­.. How in the world did I not notice this!?"

    He was staring at thendslide, which was still in the air!

    Butler Liuughed, "You weretoo engrossed in your thoughts."

    Ye Tian Yun, still in amazement at the scene in front of him, nodded his head, "I guess soˇ­."

    When Emperor Ye brought him to the city, Ye Tian Yun had arrived within an instant. He hadn''t witnessed the destruction and the chaos from above.

    After he arrived in the city, his attention was fully taken away by Butler Liu, Jun Xie, and Yuan Shuchun.

    Only now did he notice the hundred-foot wall of debris hanging in the sky, ready to gulp the city at any instant.

    And all this was because of the weird shadow he saw near the unconscious Qin Wentian.

    "This was unexpected," Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    And then observed the surroundings around him.

    ''Damn, no one survivedˇ­.''

    Butler Liu quipped, "Half of the city is destroyed. Only these three kids somehow survived. Mainly because of the artifacts they had to defend from this st."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    Jun Xie, Yuan Shuchun, and Qin Wentian all had very powerful backgrounds.

    "Father," Ye Tian Yun suddenly remembered something, "When I was attacked and was almost about to lose my life, Yuan Shuchun''s guard suddenly interfered and defended me. He did this as soon as the enemy revealed my identity. Clearly, he wanted to protect me, even more so than Yuan Shuchun. I want to confirmˇ­ by any chance... Are you close friends with Yuan Xuming?"

    Emperor Ye nced at Butler Liu, who gave a slight nod, and then after a while, he spoke, "Son, the matter between me and Sword Saint is a bitplicated. But yes, you can say we''re good friends."

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit confused, "But then why does everyone thinks that you hate each others'' guts? Even I thought the same until today."

    Emperor Ye pursed his lips before saying, "as I said, the matter is a bitplicated. I will exin it to you in detail once youˇ­ once you have grown a bit."

    Ye Tian Yun was confused, but he knew any more attempts to get the answer would be futile.

    To stop the sudden awkward silence, Butler Liu asked, "Crown Prince, what are your next ns? Do you wish to return to the Middle Heavens?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and nced at Emperor Ye, asking, "Father, can I be in Lower Heavens for a few more months?"

    Emperor Ye surprisingly agreed, "Alright. But you will have to do one thing. Go with Butler Liu and visit your Uncle Wang''s ce. There, you need to bring the Great Ling n''s princess, Ling Qing''er. After that, you''re free to do whatever the hell you want."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Okay."

    His response confused Emperor Ye, "I thought you would objectˇ­ Well, that''s a surprise."

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I will take this as a vacation, free from worries about the future. But before that, I have one request."

    Emperor Ye replied, "Ask away."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment before saying, "Father, I will stay here for three weeks and head to the Gracious Sword Sect. Exactly three weeks from today, I will meet Butler Liu outside the southern gate of the sect, and from there, we both will head to Uncle Wang''s ce."

    "Father, I hope you agree with this because this is important for me to tie up some loose ends and make way for my future ns."

    "Also, Butler Liu, I hope you don''t take Jun Xie with you. He will have a brighter future here in the Lower Heavens. His desire to find the truth behind his pendant is the biggest motivation he has right now. It is the driving force behind his hard work. So please don''t take it away by revealing the truth to him when he wakes up. In fact, it would be best if you don''t appear once he wakes up."

    "Thisˇ­" His words stumped Butler Liu.

    "Alright," Emperor Ye nodded, and then ncing at Butler Liu, he said, "This is for the best. A new era has begun. It''s the best time for these youngsters to grow and create a ce for themselves in this cruel world."

    Ye Tian Yun was confused by Emperor Ye''s sudden speech, "A new era?"

    Emperor Ye nodded his head, "Yes. Someone has received the first token of your generation."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    ''The phenomenon happenedˇ­.''

    ''Well, that was expected.''

    He nodded, and looking at Butler Liu; he asked, "What are your thoughts, Butler Liu? Do you agree with my request?"

    Butler Liu let out a sigh and said, "I don''t have any problem, but I have one request from you, Crown Prince."

    "Oh? What is it?" Ye Tian Yun listened carefully.

    "Ahem, Crown Prince. I hope you can brainwash his mind and remove the hatred he had against his n. Things happened in the past, and I had no control over anything."

    "Trust me when I say this, but I am thest person who would want him to suffer like this."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "I understand. But, what about his pendantˇ­?"

    Butler Liu shook his head, "It was one of its kind. There won''t be any other."

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Alright, well, this pendant can be a good exnation on why he survived. It''s better than concocting an unbelievable story."

    Butler Liu nodded, "Alright then, three weeks it is."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath, "Yes. Three weeks."

    Emperor Ye told Butler Liu, "Let''s head back then; those people will arrive soon."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "Who, father?"

    "The Heavenly Oracle Sect."

 Chapter 390 - 390 | The Most Unique Emblem, Emblem Of Time (I)

    "Heaven Oracle Sect?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Will they be here because of the prophecy or because of the phenomenon?"

    "The phenomenon... Wait, which prophecy?" Emperor Ye asked in confusion.??

    He was not made aware of any prophecy or anything about that matter.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a light breath and began to exin.

    "A few days ago, I infiltrated into the Devil Sect camp here in the city and came across a very interesting piece of information."

    "The Heaven Oracle Sect has prophesied the arrival of the Token Of Fate."

    "What!?" Both Emperor Ye and Butler Liu were shocked by this information.

    "Why were we not informed about this!?" Butler Liu was stumped.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "They are hiding this information from the world." Then pointing at the unconscious Qin Wentian, he added, "This is the reason why that guy came to this city."

    "He told us that he was here to take out the Devil Sect and to find you." Butler Liu replied.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "He didn''t even know about the Devil Sect being here. In fact, if he knew about their presence, no matter what the prize, this guy wouldn''t risk his life bying to this city. As for finding me... well, that''s an interesting thing."

    Emperor Ye asked, "How did the Devil Sect know about this prophecy? Are you certain this is true?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I am hundred percent sure. And the reason why Devil Sect knows this shouldn''te as a big surprise. They did what they are expert in - infiltration."

    Butler Liu raised his eyebrows, and in a praising voice, he said, "This sect is really good at infiltrating. I am sure the Heavenly Oracle Sect had kept the contents of the prophecy top-secret, yet the Devil Sect was able to get the information and even move into action."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yes, looks like they have infiltrated the top brass of Heavenly Oracle Sect."

    "I will look into this matter," Emperor Ye said, "Heavenly Oracle Sect is really good at hiding..."

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards Butler Liu and asked, "Did someone from Heaven Oracle Secte to check on me in thest month or so?"

    Butler Liu nodded, "Yes, one of the Grand Elders came."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and, pointing at Qin Wentian; he said, "About a month ago, this Disciple from the Heaven Oracle Sect came to the Gracious Sword Sect, and there he somehow found traces of my presence. He informed his sect, and then his master visited my pce."

    "Hm?" Emperor Ye frowned, "They are taking... too much interest in you."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "Yes, and this is bothering me. I have a feeling this sect will one day put a knife in my back."

    Emperor Ye let out a sigh, "Let''s hope this is just a random thought and doesn''t turn into reality. Heavenly Oracle Sect is... an important piece that I don''t want to lose."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "I understand, father. But if theye in my way, I won''t show any mercy."

    Emperor Ye smiled, "If they try to conspire against any Ye n member, they will suffer. You don''t even have to do anything."

    Butler Liu quipped, "Crown Prince, did they also get the prophecy for the Emblem, just like how they got it about the Token of Fate? Maybe they know which Emblem has appeared..?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment before shaking his head in denial, "I don''t think they had expected the arrival of an Emblem. The wheels of fate have turned in a new unknown direction. I am sure now even Heavenly Oracle Sect will have a hard time guessing the future."

    Emperor Ye asked, "Yun''er, the Emblem... did you get it?"

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded his head.

    Emperor Ye and Butler Liu smiled wide.

    "Congrattions! Crown Prince!" Butler Liuughed.

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Yes, congrattions. I am proud of you, my son."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    For a moment, he thought he shouldn''t reveal it, but then...

    ''If I don''t share this with these two, then whom will I share?''

    Anyway, the Emblem was useless for them, so the thought of anything going wrong didn''t even strike Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    "Which one is it?" Emperor Ye asked, "You can share if you want, but not necessarily."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and replied, "It''s the Emblem Of Time."

    As he said these words, a sudden thought struck his mind.

    Emblem of Time... the thing that was supposed to be with Wang Yao was now in his possession.

    And the Emblem System, which was supposed to help him in his revenge, was now in Wang Yao''s consciousness.

    ''I don''t know if what Wang Yao revealed to me was true or just bullshit. But I will rather take the worst-case scenario than ignore it.''

    Emperor Ye, on the other hand, frowned after hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    Even Butler Liu frowned, and both of them nced at each other for a moment.

    Then, Emperor Ye spoke, "Son... this Emblem Of Time... is a bitplicated."

    "First of all, tell me, were you able to sense it even once, after you got it?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, Father."

    "Oh, that''s a relief then," Emperor Ye''s expression rxed slightly, "The thing is, this Emblem, as its name suggests, is rted to time. However, even though this is not the best of all Emblems, it''s a unique one."

    "It has two things which are unique to itself. The first one is it stores the memories of all previous possessors."

    "This can be good or bad news for you. However, one thing is certain, your goal, thoughts, and emotions might get affected by memories of the previous Emblem Holders."

    Ye Tian Yun was shocked to hear this.

    ''Doesn''t that mean... I will get Wang Yao memories!?''

    ''Could I have asked for anything better?''

 Chapter 391 - 391 | The Most Unique Emblem, Emblem Of Time (II)

    With Wang Yao''s memories, Ye Tian Yun will know exactly what his enemy is up to!

    ''This... This is such a good advantage!''??

    The memories will let Ye Tian Yun see the different side of the story!

    He will also know the hidden information and secrets of other God''s Legion members, which his informants never uncovered!

    ''To get information, it cost me Fate Points... and now I am getting it all for free...''

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun lost in his thoughts, Emperor Ye frowned and burst his bubble, "Son, there''s one thing you must not forget. These memories will affect your sense of judgment. And the worst of all, they wille to you at unexpected moments and in parts."

    "You don''t have any control over the memories you get."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''Ah, I guess I was thinking too highly of my luck.''

    Clearing his thoughts, he asked, "Father, will I get memories of all the previous Emblem Holders, or just one?"

    Emperor Ye shook his head, "This... I can''t give any confirmed answer to this. Everything I am saying is also a secret because the powers of Emblems and Tokens aren''t usually discussed in public. The Cultivators at the peak even encourage the rumors regarding these artifacts; therefore, the actual truth is never out."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    He was aware of this fact.

    "What is the second unique thing about it, Father?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Emperor Ye slightly frowned while saying, "This one is the important one. Unlike other Emblems whose powers are same for all its Emblem Holders, this one has had a different power for each of its Emblem Holders in the past."

    "Like, one of them had a power to travel back in time, someone had the power to see the past, one had the power to see the future."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Did someone ever have the power to control time and revert it?"

    Emperor Ye shook his head, "I haven''t heard of such a thing."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    ''Wang Yao had the power to revert time for a few seconds.''

    ''But reverting the time is not time travel... the future Wang Yao I killed had time traveled.''

    ''Father just mentioned that someone else had the power to time travel long ago...''

    ''Doesn''t that mean it is possible to unlock powers possessed by the previous Token Holders? Since that is what most likely has happened in Wang Yao''s case, allowing him to time travel back in the past.''

    ''I wonder what will be my power?''

    ''It better be something good; with the system gone, I have already suffered a huge setback.''

    Emperor Ye didn''t disturb Ye Tian Yun thought process and let him contemte the situation.

    After a long silence, Ye Tian Yun collected his thoughts and asked, "Father, how do I use the Emblem of Time? Earlier, I had tried hard to summon it to escape from the separate space, but it didn''t work. I only felt a bare fraction of Emblem''s aura before it disappeared once again. If you hadn''te, I don''t know how long I would have had to stay there."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "You got very lucky in that regard. If Jun Xie hadn''t got injured, none of us would havee to Lower Heavens, and I might have lost you."

    "Sometimes, fate likes to y such little games."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and then turning his head towards Butler Liu, who had been silently sitting beside his son all this time, he said, "Butler Liu, when youe back after three weeks, please bring lots of Cultivation resources. I might fall behind the Middle Heavens'' younger generation because of my stay in the Lower Heavens."

    "Hm? Ah, yes, don''t worry, Crown Prince, I will bring lots of Cultivation resources." Butler Liu came out of his trance and replied.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and added, "Bring for Jun Xie too. He has a very powerful Spirit Sense, so it will be best if you bring resources needed to increase his alchemy realm."

    "This... " Butler Liu hesitated.

    Seeing him like this, Emperor Ye smiled and said, "Yes, you will bring them," And then, turning his head towards Ye Tian Yun, he continued, "Yun''er, we will leave now. These three will wake up by evening, don''t worry about them."

    "Thank you, Father."

    Emperor Ye nced at unconscious Yuan Shuchun and said, "If possible, try to befriend this little girl. She''s... hmm, you will know in the future. Just keep her by your side."

    Ye Tian Yun was confused by his words, "Father, she... She will try to kill me if I get between her goal... How could I trust her with my goal?"

    Emperor Yeughed, "haha, Don''t worry about that. The Yuan n is famous for acting like this. And the burden on this girl''s shoulder is a lot. Currently, what she needs is a big brother. Be her big brother."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips. But then, remembering how Peak Master Duan Ming sacrificed himself as soon as he knew Ye Tian Yun''s identity, he decided to give her a chance.

    "Father, I will treat her like a real sister, but if she ys tricks and acts selfishly, then I won''t hesitate to drive my sword through her throat."

    Emperor Ye smiled, "You won''t have to. I know the Yuan''s better than anybody."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright."

    Butler Liu stood up and looked in a certain direction, "Someone''sing..."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Let''s leave then."

    Butler Liu nodded, and ncing at Jun Xie for onest time; he flew up.

    Emperor Ye and Ye Tian Yun stared at each other, and then nodding his head, Emperor Ye too flew upwards.

    Soon, both of them disappeared on the horizon.

    Staring in the direction they left, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but let out a sigh.

    But in the next moment, he took hold of himself and steeled his will.

    The job was not finished.

    Xiao Ming was still alive.

 Chapter 392 - 392 | The Mysterious Space

    Ye Tian Yun released his spirit sense and tried to find Xiao Ming.

    However, even after countless tries and a hundred different ces, he failed to sense Xiao Ming''s aura.??

    ''Don''t tell me he''s also in a different space?''

    Ye Tian Yun tried to concentrate on the EMblem Of Time, but nothing happened.

    He failed even to sense the Emblem Of Time''s power.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    He gritted his teeth but didn''t stop looking around.

    Behind destroyed taverns, below broken walls, between the debrisˇ­ he even personally looked around.

    However, it wasn''t there.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''Did he escapeˇ­?''

    Even if Xiao Ming had escaped, there was no way of confirmation.

    ''What can I doˇ­.''

    ''The people from Heavenly Oracle Sect mighte anytime nowˇ­.''

    ''I need to calm down first.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and took hold of himself.

    ''I must sense the Emblem Of Time.''

    He needed the Emblem Of Time right now.

    It was at these moments the Emblem System would have been pretty useful.

    ''No matter what its intentions were, at least it would help me in achieving my goal.''

    Letting out a sigh, Ye Tian Yun, with no other choice, sat cross-legged in the middle of the destroyed Silver Mist City.

    However, before that, Ye Tian Yun had to do one important thing!

    ''Disguise once again as Kai Yang.''

    While fighting Wang Yao in a separate space, Ye Tian Yun had gone all out and that had removed his disguise, unleashing his fully suppressed cultivation.

    He was currently in his real attire.

    If someone were to see him here, especially the Heavenly Oracle Sect, it would be no different from kicking his leg with an ax.

    Ye Tian Yun took the blood drops of Kai Yang, which he had taken from Kai Yang''s corpse. Then he took out the pills that he got when Wang Yao transferred the System to himself.

    After a few moments of preparation, Ye Tian YUn took the pills, and suddenly his aura began to change.

    His expression, face, heightˇ­ everything changed, turning him exactly like Kai Yang.

    ''This is good.''

    Ye Tian Yun then focused on sensing the Emblem Of Time.

    Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that ur in apparently irreversible session from the past, through the present, into the future.

    However, with the help of a legendary artifact called Emblem Of Time, it is said that this definition of time can be turned invalid.

    The Emblem of Time works on the principles of time, whichˇ­ Ye Tian Yun was unaware of it.

    ''This won''t work; I need something solid.''

    Ye Tian Yun thought to himself and was about to stand up.

    But suddenly, he noticed something weird.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    He was not in the Silver Mist City.

    ''Where the hell is this ce?''

    Ye Tian Yun looked around. The scene around him was very familiar.

    ''Is this the Nine Heavens Painting?''

    He couldn''t confirm.

    Because everything around him was white!

    It was exactly simr to the white space inside the Nine Heavens Painting!

    He felt like he was back in the painting, but there was one problem.

    Last time, he went in like himself, but he felt as if he was in Wang Yao''s ce this time.

    Why?

    Because he couldn''t ''sense'' this space.

    In the Nine Heavens Painting, Ye Tian Yun had absolute control over everything.

    And all the time, he was able to ''sense'' this control.

    But here?

    It was no different from waking up in an unknown ce.

    ''How the hell did Ie here?''

    Ye Tian Yun slowly stood up and took out his sword.

    He didn''t know what was happening, but since it wasn''t because of himself, it could be an enemy ambush?

    ''But I killed Wang Yaoˇ­''

    This was what confused Ye Tian Yun.

    ''I never had any more powerful enemy than Wang Yaoˇ­ or am I underestimating someone?''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and began to look around.

    Just like the Nine Heavens Painting, this white space seemed endless.

    But there was one huge difference.

    ''I can sense Qi!''

    Unlike the Nine Heavens Painting, which was a different independent space altogether, here, Ye Tian Yun was able to sense Qi.

    That meant it was connected to the real world!

    ''What is going on?''

    Ye Tian Yun halted for a moment and began to concentrate on the Qi around him.

    In the next moment, his eyes opened wide in shock!

    "Thisˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun''s breathing quickened. He gulped and looked around.

    The Qi Density hereˇ­ was more concentrated than the high-tier Spirit Vein of the Gracious Sword Sect!

    Ye Tian Yun was amazed by this discovery.

    When he had firstid his eyes on the high-tier spirit vein in the Gracious Sword Sect, he had gone through a refreshing feeling.

    It was weird but rxing.

    However, in this space, even though the Qi was very much concentrated and dense than the high-tier Spirit Vien, he actually didn''t feel it from the start!

    ''It only felt it because I tried to sense the Qi, and that too when I concentrated more on it.''

    ''It''s as if this ce doesn''t have Qi, yet it had the highest density of Qi!''

    ''What the hell is this ce?''

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth.

    ''I need to get out of here!''

    Even though Ye Tian Yun wanted to explore and cultivate in this unknown and strange white space, his current priority was to find Xiao Ming and kill him for the Token Of Fate!

    But nothing was working.

    Ye Tian Yun was able to cultivate here, but he couldn''t sense anyway to get out of this space!

    He tried to concentrate once again.

    Hoping to find some connection with this space or with the Emblem Of Time.

    He needed to get out of this ce.

    ''How the fuck did Ie here? I need to find Xiao Ming! I need to get the Token Of Fate! It''s been half fucking hour since I came here!''

    ''Hm? Waitˇ­ half-hour since I came here? How was I able to tell thatˇ­ this ce also had the concept of time!''

    ''Damn, just when I thought things couldn''t go worse.''

    ''But I won''t give up!

 Chapter 393 - 393 | All Hopes Lost?

    ''Fuck my luck!''

    Ye Tian Yun gave up and fell on the white ground with his head first.??

    It''s been six hours since he came to this space.

    ''Xiao Ming must have already escaped by now.''

    Just the thought of this frustrated Ye Tian Yun.

    ''I was so closeˇ­ so fucking closeˇ­ fuck fuck fuck!''

    No amount of cursing was enough.

    Where is this ce? How did hee here? How would he get out? What was going on?...

    Lots of questions.

    But no one to answer them.

    Ye Tian Yun felt helpless.

    ''This is worse than fighting against Wang Yao. At least I would know what was going on at that time.ˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun had punched the ground.

    Kicked it.

    shed it.

    Jumped on it.

    Nothing had worked.

    ''This piece of shitˇ­.''

    He took a deep breath and turned over.

    Staring at the white sky, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment.

    Calming his mind, he stood up.

    Looking around, he took another deep breath.

    And with all his strength, he shouted.

    "Motherfuckere out, you bastard! Don''t you fucking hide behind this space! If you have one father,e out, you fucker!"

    "Keep on hiding if you have ten fathers!"

    Ye Tian Yun waited for a response from the person responsible for this.

    After another hour.

    Bam!

    Ye Tian Yun fell on his butt.

    His expression was lifeless.

    No one had replied.

    ''I hate this ceˇ­.''

    He needed to get out of here.

    He needed to find Xiao Ming.

    He needed to get the Token Of Fate from him.

    ''It''s toote nowˇ­.''

    Seven hours had passed in this separate space.

    ''Even Jun Xie and Yuan SHuchun would have woken up by now.''

    As per Butler Liu, those two would havee back to their senses by evening.

    ''It''s almost night nowˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun felt annoyed.

    He wanted to curse the previous eighteen generations of the person behind all this.

    ''Show yourself, you fucker!''

    But no one wasing.

    ''If I can get outˇ­''

    ''I don''t even know what I will doˇ­.''

    ''Sigh.''

    ''All my hard work is gone because of this spaceˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun felt dull.

    After nning and disguising, making more ns, and then killing his enemiesˇ­ he hade very close to his goal.

    ''I was just one sh awayˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun hated this predicament.

    First, Wang Yao had interfered, saving Xiao Ming.

    ''That fuckerˇ­ I want to revive him and kill him thousand times over.''

    ''It''s all because of himˇ­''

    If Wang Yao had no appeared, Ye Tian Yun''s work would have beenpleted a long ago, and he would have been on his way back to the Sect with the TOken Of Fate in his possession.

    Even after he killed Wang Yao, he failed to find Xiao Ming in time.

    ''Where the fuck was that guy?''

    He couldn''t sense Xiao Ming anywhereˇ­

    And now, he was stuck in this unknown space for thest seven hours.

    ''So many loose endsˇ­.''

    The biggest thing that frustrated Ye Tian Yun was the clues and signs he had left behind.

    ''The Heavenly Oracle Sect will know I was hereˇ­''''

    ''Not to forget about that bastard, Qin Wentianˇ­ that fucker is also alive. HE knows everything. He will reveal everything to the HEavenly Oracle SEct.''

    ''AHHHHH!! I hate this!''

    Ye Tian YUn mmed his fist on the ground.

    So close, yet so far.

    Within seven hours, everything has changed.

    ''And I didn''t even do a fucking thing!!!''

    ''Looks like I used all my luck in fighting against Wang Yaoˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun slumped back on the ground.

    He couldn''t even describe his emotions.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    Even if he got out, there was no way he would be able to return to the Gracious Sword Sectˇ­

    And not returning there meant his next target was already out of his reach.

    ''Not only I have lost Token Of Fate... I have also jeopardized my chance to get my hands on the other Tokens and Emblemsˇ­ fuck my luck.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh.

    ''Jun Xia and Yuan Shuchun must have woken up by nowˇ­ I wonder if they woke up before the Heavenly Oracle Sect arrived, or were they captured..?''

    ''What happened to Fu Kai? Is that guy still alive?''

    ''I hope he''s still aliveˇ­ because he will definitelye to look for survivorsˇ­.''

    ''If hees, then he will be able to save Jun Xie and Yuan Shuchun.''

    ''That''s good. I hope this is what has happened.''

    ''Sigh..''

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the sky for a long timeˇ­

    And just like this, another seven hours passed.

    ''It''s midnightˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh.

    Now, everything is gone. There is no chance to get back.

    ''Even after months of nning and schemingˇ­ I lost everything.''

    Ye Tian Yun felt immense disappointment.

    ''Damnˇ­''

    ''Now there''s noing backˇ­.''

    At least I need to get out of hereˇ­ only then will I be able to do somethingˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t waste any more time.

    ''Maybe if I sense the Emblem of Timeˇ­ I might at least know something about this space?''

    Ye Tian Yun willed himself and sat cross-legged.

    One day passed.

    "Fuck, this is bullshit!"

    Ye Tian Yun cursed once again.

    ''What is it that I need to doˇ­.''

    ''Fuck!''

    ''Do I need to increase my cultivation realm!? Maybe that would help?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t only think of this solution.

    He had no other way.

    ''Increasing cultivation is better than sitting and hoping for a miracleˇ­.''

    Letting out a long sigh, Ye Tian YUn then put his focus on cultivation.

    And with the very dense qi around him, increasing cultivation was the best option here.

    And thus, Ye Tian Yun began to cultivate.

    Three Weeks Passed.

    It was now time for Butler Liu to arrive at the Gracious Sword Sect and meet Ye Tian Yun.

    ...

    A/n: I am writing this chapter on the phone, so forgive me for any mistakes.

    Also, please read ''creator''s thoughts'' below this.

 Chapter 394 - 394 | Rapid Increase In Cultivation!

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and let out a sigh.

    ''It''s been three weeks.''??

    He remembered his promise to Butler Liu.

    ''We were supposed to meet today at the southern gate of the Gracious Sword Sectˇ­''

    Thinking about it, Ye Tian Yun felt disappointed.

    He was really unlucky.

    To get stuck in white space like this, with no way of getting out and not even knowing what was going on.

    He couldn''t figure out any way of going out of this strange space.

    However, amidst all this, there was one piece of good news.

    He made a breakthrough.

    About three days ago, Ye Tian Yun crossed the bottleneck and was able to sessfully breakthrough the Eight Qi Stabilization Realm.

    Due to the high Qi density around him, it wasn''t hard for him to breakthrough in a few days.

    Earlier, it would have taken him a few months, even with the help of the system.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and focused again on cultivation.

    He had nothing else to do anyway.

    Now that things had gone out of hand because he was stuck in this ce, the best option for him was to make use of this chance and increase his cultivation realm!

    And thus, he began to cultivate once more.

    With his eyes closed, he focused on channeling the Qi around him through the meridians of his body.

    The next level was the Ninth Level Of Qi Stabilization Realm.

    Like every cultivation level, Ye Tian Yun needed to store the Qi in his dantian and pass it through his meridians. The more he did, the harder it would get.

    And then a point woulde when the whole Qi flow would suddenly rx; that would indicate a sessful breakthrough.

    To reach the next level, it took Ye Tian Yun a whole month.

    As soon as he crossed through the Ninth Level, the Qi flow through his meridians became faster and easier.

    ''This is such a great feeling.''

    Currently, his cultivation was even faster than when he was in the Middle Heavens.

    ''I don''t know how long I will stay hereˇ­ but it''s best to increase my cultivation realm as much as possible.''

    ''The whole world would have probably changed by nowˇ­''

    Clearing his thoughts from his regrets, Ye Tian Yun first focused on stabilizing his Ninth Level cultivation.

    After meditating for some time, he stood up and began to practice sword moves.

    This was important because he didn''t have the system anymore.

    Earlier, the System directly stabilized his cultivation, saving a lot of time. But now, things were different.

    He was back to being ''normal''.

    It was both a blessing and a curse.

    A curse because he won''t be able to save much time, and a blessing because he would be able to give apt time to himself and his cultivation techniques.

    This would allow him to get a better grasp over his power.

    And thus, Ye Tian Yun began to repeat this procedure.

    Meditate. Sword Practice. Meditate. Sword Practiceˇ­ and so on.

    He was even able to release his Sword Domain.

    At first, it was a bit hard to control. But then, slowly, as months passed by, his control over the Sword Domain grew steadier.

    He felt more confident now.

    And this day, he had finally reached the very peak of Qi Stabilization Realm.

    This was also the peak of Tri-Qi Realms.

    The next step was very major.

    The Foundation Establishment Realm.

    When cultivators sessfully collect and condense the Qi into liquid, they enter the Foundational Establishment Realm and are said to have ''Established their Foundation'' for cultivation.

    Upon entering this stage, the lifespan of cultivators also increases drastically, and as they progress further, their lifespan can increase up to hundreds of years.

    In addition, Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators can alsomunicate through spirit messages!

    This is the biggest advantage of this stage and allows cultivators to talk among each other without even opening their mouths!

    And because the Qi is now in a liquid state, they can use the cultivation techniques, artifacts, and other abilities more effectively than they would have at the Tri-Qi stages.

    Foundation Establishment cultivators are highly regarded in the normal world and are mostly Inner Court Elders, even in powerful sects.

    If we go further down the hierarchy, there are some sects where the Sect Leader is in the Foundation Establishment realm!

    However, at the higher hierarchy, their value decreases, and they are even treated as cannon fodders.

    But one thing always remains the same - the age of the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

    The earlier he breaks through in this realm, the better.

    The age of breakthroughs in this realm tells a lot about the cultivator''s future potential.

    Normally, reaching this realm before turning twenty is considered a genius, even in the Middle Heavens.

    If Ye Tian Yun could breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would be one of the youngest cultivators to reach this realm in the history of cultivation.

    A fifteen-year-old Foundation Establishment cultivator!

    Even in his previous life, he was almost sixteen years old by the time he broke through this realm.

    That meant he currently had one whole year''s worth of lead in terms of cultivation.

    In his previous life, when the news of his breakthrough was made public, it shocked many people.

    At that time, Ye Tian Yun was known for his background, not because of his cultivation and battle prowess.

    But this feat had cemented his ce among the geniuses of Middle Heavens.

    After reaching the Foundation Establishment at sixteen, his potential had skyrocketed, and he was able to reach the peak of Half-Saint Realm at the mere age of Twenty-two.

    Between these two realms, there were two more realms, the Core Formation, and the Nascent Realm - he had basically jumped forty levels in mere six years!

    And now, he had the chance to add one more year and exponentially increase his cultivation potential.

    ''Let''s begin!''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and started to concentrate.

 Chapter 395 - 395 | Foundational Establishment Realm?

    Ye Tian Yun pondered a little and began to absorb the Qi around him.

    The main objective here was to convert the Qi in his Dantian into liquid form.??

    Slowly, focusing his mind on cultivation, Ye Tian Yun continued to absorb the Qi. He stopped the Qi flow in his meridians andpressed the Qi in his Dantian.

    This prevented it from escaping.

    However, his dantian began to swell up because of the pressure, and the Qi inside it began to churn.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at this ufortable feeling, but he was already at thest step.

    He became even more focused as he continued to absorb the Qi around him.

    After a long time, the ufortable feeling slowly began to disappear, and the aura around him started to change.

    It became much more oppressive, and his Spirit Sense made him feel rxed.

    It was as if he was bound to chains all this time and was finally freed from its grasp.

    ''This feeling is so weird...''

    Soon, a powerful surge of spiritual power suddenly flowed through his body, causing his face to be red.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath.

    He suddenly opened his eyes and jumped in the air!

    Bam!

    After a heavynding, he stabilized himself.

    His body was currently filled to the brim with Qi. In addition, as he jumped, ck liquid came out of his skin pores.

    Ye Tian Yun felt like his body was torn apart.

    He took out a huge container from his spatial ring and then threw in lots of Seven Treasure Body Tempering Liquid.

    Without a word, Ye Tian Yun jumped into the tub.

    Sitting cross-legged, Ye Tian Yun forced his attention to organize the Qi in his body.

    His body was constantly changing to Foundation Establishment.

    With the silence of the strange space and no one bothering him, Ye Tian Yun began the final step of his cultivation session.

    Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.

    In this time, Ye Tian Yun had reced the Seven Treasures Body Tempering Liquid within the tub several times.

    On this day, Ye Tian Yun''s body suddenly shook, and the tub he was sitting in suddenly sted!

    In the next moment, Ye Tian Yun jumped up andnded a few feet away.

    "This feelingˇ­" He smiled, "I have finally reached the Foundation Establishment."

    He smiled at the deja vu feeling of breaking through this realm once again.

    ''This is a huge leapˇ­ now I need to stabilize my cultivation and try to sense the Emblem OF Timeˇ­''

    Once he was able to sense the Emblem Of Time, he would find a way of getting out of this ce.

    With the high Qi density in this ce, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t very keen to get out of this ce now.

    In just three and a half months, he had broken through the Foundation Establishment Realm from being a Seventh Realm Qi Stabilization Realm cultivator.

    Even though he had lost the chance of getting the Token and Emblems without alerting powerful enemiesˇ­ but now that he had an opportunity to increase his cultivation realm to a very high stage, it would be a waste to let go of this opportunity.

    But sensing the Emblem Of Time was important because it would put his mind at ease, and he would be able to fully focus on utilizing this chance to increase his cultivation realm.

    Taking a light breath, Ye Tian Yun took out his sword and began to practice sword moves.

    Slowly, he released his Sword Intent and began to familiarise himself with his new battle strength.

    This was where his experience from his previous life came into use, and within a few days, he had the full grasp over his battle prowess.

    The Foundation Establishment Realm is also divided into nine levels, and after this breakthrough, Ye Tian Yun had sessfully stepped into the First Level.

    The first thing he wanted to try was to use his Spirit Sense to talk to someone.

    ''This is the second coolest power of being a cultivator. The first is being able to fly.''

    Clearing his thoughts, Ye Tian Yun sat cross-legged and began to concentrate on summoning his Emblem Of Time.

    Time passed, and another day flew by.

    "Not enoughˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    He once again failed to sense the Emblem Of Time.

    ''Do I need to increase my cultivation more?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, and after taking a deep breath, he started his next bout against cultivation.

    His next target was to reach the Second Level of Foundation Establishment Realm.

    To get to this realm, he needed to increase the density of the liquified Qi in this Dantian.

    From Level One to Nine of the Foundation Establishment, this was the goal.

    The denser his Qi was, the more powerful he would be.

    Ye Tian Yun first concentrated his Spirit Sense on the Dantian and assessed its state.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    He couldn''t help but be astounded by his discovery.

    ''This is denser than Third Level foundation Establishment!''

    In other words, his base power was already above the Third Level of Foundation Establishment realm!

    The main way of differentiating the levels of foundation Establishment was through the amount of the liquified Qi in the Dantian.

    And judging from the size, it was clear that Ye Tian Yun was in the First Level, yet if density was considered, he was in the third level!

    ''This is goodˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and focused on absorbing Qi from the surroundings.

    His discovery made him more confident and increased his excitement to cultivate more.

    And surprisingly, his excitementsted for two weeks!

    Finally, on this day, he opened his eyes, and a slight smile formed on his face.

    "Second Level Of Foundation Establishment!"

    He had sessfully broken through a new stage, and that too, just within two weeks!

    ''This is way faster than it wasst time.''

    Without any further ado, Ye Tian Yun stood up and practiced to stabilize his cultivation.

    And finally, after a few hours, he sat down to concentrate on the Emblem Of Time.

    This time, he was more confident in getting some reaction from it.

 Chapter 396 - 396 | They Meet Again

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and focused on calming his mind.

    With a higher cultivation base, he felt much more rxed, and his thoughts were much steadier.??

    As he continued his focus on trying to sense the Emblem Of Time, he began to feel a burning feeling between his eyebrows,

    Frowning, Ye Tia Yun concentrated hard between his eyebrows and suddenly found himself in a dream-like state.

    Everything around him was pitch ck.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and spread out his Spirit Sense; however, it turned out to be useless.

    ''Don''t tell me I am now stuck in another space?''

    "No, you''re not."

    ''Oh, that''s goo- wait, what!? Who was that?''

    Ye Tian Yun was suddenly rmed by the turn of events.

    Someone had replied to him just now!

    "I am behind you."

    The voice entered Ye Tian Yun''s ears once again.

    He turned around and saw a ball of light in the far distance.

    ''Where did thise from?''

    Earlier, everything here was pitch ck.

    "I was always here. You just failed to notice me."

    The voice replied. It wasing from the ball of light.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''You can read my thoughts?''

    "Hm? Well, this is your consciousness. I would be deaf if I can''t hear your thoughts."

    ''Who are you?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, stepping closer towards the ball of light.

    "I thought you would recognize meˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes.

    The voice did seem very familiar.

    And certain someone''s face appeared in his mind whenever he heard this man''s voice.

    But this confused him even more.

    ''How could you be here?''

    "Well, you''re the new possessor of Emblem Of Time. I have to be here."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t say anything and continued to move closer to the ball of light.

    Slowly, as he came closer to the light, he could differentiate some things from it.

    It was not a ball of light.

    ''A table?''

    The first thing that Ye Tian Yun noticed at a table.

    ''Hm? That''s someone sitting on itˇ­''

    After stepping a few steps more, he figured out the silhouette of someone sitting at the table.

    As he got closer, he saw that this mysterious man had his back turned on him, and with the teapot on the table, Ye Tian Yun figured he was drinking tea.

    As for the light sourceˇ­ it was everything.

    The man, the table, the teapotˇ­ everything was glowing in the pitch-ck darkness.

    "Come, take a seat."

    The man spoke, and just then, another chair appeared on the other side of the table.

    Ye Tian Yun''s frown deepened as he moved closer to the table.

    ''This backˇ­. Is familiar.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and moved to the seat opposite of the man.

    After taking the seat, he finally had the chance to observe the face of the man carefully.

    Ye Tian Yun''s eyes widened in surprise as his guess came true, "I knew it!" He said.

    The man in front of him smiled, "Surprise~"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at him and asked, "What are you doing here, Wang Yao?"

    Indeed, this mysterious man was Wang Yao.

    Albeit, the older version.

    Wang Yao took a sip of his tea, "Ah, the tea here is refreshing. How have you been, Ye Tian Yun?"

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "That is not the answer to my question."

    Wang Yao smiled, "Are you still going to consider me an enemy after I told you so many things?"

    Ye Tian Yun crossed his arms, "You may have said a lot of thingsˇ­ but that doesn''t mean everything you said was true."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "What will I get from lying to you?"

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Maybe you wanted to distract me from my goal? Maybe you wanted me to sympathize with you, so I don''t slit the throat of your younger self? There could be many reasonsˇ­"

    Wang Yao took another sip of tea and let out a long breath, "Ah, the tea is fantastic!"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Wang Yao, tell me, where is this ce?"

    Wang Yao gave him a stare, "Didn''t I tell you this is your consciousness? And since you''re the Emblem Of Time holder, I ought to be here."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Wasn''t I supposed to get your memoriesˇ­? How did I get you?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Good question. Actually, I am not the real me. You already killed me about four months ago in Silver Mist City."

    "Then what are you?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "A consciousness of yourself?"

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and gave a long nod, "Hmˇ­ close enough. I am the consciousness of myself, but I am made from the memories."

    "And my friend Ye Tian Yun, trust me when I say this, but I have no animosity against you right now."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I killed you. And as far as I know, you aren''t this generous, neither are you stupid. What''s the catch here?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "Well, I am not me. I mean, I am, but I am not me."

    "Ahem, how should I put it.." He thought for a moment before continuing, "Well, you see, I am Wang Yao, but I have no rtion with the one you killed. I am an independent consciousness. However, I do have memories of Wang Yao, but I don''t share his emotions, nor do I have any opinion on anything that happened with him or because of him, be it directly or indirectly."

    "Also, I am here to answer your questions, as long as I know the answer. Soˇ­ ask me anything."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, and after a moment of thought, he asked, "What is that white space? How and why did I get there? And how to get out of that ce?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "The white spaceˇ­. Well, that is also your consciousnessˇ­ but it''s a bit different from this ce. And you got there because of the Emblem Of Time."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Emblem Of Time? How? I couldn''t sense it all this timeˇ­"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Interesting question," And then, taking a sip from his teacup, he said, "I don''t know."

    "..."

 Chapter 397 - 397 | The Emblem System With Control Over Everything!

    "You don''t knowˇ­." Ye TIanYun frowned, "So, you can''t help me out in this situation?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I can''t help you with the problems which I myself have not encountered, though I can tell you something."??

    "The white spaceˇ­ it''s an opportunity for you."

    "An opportunity?" Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes.

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yeah, look at you. You have reached the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment in less than four months of time. Isn''t that crazy?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It isˇ­ but this opportunity came at the wrong time."

    Wang Yao smiled, "Maybe. Maybe not. You will understand your situation better if you leave the space."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Is there a way to get out of here? If I know about it, my mind will be at ease."

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and replied, "I think there is. You just have to ''sense'' the Emblem Of Time."

    "... "

    "What?"

    "What do you think I have been doing all this time?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Am I not trying to sense the Emblem Of Time?"

    Wang Yaoughed, "Yeah, yeah, you are. But my dear Crown Prince Ye, if it''s not working even after putting all your hard work, then it''s probably the wrong method."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "The wrong methodˇ­? Maybeˇ­ but I don''t know if it''s wrong or notˇ­ how do I confirm that?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "The answer is sipping tea in front of you."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I don''t understand one thingˇ­. What exactly is your aim here? Why would you even help me? We both were destined to be enemies of each other, but here you are, acting so friendly and even helping meˇ­ what are you after?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "Ye Tian Yun, we may have been enemies, but now, all that is in the past. You killed me; you won. Now, all that remains of me is this small part of consciousness, chained to the Emblem Of Time."

    "Honestly, I don''t have control over anything here. The only thing I can do is talk to you and help you out. Maybe in the future, you can repay this small debt and help me recover? Once you do that, we will go out separate ways."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "You took everything from meˇ­ there won''t be any debt between us."

    Wang Yao frowned, "Dude, I also gave you a chance to go through rebirth. You''re here because of me."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I am here because the System chose me over you."

    Wang Yao rolled his eyes, "System is just a scheming piece of crap. Looks, Ye Tian Yun, we both have the same enemy right now - and if we can work together and put down our differences for once, we will be able to beat the Emblem System."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Why should I even bother? I am not the hero here. Why should I even bother with the system?"

    Wang Yao frowned, "Don''t you want to kill the younger me?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Maybe. Maybe not. Both of us have not met yet. We don''t have any enmity. If I go there and treat him like a brother, won''t the oue be different?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "That won''t happen. You''re forgetting that my younger self has the Emblem System now. He''s already a lost cause."

    "Hm? Why do you think so?" Ye Tian Yun.

    Wang Yao replied with a self-mockingugh, "Ye Tian Yun, ah, Ye Tian Yun. I know myself better than anyone. In fact, if you hadn''t killed me today, I would have died anyway."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "borate."

    Wang Yao said while swirling the spoon in his teacup, "You see, originally, I was supposed to kill you today. After that, I would have gone and waited for an opportunity to get the System from my younger self."

    "And when I finally confront myself, the younger self, a stupid idiot, would allow the System to take over his body and fight me."

    "Because I had killed you a few months ago, the Heavenly Constraints would tighten their grasp over me, making me even weaker. And now, confronting the System, I would be powerless."

    "In the end, the System would kill me, and the Emblem Of Time inside me would go to my younger self."

    "Ohˇ­." Ye Tian Yun gave it a long thought and asked, "So this is the unknown encounter through which Wang Yao got the System?"

    Wang Yao, "Yes, and I never told about it to anyone else because that would reveal the existence of the system."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Yes. But there are still a few loopholes in your storyˇ­ for example, you have already killed me, then how would I reappear once again and fight for the Heavenly Throne?"

    Wang Yao frowned, "I may not know the exact answer, but I do have a very strong guess."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him, "Don''t you me it on the Emblem Systemˇ­."

    Wang Yao coughed, "Ahem, who else could do it? Clearly, the System brought you back, erased your memories rted to all this, and put you back in the cycle of time."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Doesn''t that mean the System is too powerful? Why will it even need to use others?"

    Wang Yao smirked, "No, System is not powerful. It''s the Host that judges the System''s power and limits. And don''t forget who was supposed to kill me. It was the System, in Wang Yao''s body."

    "This meant, technically, there were two owners of the Emblem Of Time - me and the System itself."

    "Now, do you know that every holder of Emblem Of Time gets to have unique abilities? Well, most likely, the System had the ability to get you back in the timeline. After all, you still had a use for being the best stepping stone for the young and naive Wang Yao."

 Chapter 398 - 398 | Wang Yaos Advice

    Ye Tian Yun listened to Wang Yao''s words and began to point out plot holes in his story.

    However, the more he thought, the more believable Wang Yao''s words seemed.??

    After about twenty minutes of discussion, Ye Tian Yun asked another important question, "Since I have not died, what will happen?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I don''t know. This was never supposed to happen."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh.

    "So right now, you want me to help you defeat the System? How will you do that? You said that increasing cultivation is the answer. But I don''t think it will work. System can bring out things from other realms. It even told me about the multiverse and stuff. Though it was hard to believe at first, it seemed like a valid answer."

    Wang Yao shook his head and asked, "Ye Tian Yun, what is the highest cultivation realm you know of?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied with a shrug, "Venerable Saint. It''s the peak of existence. I think my father''s in this realm?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "I don''t know why, but for some reason, uncle Ye never exined much about the real world to you, did he?"

    "What do you mean?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "You will know in the future, but for now, back to the question. The highest realm is the Heavenly Emperor."

    "Hn? What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Heavenly Emperor is not a cultivation realm. It''s a position in the hierarchy among the cultivators."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "It is a cultivation realm. Just that, we humans have never reached this realm. This is why even Saint Realm cultivators are crowned as the Heavenly Emperor after winning the battle at the Hundred Realm Refining Stage."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How high is this realm?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I don''t know. I never reached this realm. I didn''t even meet a genuine Heavenly Emperor ever in my life. Cultivators of this realm are myths and legends even in the Upper Heavens."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "So, you want to reach this realm?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "I wanted to. But I had already lost my potential. So I changed my n to take over myself and restart from the very bottom."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "Was this the reason why you were hating the God''s Legion? You wanted the Emblems and Tokens for yourself?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yeah, your guess is pretty close to the answer. Well, actually, I wanted to form a team, but I never wanted to call it God''s Legion. I hate this name as much as you do."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "The irony."

    Wang Yao let out a sigh, "Well, this was what I wanted to do, and now, it''s all useless because you have killed me, congrattions my dear friend."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "My pleasure."

    "Now, tell me the way to get out of here. I need to assess the situation outside. It''s been four months, and I need to know if things are still salvageable or not."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "You should focus on your cultivation here. Heed to this advice. You may not get this chance ever again."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then how long will I have to stay here?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I don''t know; cultivate as much as you can. At one point, you will reach a stage where no amount of Qi will increase your cultivation."

    "That will be the point when you need to go out."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Qi is never enoughˇ­ don''t tell me you''re telling me to go out after reaching the Heavenly Emperor Realm!?"

    Wang Yaoughed, "Heavenly Emperor Realm? Haha, if that realm only needed Qi, then do you think there would be ack of Heavenly Emperors?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then which realm are you talking about?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Fourth or fifth level of Foundation Establishment Realm."

    "Hm? Just that?" Ye Tian Yun was stumped.

    "Isn''t that too low? I thought I would at least surpass the Foundation Establishment and reach the Core Formation Realm here."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "We both know you need a very important pill to reach the Core Formation Realm. You won''t get it here."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I know, but the density of Qi here is just too much. Maybe Core Formation is possible."

    Wang Yao smiled, "If you reach the Sixth Level of Foundation Establishment, that alone would be a miracle."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and stood up.

    "Let''s start. I don''t want to get out of here within the next six months."

    "Hm?" Wang Yao frowned, "Next six months? Is something important about to happen? I don''t recall anythingˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes at him, "It''s none of your business."

    Wang Yao smiled, "Ah, I remember nowˇ­ hehehehe, interesting."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What?"

    Wang Yao smirked, "You don''t want to miss your first meeting with your future wifeˇ­ heheheˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun gave him a stare, and looking around; he asked, "How do I get out of this consciousness."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Just focus on getting out. That should work."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, and in a blink, he disappeared from his seat.

    Wang Yao was now alone in consciousness.

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun disappear, he suddenly let out augh, "You''re fast at running away, Ye Tian Yun - hahaha!"

    ˇ­

    In the white space.

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and found himself back in the familiar yet strange location.

    As soon as he hade out, he heard Wang Yao''s words.

    Rolling his eyes, he cursed, "Fuck off!"

    Wang Yaoughed even more and slowly turned silent, not bothering Ye Tian Yun anymore.

    With him gone, Ye Tian Yun once again put his focus on increasing his cultivation.

    ''Fifth Realm of Foundation Establishment is it?''

    ''Let''s see how far I can go..''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun focused on absorbing the Qi from his surroundings and converting it into a liquified state in his Dantian.

    And just like, in a blink, six months had passed.

 Chapter 399 - 399 | Coming Out!

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and his lips curved into a slight smile.

    ''Ninth Level of Foundation Establishment!''??

    In just mere six months, he had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Realm!

    ''Thisˇ­ this is simply amazing.''

    It had only been about ten months since he had entered this strange space, and he was able to increase his cultivation realm by twelve levels!

    This was unprecedented!

    ''Not even my father will believe me if I tell him about this.''

    Such a fast upgrade in cultivationˇ­ Ye Tian Yun was sure even the Emblem System would fail in achieving this humongous task.

    ''I wonder what is going on in the real world?''

    Even though he had increased his cultivation by a lot and was very satisfied with the progress he made, the curiosity to know the state of the martial world was itching him every second.

    ''It''s time to get out.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and called out his acquaintance.

    ''Wang Yao.''

    "Hm?" Wang Yao''s voice resounded in his ears, "Oh, you finished cultivation? Waitˇ­ damn! Ninth Level of Foundation Establishment! Crazy!"

    Ye Tian Yun replied with a smug smile, "Well, anything less was uneptable for me."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Is there anything you want to ask, or should we prepare for the next step?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "I have onest thing that''s bugging me."

    "Oh? Do ask."

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes while asking, "When I met your future self, you revealed that you had killed Shi Yan and gotten the Emblem Of Chaos from him."

    Wang Yao lightly nodded his head, "Ah, yes, I remember that. Do you want to know why you didn''t get the Emblem Of Chaos after killing me?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. Since you possessed the two emblems, I should have gotten both of them after killing you. But howe I didn''t?"

    Wang Yao replied, "The reason is pretty simple. Every Emblem has its own abilities. The Emblem Of Time may be the most unique Emblem of all, but the Emblem Of Chaos isn''t far behind from it. This Emblem actually has its own consciousness."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao nodded, "Earlier, the only reason why I had it was because I had suppressed it through my cultivation. But with the increasing Heavenly Constraints around me, it was already slipping from my grasp. You killing me just fast-forwarded the result, and the Emblem Of Chaos escaped."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun asked, "It escaped for a new host? The new host will beˇ­"

    "Shi Yan."

    "Shi Yan."

    Both of them spoke in unison.

    Wang Yao smiled, "Indeed. That bastard."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "If I kill him in the near future, won''t the Emblem Of Chaos escape once again?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes, it will. Why do you think the System always advised me not to kill or harm Shi Yan? It was because it would lose the Emblem Of Chaos inside him."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "That''s fair enough."

    Wang Yao then asked, "So, are you ready to go out?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Of course, it''s about damn time."

    "Ready to meet your wife, aye?"

    "Shut upˇ­"

    Wang Yao ignored him and continued, "Well, try concentrating on the Emblem Of Time now. With your higher cultivation, you should be able to get out of this ce. But remember one thing, you won''t be able toe back here."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I won''t be able toe backˇ­"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes. I don''t know the exact details, but I also entered a simr space when I first got the Emblem Of Time, but mine was different. However, I never got the chance of getting back to it, no matter how hard I tried."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "I won''t be able to breakthrough anymore here, so this ce is not useful for me. Maybe if I had the pill to form the Core, then I would have stayed here for a few more years and increased my cultivation to the peak of Half Saint."

    "And then I would have gone out and pinched my enemies to oblivion."

    Wang Yao smiled when he heard Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    "It''s best you first focus on what''s happening outside."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    ''It''s been ten monthsˇ­ lots of opportunities missedˇ­. I wonder what the state of the outside world is.''

    Wang Yao gave a mysterious smile when he heard this.

    "Alright, let''s prepare."

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and sat cross-legged.

    Right now, the only goal in his mind was to focus on sensing the Emblem Of Time and use it to get out of this space.

    The Emblem Of Time, as its name suggests, works on the concept of time.

    However, it''s not easy to grasp, and even talents like Ye Tian Yun might need years before fully understanding it.

    Like Wang Yao, who took forever toprehend other secrets of this Emblem, was already the Heavenly Emperor by the time he learned the way to get into the past.

    Just as he was trying to sense the Emblem Of Time, a familiar churning feeling began to well up in his chest.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "Don''t lose your focus." Wang Yao chimed in his consciousness.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded and continued to concentrate.

    Suddenly, just as Ye Tian Yun took his next breath, he frowned.

    ''Something''s burning?''

    He opened his eyes and found himself in the ruined Silver Mist City.

    ''I am out!''

    He smiled and stood up.

    But in the next moment, his expression morphed into that of confusion.

    ''What? The Silver Mist City is still burning?''

    Howe no one cleaned this ce?

    It was as if nothing had changed.

    Ye Tian Yun turned to look around, and this time his confusion turned into pure shock!

    Because in front of him were two unconscious people - Jun Xie and Qin Wentian!

    ''What the fuck is going on?''

    ''They are lying here for ten months!?''

    ''Where''s Yuan Shuchun!?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned in confusion.

    Just then -

    *BOOM!*

    A loud explosion was heard from a nearby location.

    Ye Tian Yun took out a small knife and threw it at Qin Wentian''s neck, and thening closer to Jun Xie, he picked him on his shoulder and headed towards the source of the explosion.

    Behind him, the sword pierced through Qin Wentian''s throat, instantly killing him, and slowly his body dissolved into a puddle of dirt.

    ˇ­

    Discord link: Discord.link/zinon

 Chapter 400 - 400 | Xiao Ming And Yuan Shuchun

    With Jun Xie on his shoulder, Ye Tian Yun was leaping through destroyed homes and taverns, getting closer to the explosion site.

    ''Here it is.''??

    Just when he was a street away, he lowered his presence and hid himself. Putting Jun Xie beside a wall, he looked towards the battlefield.

    ''Two people are fightingˇ­''

    There was a lot of dust flowing through the region, so it was hard to identify the two who were fighting, but Ye Tian Yun was able to make out the presence of at least two cultivators at first nce.

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head and looked at the sun.

    ''Barely few minutes have passedˇ­''

    ''What the hell is going onˇ­? I was in that strange space for about ten monthsˇ­ but only ten minutes passed hereˇ­ what the hell is going onˇ­?''

    As confused as he was, he was also ecstatic about this discovery!

    This meant he hadn''t lost anything! Not Yet!

    ''There''s still hope!''

    ''And my cultivation base-''

    Just then, a shout entered Ye Tian Yun''s ears, making him change his current priorities.

    "Xiao Ming, you bastard!"

    Ye Tian Yun immediately focused on the direction of the shout.

    He saw a faint figure through the dense dust.

    It was of a female

    ''Is thatˇ­ Yuan Shuchun? Why are they fighting?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and pulled out his sword from his spatial ring.

    He needed to find Xiao Ming''s location.

    This time no one could save him.

    Ye Tian Yun tightened his grip over his sword and spread out his Spirit Sense to identify Xiao Ming''s location and see if anyone else was also involved.

    ''There''s only one person other than Yuan Shuchun hereˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and waited for a moment to understand what was actually going on.

    ˇ­

    In the ruined open ground, Yuan Shuchun was kicked back on the wall.

    BOOM!

    "Ughˇ­" She gritted her teeth and looked at the person right in front of her with pure hatred and anger.

    "Xiao Ming, you bastardˇ­" She gritted her teeth and slowly stood up from the ce.

    "Yuan Shuchunˇ­ just give upˇ­ with all that has happened between us. I don''t really have the heart to kill you." Xiao Ming let out a sigh, yet the grip over his sword tightened even more.

    Yuan Shuchun grunted, "Damn you, Xiao Mingˇ­ I trusted youˇ­ you bastardˇ­"

    Xiao Ming smirked, "Trusted me? Hmph! You knew from the start what my intentions were, yet you allowed me toe closer to youˇ­ clearly, you too had a purposeˇ­"

    Yuan Shuchun gave a self-mockingugh when she heard his words, "A purpose? Xiao Mingˇ­ ah, Xiao Mingˇ­ what do you have that I could ever desire? What purpose could there be?"

    Xiao Ming shrugged, "I do have one thing, and I am sure you also know it very well. Even Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is after meˇ­ and Peak Master Duan was actually your guard? You never told me about thatˇ­ and the way Peak Master Duan protected Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, I am sure both of you know each other."

    Yuan Shuchun was shocked by her words, "What the fuck are you even saying, Xiao Ming? Your logic doesn''t even make sense! I have never met Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun in my life!"

    Xiao Ming shook his head, "It''s a waste to argue anymore about this. Let''s just end it. Give me what I want, and I will let you live. Then we both will go our separate ways."

    Yuan Shuchun gritted his teeth.

    She was helpless in this situation. Xiao Ming''s cultivation realm was way higher than she had initially thought.

    ''Seventh Level Qi Stabilization Realmˇ­ he''s even more talented than Crown Prince Ye Tian Yunˇ­''

    She hated being in this situation. However, she was injured and was at a great disadvantage.

    She knew there was a high chance Xiao Ming might actually kill herˇ­

    Thinking about this, she couldn''t help but inwardly sigh at her fate.

    ''I was able to avoid all the men I ever encounteredˇ­ yet I fell in love with someone like himˇ­''

    Taking a deep breath, she made a decision.

    "Xiao Ming, I will give it to you." She said.

    Even though there was a high chance Xiao Ming would kill her as soon as he got what he wanted, she still chose to let go.

    ''Ifˇ­ if he doesn''t kill meˇ­. I will definitely bring the old Xiao Ming back... ''

    She had already seen Xiao Ming''s betrayal from far off, yet she clung to him and let him y his schemes.

    ''Sometimes, love makes us do stupid things... ''

    In front of her, Xiao Ming frowned at her when he heard her response.

    ''She''s really giving it to me?''

    ''Noˇ­ this is not how it was supposed to happenˇ­''

    He was confused.

    ''She''s supposed to fight to the death, and then we would be bitter enemies for life because I would spare her. Butˇ­ but why is she giving up?''

    ''Is she trying to trick me? Most probably!''

    Xiao Ming took a deep breath. He was alert against any tricks Yuan Shuchun might pull at this moment.

    This had gone a bit off-script here. But they hadn''t concluded.

    He somewhat knew what was supposed to happen and everything that had happened ever since they stepped inside the Silver Mist City.

    He knew about the array system, he knew about the ambush, he knew everything!

    He knew Ye Tian Yun''s identity too. He knew Yuan Shuchun had already been suspicious of him long before Wang Yao confronted her.

    But he didn''t interfere. He didn''t try to change the future or the story. Because, firstly, there was no loss for him, and secondly, he was told not to interfere at any cost.

    Yeah, at the end of all this, he would lose the girl he was now genuinely in love with, but so what?

    He still had the chance to grow powerful.

    ''There are many girls in the worldˇ­ I will definitely forget about Yuan Shuchunˇ­ definitely.''

    However, he remembered one instruction very clearly -

    ''If the future deviates even a little bit, give up your Token Of Fate, or else you will die.''

    And now, the future has deviated.

 Chapter 401 - 401 | When Xiao Ming Met Xiao Ming

    On the night before the Gracious Sword Sect entourage reached their destination, Silver Mist City, they had encountered a small incident.

    For everyone, except Xiao Ming, that incident was just a weird thing that they couldn''t exin.??

    But for Xiao Ming, however, it was the most shocking encounter in his life.

    Even more shocking than the time he received the Token Of Fate.

    This encounter was with his future self.

    A mysterious man had called him in the forest, away from the dazed entourage.

    And when the mysterious man had revealed his identity, Xiao Ming was stumped.

    When Xiao Ming felt that this man was trying to fool him, the man revealed Xiao Ming''s biggest secret to him.

    Token Of Fate.

    "How do you know about Token Of Fate!?" Xiao Ming had asked.

    The Future Xiao Ming simply shrugged, "I know a lot of things, like how much you love Yuan Shuchun, how you''re always conflicted with your deeds, and how everything''s in your life is a mess."

    Xiao Ming frowned when he heard his words, "You say you''re from the futureˇ­ then tell me, did I get what I wanted the most?"

    "Power?" Future Xiao Ming smiled, "You got a lot of it. But you didn''t have anyone to share your glories with. Well, you had a few close brothers, but you never had someone close enough on whosep you can put your head and have a peaceful sleep."

    Xiao Ming asked, "What are you trying to say?"

    The Future Xiao Ming simply smiled, "Well, just consider that I am bbering nonsense. However, what I am about to say next is very, very important."

    Xiao Ming paid full attention to the words of his future counterpart.

    The future self took a deep breath and began, "Xiao Ming, the things I am going to tell you, is very important and closely rted to your fate. So, no matter what happens, don''t forget a single moment of what you hear today."

    "Now, right now, you''re heading towards Silver Mist City, right?"

    Seeing Xiao Ming nod his head, he continued, "Well, I will tell you what will actually happen in this mission."

    "Once you enter the city, you will be brought to a tavern arranged by the Zheng n, which is one of the top three ns in that city. And then, Jun Xie and Kai Yang, the two people in your entourage, will go on a scout mission while you and Yuan Shuchun will n the assassination."

    "Now, before I continue, remember Kai Yang. This guy is important."

    Xiao Ming nodded.

    "Now, you guys will find out that someone has arranged a whole array system throughout the city, and it is most likely the Heavenly Oracle Sect - as pointed out by Jun Xie."

    "Soon, the time for assassination will arrive. The Third Princess of Wu n, Wu Qingwu, wille out of the Ao Ba n in the evening. And as soon as she steps out, your assassination mission will begin."

    Xiao Ming kept on listening to his future counterpart''s words.

    The Future Xiao Ming was exining everything in detail; however, he hadn''t witnessed the future in his older form, but rather during his younger days when he was actually part of this mission, he was only able to tell the future only from Xiao Ming''s perspective.

    After exining about the assassination, he finally came to a major part.

    "The mysterious man will reveal that Kai Yang is actually the Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun from the Middle Heavens."

    "And this Crown Prince is actually here for you - to kill you and take your Token Of Fate."

    "What!?" Xiao Ming was shocked, "How does he know about this Token!?"

    Future Xiao Ming shrugged, "It''s aplicated matter and hard to exin. You will know about it one day. But keep to the story."

    "Now, because the Core Formation Guard had beaten you up, you would be in a very weak condition. Like a semiatose state. You will know what is going on around you, but you won''t be able to react."

    "The mysterious man will save you and kill Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun. And once you''re free from the mysterious man''s grasp, you will go after Yuan Shuchun."

    "Aren''t you after the Arcane Arts Book she possesses? Well, this will be the best time."

    "But, Yuan Shuchun won''t easily give it to you. Instead, she will be ready to fight till the end."

    "In the end, you will get the book, and Yuan Shuchun will be heavily injured."

    "That moment will end any chance of you both getting back together, but for some reason, you will choose to spare her. And both of you will go on different paths."

    "Have you listened carefully, Xiao Ming?"

    Xiao Ming nodded.

    "Good," The Future Xiao Ming made a serious expression and said, "Now,es the most important thing you need to keep in mind."

    "I have told you about the future, but you must NOT interfere in anything. You will have to let it y as it is supposed to go. Don''t act or do anything that may alter it."

    "Hm? Why?" Xiao Ming asked.

    "Because you will die if you change anything. And you will be the most beneficial one out of all this if everything goes as it is supposed to be."

    Xiao Ming nodded and asked, "What if things change even though I didn''t interfere at all?"

    The Future Xiao Ming smiled at him, "If something like this does happenˇ­"

    "If the future deviates even a little bit, give up your Token Of Fate, or else you will die."

    "What!?" Xiao Ming was shocked, "Do you even know what you''re saying!?"

    The Future Xiao Ming nodded his head, "I know very well. And you have to believe me - give up on the Token Of Fate! And give it to Yuan Shuchun!"

    "Hm?" Xiao Ming was confused, "But why?"

    "If you don''t, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun will kill you."

 Chapter 402 - 402 | Token Of Fate Appears!

    A/n: extra chapter for reaching 10 Golden Tickets target!

    ...??

    "Here."

    Yuan Shuchun was standing in front of the dumbfounded Xiao Ming, and in her hand was a cultivation manual.

    "Take it." She said.

    Xiao Ming, confused about why the future had actually deviated, looking at the book in Yuan Shuchun''s hand, he said, "Put it down on the ground. No tricks!"

    Yuan Shuchun pursed her lips and threw the book at Xiao Ming''s feet.

    Then she fell to the ground, leaning on the wall behind her.

    Xiao Ming was surprised at her actions.

    ''She is really giving it on her ownˇ­?''

    ˇ­

    In the street not far away from them, Ye Tian Yun was ready to strike at any time.

    But he, too, was feeling as if something had gone off the script.

    ''Since when did Yuan Shuchun was soˇ­ so easily defeated?''

    ''Is she ying tricks on Xiao Ming?''

    He also thought Yuan Shuchun would definitely do something scheming.

    However, to his surprise, nothing happened.

    Xiao Ming took the book, flipped it in his hands, and put it in his spatial ring.

    "Happy now?" Yuan Shuchun smirked.

    Xiao Ming pursed his lips and stared at her without saying any words.

    "Oh?" Yuan Shuchunughed at his state, "Are you now considering whether to kill me or not!? Hahaha, Xiao Ming,e on, kill meˇ­ why waste such an opportunity? Xiao Mingˇ­ if I survive todayˇ­ then I promise you that I will have my revenge!"

    Xiao Ming clenched his teeth and was ready to make a move.

    On the other side, Ye Tian Yun also readied himself - he would attack if Xiao Ming moved to kill Yuan Shuchun.

    ''I will do her a favor this timeˇ­''

    He narrowed his eyes and waited for Xiao Ming''s next step.

    But in the next moment, Ye Tian Yun was shocked by Xiao Ming''s actions.

    Before he could react, with Xiao Ming as its center, the whole area suddenly lit up with an eye-piercing white light!

    ''Thisˇ­''

    Even Ye Tian Yun had to close his eyes to avoid being coteral damage.

    However, he clearly felt the auraing from Xiao Ming.

    ''Token of Fate!?''

    His breathing quickened.

    But he somehow managed to calm down. He wanted to see what Xiao Ming was actually nning.

    And slowly, the light began to retract, and soon everything turned to normal.

    However, at the center of the ground, Xiao Ming had his palm spread out in front of him and above his palm was a triangr jade-like thing floating in mid-air.

    Yuan Shuchun was also shocked by the scene in front of her.

    ''Token Of Fateˇ­''

    Her breathing quickened as a nervous feeling welled up in her heart.

    ''So he will really kill meˇ­''

    This was the first thought in her mind.

    Because Xiao Ming had shown his biggest secret to her, there was no way he would let her live. Especially now when she had just vowed to take her revenge at any cost.

    But as if things were not shocking enough, Xiao Ming''s next action confused her even more.

    He moved his palm, and before she could move, he punched in the air towards her.

    Right at this moment, the Token Of Fate flew at her!

    At the street corner, Ye Tian Yun was shocked and instantly moved!

    ''No!!''

    He appeared right between the Token Of Fate and Yuan Shuchun!

    Now, the Token Of Fate was heading straight at him!

    But as it came closer, something weird happened!

    The Token Of Fate passed right through him!

    ''Fuck!''

    Ye Tian Yun saw the Token Of Fate pass through his body, and as he turned around, he saw the Token enter Yuan Shuchun''s body!

    "Fuckˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun immediately tightened his grip on his sword and shed aiming at Yuan Shuchun''s throat!

    He had to get the Token Of Fate at any cost!

    But just as his sword was about to reach Yuan Shuchun''s neck -

    "If he''s really Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, then his life is as important as Yuan Shuchun!"

    "Ah, she''s a daughter of my close friend."

    "Son, give her a chance."

    "The Yuan''s are like this. Treat her like a younger sister."

    Many voices suddenly resounded in his head.

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and stopped his sword in mid-air, just a millimeter away from Yuan Shuchun''s neck.

    "Haˇ­ Haˇ­ Haˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and stared right at Yuan Shuchun.

    Yuan Shuchun, on the other hand, was dumbfounded by his sudden appearance.

    ''Kai Yangˇ­.? No, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun!''

    She instantly knew who this person was.

    ''Why is he here?''

    ˇ­

    Behind them, Xiao Ming couldn''t help but gulp when he saw this scene.

    ''Crown Prince Ye Tian Yunˇ­. really appearedˇ­''

    He moved and instantly appeared near Yuan Shuchun, and snatching Ye Tian Yun''s sword, he threw it away.

    Ye Tian Yun snapped out of his daze and stared at Xiao Ming and then at Yuan Shuchun and once again at Xiao Ming.

    "Youˇ­" Xiao Ming had also recognized Ye Tian Yun.

    "You''re Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun!?"

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and asked, "Why did you give the Token Of Fate to her?"

    Yuan Shuchun also turned her head towards Xiao Ming.

    She never knew he had such a precious thing with him.

    ''Is this what he was talking about earlierˇ­?''

    ''But why did he give it to me? For an Arcane Arts book? That book is uselessˇ­''

    She wanted to hear Xiao Ming''s answer.

    However, Xiao Ming simply said, "It''s none of your business."

    He hated the fact that he cowered in front of death. He gave up on the Token to keep his lifeˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun, however, wasn''t satisfied with Xiao Ming''s answer.

    He frowned, and within an instant, he had Xiao Ming''s neck in his grasp.

    "UGH-!" Xiao Ming tried to say and breathe but only felt himself rise from the ground.

    "No! Stop! Please!" Yuan Shuchun''s face paled as she pleaded with Tian Yun not to hurt Xiao Ming.

    However, Ye Tian Yun was not in the mood to stop.

    He might have hesitated to kill Yuan Shuchun, but Xiao Ming had no one to save him.

    Just then -

    "Cough! My dear friend, Ye Tian Yunˇ­ please calm downˇ­ don''t kill this kid."

    Wang Yao requested with a wry smile.

    ...

    A/n: Next milestone for extra chapter: 45 Golden Tickets.

 Chapter 403 - 403 | Berserk But Helpless Xiao Ming

    "Don''t kill him.." Wang Yao requested once again.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, didn''t pay any heed to his words and tightened his grip over Xiao Ming''s neck.??

    In the midair, Xiao Ming was gasping for air.

    The attack came so suddenly that he couldn''t even react.

    He struggled and struggled more to get away from Ye Tian Yun''s grasp; however, the grip around his neck only tightened, extinguishing all hopes of survival.

    Slowly, his breathing began to turn slower, and his mind became heavier. The only thing that he could hear was Yuan Shuchun begging Ye Tian Yun not to kill him.

    ''And I betrayed a girl like thisˇ­.''

    Only at the moment of death one sees what he desires, regrets, and loves the most.

    And at this moment, Xiao Ming''s desire, regret, and love were all for the girl who was currently begging for his life.

    He desired to be with her.

    He regretted betraying and using her.

    And now, he loved the very existence of her.

    But, what could he do?

    And with these thoughtsˇ­ slowly, his eyes began to close, his breathing slowed down, and his heartbeat began to calm down.

    Just then -

    Xiao Ming suddenly felt a jerk, and in the next moment, he was flying in the air - more specifically, he was thrown away.

    Thud!

    "Ughˇ­" Xiao Ming fell on the ground about twenty feet away from Ye Tian Yun, and holding his own neck; he began to cough violently.

    ''Why did he spare me?''

    This was the first question that popped up in his mind.

    He looked up at his enemy and was suddenly surprised by the scene.

    Ye Tian Yun was in front of Yuan Shuchun with his palm spread in front of her.

    ''What is he asking for?''

    Xiao Ming was having a hard time thinking straight.

    But in the next moment, he got his answer.

    Yuan Shuchun pressed her finger in between her eyebrows, and slowly, the skin under her finger began to shine.

    After a few moments, a triangr crystal-like thing appeared out of her forehead.

    ''Token Of Fate!''

    Xiao Ming immediately understood what was happening.

    ''She traded my life for the Token?''

    ''Yuan Shuchunˇ­'' For the first time in his life, he felt such a huge regret.

    ''I am such a dumbassˇ­. Why did I betray someone like herˇ­''

    He didn''t hate the fact that Ye Tian Yun had now gotten the Token Of Fate.

    He didn''t even care about it.

    The Token Of Fate was now worthless whenpared to Yuan Shuchun.

    ''If we can get out of here aliveˇ­ I will change myselfˇ­ I will change myself for you, Yuan Shuchun.''

    Xiao Ming promised himself.

    Right now, in his mind, the only thought was how to get back to Yuan Shuchun.

    She might have saved his life, but that didn''t mean she forgave him.

    ''I will neverˇ­ ever leave you.. Yuan''erˇ­''

    Xiao Ming steeled his will.

    But, in the next moment, something happened which shook him to the core.

    As soon as the Token Of Fate disappeared inside Ye Tian Yun''s forehead, he moved his sword -

    Siu!

    "Ugh!"

    Thud!

    Yuan Shuchun''s head fell off her body.

    Her eyes were still in shock, staring straight at Xiao Ming.

    As if trying to imprint his face in her soul before leaving this world.

    Xiao Ming was numbed.

    ''Whatˇ­''

    He couldn''t wrap his mind around what had happenedˇ­

    ''Why did he kill my Yuan''erˇ­''

    ''Why did he kill my Yuan''erˇ­''

    ''Why did he kill my Yuan''erˇ­''

    The same question appeared in his mind again and again.

    He felt lifeless.

    But that was just the calm before the storm.

    Xiao Ming slowly stood up.

    He stared at Ye Tian Yun with his numb eyes.

    ''I will kill himˇ­''

    ''I will kill himˇ­''

    ''I will kill himˇ­''

    His breathing slowly quickened, and a sword appeared in his right hand.

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head towards him.

    His expression was emotionless.

    However, to Xiao Ming, it felt like Ye Tian Yun was mocking him.

    Clenching his teeth, he slightly bent his knees, and jumped in the air -

    "WHY DID YOU KILL HER!?"

    With this shout, he went straight for Ye Tian Yun''s head.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t have any reaction until thest moment.

    Just as Xiao Ming was about to reach him, Ye Tian Yun moved and gave a kick right on Xiao Ming''s chin, who was still in midair.

    "Ugh!"

    Xiao Ming was once again thrown away, but this time he didn''t stay down for long.

    He stood up and attacked Ye Tian Yun once again.

    Seeing him attack once again, Ye Tian Yun simply shook his head, "It''s useless, Xiao Ming."

    And in the next moment, a soul-crushing aura spread out and pushed Xiao Ming back once again.

    Ye Tian Yun smirked and focused his attention on Xiao Ming.

    And in the next moment, the whole pressurended on Xiao Ming, thoroughly suppressing him.

    ''This auraˇ­''

    Xiao Ming felt helpless.

    He knew that even with Token Of Fate, he would have been in the same state.

    ''Peak Foundation Establishment Realmˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun was just too powerful.

    And with this cultivation realm, he was leagues ahead of other top geniuses of the world.

    In front of him, Xiao Ming could only stay on the ground, helpless and powerless.

    Even though he wanted to rush towards Ye Tian Yun for revenge, the aura suppressing him was just too much.

    He couldn''t even turn his body.

    ''This is more powerful than those Core Formation Realm guardsˇ­''

    Xiao Ming knew there was no way of escaping.

    And worst of all, Ye Tian Yun didn''t even use a weapon or cultivation technique till now.

    He had just used his aura and physical strength.

    But that alone was enough to crush Xiao Ming.

    Slowly, Ye Tian Yun stepped closer to Xiao Ming, and soon he was standing right beside him.

    "Xiao Ming, our story ends here."

    And before Xiao Ming could react, Ye Tian Yun stomped his foot right on his face!

 Chapter 404 - 404 | Somebody Tell Me What The Fuck Is Going On!

    Bang!

    The stomp was so powerful that Xiao Ming''s head went inside the ground!??

    Ye Tian Yun then gripped Xiao Ming''s cor. Taking him out of the ground, he raised him in mid-air.

    "Powerless and Pathetic. That is what you are, Xiao Ming." Ye Tian Yun smirked at him.

    Xiao Ming, now with no sense of what was happening and a sharp head injury, groggily opened his eyes, and with all his strength, he somehow managed to utter the only thought in his mind.

    "Whyˇ­ why didˇ­ Why did you kill.. her?"

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged in his reply, "She was a nuisance."

    Xiao Ming was angered.

    However, his reaction only amused Ye Tian Yun.

    With a smirk, he threw Xiao Ming on the nearby wall.

    Xiao Ming slowly pushed himself and sat while leaning on the wall.

    "Whatˇ­ what do you.. want?" He asked.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply.

    Xiao Ming looked at him with pure hate, "You already got the Token Of Fateˇ­ why did you kill her? Why aren''t you killing me too?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply.

    He simply walked closer and moved his leg.

    BAM!

    Ye Tian Yun kicked Xiao Ming right on the face.

    The impact was so powerful that the wall behind Xiao Ming had cracked like a spider web.

    Ye Tian Yun then gripped Xiao Ming''s hair and sent him flying.

    Thud!

    Thud!

    Thud!

    Xiao Ming fell and rolled to the other side of the ground.

    "Justˇ­ just kill me alreadyˇ­"

    Xiao Ming was confused.

    Why was Ye Tian Yun not killing him?

    Just like how he killed Yuan Shuchun, Ye Tian Yun only needed a flick of his sword to end Xiao Ming''s life.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was surprisingly enjoying beating down Xiao Ming.

    Xiao Ming couldn''t tell what else did Ye Tian Yun want.

    Heck, he didn''t even know what the enmity was between him and Ye Tian Yun!

    Slightly opening his eyes, he saw Ye Tian Yun step closer to him.

    This time, however, there was a sword in his hand.

    Staring at the sword, Xiao Ming somehow felt relieved.

    He wanted to die.

    He had lost Yuan Shuchun.

    And he couldn''t even take revenge for her.

    ''It''s better to die than live like thisˇ­''

    ''Butˇ­ why should I die like a cowardˇ­''

    Clenching his teeth, Xiao Ming slowly changed his mind and began to stand up.

    Seeing him, Ye Tian Yun only smirked and didn''t slow down.

    Xiao Ming closed his eyes for a moment and even after feeling excruciating pain from every muscle and bone of his body, he still took a fighting stance.

    As Ye Tian Yun stepped closer, Xiao Ming suddenly began to feel a weird feeling.

    It was a rxed and calming experience.

    As if all his injuries had suddenly vanished and he was back to his peak.

    He had never felt so rxed.

    And in the next moment, his thoughts became clearer and his mind turned calm.

    ''Is thisˇ­ is this an epiphany?''

    Xiao Ming didn''t know whether tough in joy or cry in bad luck.

    He was getting enlightenment right before his death.

    But what was the use?

    There was no way a small improvement could change anything here.

    ''Maybe I can run away?''

    A thought popped in his head.

    To run awayˇ­ even though it was cowardly, this seemed to be the only option in his eyes.

    ''Gentleman''s revengeˇ­ not toote even after ten yearsˇ­''

    With this thought he suddenly felt energised.

    Now, there was a clear objective in front of him.

    Xiao Ming took a deep breath, and corrected his sword stance.

    In the next moment, intense Sword Intent was released through his sword.

    Sword Manifestation Realm!

    Xiao Ming had received an epiphany and sessfully reached the first milestone of Sword Intent!

    He was confident that something like this could definitely create an opportunity for him to escape from Foundation Realm experts like Ye Tian Yun.

    s, he was rejoicing too soon.

    Seeing his Sword Intent, Ye Tian Yun only smirked, and said, "Let me show you the true Sword Intent!"

    And in the next moment, Xiao Ming saw Ye Tian Yun get covered with yellow-ck lightning, and the sky also began to darked.

    Horror dawned upon Xiao Ming''s face as he witnessed Ye Tian Yun''s power.

    ''Thisˇ­ Sword Domain! This is the Sword Domain!''

    Ye Tian Yun was just too powerful.

    Xiao Ming gulped.

    Now he couldn''t even escape.

    ''But I won''t die just like that!''

    And with this thought, he moved.

    Within an instant, he appeared close to Ye Tian Yun and shed his sword.

    The sword seemingly went right through Ye Tian Yun, but in the next instant, Xiao Ming knew Ye Tian Yun had long left this spot.

    Just then - he felt a bad premonition and turned around.

    Only to see Ye Tian Yun stab right through his sword.

    Blood spurted from his mouth as he fell on his knees in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    Staring at Ye Tian Yunˇ­ the only person he could think of was Yuan Shuchun.

    Yuan Shuchunˇ­

    Right now, Ye Tian Yun''s face seemed like Yuan Shuchun''s.

    ''Were they siblings?''

    The more dying Xiao Ming noticed, the more Yuan Shuchun and Ye Tian Yun seemed to resemble each other.

    ''Whatˇ­''

    Suddenly, Xiao Ming noticed Ye Tian Yun''s face turn into that of panic and flustered.

    ''Whatˇ­''

    And then Ye Tian Yun began to cry.

    ''Whatˇ­''

    And then Ye Tian Yun began to call him out.

    ''Whatˇ­''

    And thenˇ­ waitˇ­ that''s not Ye Tian Yunˇ­

    That''s Yuan Shuchun!

    Xiao Ming''s eyes opened wide.

    He moved, and in the next moment, he found himself wide awake.

    In front of him was Yuan Shuchun, not Ye Tian Yun. And she had tears in her eyes and panic written all over her expression.

    Beside her was Ye Tian Yun, staring at him with an annoyed face.

    Xiao Ming was confused.

    ''What the hell is going on!?''

    He asked Yuan Shuchun, "Didn''t he kill youˇ­ what happenedˇ­ Am I dead too? But what is he doing here?"

    Yuan Shuchun frowned and punched his face!

    "You bastard! Do you know how worried I was! What got into your mind! You started to attack out of nowhere! If not for Ye Tian Yun, you would have killed yourself!"

    "And now you dare to say I was killed! You bastard! Don''t you show me your face! Hmph! This annoying guy!"

    Fuming with rage, Yuan Shuchun left, not forgetting to kick Xioa Ming once.

    Xiao Ming groaned and turned towards Ye Tian Yun with a questioning gaze.

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged and he too left.

    Xiao Ming stared at their backs in shock.

    "Somebody tell me what the fuck is going on!"

 Chapter 405 - 405 | Token Of Fates Trial

    Xiao Ming stood up and followed Ye Tian Yun and Yuan Shuchun.

    For some reason, his whole body was hurting, as if someone had kicked him all over the ce.??

    "Guys, what happened here? What is going on?"

    He asked once again, but no one bothered to reply.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun gestured with his hand to Yuan Shuchun to follow him and then headed towards a nearby alley.

    Confused, Xiao Ming also followed.

    But when they got there, both Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun were surprised after seeing the scene.

    Someone was lying unconscious at that ce.

    "What is Jun Xie doing here?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply but moved and picked up Jun Xie on his shoulders.

    Then ncing at Yuan Shuchun, he said, "Let''s go. We need to get out of here."

    Yuan Shuchun nodded and followed him, Xiao Ming also walking just two steps behind.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t return to the ruined Ao Ba n where the assassination incident had taken ce.

    He instead moved towards the Zheng n.

    ''I hope Fu Kai listened to meˇ­ Wu Qingwu should be safe.''

    Earlier, during the assassination attempt, Ye Tian Yun had already noticed that the maid that got kicked out and struck the wall was actually the Third Princess of Wu Royal n, Wu Qingwu.

    He had secretly informed Fu Kai about this and had told him to get the unconscious maid and wait for them outside the city.

    However, there was a small deception that Ye Tian Yun used to cover it up.

    He didn''t tell Fu Kai that the maid was actually the target that they were here for. Instead, he said to him that the maid was actually his Sister-inw, held captive by the Wu Royal n against her wishes.

    ''Technically, this was the truth. Wu Qingwu is my "future" Sister-inw.''

    The main reason why he didn''t tell the truth was that Fu Kai might lose hope in their survival and go back alone.

    Since he already had Wu Qingwu, there was no need for him to wait.

    However, due to Ye Tian Yun''s small deceit, he was thinking that the maid was his sister-inw.

    And considering Fu Kai''s character, Ye Tian Yun knew he wouldn''t do anything stupid and would even confirm the oue of the incident with his own eyes before deciding upon anything.

    ''I wonder if I will meet him on the way?''

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and thought as he moved closer to the Zheng n.

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun suddenly remembered something, and without turning back, he said, "Don''t dare to reveal my identity to anyone. You will only bring yourself into endless troubles."

    Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming immediately nodded.

    After some time, Xiao Ming slightly increased his pace and came on equal footing with Ye Tian Yun.

    Clearing his throat, he asked, "Ahem, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yunˇ­ can I ask you something?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned but didn''t say anything. Yuan Shuchun nced at him and paid attention to the conversation.

    "I will take that as a yes," Xiao Ming took a light breath and asked, "Is your cultivation realmˇ­ Peak Foundation Establishment Realm!?"

    Behind him, Yuan Shuchun raised her eyebrows in shock.

    ''Peak Foundation Realm!? That''sˇ­ that''s impossible!''

    She turned her head towards Ye Tian Yun to see his response.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, instead of replying, asked another question, "What did you see in the illusion?"

    "Illusion?" Xiao Ming frowned, "Everything was an illusion!?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Not everything. It wasn''t a simple illusion. It was more of an alternate reality."

    "Alternate realityˇ­" Xiao Ming frowned, "How did it even happen?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Token Of Fate."

    "Token Of Fate?" Xiao Ming asked, "Token Of Fate doesn''t have power over realityˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It doesn''t, but everything happened because of Token Of Fate."

    Xiao Ming asked, "Do you know why this happened?"

    Ye Tian Yun said, "As far as I know, it was most probably a trial made by the Token Of Fate."

    "A Trial?" Xiao Ming frowned, "Why would the Token Of Fate do a trial on me?"

    "On you?" Ye Tian Yun gave him a disdaining side nce, "You think too highly of yourself. The trial was for me."

    "For you!? How is that possible? It was me who was in the illusionˇ­ wait, were you too?" Xiao Ming got even more confused.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No, I wasn''t. But things are much moreplicated than you think."

    Xiao Ming nced at Yuan Shuchun and asked, "Do you know what happened?"

    "Hmph!" Yuan Shuchun pouted and looked at the way.

    Xiao Ming could only ask Ye Tian Yun once again, "Brother Yeˇ­. Iˇ­ I mean, Your Highness Crown Prince, could you please tell me what actually happened?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "I will tell you, but you will have to do one thing."

    "I will do anything!" Xiao Ming immediately replied.

    ˇ­

    A few momentster, Ye Tian Yun was walking ahead with his hands behind his back.

    Closely following him was Yuan Shuchun, trying hard to control herugh.

    And behind them was Xiao Ming.

    "This damn bastardˇ­. So heavyˇ­" He gritted his teeth and continued to follow them.

    On his back was unconscious Jun Xie, sleeping soundly.

    Xiao Ming gritted his teeth and somehow increased his pace, "Your Highness, I have taken Jun Xie on my back as you asked. Now please exin to me what happened."

    Ye Tian Yun replied without ncing at him.

    "The Token Of Fate tested me for some reason. And the reason you went berserk was because the Token was testing me if I would kill you or not."

    "What?" Xiao Ming asked, "Soˇ­. I was just a guinea pig?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Indeed."

    Xiao Ming then asked, "So, did you pass or fail the trial?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Guess."

    Xiao Ming replied, "You failedˇ­ since I am still alive."

 Chapter 406 - 406 | Token Of Fates Trial (II)

    Xiao Ming knew Ye Tian Yun wanted the Token Of Fate from him.

    And if he hadn''t given the Token to Yuan Shuchun, Ye Tian Yun would have killed him long ago.??

    But for some reason, Ye Tian Yun didn''t kill Yuan Shuchun.

    ''But the way he strangled meˇ­ there''s no way he was nning to spare me.''

    And thus, Xiao Ming concluded.

    "You failedˇ­ since I am still alive."

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and increased his pace.

    Yuan Shuchun nced at Ye Tian Yun, but didn''t say anything.

    Seeing no responseing from Ye Tian Yun, Xiao Ming assumed he had hit the right option.

    "If you failedˇ­ then what happened to the Token Of Fate? In the dream, Yuan Shuchun gave the Token to you, was that also an illusion?"

    This was the second biggest thing he was currently worried about.

    This time too, Ye Tian Yun didn''t respond to him.

    Xiao Ming frowned and turned towards Yuan Shuchun for an answer.

    Yuan Shuchun let out a sigh and said, "It''s gone."

    "Goneˇ­" Xiao Ming was surprised.

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrow when he heard Yuan Shchun''s response.

    Wang Yao also smiled inside his consciousness, "This girl is still in love with Xiao Ming. I hope Xiao Ming understands her value this time. She''s a keeper."

    Ye Tian Yun also agreed with this. Yuan Shuchun had kept her promise and hadn''t revealed the truth.

    The Token Of Fate was in his possession.

    ˇ­.

    A few minutes ago.

    "Ugh!"

    Ye Tian Yun saw Xiao Ming struggle to breathe and cry for help. However, he didn''t show any reaction and even tightened the grasp over his neck.

    Seeing Xiao Ming struggling, Yuan Shuchun, who was still in shock, suddenly panicked!

    "Crown Prince Ye, please spare him!" She pleaded as tears began to well up in her eyes.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t care about her words. They weren''t close enough to change his mind.

    She continued to cry and plead but seeing Ye Tian Yun not listening to her words and Xiao Ming''s eyes bing dull, she used the only way she saw -

    "Crown Prince, I will give you the Token Of Fateˇ­. Please spare him! Please!" She begged, her whole face filled with tears.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t care even then. He wanted to kill Xiao Ming. He had waited for so long.

    Just then -

    "Ye Tian Yun, don''t kill him! I will help you get the Token of Fate without harming Yuan Shuchun!"

    It was Wang Yao''s shout from his consciousness.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, and just as Xiao Ming was about to die, he moved his hand and threw Xiao Ming away.

    Turning towards Yuan Shuchun, he asked, "Do you know how to get the Token Of Fate out of your mind?"

    Ye Tian Yun stared right into her eyes. She didn''t know that her reply could very well decide Xiao Ming''s fate.

    If she said yes, Ye Tian Yun would take the Token and kill Xiao Ming, but if she said no, Ye Tian Yun would have no choice but to swallow a bitter pill and listen to Wang Yao''s request.

    "Iˇ­ don''t know." Yuan Shuchun gulped. She was afraid Ye Tian Yun would kill Xiao Ming thinking she was trying to trick him, so she immediately added, "But Xiao Ming knows. You saw him transfer the token to me."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Just then, Wang Yao quipped, "She doesn''t know, neither does Xiao Ming. What Xiao Ming did was just store the Token in Yuan Shuchun. She can''t use the Token. Also, Xiao Ming doesn''t know this yet. He thinks he gave the token to her."

    ''Tell me the method.'' Ye Tian Yun came to the main subject.

    Wang Yao cleared his throat, "Ahem, well, before I say anything else, I want to make a request. As long as you forgive him, I will not only tell you the ways to get this token, but I will also help you in your future endeavors."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''I thought you hated the God''s Legion members. Also, you should know your request is impossible.''

    Wang Yao shrugged, ''I did say I hated them, but I know Xiao Ming. He was one of my first allies and always had my back. If you take him as an ally, things will be much easier for you in the future. Give him a chance.''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and weighed his options.

    After a thought, he chose to agree.

    Since he couldn''t harm Yuan Shuchun anyway because of the promise to his father, and since he was getting what he wanted, Xiao Ming''s life and death didn''t really matter to him.

    Wang Yao smiled and said, "Put your index finger between Yuan Shuchun''s eyebrows, and the Token Of Fate will do the rest."

    ''What will it do?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "A trial. If you pass this trial, you will be the holder of Token Of Fate, but if you fail, the Token Of Fate will be gone forever from this generation, and fate will begin to turn towards the old timeline."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised to hear this.

    The stakes in the situation suddenly increased.

    ''How will this trial take ce, and what do I need to do to win?''

    Wang Yao replied, "Your consciousness will be temporarily divided into two, and you will have to fight off your current biggest desire."

    And thus, when the Trial began, one part of Ye Tian Yun witnessed himself killing Yuan Shuchun and then Xiao Ming going berserk.

    And the other part stayed out and witnessed everything from the real-world perspective.

    Seeing this, Wang Yao''s words shed in his mind, "As for how to pass this trial - well, it''s pretty simple, the Token of Fate will make you follow your greatest desire. And you will have to resist the temptation."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    His biggest temptation right now was to kill Xiao Ming, and he had a feeling that this might be what the Token Of Fate was trying to make him do.

    ...

    A/n: Golden Ticket target reached. The extra chapter is in progress.

    New Golden Ticket Target for another extra chapter: 150

 Chapter 407 - [Bonus ]407 | Xiao Mings Brother-in-law, Ye Tian Yun!

    Upon seeing Ye Tian Yun remain silent for some time, Yuan Shuchun got even more nervous.

    Her breathing quickened as she felt helpless. She wanted to stop Ye Tian Yun and save Xiao Ming, but she was helpless.??

    Just then, Ye Tian YUn turned his head towards him and raised his finger.

    ''He''s going to kill me!''

    As soon as she saw his hande closer, she closed her eyes in fear and waited for the sword to strike.

    But in the next moment, she only felt a touch on her forehead and passed out.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as she fell to the ground, unconscious.

    Behind him, Xiao Ming, who was trying to recover, saw Yuan Shuchun and was shocked.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun felt his consciousness divide into two, and two scenarios appeared before him.

    In one, Yuan Shuchun''s body was lying in front of him, but her head was detached. And in his was a bloodied sword.

    In the second scene, Yuan Shuchun was lying unconscious. This was the real, while the former was an illusion.

    ''Is this the trial?''

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun heard a roar from behind -

    "WHY DID YOU KILL HER!?"

    It was Xiao Ming.

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun turned around, he saw Xiao Minge at him in a berserk mode with his full power.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned. But he just blocked his attack and kicked him in mid-air, sending him flying.

    After a few more blows, Xiao Ming released his sword intent.

    And all this was happening in both the scenes.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun heard another shout -

    "Xiao Ming, stop! What are you doing!"

    It was Yuan SHuchun.

    She had woken up in the real world and was staring at the berserk Xiao Ming.

    But in the illusion world, she was still lying on the ground, dead.

    Yuan Shuchun suddenly turned towards Ye Tian Yun and pleaded once more not to kill Xiao Ming and forgive him for this mistake.

    Ye Tian Yun only frowned at her but didn''t say anything.

    However, seeing the unrestrained power of Xiao Ming, he knew Yuan Shuchun might get injured because of this sh, so he too released his Sword Intent, and as soon as the Sword Domain formed, it thoroughly suppressed Xiao Ming.

    ncing at Yuan SHuchun, Ye Tian Yun whispered, "Let''s wake him up."

    And then, he immediately appeared in front of Xiao Ming and began to kick him.

    ''I can''t kill you, but I will definitely beat the shit out of you!''

    While this was happening in the real world, Xiao Ming saw Ye Tian Yun slowly approach him with a sword in his hand in the illusion world.

    Bam!

    Bam!

    Bam!

    ''Take this, you fucker, take this too!''

    Ye Tian Yun continued to kick Xiao Ming and took out all his pent-up frustration of thest eight months.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was about to increase the intensity and got carried away, Yuan Shuchun appeared and jumped on the path with Ye Tian Yun''s kicks and Xiao Ming.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and stopped kicking.

    Yuan Shuchun thanked him and began to wake up Xiao Ming.

    After a few moments, when Xiao Ming woke up, he found Yuan Shuchun crying in front of him and Ye Tian Yun standing behind her, looking at him with an annoyed expression.

    As he woke up, Ye Tian Yun''s consciousness also returned to normal.

    And a weird churning feeling appeared in his heart.

    "The Token Of Fate."

    Yes, it was the Token Of Fate.

    Just then, he noticed Yuan Shuchun kick Xiao Ming and stormed off.

    Ye Tian Yun thought of something and followed her.

    When he was just a few steps away, he whispered, "The Token Of Fate is gone. But I will spare you and your lover this once."

    ˇ­

    Recalling all these incidents, Ye Tian Yun felt relieved.

    His goal was now finallyplete. The Token Of Fate was now in his possession.

    ''I want to see its powerˇ­''

    Taking a deep breath, he increased his pace.

    But before he could make the considerable distance between them, Xiao Ming suddenly asked, "What is your rtionship with Yuan Shuchun? You hesitated to kill her."

    As soon as he asked, Yuan Shuchun''s ears also perked up.

    Ye Tian Yun''s actions had also confused her too.

    It was clear Ye Tian Yun wanted the Token Of Fate, yet he chose not to kill her and take it away.

    She said, "Yes, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, why did you not kill me?"

    Ye Tian Yun came to a halt, and turning back, he replied, "Sword Saint Yuan Xuming is my uncle. And for some other reasons, I have been told to treat you like a little sister."

    "And this was the first official meeting. I gave you a chance. Don''t disappoint me."

    Yuan Shuchun frowned and replied, "How am I your younger sister? I am two years older than you!"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Argue with me when you catch up to my cultivation realm."

    Yuan Shuchun remembered Xiao Ming mentioning the Peak Foundation Realm of Ye Tian Yun a few minutes ago and could only stomp her feet in anger.

    Ye Tian YUn didn''t pay her any more heed and turned around.

    Suddenly, he heard something that made him stumble on his feet.

    "Brother-inw!"

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes and turned around.

    He saw a huge smile on Xiao Ming''s face as he came jumping at him.

    "Ah, Brother-inw! I never imagined I would meet you like this!"

    "Who''s your Brother-inw?" Ye Tian Yun and Yuan Shuchun simultaneously shouted.

    Xiao Ming smiled as Ye Tian Yun, "Didn''t you just say you''re Yuan Shuchun''s older brother? Then you''re, of course, my brother-inw!"

    "What? Since whenˇ­" Ye Tian Yun frowned and nced at Yuan Shuchun.

    Yuan Shuchun''s face, on the other hand, had turned red. It was hard to tell whether it was out of embarrassment or anger.

    However, Ye Tian Yun judged it was most probably thetter.

    "How stupid of me. I didn''t introduce myself. I am Xiao Ming, the person who will marry your younger sister, Yuan Shuchun!." Xiao Ming said with a huge grin on his face.

    Before Ye Tian Yun could respond, Yuan Shuchun responded first.

    BAM!

    She responded with a flying kick, right on Xiao Ming''s face!

    "Watch out!" Ye Tian Yun called out and grabbed Xiao Ming from falling over.

    Xiao Ming was impressed by Ye Tian Yun''s sudden intervention.

    "Ah, Brother-inwˇ­ you''re the bestˇ­ you''re the bestˇ­ I never knew you care so much about me!" He almost had tears of joy in his eyes as he stared at Ye Tian Yun with a love-filled gaze.

    Hearing his words, Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "I didn''t do this to save."

    And in the next moment, Ye Tian Yun moved his hand and removed unconscious Jun Xie from Xiao Ming and let Xiao Ming fall.

    Thud!

    "Ughˇ­" Xiao Ming clenched his teeth and stood up.

    "Did I say anything wrong, dear?" With an ignorant smile, he asked Yuan Shuchun.

    Yuan Shuchun narrowed her eyes, "Bastard, just ten minutes ago you were about to kill me, and now you want to marry me!? You think I will fall for your bullshit!?"

    Hearing her rant, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but nce at her.

    ''Is she the same Yuan Shuchun who was begging me to spare Xiao Ming?''

    ...

    A/n: 150mtive Golden Tickets for another extra chapter. Vote!

 Chapter 408 - 408 | Heading Out Of The Rubble

    It has been about fifteen minutes since Xiao Ming woke up and the party of four headed towards the outskirts of the city.

    Ye Tian Yun was walking about at the front, while behind him were the quarreling love birds, Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming.??

    And on Xiao Ming''s shoulders was the unconscious Jun Xie.

    For thest fifteen minutes, Xiao Ming was trying to ask for forgiveness and patch things up with Yuan Shuchun, but it didn''t seem like he would get any good result in the near future.

    After trying whatever he could, Xiao Ming had no other choice but to sigh and give up for some time.

    Suddenly, he grunted and said, "Howe Yuan Shuchun woke up this early, but this guy is still unconscious?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "He was heavily injured on the chest and head."

    "Oh?" Xiao Ming was surprised, "Will he be alright?"

    Ye Tian Yun gave a light nod, "He should be.''

    Then ncing at Yuan Shuchun, he asked, "How did you wake up? I thought it would take at least six to seven hours before any of you two woke up."

    Yuan Shuchun replied, "I wasn''t heavily hurt, even though I was closest to the explosion. It is mainly because of the defensive artifacts on me."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, Sword Saint Yuan would have definitely given you a lot of them."

    Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "Not a lot of them, or else Xiao Ming wouldn''t have almost killed me."

    "Hey! I told you I am sorry. Can you stop bringing it up, please?" Xiao Ming made a teary expression at her, which she ignored.

    After a moment of thought, Xiao Ming said, "I never knew my father-inw is Sword Saint Yuan Xumingˇ­ sigh, I will have to work hard to impress him."

    Yuan Shuchun rolled her eyes at his words.

    With a mischievous smile, she said, "Well, my father is a Sword Saint, my uncle is the Emperor of Middle Heavens, and my cousin is the most talented cultivator of my generation. So, Xiao Ming, I don''t think there''s any hope left for youˇ­."

    Xiao Ming gulped and secretly nced at Ye Tian Yun.

    The cousin Yuan Shuchun was referring to was precisely Ye Tian Yun.

    ''This guyˇ­ is terrifying.''

    He still remembered how helpless he was in front of him.

    Even though it all turned out to be an illusion, everything still felt as if it was real and had actually happened.

    ''Peak Foundation Establishment Realmˇ­''

    Xiao Ming could only sigh when thinking about this.

    Ye Tian Yun was more than a whole realm above him.

    ''And now even the Token Of Fate is goneˇ­ will I be one of the normal geniuses now?''

    Xiao Ming sighed.

    But he wasn''t disheartened.

    Token Of Fate was his only second priority.

    The first was walking right beside him,

    Yuan Shuchun.

    He knew that it won''t be easy for things to patch up no matter what he said or did now.

    He had betrayed Yuan Shuchun''s trust in him.

    At first, he would have even steeled his heart and epted the loss.

    But how could he not feel anything when whenever he closed his eyes, only her teary face appeared, begging Ye Tian Yun to spare him.

    ''I wonder if that was real?''

    Xiao Ming didn''t dare to ask Yuan SHuchun or Ye Tian Yun to confirm.

    He simply wanted to agree that it was true, and now, he would give up anything to be with this girl.

    This was love.

    And as Ye Tian Yun walked in front of them, he could also understand.

    "Ye Tian Yun, have you ever been in love?" Suddenly, WAng Yao asked him.

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment, and a faint silhouette of a maiden appeared in his mind.

    But he immediately shook his head and denied it.

    Wang Yao frowned, "Were you a cultivation maniac or what? You should have at least enjoyed your life."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t respond.

    So Wang Yao continued to poke him, "Ye Tian Yun, how was your rtionship with the Eldest Miss of the Great Ling n? Didn''t you say you both were engaged to each other?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''Shut up, WAng Yao. Don''t bring up this topic ever again.''

    Wang Yao shrugged, ''I was just curious, dude. There''s no need to hide anything between us.''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t respond.

    Out of all the things in the topic, this was thest topic he would like to talk about.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    Letting out a sigh, he continued to walk.

    Wang Yao frowned at his sigh, "Hm? I am sure you''re reminiscing about the past. So tell me, Ye Tian Yunˇ­ why did you kill her? Hn?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Shut the fuck up, Wang Yao. It''s none of your business."

    "Alright, alright, calm down." Wang Yao turned silent once again.

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun came to a halt and looked at the frowned.

    Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming also stopped quarreling when they noticed him.

    "What happened, Brother-inw?" Xiao Ming asked with a curious expression.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Someone ising."

    "Hm?" Yuan Shuchun became alert, "Should we hide?"

    Ye Tian Yun gave a light nod, and all three of them ran inside a destroyed tavern.

    Because there was still a considerable distance between him and the peopleing towards them, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t assess their strength.

    However, he didn''t wish to attract any attention from this situation. After all, they were the only survivors of the explosion. This fact was bound to create trouble for them if it got out.

    Slowly, the three of them waited for the person to arrive.

    "Should we attack if this is an enemy?" Xiao Ming asked.

    Yuan Shuchun immediately shook her head, "No. We must keep an as low profile as possible. It would be best if no one notices us."

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly nodded at her words.

    At least there was someone else too with a brain among them.

    Just then, he sensed the peopleing towards them.

    It was actually just a carriage.

    But the aura from it was.. familiar.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled when he identified who this was.

 Chapter 409 - 409 | One Last Thing To Do

    The carriage with a familiar aura approached finally came to the street where Ye Tian Yun and his party were hiding.

    Ye Tian Yun had already identified the person driving the carriage.??

    The only reason why he hadn''te out yet was that he wanted to confirm if there was an enemy hidden in the carriage or nearby the carriage.

    ''He brought the carriage in the ruined cityˇ­ impressive.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    The person as the subject was indeed Fu Kai.

    Fu Kai had brought the carriage in the ruined city!

    After observing and assessing that there was no one aside from Fu Kai and Wu Qinqwu in and around the carriage, Ye Tian Yun signaled Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming to move.

    Fu Kai, who was looking and observing every corner of the street, afraid that he might miss the dead bodies of his allies, suddenly noticed a movement from a destroyed tavern in front of him.

    He immediately went on guard.

    Suddenly he saw peopleing out of the tavern.

    There were four of them!

    Seeing them, a smile formed on Fu Kai''s face, and he whipped the Ferghana horses to get closer to them.

    "Ah, I thought you guys were really dead!" Fu Kai smiled as he got down from the carriage.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "That''s a nice way to greet. How have you been?"

    Fu Kai let out a relieved sigh, "Luckily, I got out of the range in time and escaped unscathed. What about you guys? Oh my, is that Jun Xie? What happened to him? Is he alright?"

    Fu Kai came closer to Xiao Ming and began to assess Jun Xie''s condition. His expression was full of concern and worry.

    Xiao Ming saw the chance and put down the burden on the ground and stretched his stiff arms.

    Yuan Shuchun gave him a disdainful look which clearly said, ''Can''t even carry this much of a wait? And you call yourself a genius?''

    Xiao Ming ignored her taunt and asked Fu Kai, "Should we head back now?"

    Fu Kai nodded, "Let''s head back. The mission failed. Those bastards killed their own princess."

    Xiao Ming nodded.

    They remembered the scene when Peak Master Duan shed the enemy''s carriage; they had found the corpse of the poisoned princess.

    Fu Kai remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly, his face lit up as he remembered something.

    "I have one good news, though," He nced at Ye Tian Yun with a proud smile on his face, "I was able to bring your Sister-inw safely out of the city. But she misunderstood my intentions, so I had to sedate her into a deep sleep for some time. I hope you don''t mind, Kai Yang."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "It''s alright, thank you so much, Brother Fu."

    Fu Kai smiled, "It was nothing. Your Sister-inw is my Sister-in-kaw, hahaha."

    Behind Fu Kai, both Xiao Ming and Yuan Shuchun were shocked by his words.

    ''Sister-inw?''

    ''Since when did Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun have a Sister-inw?''

    Yuan Shuchun slightly frowned. She had a hunch of what was going on, but she didn''t voice out her thoughts.

    ''Since he didn''t tell Fu Kai everythingˇ­ it''s best not to touch the topic.''

    Currently, Yuan Shuchun genuinely considered Ye Tian Yun as her ally.

    She didn''t have any enmity or even anger against him, even though he had almost killed Xiao Ming.

    This was mainly because of the rtionship between their fathers.

    Even though Ye Tian Yun was unaware, Yuan Shuchun knew very well about the rtionship between her father and Emperor Ye.

    And ever since she was little, her father had told her that Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was her brother, and she can always trust him.

    ''Let''s see if my guess is true.''

    With this thought, Yuan Shuchun said, "Let''s not waste any more time and get out of this city before more people arrive."

    Xiao Ming nodded and picking up Jun Xie. He followed Yuan Shuchun towards the carriage.

    AS soon as Yuan Shuchun opened the gate, she was surprised to find an unconscious girl within the carriage.

    "Is she the Sister-inw?" Xiao Ming whispered slightly.

    Yuan Shuchun asked with a mischievous smile, "Why you ask? Don''t tell me you fell for her at first sight too?"

    Xiao Ming gulped, "My love, you''re the only one in my heart. I don''t dare to think of anyone else. I was merely curious."

    Yuan SHuchun rolled his eyes at the back of her head and thought, ''You better not think of anyone else, hmph!''

    As for the girl lying in the carriage, it only took a careful nce, and Yuan Shuchun was able to see that this girl was in disguise.

    ''So this is indeed Wu Qingwuˇ­.''

    Yuan Shuchun turned her head and found Ye Tian Yun staring at her.

    She gave a slight smile to him and got on the carriage.

    Behind her, Xiao Ming put (read: threw) Jun Xie in the carriage and also got on.

    Fu Kai also took a seat, and seeing Ye Tian Yun not moving from his ce; he asked, "What happened, Kai Yang? Let''s go!"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and thought, "We still need to do one thing. You guys go ahead. I will take care of it and catch up to you."

    Fu Kai frowned, "What thing?"

    Ye Tian Yun jumped on the nearby wall and said, "Zheng n. We need to make sure we''re done with this ce."

    Fu Kai nodded, "Yeah, I almost forgot about them. I won''t be moving fast, but try to catch up as soon as possible."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded and disappeared in the direction of the Zheng n.

    Seeing him go, Fu Kai took a deep breath and turned the carriage, heading towards the Ao Ba n''s City gates, as it was the nearest one.

    Inside the carriage, Xiao Ming ced Jun Xie and the Sister-inw at one side of the carriage, then moving closer to Yuan Shuchun, he saw beside her.

    Soon he was back to apologizing to her and trying to convince her about the eternal love for her.

    ...

 Chapter 410 - 410 | Death And Destruction, Clan Head Zhengs Worries.

    Ye Tian Yun jumped over the destroyed buildings and headed towards the Zheng n.

    However, he was quite appalled by the destruction that Wang Yao''s power had caused along the way.??

    ''It really did destroy half of the cityˇ­.''

    He couldn''t help but inwardly sigh at this.

    Not only was most of the city destroyed, but the people in the area were also instantly killed.

    Thousands of innocent lives were lost just like that.

    ''A core formation realm cultivator realm cultivators'' explosionˇ­.''

    Peak Master Duan was a Seventh Stage Core Formation Realm cultivator, but he was helpless against Wang Yao.

    And had no control over himself when Wang Yao sted him, intending to kill any witness and take away Ye Tian Yun to the secret space.

    But Ye Tian Yun had somehow managed to destroy Wang Yao, and all that remained of him was a small wisp in his consciousness.

    ''I am closeˇ­.''

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun noticed the presence of other cultivators ahead of him and slowed down.

    After a moment of thought, he went inside one of the destroyed homes.

    ˇ­.

    Main Hall, Zheng n.

    This ce was one of the most important and guarded locations of the Zheng n.

    It was here Zheng n Head, Zheng Yuan, had the important meetings with the n elders.

    Usually, this hall would be bolstered with discussions and arguments among the elders.

    However, today things were a bit different.

    The atmosphere was very somber.

    n Head Zheng Yuan was sitting on the main seat, lost in thoughts with a worried expression, and the elders were also silent.

    They were waiting for n to head Zheng Yuan''sment on the current state of the city.

    After a long depressing silence. n Head Zheng Yuan let out a sigh and asked, "Is this all really true?"

    One of the Elders stood up and replied, "Yes, n Head. The explosion had destroyed half of the city. We have lost all contact with all our nsmen who were within the vicinity of the explosion."

    "However, we have suffered the most minimal losses in this incident. Jia Lei n has not only lost most of its taverns, but there are also rumors that n Head Jia Lei Shan was seen in that region, and he hasn''t walked out of it yet. In fact, no one has walked out. Not a single survivor. That also means the whole Ao Ba nˇ­ is destroyed."

    n Head Zheng Yuan nodded his head and closed his eyes.

    Leaning back on his seat, he asked, "Any news of the Gracious Sword Sect people? Or any news of something happening?"

    The Elder nodded, "There is one thing we noted. One of the carriages which brought those disciples is standing near the exit. They are most probably waiting for the remaining members."

    n Head Zheng Yuan nodded, "Yes. This city is going to be chaotic."

    "First, there were Core Formation Realm cultivators and so many of them. They came out of nowhere. And then that Sword Saintˇ­ after that those two explosions which destroyed the city."

    "And just when things calmed down a bit, the mountain above us exploded, and just when we were about to get buried under the debris, the wholendslide froze in the air."

    "If that wasn''t enough, there was also the incident which turned everything pitch ck. We all know what that meant."

    The Elders looked at each and gulped.

    One of the elders couldn''t help but ask, "n Head, are you saying thatˇ­ the Emblem and everything that happened in the city are.... rted!?"

    n Head Zheng Yuan pursed his lips, "I don''t knowˇ­ but why do you think so many Core Formation REalm Cultivators and even a Sword Saint would appear in this small city?"

    The elder frowned, "But n Head, weren''t they here for a secret mission? To assassinate someone?"

    n Head rolled his eyes, "Do you think a Sword Saint will make a move just to assassinate a little girl? You''re underestimating their presence."

    "A Sword Saint is the peak of our Lower Heavens. And there aren''t more than three Sword Saints. So how could I not doubt that something much bigger and shocking happened in the city?"

    No one replied.

    Now even the elders felt that their n Head''s words seemed to carry some weight.

    n Head Zheng Yuan took a deep breath and asked, "So, nowes the important question, should we enter the destroyed part of the city or not. What do you guys think?"

    The elders thought for a moment and began to give their views on the situation.

    "n Head, I think we should go and take a look. It''s been about an hour since the explosions took ce. I am sure whoever was behind this incident has already left the scene."

    "No, n Head," Someone else interrupted, "We shouldn''t go. We have already lost too much in this situation. What if the enemy had not left? Won''t we be going to our death?"

    "n Head, I think we should take the middle road. We should go, but we shouldn''t be the first ones to go. Let some random cultivators scout the region first, and then we will go and assess the situation."

    n Head Zheng Yuan nodded his head after listening to different opinions.

    When everyone quietened down, he said, "I think we should stay put for some time. Let''s first observe the situation and let those other people go and scout for us."

    "Also, there''s th-!"

    Suddenly, n Head Zheng Yuan frowned and looked at the entrance of the main hall.

    The others in the room were also confused by his reaction. They turned around to see what was going on.

    To their surprise, a young man was standing at the main door.

    One of the elders frowned and stood up, "Who are you? This is the main hall. Outsiders are not allowed to join this meeting. Identify yourself."

    The young man smiled and looked at n Head Zheng Yuan.

    "I hope you haven''t forgotten me, n Head Zheng."

    n Head Zheng smiled and stood up from his seat.

    "Haha, of course not. How dare I?" Heughed while walking towards the entrance and asked, "How have you been, Disciple Fang Chen? How are others from the sect?"

 Chapter 411 - 411 | Nah, Ill Play The Villain

    Hearing his question, Ye Tian Yun''s expression turned a bit mncholy.

    "We lost one man, but the rest were able to escape in time."??

    "Oh?" n Head Zheng Yuan frowned, "Where are they? You should have brought them here to get them treated."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "That would not have been a good idea, n Head Zheng. The situation is now quiteplicated. It''s better if you don''t poke too much in the situation."

    "What happened?" Zheng Yuan was surprised by his words, "Are the enemies still here?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I don''t know, n Head Zhen, but there''s a high chance people from Middle Heavens will arrive here very soon."

    "What!?"

    Everyone in the Main Hall was shocked by his words.

    "People from Middle Heavens?"

    This only meant that the next few days were going to be quite hard for them.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, they will be investigating the situation here. And they will interrogate anyone going in that area. So it''s better that you and your n don''t check too much about the situation. However, you should still put in some cannon fodders, or else people will be suspicious of you. After all, if half of your city is destroyed and you don''t even react, it will, of course, turn some heads on you."

    n Head Zheng nodded his head.

    He understood that the situation was now going to be hard, and they needed to tread very carefully. If they got on the wrong side of those people, the whole Zheng n might cease to exist.

    "What about the mission? Was it sessful?" n Head Zheng couldn''t help but ask.

    This was his main worry.

    Half of the city had been destroyed, and the epicenter of all this was the ce where the whole incident was supposed to ur.

    Hearing his question, Ye Tian Yun made a regretful expression and let out a sigh.

    He then said, "n Head Zheng, the missionˇ­ failed and passed."

    "Hm? What?" His response confused n Head Zheng.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and began to exin, "Actually, we were supposed to kidnap this target, not kill her. However, before we could get close to the target, her guards poisoned and killed her."

    "What?" Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

    "How ruthless."

    n Head Zheng couldn''t help but shake his head.

    The guards killed their master to prevent her from falling into the enemy''s hand?

    They were truly cruel and remorseless.

    "What about now? Will everything be alright?" n Head Zheng asked.

    This mission was important for the Zheng n because it was a heaven-sent opportunity for them to rise. And now that the Jia Lei n had lost its n Head and the whole Ao Ba n was destroyed, the Zheng n was the new de facto ruler of this city.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Everything should be alright. Don''t worry about it anymore. The situation here was veryplicated. Did you people not notice thendslide?"

    Everyone nodded, and n Head Zheng said, "But it froze in mid-air and was then moved towards the valley. What about it?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I suspect it was done by the Sword Saint. Don''t forget to mention this to the people from the Middle Heavens."

    n Head Zheng Yuan nodded his head, "Sure thing. But do you know why he was here?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don''t know. We had to escape as soon as things got out of hand. And we did manage to escape."

    n Head Zheng let out a sigh, "I hope there aren''t too many negative repercussions of this incident."

    Ye Tian Yun told him, "n Head Zheng, don''t worry about this incident. What you need to think about is the future."

    "I will put in some good words about your n to the higher-ups. You definitely won''t be mistreated. After all, you gave your best, but if the Heavens wanted something else, then what could we do?"

    n Head Zheng lightly nodded.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and added, "When the Middle Heavens peoplee, don''t talk about the mission, but don''t hide anything else. There''s no need to be afraid of them, just don''t try to over-smart those people. Decide what you need to say beforehand."

    "And once they are goneˇ­ this whole city will be under your control."

    n Head Zhengughed, "Haha, it''s all thanks to the Gracious Sword Sect and the Crown Prince."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath, and staring out of the window, he said, "This is it then, I shall head back. I hope we meet again soon."

    Hearing his words, everyone in the hall cupped their fists at him.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and cupped his fists in return.

    And then he walked out of the entrance, and as soon as he did, his presence disappeared.

    After a moment of silence, n Head Zheng Yuan finally let out a sigh.

    "Next few days are going to be troublesome."

    ˇ­.

    Outside the City.

    Ye Tian Yun jumped over the wall andnded on a tree branch.

    He immediately removed his disguise as Fang Chen and returned to being Kai Yang.

    "What are you nning next, Ye Tian Yun?" Wang Yao asked.

    Ye Tian Yun halted and frowned, "What do you mean?"

    "You have already achieved your goal," Wang Yao shrugged, "You got the Token Of Fate and even got the Emblem of Time. Now I am interested to see what your future ns are. Who are you going to target next?"

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "You will know pretty soon."

    Hearing his words, Wang Yao suddenlyughed, "Things are getting interesting now."

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight nod.

    ''When I began this journey, I had the Emblem System, and Wang Yao was supposed to have the Emblem Of Time.''

    ''But as things turned out, now I have the Emblem Of Time, while he has the Emblem System. Furthermore, I somehow ended up making amends with Xiao Mingˇ­.''

    ''Things sure are getting interesting.''

    Wang Yao smiled at his words and said, "Ye Tian Yunˇ­ I think you''re slowly turning into the hero of this story, haha!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at his words.

    ''Hero? The world is filled with heroes and wannabes, so let me just y the viin!''

    ˇ­

    End Of Volume 1: Viin''s Return: Quest For The Token Of Fate.

    ,,,

    Author note: After your long wait, patience, and support, we have finally reached the end of the first volume.

    This was a great journey, but many things are yet to witness, many answers are yet to be found, and many secrets are yet to be revealed.

    From tomorrow, we shall enter a new chapter in Ye Tian Yun''s life as he goes after the next target.

    Who will this be? Which Token is Ye Tian Yun after this time? Orˇ­ is it another Emblem?

    Let''s find out!

 Chapter 412 - 412 | Fu Kais Advice On Love

    It had been about half an hour since Fu Kai led the carriage away from Silver Mist City.

    As decided, he was driving the carriage at a moderate pace and was waiting for Ye Tian Yun to catch up.

    "How long will he take?" Someone asked.

    Fu Kai nced at the person sitting beside him.

    It was Xiao Ming.

    "He should catch up soon," Fu Kai replied, "But I don''t understand one thingˇ­ why are you suddenly outside?"

    Xiao Ming scratched his head, and with a wry smile, he said, "I guess this is what I get for making my wife angry."

    Fu Kaiughed and shook his head, "You''re an interesting person, Xiao Ming. When I first saw you, you seemed to act like a person who thought the world revolved around him. But nowˇ­ it seems as if you have changed. No offense, but this is what I genuinely think."

    Xiao Ming shrugged while replying, "What can I sayˇ­ I have learned my lesson. And I now know my priority."

    "Priority?" Fu Kai asked, "What''s your priority now?"

    Xiao Ming put on a huge smile on his face and said, "My main priority is now keeping my wife happy."

    "Oh?" Fu Kaiughed, "That''s a hell more mission, Xiao Ming. And looking at how she kicked you out, this isn''t a good start for you."

    Xiao Ming shook his head, "It''s just a matter of time. I know she will forgive me."

    Fu Kai nodded, "I wish you good luck!"

    Xiao Ming thought for a moment and asked, "Brother Fu, do you also haveˇ­ a priority?"

    Fu Kai smiled, "Yeahˇ­ I do have one. She''s from a normal n and isn''t even a great beauty. Butˇ­ Her kind nature and smile melt my heart every time. Just seeing her happy and smiling at me makes me so happy and content."

    Xiao Ming was surprised, "Oh? Brother Fu, please give me some tips!"

    Fu Kai thought for a moment and said, "Love is knowing what irritates and using it strategically. And whenever you''re with her, treat her like you''re still trying to win her, and that''s how you''ll never lose her."

    Xiao Ming nodded, "Well, I have let her down once, and I regret every moment of it now. I won''t let her down again."

    Fu Kai nodded, "This is what I am talking about. Always make her feel special, and find ways to say you love her that don''t involve just sex."

    "Ah, cough, cough, yes, yes." Xiao Ming gulped and nodded.

    Seeing his reaction, Fu Kai couldn''t help butugh out loud, "So you didn''t do the deed yetˇ­ that''s good. You, young people, should take your time to get to know each other. Never be in a hurry and get caught in the moment before making a big decision in your life. Always think it through."

    Xiao Ming nodded his head.

    Right now, it would be a blessing for him if Yuan Shuchun even looked at him.

    Just then, both of them suddenly frowned and looked in the direction in front of them.

    "Ah, here you are!"

    Fu Kai called out.

    "Get on, let''s increase the pace." He added, staring at the person in front of them.

    It was Ye Tian Yun.

    Changing his disguise as Kai Yang, Ye Tian Yun had caught up with the others.

    Without saying anything, he moved towards the carriage and went inside.

    Xiao Ming wanted to say something but didn''t speak.

    Fu Kai nced at him and couldn''t help butugh.

    He understood what Xiao Ming was up to.

    He wanted Ye Tian Yun to sit at the front so he could get an excuse to get back in the carriage and be with Yuan Shuchun.

    "Unfortunately, he didn''t even nce at you, hahaha."

    Xiao Ming rolled his eyes and ignored Fu Kai''s words.

    ''It''s just a matter of time. I will exchange ces with Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun when we reach the Blue Pole Town.''

    ''Butˇ­ will he be willing to be a guard for usˇ­''

    ˇ­

    Inside the carriage.

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun went inside, the first thing he noticed was the flushed face of Yuan Shuchun.

    ''What happened to her? Why is she blushing?''

    This confused him a bit, ''Don''t tell meˇ­ I came at the wrong time?''

    Yuan Shuchun''s head was down, but Ye Tian Yun could clearly see her face flushed, and her ears turned red.

    She hadn''t even noticed that there was now someone else in the carriage too!

    Ye Tian Yun observed her for a moment and then nced around the carriage.

    On one side was Yuan Shuchun, with her face covered and on the other side were two unconscious people - Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu.

    Ye Tian Yun sat beside Yuan Shuchun and was appalled by the scene in front of him.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    In front of him, Wu Qingwu wasn''t fully lying on Jun Xie. Instead, Jun Xie''s hand was outstretched, and Wu Qingwu''s head was lying on his shoulders.

    ''I wonder what will be their reaction when they wake upˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun now had something to look forward to.

    Just then, Yuan Shuchun noticed something weird and raised her head.

    "Ah!"

    She was stunned to see Ye Tian Yun sitting beside her.

    "Oh, hello." Ye Tian Yun gave her a light smile.

    Yuan Shuchun couldn''t help but ask, "When did youe?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Just now. When you were blushing in front of two unconscious people."

    "Wha- what! No, I was not." Yuan Shuchun immediately denied it.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, not continuing the topic.

    And with that, an awkward silence prevailed in the carriage.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was not bothered with this.

    This peace and quietness was the perfect time for him to focus on understanding the new gains from the Silver Mist City incident.

    ''Well, Wang Yao,e out.''

    Ye Tian Yun called him out and said, ''Now it''s time for you toplete your deal. Tell me how the Emblem Of Time works and help me understand the Token Of Fate.''

 Chapter 413 - 413 | Fuck You, Wang Yao!

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and began to focus on his consciousness.

    In the next instant, he appeared in the pitch-ck space, in front of Wang Yao.

    This time, Wang Yao was actually on a small ind, with just enough space for two people to sit.

    In his hand was a fishing pole, and he was fishing through the pitch-ck consciousness.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t say anything and sat beside him.

    Wang Yao continued to fish, and after a few minutes, he finally opened his mouth, "Well, you spared Xiao Ming, so I will keep my deal."

    "But there''s one slight problem. You can''t use the Emblem Of Time right now."

    "Hm? Why?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao answered, "Because you need to be in seclusion first. You know very well that each possessor of the Emblem Of Time obtains a unique power, and we don''t know what it is unless you use it first. So it''s better for you to be in seclusion during your first use of Emblem Of Time. This won''t put you at risk of getting found out by others."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Fair enough. But what about the Token Of Fate? The only information that is public about it is that this Token can help its Holder in controlling his fate."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Indeed it can, but this is far from the actual truth. How could it be easy for us to control our fate? Fate itself is unpredictable and untameable."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, I changed my fate, even though it''s just a slight deviation."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes, you did, but now everything will try to turn the path and get back to the original timeline. So it would be best if you don''t becent. Also, don''t forget that your Emblem System is now with your enemy. Say anything you want, but you can''t deny the fact that the System was your biggest strength."

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight nod.

    There was no point in running away from the truth. It was best to ept it and move on.

    Wang Yao smiled at his actions and said, "Now you need to only focus on the Token Of Fate. We will talk about Emblem Of Time once you get back to your sect and go into cultivation seclusion."

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly asked, "Do you know all this because of the Emblem System?"

    Wang Yao paused for a moment before nodding his head, "Yes. I am sure you know about Fate Points. Well, I had the System for my whole life, and I got to know about many secrets because of the Fate Points I umted for the System. Not all secrets, but many."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    He had already guessed this because whatever information Wang Yao was saying wasn''t usually avable. Only the Emblem System could have known all these.

    ''Well, now I don''t have to worry about Fate Pointsˇ­''

    This was one of the best benefits for him after everything that had happened today.

    The Emblem System used to put a bar on the information by asking for more Fate Points, and now, Wang Yao could easily tell him all the information.

    ''Ye Tian Yun,'' Suddenly, Wang Yao asked him, ''Why do you believe all my words? You don''t doubt my wordsˇ­ why? Any normal person wouldn''t have trusted their biggest enemy.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, I wouldn''t have trusted you too, if not for the weird feeling which I get whenever you speak."

    Hearing his words, Wang Yao gulped and moved two steps away from him.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes and said, "You''re taking it wrong. The thing is, I just ''know'' that you''re speaking the truth. It''s a weird feeling, but it justes to me."

    "What if I lie to you?" Wang Yao frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I will know."

    "Oh?" Wang Yao couldn''t help but smile at this. He felt as if Ye Tian Yun was bluffing.

    "Ye Tian Yun, ever since we have met in this ce, I have told you one lie. What is it?" He asked.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t even need to think about this before replying, "You lied to me when you said you would help me in finding all the members of the God''s Legion. The truth was you can''t help me because you don''t know everything. You know the only part that you experienced yourself. You don''t have memories of the other members of the God''s Legion."

    Wang Yao''s smile receded.

    His expression turned serious, "So you can tell if I lied to you or not."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Yes and no."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Alright then, let''s stop the chit-chat and start talking about the Token Of Fate. Xiao Ming once told me that he got to know about the abilities of the Token Of Fate because of a life and death battle."

    "He was ambushed by an enemy and was about to die. It was at that moment, his whole life shed in front of him, and he awakened the Token Of Fate, thus saving himself."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head upon hearing this.

    ''Whole life shed in front of himˇ­''

    ''Could this be the trigger?''

    As if Wang Yao knew what he was thinking about, he said, "Yes, whole life shed in front of him. I bet you also need to do this to awaken the Token Of Fate."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "But doesn''t that mean I will have to be in a life and death situation too? How could my whole life sh in front of me just like that? It will need a lot of concentration and focus."

    Wang Yao smiled, "Orˇ­ you can simply jump here."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned and looked ahead.

    Wang Yao pointed, "Jump in your own consciousness. This endless darknessˇ­ it will help you in this."

    Ye Tian Yun looked at the surroundings and began to contemte.

    Just then -

    Thud!

    He was pushedˇ­ into the darkness.

    Ye Tian Yun reflexively tried to grab onto something, but everything seemed to have slipped out of his grasp.

    And then, he fell.

    Staring down on him was Wang Yao''s innocent smile.

    "Fuck you, Wang Yao!"

 Chapter 414 - [Bonus ] 414 | A Journey Through The Memory Lane

    "Congrattions, your majesty, it''s a boy!"

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and was shocked to find himself all sticky and everyone around him looked like giants!

    ''Is thatˇ­ my father?''

    Ye Tian Yun also noticed his father''s one of the rarest expressions - one with a gentle smile on it - as he looked at Ye Tian Yun with a love-filled gaze.

    ''Waitˇ­ is thisˇ­.''

    Before Ye Tian Yun could react, he saw everything fast forward at a very high speed, and in the next moment, he found himself in a gentle embrace.

    He suddenly feltˇ­ rxed and peaceful.

    ''What is going onˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun tried to move. But he failed.

    However, in the next instant, a faint body aroma wafted through his nose.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun''s emotions immediately turned into turmoil.

    ''Motherˇ­''

    He whispered to himself and struggled to move and raise his head.

    ''Just one nceˇ­.''

    He wants toy eyes on that gentle face once more.

    ''How long it has beenˇ­.''

    But before he could see -

    Everything fast-forwarded once again.

    This time, Ye Tian Yun found himself in a hall.

    Everything around him was destroyed, from paintings, chandeliers, vases to even walls.

    Everything was in a mess.

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun saw the scene, he knew where he was.

    ''This was the dayˇ­.''

    "Please, open the gate, your highness!"

    Suddenly someone called out.

    ''Butler Liuˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun felt overwhelmed with emotions.

    ''Motherˇ­''

    He closed his eyes and waited for the moment to fast forward as soon as possible.

    This was one of two more painful memories that he never wanted to remember.

    Fortunately, before he lost control of emotions, everything around him fast-forwarded once again.

    This time when Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes, he was standing in the air, and on the ground were two people.

    ''Wang Yao and Ling Qing''erˇ­''

    This was the day when he first met those two.

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, I will definitely surpass you, and I vow to the heavens, I shall bath the Middle HEavens with your blood!" Wang Yao shouted.

    Hearing those words once again, Ye Tian Yun didn''t feel annoyed or angry. He was still overwhelmed by the previous scene.

    Before he could react, the scene fast-forwarded once again.

    This time he was in a Hall.

    This Hall, too, was destroyed. There were clear signs of battle.

    This time too, Ye Tian Yun remembered where he was.

    ''Noˇ­ not this ceˇ­.''

    His most hated memory.

    Ye Tian Yun immediately closed his eyes and ears. Not wanting to see and hear whatever was about to happen.

    But his actions were ineffective.

    "Crown Princeˇ­ whyˇ­ Why would you still not ept me? Whyˇ­ can we not be togetherˇ­"

    It was her.

    Her voice.

    Herst words.

    A gentle face appeared in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    ''Noˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun tried to remove the image from his mind, but it didn''t go away.

    A drop of tear streamed from the corner of Ye Tian Yun''s eyes.

    And with that, everything fast-forwarded once again.

    This time, Ye Tian Yun found himself standing on a battlefield.

    He was wearing white-violet robes, however, his whole body was now bloody red. His hair disheveled. His face was disfigured. But he stood tall. He stood unwavering.

    Countless corpsesid everywhere, forming mountains and filling oceans. The fresh blood that flowed from them converged to form a crimson river.

    Sorrow, pity, and despair surged through him, and so did insurmountable anger and frustration.

    He knew where he was.

    Hundred Realm Refining Stage.

    The ce where he fought hisst battle.

    The ce where he finally confronted Wang Yao head-on for the first time.

    And the ceˇ­ where he died.

    Suddenly, everything turned blurry, and Ye Tian Yun found himself rising up in the sky.

    And in the next moment, he returned back on the ind in the pitch ck consciousness.

    He was now once again sitting beside Wang Yao.

    However, his emotions were erratic.

    "How was it?" Wang Yao asked. His expression, full of curiosity.

    However, instead of words, he got a kick in the face as an answer.

    Bam!

    "Ugh!" Wang Yao was thrown off the ind.

    Surprisingly, the pitch-ck consciousness was now solid, and Wang Yao didn''t drown.

    "What the fuck dude, I just pushed you not to waste any more time!" Wang Yao shouted while covering his jaw with his hands.

    The kick was powerful.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, didn''t respond and tried to take out a sword and release sword intent.

    Fortunately for Wang Yao, this was a consciousness, and Ye Tian Yun couldn''t use any of those.

    However, that didn''t mean he couldn''t use physical strength.

    And it was from this moment; horror dawned upon Wang Yao as he saw Ye Tian Yune at him and open a barrage of kicks, punches, and ps on his face.

    ˇ­

    After an unknown period of time.

    Ye Tian Yun felt himself fall on the ground on his butt.

    He tried to understand what was going on.

    But all he felt was tiredness.

    ''My hands and legs are soringˇ­ my palms are burningˇ­ what happened here?''

    Just then -

    "You bastardˇ­. You fucking bastardˇ­ what did I do to youˇ­ youˇ­ "

    The voice was familiarˇ­ even though it sounded as if the person was in pain.

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head and found his Wang Yao lying on the pitch ck surface, with bruises all over his body.

    No more shining.

    "What happened to you, Dear Friend Wang Yao?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smile at him.

    He had a hunch of what had happened.

    Aftering out of the memoryne, Ye Tian Yun had lost control of his emotions and had attacked Wang Yao.

    ''Anyway, he deserved it.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and moved closer to Wang Yao.

    Then sitting cross-legged just beside him, he asked, "Wang Yao, I think I can feel the Token Of Fateˇ­ it''s all thanks to you, my ''dear friend''."

 Chapter 415 - 415 | Token Of Fates Ability

    "You fucker, why did you beat me then? Is this how you treat the elderly?" Wang Yao cursed at Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun simply rolled his eyes at him, "Bah! Elderly? You''re not even fit to be my son."

    Wang Yao gritted his teeth but took a quick deep breath to calm himself down.

    After a few moments, he asked, "What did you learn? Can you use the Token of Fate now?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    He had a feeling that he needed to get out of this consciousness first.

    ''I will get out first. It''s just my intuition clicking in.'' He said.

    Wang Yao frowned at his words and said, "You prick, don''t you dare beat me up again, or you can forget about ever getting any information from me!"

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged and got out of consciousness.

    Once again, he began to feel the movement of the carriage and the wooden sandalwood aroma of the quiet interior.

    Slowly, he opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

    His previous fatigue was surprisingly gone, and right now, he was feeling energized more than ever.

    ''This is really goodˇ­''

    He smiled and stared in front of him.

    Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu were still unconscious.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    However, their stateˇ­ was now more intimate.

    Jun Xie''s one hand was now lying on Wu Qingwu''s stomach. Not to forget that Wu Qingwu''s head was lying on Jun Xie''s hand earlier.

    ''There will be a bloodbath when she wakes upˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but subconsciously gulp when imagining the scene.

    And for the same reason, Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to disturb their posture and wanted to let them be like that peacefully.

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, someone called him out.

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, how were you able to focus on cultivation even in this ce? The carriage is jerking too much this time."

    It was Yuan Shuchun.

    She had noticed Ye Tian Yun sitting cross-legged and not even moving his eyelids even when the carriage was jumping over the rocky path.

    ''Is he asleep?''

    That was her first thought.

    But she didn''t have a death wish. Thus she decided not to disturb him.

    However, when she saw him ''wake up'', she couldn''t help herself but ask out of curiosity.

    Hearing her question, she saw Ye Tian Yun''s head turn towards her.

    However, something weird happened.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply; instead, he was staring at her with great concentration.

    More precisely, he was staring at her head.

    Yuan Shuchun couldn''t help but put her hands on the top of her head.

    ''Is there something on my head?''

    But she found nothing.

    Still, the Crown Prince was staring at the top of her head as if he just saw the most interesting thing in his life.

    "Ahem, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun... is everything alright?" Yuan Shuchun gulped and asked.

    She slowly moved her body a few inches away from Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun came out of his trance and coughed, "Nothing, nothingˇ­ it''s justˇ­ no, it''s nothing."

    He shook his head and then stared at the carriage wall in front of him with a deep frown on his face.

    ''Weird guyˇ­'' Yuan Shuchun couldn''t help but judge Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun, unaware of Yuan Shuchun''s thoughts, was currently lost in his own shock and surprise.

    "Is that fateˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun secretly nced at the top of Yuan Shuchun''s head once again.

    Yuan Shuchun, however, immediately noticed this and moved two more inches away from him.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t care about this reaction. He was already lost in the weird phenomenon.

    Just to confirm, he asked Yuan Shuchun, "Sister Yuan, umˇ­ can you look up?"

    Yuan Shuchun gave a suspicious nce, and moving two more inches away from him; she asked, "Wˇ­why?"

    Ye Tian Yun assured her, "It''s nothing to worry about. Just tell me what you see when you look up."

    Yuan Shuchun stared at him for a long moment and immediately looked up and back, then staring at Ye Tian Yun with narrowed eyes.

    "The ceiling." She answered.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Exactly."

    And then he resumed staring at the wall in front of him, once again lost in his thoughts.

    "This guyˇ­" Yuan Shuchun moved two more inches away from him.

    ''Why did I kick Xiao Ming? At least he wouldn''t act so weird.''

    Unbeknownst to Yuan Shuchun, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t trying to creep her out.

    Instead, he was simply confirming whether she was also seeing what he was seeing.

    And from her answer, it was clear she didn''t see anything weird.

    But for Ye Tian Yunˇ­ he saw a prompt on her head!

    ''A System promptˇ­''

    ''But didn''t the System go awayˇ­?''

    Ye Tian Yun felt confused at what was going on.

    And upon carefully noticing, Ye Tian Yun clearly saw what the prompt was.

    [Yuan Shuchun: 1 Star favourability. Will acknowledge you as an acquaintance but won''t really like to talk to you in public.]

    "ˇ­"

    There were two stars when Ye Tian Yun first saw the prompt.

    ''Why did it turn into a star for no reason?''

    Ye Tian Yun might never know the answer to this.

    ''Is this the power of Token Of Fate? Tell me whether someone likes me or not?''

    ''Thisˇ­ this is pretty amazingˇ­''

    ''Doesn''t that mean I will know if someone secretly wants to kill me?''

    Ye Tian Yun nced at the unconscious Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu.

    There was nothing on their head.

    He nced at Yuan Shuchun once again.

    [Yuan Shuchun: 1 Star favourability. Will acknowledge you as an acquaintance but won''t really like to talk to you in public.]

    ''Does it only work when people are awake?''

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment.

    ''Who elseˇ­ oh yesˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly remembered the person he needed to check favourability most.

    Closing his eyes, Ye Tian Yun once again appeared in his consciousness.

    As soon as he appeared-

    "What the fuck! Why are you here again? Go away, don''t you daree close to me!"

    Wang Yao''s traumatized voice resounded.

 Chapter 416 - 416 | One Of Them Wakes Up

    Wang Yao was still in shock after the sudden beating from Ye Tian Yun.

    And when he saw Ye Tian Yun suddenly return to the consciousness space, he immediately went on guard.

    However, to his confusion, Ye Tian Yun didn''t say anything; instead was just staring at him.

    More precisely, Ye Tian Yun was staring at the top of his head.

    "What happened?" In the end, Wang Yao couldn''t help but ask, "Do I have horns on my head?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply and, with a slight nod, went back outside.

    "What the hell? Don''t scare me like that, dude!" Wang Yao couldn''t help but shout.

    Appearing out of nowhere and then leaving without saying anything but only staring at him.

    ''Did he lose his mind after going through the memories? Oh no. Anyways, I need to do something or else I will be scared to death if Ye Tian Yun keeps on appearing like this.''

    ˇ­

    Unaware of Wang Yao''s thoughts, Ye Tian Yun was currently lost in his thoughts.

    He had seen the notification on Wang Yao''s forehead, and he was a bit surprised by it.

    [Wang Yao: 0 Star Favourability. No emotions against you. Be it hatred or closeness.]

    ''That wasˇ­ too specific.''

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this.

    ''But does he really not have any hatred? It''s hard to believeˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun had stabbed his sword in Wang Yao''s throat. Even though the wisp of Wang Yao''s soul was only there because of the Emblem Of Time, it was still hard to believe for Ye Tian Yun that it didn''t have any hatred or negative against him.

    ''Stillˇ­ I need to be careful.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh.

    He couldn''t let his guard down, even though all the signs were pointing at Wang Yao being an innocent soul here.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    "Ughˇ­"

    Just then, someone''s groaning noise enters Ye Tian Yun''s ears.

    He opens his eyes and is surprised by the scene in front of him.

    "You woke up earlier than expected." He said.

    In front of him was Jun Xie.

    The first thing that Ye Tian Yun noticed wasˇ­ another system prompt.

    This one was above Jun Xie''s head.

    Ye Tian Yun immediately began to read it.

    [Jun Xie. 4 Stars Favourability. Considers you a friend. Might not betray you.]

    ''4 starsˇ­''

    Jun Xie''s favorability was way higher than Yuan Shuchun''s.

    ''Is it because we fought together?''

    That was most probably the reason. After all, only death-like situations can make people friends this fast.

    ''I wonder if this will change if I change my disguise? After all, he doesn''t know my true identity.''

    Even though Ye Tian Yun was curious, he could only wait and see if there were any changes in the prompt.

    ˇ­

    Jun Xieid on the floor and was trying to assess the situation.

    Hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words, his initially panicked heart calmed down a bit.

    He was safe.

    Just then, he felt something on his shoulders.

    More specifically, it was someone.

    Jun Xie turned his head and was shocked to see an unfamiliar girl lying on his shoulder.

    ''She''s beautifulˇ­ no! Who is she!?''

    He opened his eyes wide and looked at Ye Tian Yun for an answer.

    Ye Tian Yun simply smiled, "Aˇ­ maid for you."

    His words confused Jun Xie and Yuan Shuchun both.

    ''Isn''t she, his Sister-inw? Howe he''s giving her to Jun Xie as a maid?''

    Yuan Shuchun couldn''tprehend what was going on in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    ''He really is a weirdoˇ­''

    On the other hand, Jun Xie was confused why he was suddenly given a beautiful maid?

    ''Well, whatever, I will just send her away once we reach Gracious Sword Sect.''

    With this thought, Jun Xie first removed Wu Qingwu''s hand from his chest and then carefully ced her head on the surface, slowly moving his hand.

    ''Damn, she''s heavy.''

    Jun Xie let out a sigh after sitting up.

    ncing back at the girl, he couldn''t help but frown.

    ''Isn''t sheˇ­''

    Jun Xie''s eyes widened up in surprise.

    ''Isn''t she the maid of Wu Qingwu?''

    He remembered her sitting at the front with the driver in Third Princess Wu Qingwu''s entourage.

    ''The guard kicked her out to save her lifeˇ­''

    Jun Xie was really surprised to see her here.

    He nced at Ye Tian Yun and saw him looking at him with a mysterious smile, while Yuan Shuchun looked at him in disdain.

    Her thoughts could be seen through her expression, ''How could you ept a random girl as a maid? You''re also weird. Why am I surrounded by all the weirdos?''

    Suddenly, Jun Xie remembered how one of the guards had almost killed him.

    "What happened?" Jun Xie asked, still lying on the surface and staring at the ceiling of the carriage.

    "Weˇ­ survived."

    It was Yuan Shuchun who replied this time.

    Jun Xie gave a slight nod.

    Three Core Formation Realm Cultivators.

    It was already a miracle that they were able to escape.

    "How did we survive?" He couldn''t help but ask Yuan Shuchun.

    Yuan Shuchun nced at Kai Yang, indicating her answer.

    Jun Xie was surprised by her action, and turning his head at Ye Tian Yun, he asked, "Did you kill those Core Formation Realm cultivators!?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Many things happened; you lost consciousness too early. Just read the reportter; you will know all the details."

    Then Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and started to meditate.

    He was in disguise; no need to be ''brotherly'' with Jun Xie.

    Jun Xie, on the other hand, wasn''t bothered by his attitude. To him, Kai Yang had always been the silent one. The fact that Kai Yang was having a conversation here was already enough.

    Then Jun Xie took a deep breath and sat cross-legged.

    He began to assess his injuries and check his physical condition.

    The oue was quite surprising for him.

    ''I am at my hundred percentˇ­.''

    ''How did this happen? I was seriously injuredˇ­ Did they give me some pills or what? But I haven''t heard of such miraculous pills or elixirsˇ­.''

    Even though Jun Xie wanted to know, he didn''t ask.

    Mainly because another thought overwhelmed him.

    ''Iˇ­ failed to escape.''

 Chapter 417 - Ch 417 | The Only Way For Jun Xie

    Jun Xie''s main aim ining to this ce was to escape.

    He wanted to get out of the Gracious Sword Sect and go on a journey to find the origins of his n. The only clue he had right now was the pendant around his neck.

    ''Hm? The pendantˇ­'' Suddenly he put his hands on his chest to feel the pendant, but to his shock, the pendant was not there!

    Immediately his face paled, and cold sweat dripped on his back.

    "Did you see a pendant!?" He turned his head towards Ye Tian Yun and Yuan Shuchun to ask.

    Yuan Shuchun didn''t know what he was referring to, "What pendant?"

    While Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and said, "Why do you think you''re alive?"

    This question confused Jun Xie, "What do you mean?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and replied, "The strike from that guard, remember? How do you think you survived the strike from a Core Formation Realm cultivator?"

    "Was it the pendant!?" Jun Xie was shocked.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Of course. You''re one lucky guy. The sword strikended on the pendant instead of directly hitting your chest. This is why you survived, but the pendant broke because of this."

    "Ohˇ­" A deep frown formed on Jun Xie''s face.

    "Do you have the broken pendantˇ­?" He asked, clinging to the final hope.

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and took out the broken pendant from his spatial ring.

    He had asked for it from Butler Liu before thetter departed for the Middle Heavens.

    "Thank you!" Colour returned on Jun Xie''s face after seeing the pendant.

    This pendant meant a lot to him.

    It had the clues behind his origin. And also, it was his main motivation to increase his cultivation and alchemy realm swiftly. He wanted to gain power and prestige and then confidently head to the Middle Heavens in search of his true parents.

    Seeing its broken state, Jun Xie couldn''t help but inwardly sigh.

    The pendant had saved his life, but now he also lost the connection he felt with the word ''Liu.''

    Whenever he wore the pendant earlier, he had a sense of calmness, and he even felt a bit dependent on the pendant. But now, as he stared at the pendant, the feeling was gone.

    He could find the Liu n without the pendant, but the main problem was he lost the only proof he had to make them believe his words.

    ''Maybe this broken pendant will helpˇ­''

    Seeing his pale expression, Ye Tian Yun decided to cheer him up.

    "The pendantˇ­ will disintegrate in six months and turn into dust."

    Well, this was a different kind of ''cheering'', the Ye Tian Yun edition.

    Hearing his words, Jun Xie raised his head and looked at him in shock, "Really!? Will it disintegrate?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. So you only have six monthsˇ­"

    Jun Xie nodded his head.

    Six months.

    It wasn''t muchˇ­ no, it wasn''t enough at all.

    In six months, it would be a miracle if he even broke through two more levels. And this was never going to be enough.

    He needed to reach at least Nascent Soul Realm cultivation level before heading to the Middle Heavens.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    Jun Xie let out a long breath and leaned on the carriage wall behind him.

    ''Is there no other wayˇ­''

    The pendant was no more useful for him. He needed something or someone who could help him out.

    And at this instant, someone''s face appeared in his mind.

    ''Fang Chen!''

    It was the disciple he met in the Heavenly League''s Banquet more than a month ago.

    That mysterious inner court disciple had not only seen through his Illusion Technique, but he had also revealed a bit about his origin.

    And worst of all, Fang Chen had revealed his real name.

    ''The name that only Master knewˇ­ how could Fang Chen know?''

    It was clear that Fang Chen knew something about his n.

    He might even know everything about Jun Xie!

    ''I need to get to himˇ­''

    Fang Chen was hisst hope.

    ''I won''t leave him until he reveals everything. And I will definitely get the information out of him, by hook or by crook!''

    Ding!

    Suddenly Ye Tian Yun heard a very familiar notification sound.

    With a slight frown, he opened his eyes.

    There wasn''t anything in front of him, but he suddenly saw a red line blinking over Jun Xie.

    When he focused his attention on the line, he found that the previous prompt had changed.

    [Jun Xie. 5 Stars Favourability. Considers you as someone important. Will not harm or betray you.]

    ''It rose by 1 star? Why? Because I gave him the pendant?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but frown at this.

    ''This Jun Xieˇ­ is too fickle.''

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun nced at Jun Xie once again and said, "You should go out and sit with Fu Kai. Have some fresh air; this will help you recover faster."

    Jun Xie nodded his head, and putting the jade around his neck; he went outside.

    ˇ­

    Both Xiao Ming and Fu Kai were sitting outside the carriage as the carriage rapidly moved towards the nearest town.

    Suddenly, the curtain behind them moved, attracting their attention.

    "Jun Xie!"

    Both of them were pleasantly surprised to see the face.

    "When did you wake up? How are you feeling right now? Does your chest still hurt? Why are you outside? Is everything alright?"

    As soon as he saw Jun Xie, Xiao Mingunched a barrage of questions.

    Jun Xie blinked at him twice. Confused at Xiao Ming''s ''enthusiastic'' attitude, he replied, "I just woke up and am pretty healthy now. Just need some fresh air."

    Xiao Ming''s face glowed with a smile.

    "You want to sit outside? Sure, sure! Yes, the fresh air will definitely improve your mood!"

    Xiao Ming immediately moved and made space for Jun Xie toe and sit outside.

    As soon as Jun Xie sat, Xiao Ming gave him and Fu Kai a wave of his hand and went inside the carriage.

    "Miss me!?"

 Chapter 418 - Ch 418 | The Second One Wakes Up

    Ye Tian Yun saw Jun Xie go outside and waited for Xiao Ming to enter.

    Not that he wanted to see his face or talk, rather, Ye Tian Yun was more curious about the favourability from Xiao Ming.

    ''If he considers me as an enemyˇ­ there''s no way in hell I would allow him to reach Gracious Sword Sect alive.''

    Suddenly, the curtains moved once again and a smiling young man''s face peeked inside.

    He gave a slight nod to Ye Tian Yun and turned towards Yuan Shuchun, beaming with happiness he said, "Miss Me!?"

    Yuan Shuchun rolled her eyes and ignored Xiao Ming''s existence.

    Xiao Ming wasn''t affected by her coldness, rather he was happy as long as he wasn''t kicked and forced to sit outside.

    "Baby, I missed you so much! Sigh, with every passing tree on the way, it felt as if a year passed by. Time goes so slow when you''re not in my eyesightˇ­ sighˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head hearing those words.

    However, he wasn''t bothered much. In fact, he was a bit confused right now.

    It was because of the prompt above Xiao Ming''s head.

    [Xiao Ming. 3 Star Favourability. Wants to be your friend to get close to Yuan Shuchun.]

    ''This guyˇ­ does he only care about Yuan Shuchun now?''

    Ye Tian Yun was confused by this.

    The Xiao Ming he knew wouldn''t simply give up on everything for the sake of love. Xiao Ming, he knew, was self-centered and power-hungry.

    ''But this guy is just single-minded towards Yuan Shuchunˇ­''

    ''Did something else happen that I am unaware of?''

    Unfortunately, Ye Tian Yun or anyone else didn''t know about Xiao Ming''s encounter with his future self and how it had affected his thoughts and way of seeing things.

    ''Well, who cares. As long as he doesn''t consider me an enemy, he''s safe.''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t feel like Xiao Ming was of any importance now. He had already taken the Token Of Fate from thetter and even though he wanted to kill Xiao Ming for stabbing him in his previous life, well, now it wasn''t even worth it.

    Letting out a long breath, Ye Tian Yun once again focused on cultivation.

    His next goal was to reach the Core Formation Realm, but for that, he wanted to get to the very peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

    ''I need to assess my situation thoroughly.''

    Suddenly, he asked Wang Yao, ''When will you tell me about that strange space? I know you are hiding things from me at that time, and only told me to focus on cultivation. Now that most of the troublesome things are over, let''s discuss it.''

    Wang Yao shook his head, "Not now. I will tell you when we start focusing on the Emblem Of TIme. For now, just wait till you get back to the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned but didn''t say anything else.

    He was in no hurry.

    There was still three weeks'' time left.

    ''Three weeks will be enough for me to prepare myself.''

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly nodded.

    Just then, he noticed something weird.

    Opening his eyes, he looked at the front, and then he nced at his side and shook his head.

    Xiao Ming was still flirting with Yuan Shuchun.

    And Yuan Shuchun was not having any of his bullshit.

    ''But that is not importantˇ­''

    The thing or more specifically, the person who attracted his attention was none other than Wu Qingwu.

    She had woken up.

    ''Is she trying to fake her unconsciousness?''

    Even though she had woken up and was alert to her surroundings, she wasn''t moving or showing any signs of her exact state.

    Surprisingly, Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming, both in the Middle stages of Qi Stabilization Realm, didn''t sense the change in her breathing yet.

    ''Since I am in the Foundation Establishment Stage, it''s easier for me.''

    With higher cultivation, other senses also increased exponentially.

    ''Should I reveal her?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but have a yful smile on his face.

    Earlier he wanted to witness the drama when Wu Qingwu woke up in Jun Xie''s arms; unfortunately, Jun Xie woke up first and unknowingly saved his own life.

    And now, Wu Qingwu was lying on the ground.

    Fully alert, but after the initial change in breathing, everything returned to normal.

    She was feeling a bit smug that none of the three kidnappers were able to detect her.

    She could tell this from their reactions, even though her eyes were still closed.

    There were many questions floating in her head, but she had to wait.

    ''What happened after I was kicked?ˇ­ damn that bastardˇ­ he kicked me too hard, I lost consciousness after getting pped on the wall.''

    The most important question right now was who were these people around her.

    ''I am in a carriageˇ­ but whose carriage? Did those guards fail? But that shouldn''t be possible - they were part of Wu''s Secret Service. No one had any idea about their cultivationˇ­ sigh, I need answersˇ­''

    Even though Wu Qingwu wanted the answers, she wasn''t nning to make a move just yet.

    But to her shock, something happened in the next moment that wiped the smugness over her face.

    "Since you''re awake, you should get up and sit. Lying down like this will only hurt your back."

    Wu Qingwu didn''t know who spoke, but she knew the general direction the words came from.

    Opening her eyes, she sat up.

    Her actions attracted Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming''s attention.

    "Oh? You woke up!?" Xiao Ming smiled at her, "How are you feeling now? Is everything alright? Are you hurt somewhere?"

    His questions confused her a bit.

    ''Didn''t someone already reveal that I am awake? Why are they acting surprised?''

    ''Hm? Oh, waitˇ­ No! Don''t tell me...!''

    In the next instant, Wu Qingwu''s face paled as she turned her head towards Ye Tian Yun in shock.

    ''Spirit Message! Hemunicated directly to my mind!''

    ''Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator!''

 Chapter 419 - 419 | Jun Xies Maid, Wu Qingwu

    Wu Qingwu was rmed after guessing Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation realm.

    Not that she hadn''t encountered any Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but the current situation was different.

    She couldn''t even tell if the others in the carriage were friends or foes. Neither did she know where they were heading to.

    And her own cultivation was far from Foundation Establishment Realm, so she had no way of escaping on her own.

    She stared at Ye Tian Yun for a moment and asked, "Who are you people?"

    Ye Tian Yun slightly frowned for a moment and sent a spirit message to Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming.

    ''Act well with her. Also, she''s now the maid of Young Master Jun Xie. Don''t forget that.''

    Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming''s expressions changed for a moment before returning to normal.

    ''Foundation Establishment Realmˇ­''

    Both had a feeling, but this spirit message confirmed their fears.

    ''He''s definitely the most powerful cultivator of this generationˇ­''

    Both of them couldn''t help but gulp.

    Meanwhile, Ye Tian Yun nced at Wu Qingwu and frowned, "Well, we found you injured in the Silver Mist City."

    "Oh?" Wu Qingwu''s expression turned down a bit.

    ''They found me? That means all the guards wereˇ­''

    There was now a high probability that everyone from her entourage except her was dead.

    "What happened in the Silver Mist City? Any major events?" She immediately asked.

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged and said, "Well, half of the city has been destroyed, and almost no one survived the battle between Core Formation Realm cultivators. You''re one of the lucky survivors of this incident."

    "Ohˇ­" Wu Qingwu sighed and leaned back on the carriage.

    "Where are you from?" Ye Tian Yun asked, trying to push her in a corner.

    Wu Qingwu pursed her lips, and after a few moments, she said, "Iˇ­ don''t remember."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, and in the next moment, the corner of his lips curved upwards in a smile.

    "Alright, well, from your clothes and the way you look, I am sure you''re a maid of some merchant." He added while scratching his chin.

    "Aˇ­ maidˇ­" Wu Qingwu frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at her and nodded, "Yes. The first time Iid my eyes on you, I knew you were definitely a maid from somewhere. And as your luck turns out, my friend is in dire need of a maid. I guess you''re now employed."

    Wu Qingwu pursed her lips and didn''t say anything for a long time.

    She was, in fact, mulling over her situation.

    ''Can I return to the Wu Kingdom on my ownˇ­''

    ''But will they kill me if I say no?''

    ''And if I say yes, will I ever get a chance to go back?''

    She didn''t know the answer to these questions.

    The future seemed bleak.

    ''Sighˇ­ a maid, hmmˇ­''

    ''Alright then, so be it.''

    But first, she needed to confirm something.

    "Who''s your friend?" She asked Ye Tian Yun.

    "He''s sitting outside beside the carriage driver, Fu Kai."

    Wu Qingwu frowned and gradually got up.

    Slowly moving the curtain, she peeked outside and saw a guy of her age sitting beside Fu Kai. With his chin on his hands, he was lost in his thoughts, unaware of the maiden staring at him.

    ''He''sˇ­ handsome.''

    Wu Qingwu immediately shook her head and removed the unnecessary thoughts from her head.

    ''He''s my new master? If his cultivation is lowˇ­ I might escape!''

    Closing the curtain, Wu Qingwu turned her head at Ye Tian Yun once again and nodded lightly.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and said, "Well, we''re heading to the Blue Pole Town. You can formally meet him there."

    Wu Qingwu gave a slight nod and sat quietly.

    An awkward silence prevailed, and Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes to focus on cultivation.

    He had no interest in chatting with any of the three in the carriage.

    ˇ­

    Main Hall, Heavenly Oracle Sect, Middle Heavens.

    It had been about five hours since the natural phenomenon that covered everything in darkness.

    This event shook the whole world, and the most stunned ce was none other than this sect.

    Headed by the Council of Grand Elders, this sect prided over its ability to handle arrays and predict the future.

    Even with the ability to predict the future, they had not only failed to gain any advantage, but also their prediction turned out to be wrong.

    "It was not a Token! It was a fucking Emblem!!"

    And right now, the Head Grand Elder was not in a good mood, to say the least.

    "What the fuck went wrong? Why did fate deviate? Which Emblem has appeared!? What the fuck is going on? Somebody tell me!"

    The other Grand Elders remained silent. They were too afraid to say anything at this moment.

    "Fuck! Why are you silent now, you old bastard!? Weren''t you in a hurry to send your favorite disciples in search of the Token earlier!? Where the fuck is your enthusiasm now? I want to know!"

    Silence.

    "Bunch of living carcasses! With thousands of years'' worth of records, why do I still not have an answer?"

    Silence.

    "Fuck of you all, old geezers! Don''t show me your face until you get an answer!"

    The Head Grand Elder, annoyed after getting no response from the people around him, kicked all of them out of the Main Hall.

    "Sighˇ­"

    In the empty hall, the Head Grand Elder let out a long breath and slumped on his seat.

    ''Where did things go wrong?''

    He had no answer to this.

    ''What should be the next step?''

    He didn''t have an answer to this either.

    Just then -

    He suddenly moved his neck and looked at the entrance.

    "Why haven''t you gone, Third Grand Elder?"

    "I have something to talk about."

    "Hm?" The Head Grand Elder couldn''t help but frown, "What is it? Come in first. And why didn''t you say anything earlier? You were just sitting there quietly?"

    "Hmˇ­ Head Grand Elderˇ­ my discipleˇ­ Tian''er isˇ­ dead."

    "What?" The Head Grand Elder stood up in surprise as the man entered the room.

 Chapter 420 - 420 | Back To Blue Pole Town

    The Elder who entered the main hall was the Master of Qin Wentian.

    "How did Qin Wentian die?" The Head Grand Elder asked.

    He knew Qin Wentifuan.

    Mainly because of his potential and talent in arrays. Though it wasn''t the best in the sect, it was one of the top-notch ones. And in theing troublesome times, losing such a genius wasn''t something that Heaven Oracle Sect, even with hundreds of thousands of disciples, would like to suffer.

    After hearing about Qin Wentian''s death, of course, the Head Grand Elder wished to know everything about this matter.

    "The death of Tian''er is weirdˇ­ I couldn''t even go to his death spot because of the sect matter. My other disciples are preparing things as we speak. I will leave after this meeting."

    "How did this happen? Do you have any guesses?" The Head Elder asked with a frown.

    A new problem wasn''t always a good thing, but it might be a better option if it relieved the stress and attention from the other issues.

    And this was what Head Grand Elder saw.

    Since the Token Of Fate had not appeared and instead, an Emblem had surfaced at an unknown location, the future was now getting unpredictable.

    "Tian''er went to a ce calledˇ­ Silver Mist City."

    "Oh.. Wait! What did you say?" The Head Grand Elder immediately stood up from his seat and stared at the Third Grand Elder in shock,

    "Silver Mist!"

    The Third Grand Elder slightly nodded his head, "Yesˇ­ the same one that was mentioned in the prophecy."

    "Whatˇ­" The Head Grand Elder plopped back on the seat as he stared at an uncertain location, "Don''t tell me, the Token Of Fate might have appeared in that city?"

    The Third Grand Elder shrugged, "We both know the location of its appearance can be any random ce. The best we can do is pinpoint the location with the help of the Prophecy."

    The Head Grand Elder felt a bit angry, "I know that! But why the hell didn''t you tell me about this!? We had so many days to prepare! A whole week!"

    "I know, butˇ­ you should understand my situationˇ­" The Third Grand Elder pursed his lips.

    Head Grand Elder frowned, "What do you mean!? Is your greed to be the next Head Grand Elder bigger than our sect itself!?"

    "N-no! No, I just meant-!"

    "I don''t care what you mean," The Head Elder frowned and added, "I will personally visit the site of your disciple''s demise and check everything on my own. Maybe there will be some traces of the Token Holder!"

    The Third Grand Elder gulped.

    He knew now he had lost the biggest advantage. There was nothing that could remain hidden anymore from the Head Grand Elder.

    Unfortunately, he had no choice but to tell the truth to the Head Grand Elder because of the Heavenly Vow of the Elders Council.

    (A/n: Heavenly Vows will be exined in detail in theter stages of the story.)

    ''One more breakthrough, and I will be the Head Grand Elder.ˇ­''

    ''For now, I need to take revenge for my Tian''er!''

    The Third Grand Elder wanted to find the killer of his disciple.

    "Let''s go. I will set up the teleportation array!"

    Teleportation Array.

    One of the most resource-heavy arrays to ever exist and has the ability to send someone from one corner to the other, under the Heavens. They are only used in special cases by the Heavenly Oracle Sect.

    Soon, the teleportation array was ready to start.

    It didn''t take much time, mainly because it only needed the resources to be put inside. The rest all was set beforehand, ready to be used in case of a sect-destroying-threat.

    ˇ­

    Two Days Later.

    The Gracious Sword Sect entourage finally arrived at the Blue Pole Town.

    Staring at it, Fu Kai and Jun Xie nced at each other and let out a sigh.

    They felt as if it had been months since theyst saw that gate in front of them.

    "So many things have happened in just a few days." Jun Xie let out a sigh.

    Fu Kai nodded.

    He remembered his two other partners who were managing two carriages.

    Now they were dead.

    Out of the thirteen people, only five survived.

    Even the most powerful among them, Peak Master Duan, with the cultivation of Core Formation Realm, couldn''t hold much longer against the enemy and had gone to meet his maker.

    The enemy had outnumbered them and even had higher cultivation realms.

    The only reason why the five of them survived was that they got extremely lucky for some reason.

    This was especially the case for Xiao Ming, Yuan Shuchun, and Jun Xie.

    These three had no idea what happened after the explosion, and by the time they woke up, Wang Yao had already destroyed everything around them. Luckily for some reason, all three of them didn''t have any life-threatening or crippling injuries, which was a miracle in itself.

    Plop!

    Ye Tian Yun jumped out of the carriage as they stood outside avish tavern. Fu Kai had already gone inside to book a room for their stay.

    Now that the mission was over and they had escaped the grasp of any future possible enemy, they felt a bit safe.

    Even then, they had not dropped their guard. Suffering an ambush was thest thing they wanted to go through at this moment.

    Looking around, Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath, and after stretching his arms, he headed towards the tavern.

    At the front, Jun Xie had alsoe down from the carriage and nodded at Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded back and continued to move towards the tavern entrance.

    Just then, his footsteps slowed down a bit, and he turned around.

    ''Isn''t this their first meetingˇ­''

    Indeed it was.

    Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu were about to meet officially.

    ''Will they also fall in love once again?''

    Ye Tian Yun was interested in this.

    ''Let''s hope they do. Wu Qingwu will turn out to be a good ally.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled when he thought of this.

    And just then, Wu Qingwu slowly stepped outside.

    And as soon as she stepped down, the first person her eyesid on was Jun Xie.

    They finally met.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and turned around.

    He didn''t wish to see any more interactions between them. This single moment was enough for him to know the future.

    ''These two are not going to be together.''

    Because there was no reaction between them, it was as if they were looking at each other likeˇ­ how two normal strangers look at each other.

    ''They are opposite of each other.''

    Letting out a sigh, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think, ''I wonder if my expectations were too high.''

 Chapter 421 - 421 | King Wu

    It had been two days since half of the Silver Mist City was blown up, and hundreds of people lost their lives.

    And as time passed, the news of the incident began to circte through the whole Lower Heavens like a forest fire.

    However, the most shocking thing about the incident was not the deaths but rather the appearance of the Sword Saint.

    A Sword Saint Realm cultivator was no different than a God in the Lower Heavens. And for such a high realm cultivator to appear and even make a move in the small Silver Mist City piqued the interest of anyone who heard about the incident.

    And to make matters more convincing, some people even suggested that the appearance of the Emblem was definitely rted to the Sword Saint.

    After all, what else could cause a Sword Saint to make such a move?

    Unfortunately, no one had seen how the Sword Saint looked, and those who had seen him were now dead. So it was impossible to know who this mysterious person was.

    s, if only they knew that there was never a Sword Saint at all! Instead, it was the Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun''s Sword Domain which they mistook as a Sword Saint, making a move.

    With the Emblem''s Phenomenon, the Sword Saint story seemed more usible and believable.

    But with everything said and done, not all the people who heard about this incident were happy.

    In fact, the two most powerful ns of the Lower Heavens couldn''t take this news as a positive note.

    The Xin Royal n and the Wu Royal n.

    With each ruling over their own halves of the Lower Heavens, both ns were closely tied to the Silver Mist City Incident.

    And none of them had imagined that a Sword Saint would make his appearance in this ce, and worst of all, they had no idea that this incident would also trigger the appearance of an Emblem.

    ˇ­

    Royal Hall, Wu Capital City, Wu Kingdom.

    Today, in the ever-bustling royal hall of the Wu Kingdomid a soul-crushing silence, with only one person''s voice ringing in everyone''s ears.

    All the ministers, guards, scribes were silent.

    They were waiting for the man in front of them to finish and King Wu to speak.

    At the center of the huge Royal Hall was a guard standing, with sweat dripping from his forehead.

    In his hand was a letter regarding the Silver Mist City incident.

    With every word he spoke from the report, the pressure on him increased.

    "ˇ­the sudden explosion killed the cultivators who tried to enter the destroyed part of the city out of curiosity. After a few minutes, the whole world turned pitch-ck, and the Emblem is said to have made its appearance."

    The guard then rolled the parchment in his hand and bowed towards the throne.

    Now, everyone was waiting for the one seated on the throne to respond to this news.

    "The Emblemˇ­ is not important. I want to know where my Qing''er is. If she''s alive, I want her in front of me. If she''s dead - then I want to see her corpse!"

    The man replied.

    He was none other than King Wu.

    Known for his extreme talents in arrays and ruthless nature, King Wu was usually not a person whose words were directed by his emotions.

    However, he had one weak link - his precious daughter, Third Princess Wu Qingwu.

    He doted on her.

    And today, hearing the possibility of her death, his hair turned white, and he felt as if he lost a piece of his soul.

    But he didn''t wish to give up hope.

    "I want you to find everything you can about the incident. I want you to find out who this Sword Saint is! And I want to know who dared to assassinate my daughter!"

    "Yes, Your Majesty!" The guard immediately kneeled down and left the Royal Hall after another bow.

    "Sighˇ­." After a moment of silence, King Wu let out a long breath and leaned back on the throne.

    He had lost interest in everything.

    He just wanted to find his daughter.

    "Your Majesty!"

    Just then, someone spoke.

    Lightly opening his eyes, the King nced to his right.

    It was the Prime Minister.

    Only he dared to speak at this moment.

    "What is it, Prime Minister Jing?"

    Prime Minister Jing cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, we won''t be able to keep the news of this event a secret. Our people would want to see your response to this."

    King Wu frowned.

    ''Response?''

    Prime Minister Jing added, "We don''t know who the real attackers were, but there is one thing certain - it was definitely the Xin Royal n because only they dared to make a move. Unfortunately, even after doing everything so discreetly, the entourage was discovered and ambushed."

    "What should be done, Prime Minister?" King Wu stared at him, prying to know the minister''s intentions.

    The Prime Minister pursed his lips and said, "Your Majestyˇ­ we need to strike back. We need to take revenge. We can''t let the Third Princess''s death be in vain!"

    King Wu frowned, but he didn''t say anything. Only stared at the Prime Minister for a long time, making the minister nervous with every passing moment.

    After a depressing silence, King Wu stood up.

    "The meeting is adjourned."

    Without saying anything else, he left the Royal Hall, straight to the inner pce.

    Prime Minister Jing tried to say something but stopped himself at thest moment.

    The other ministers looked at him for his next step. But surprisingly, Prime Minister Jing only let out a sigh, and then he too headed out of the Royal Hall.

    ˇ­

    In the Inner Pce, Emperor''s Courtyard.

    King Wu stepped inside the room and closed the gate.

    As soon as the door was closed, his legs suddenly lost strength, and he dropped to the floor.

    Staring at the ceiling, a drop of tear slowly streamed down from his eyes.

    "Wu Qingwuˇ­ if anything happens to youˇ­ I will destroy the whole Xin Kingdom. I already lost your mother, and I can''t lose youˇ­"

 Chapter 422 - 422 | Um... Somethings Wrong. I Can Feel It.

    "Achoo!"

    Wu Qingwu lightly rubbed her nose after the sneeze.

    ''It must be father thinking about meˇ­ I wonder if the news of the incident has reached the pce?''

    It had already been two days.

    The news must have reached the Wu Kingdom.

    The Silver Mist City was also closer to the Wu Capital Citypared to the Xin Capital City.

    And the information was also good. Thus the news of the incident would have most likely reached her father.

    ''I am sure he won''t give up hope and think that I diedˇ­''

    A doting gaze appeared in Wu Qingwu as she thought of her father.

    ''In the whole world, her father was the only person she cared about. Ever since she could judge the difference between night and day, her father had supported her with all the love and care he could offer.

    It is rightfully said that daughters love their father the most because there is at least one person in the whole world who will never hurt her.

    A drop of tear trickled down her cheek as she thought of how worried and devastated her father would be at this moment.

    ''If only I could tell him that I am safeˇ­''

    "What happened?"

    Someone asked.

    Wu Qingwu slowly raised her head.

    It was the new ''master.''

    ''Jun Xie.''

    That was the name he introduced himself once they reached Blue Pole Town yesterday.

    ''I don''t like him.''

    A thought once again shed in her mind.

    Why did she dislike him?

    She had no answer to this.

    It was as if there was something that was driving her away from him.

    And she didn''t object to this ''repulsion.''

    To make matters worse, even Jun Xie didn''t seem to show any interest in her.

    ''Well, I am in disguise. I am sure he would fall on his knees once he sees my true face, hmph!''

    If someone were to point out the important things regarding Qu Wingwu, there would definitely be three following points in the report -

    First, she loved her father.

    Second, she was a genius in array formations.

    And third, she was a confident girl when it came to her looks.

    "It''s nothing." Wu Qingwu replied with a slight smile.

    Jun Xie stared into the depths of her dark eyes and let out a sigh.

    Wu Qingwu couldn''t help but frown, ''Is he pitying me?''

    Jun Xie didn''t see her expression. He was already gazing at the floor.

    "You can go." He said.

    "Oh- hm? What!" Wu Qingwu got confused.

    Jun Xie looked up and said, "Go back to your ce. I don''t need a maid."

    Wu Qingwu lightly nodded.

    ''Well, that was unexpected.''

    She then turned and headed out of the room.

    But just as she was about to step out of the room, she had a strange feeling.

    A feeling so different and unique that it was hard toprehend.

    However, one thing was clear - she knew that the moment she took another step and got out of the room, her fate would change.

    It was an intuition, but she had a very powerful feeling that this was true.

    She hesitated.

    But then her father''s face shed in front of her eyes.

    ''I need to get back home.''

    She took a deep breath and moved forward.

    Bam!

    Before her feet couldnd, she bumped into something.

    Or, someone.

    Wu Qingwu frowned and raised her head.

    In front of her was the same guy who had first discovered her.

    ''Kai Yang.''

    She couldn''t help but gulp.

    He was the only one she was afraid of.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at Wu Qingwu.

    And then ncing at Jun Xie, who was staring out of the window, lost in his thoughts, Ye Tian Yun''s frown deepened.

    Bringing his eyes back on the princess in front of him, he said, "Where are you going?"

    Wu Qingwu gulped once again, "Uhˇ­ Masterˇ­ Master Jun Xie said I could go back home."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    ''So, this couple will be separated?''

    He pursed his lips and looked at Jun Xie once again.

    ''Didn''t he seem to show interest in her earlier? What happened now?''

    ''Well, I will give it ast push. If things still don''t work out, I will just let fate y its game.''

    "Get back in the room." Ye Tian Yun said in a stern voice.

    He saw her lower her gaze and get inside.

    "What are you doing?"

    It was Jun Xie. Ye Tian Yun''s words had attracted his attention.

    He was confused at Ye Tian Yun''s actions.

    "Didn''t I tell you this is your maid?" Ye Tian Yun looked at Jun Xie and said.

    Jun Xie nodded, "Yeah, but I don''t want to, so I am sending her back."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun then nced at Wu Qingwu and said, "If you don''t want her, I will keep her."

    "What?" Jun Xie narrowed her eyes at him, "What do you mean?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I will take her. She will be my maid from now on." Then turning his head to Wu Qingwu, he said, "You. Let''s go."

    Wu Qingwu pursed her lips, and with no choice, followed behind.

    "Wait!"

    Just as they were about to exit the room, Jun Xie called from behind.

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    ''I am sure he will want to keep the maid. Sigh, such a genius n. I am indeed the best that there is.''

    Ye Tian Yun praised himself.

    "You forgot this."

    Jun Xie suddenly took out a token and gave it to Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at him, "Whatˇ­"

    "This is yours." Jun Xie replied.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but squint his eyes, "This tokenˇ­ no, that''s not important. Jun Xie, are you sure you don''t want her?"

    Jun Xie frowned at him, "She''s not a thing. And yeah, I don''t want a maid. I was worried she might get lost and was about to take her in again, but you entered and dered her as your maid. Well, what else could I have asked for, haha!"

    Hearing his words, Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes in regret and whispered, ''Fuck!''

    ''I was just kiddingˇ­ and I am in disguiseˇ­ how am I going to keep her away from knowing my true identity?''

 Chapter 423 - 423 | Back To The Gracious Sword Sect

    A week had passed since the Silver Mist Incident.

    The Gracious Sword Sect entourage finally arrived in the Gracious Sword Sect vicinity.

    Ye Tian Yun was sitting outside with Fu Kai as the carriage entered the Southern Town of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Fu Kai couldn''t help but let out a sigh at the sight of the huge gates of the town.

    "Brother Kai, even though I knew this mission was going to be hard, I never imagined we would lose more than half of our people."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded his head, "The mission was a hard one. Gracious Sword Sect made a huge loss in this. Five Core Disciplines in Qi Stabilization Realm, and one Peak Elderˇ­."

    Fu Kai nodded, "I wonder what would be the rtionship between Sect Leader Su and Crown Prince Xin after this incident?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Well, who cares? What we currently need to do is follow the report. Brother Fu, don''t forget what we have discussed. Your report and our report must match. There''s no need to hide anything, just don''t mention anything about myˇ­ sister-inw."

    Fu Kai nodded, "I understand. You have saved my life, so I owe you one. And anyway, if I mention sister-inw in the report, I am sure the Wu Kingdom people would definitely know about her within a day or two. That might bring endless troubles for you because she''s the sole survivor of the Wu Royal n entourage."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, and she survived thanks to you, Brother Fu. In the future, if you ever get into trouble or things go awry, just remember that you have a brother in the Gracious Sword Sect. You cane and find me, Kai Yang, anytime."

    Fu Kai''s lips curled into a smile, "The gesture is enough, Brother."

    While Fu Kai was happy that he got a good friend after all this ordeal, what he didn''t knew was that this new friend of his was about to disappear from the face of the earth.

    ''But I will still remember this guy.''

    Ye Tian Yun then looked up as they passed through the gates.

    Soon, the carriage stopped at one of the inns.

    "This is it then." Jun Xie smiled and looked at Fu Kai.

    Fu Kai nodded.

    Everyone from the Gracious Sword Sect, including the princess-turned-maid, Wu Qingwu, got off the carriage.

    They were about to head back to the Gracious Sword Sect to meet the Elders, and then everyone will resume their normal lives.

    "Alright then, if you guys ever visit the Capital City, don''t forget toe by the Fu n. My n may not be the best and most powerful, but I assure you that none of you will ever be disappointed by our hospitality."

    The disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect nodded, and with a final farewell, all of them headed back to the Gracious Sword Sect.

    "Till, we need again, Sister-inw." Fu Kai also gave a final farewell to Wu Qingwu and headed inside the tavern.

    Wu Qingwu only gave a confused nod and followed behind Ye Tian Yun.

    "Why does he keep on calling me Sister-inw?" She asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Don''t mind him. He''s a good fool."

    "Alright, I won''t ask about this anymore. But what about now? Will the Gracious Sword Sect let you take me in? I am not a disciple; I am a maid."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No, they won''t."

    "They won''t? Then why are you taking me to the Sect?" Wu Qingwu inquired.

    Ye Tian Yun paused for a moment and said, "No one is taking you to the sect. In fact, I didn''t even ask you to follow me. You can go wherever you want."

    "What!? What do you mean!?" Wu Qingwu unknowingly raised her voice, attracting attention from the other disciples.

    Ye Tian Yun only shrugged and moved forward.

    Wu Qingwu, however, paused and asked, "Am I not your maid?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "You''re Jun Xie''s maid. To me, you''re only a burden. And I have no intentions to carry you around."

    ''In fact, I can''t even bring you around. I will have topromise my identity if I take her in, which would be a stupid move. I will be digging my own grave if I tell anyone who I really am.''

    Wu Qingwu, however, didn''t know the other side of the story.

    To her, the person in front of her was just heartless and indifferent.

    "Brother Kai, what''s wrong?" Suddenly, Jun Xie quipped, "I thought we decided about this already."

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged, "Yeah, we did. What happened?"

    "Hm? Then why aren''t you taking her in?" Jun Xie asked with a frown.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "If I needed a maid, I wouldn''t have sent her to you in the first ce. Since you didn''t ept her, I don''t see any reason for us to keep her."

    "So, are you simply going to let her go?" Jun Xie asked, "What if she dies or something unspeakable happens to her? She''s just a normal girl after all."

    Yes, Wu Qingwu''s cultivation was deeply hidden, and thus, no one except Ye Tian Yun saw through her disguise. Even Jun Xie, with his high Spirit Sense, failed to see the truth.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged at Jun Xie''s response, "Not my problem. She was supposed to die anyway."

    Jun Xie nced at Yuan Shuchun and asked, "Sister Yuan, will you be willing to take her in? I have heard there are lots of maids in the Heavenly League''s main building? Maybe you can assign her somewhere there?"

    Yuan Shuchun nced at Kai Yang for a moment, but no spirit message came from the Crown Prince.

    It was clear she had to make this decision on her own.

    "I have enough maid, Brother Jun." Yuan Shuchun replied, "Why don''t you take her in? Core Disciples are allowed to have servants anyway."

    Jun Xie frowned, but after a long moment of silence, he finally agreed.

    "Sigh, you guysˇ­ I will take her in."

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly nodded his head and continued to move forward.

    ''Now that this is done, time to submit the report and explore the Emblem Of Time.''

    ''It has been a long time since I felt such eagerness, also, only a few months remaining for the Grand Spirit Hunt... I need to n out my next steps very carefully.''

    ....

    Afterpleting a mission of any difficulty range, all disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect must report to the Mission Hall at the base of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    This was the first thing to do after entering the sect. They were not even allowed to head back to their cultivation abode. However, if there was a medical emergency, then, of course, it was an exception to this rule.

    In Ye Tian Yun''s group, however, there was no such case, and so they headed straight to the Mission Hall.

    The Mission Hall was one of the tallest buildings at the base of the First Peak. However, it was one of the most crowded ones.

    This ce boasted of epting more than a thousand missions per day on average, always bustling with disciples.

    Completing the missions allowed the disciples to gain extra resources for themselves. But for the Core Disciples, the main attraction here was the secret points that the Gracious Sword Sect gave to them.

    These points were the basis of judgment for the Higher-ups of the Sect and wouldter y a major role in the disciples'' career in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    For the disciples who wanted to fight for the Sect Leader position in the future, these points were very important.

    And the missions that Ye Tian Yun and the group hadpleted warranted a huge number of points for all of them.

    "Let''s hope the sect doesn''t back away from their promise." Yuan Shuchun said.

    To her, the Sect Leader position was of utmost importance. This was the mission given by her father.

    And now, after this mission, she was going to be closer than ever to her goal.

    But she was still afraid of one thing.

    She was afraid that Sect Leader Su might y an underhanded trick and take away the points.

    Hearing her worries, Jun Xie suddenly said, "Sister Yuan, I will make sure everyone gets the points. In fact, I was even nning to give all the credit to you."

    "What?" His words confused Yuan Shuchun, "Why would you do that?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "I never had the goal of bing the next Sect Leader. The thing I want isn''t in the sect. In fact, if I somehow became the Sect Leader in the future, it will only be a burden for me. A chain that would bind me to this ce, forever."

    Ye Tian Yun gave him a side nce but didn''t say anything.

    He knew what Jun Xie was thinking.

    ''Well, let''s see how long it takes for him toe to me.''

    He was going to wait till Jun Xie came to him. After all, the closest and fastest way for him to douse the curiosity in his mind was by asking Fang Chen about everything.

    As for Yuan Shuchun, Jun Xie''s reply did shock her. However, she didn''t feelcent from this.

    "Brother Jun, I would do anything to get my goal, but I won''t take someone else''s credit." She said.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but nce at her.

    ''Is she faking it, or is she really nning to change herself?''

    It was hard to tell.

 Chapter 424 - 424 | Meeting With Sect Leader Su

    As soon as the group entered the Mission Hall, they were surprised to see it empty, with only a few disciples here and there.

    "The lockdown on the sect isn''t lifted yet?" Jun Xie frowned as he stared at the empty hall.

    After the sleeper cell incident about one and a half months ago, the sect had gone into lockdown, and because of that, the Mission Hall was severely affected.

    "Isn''t the sect making a loss because of this?" Xiao Ming suddenly said.

    The missions were mainly requests of help by the nearby sects and ns, which were under the Gracious Sword Sect''s rule.

    Those ns and sects would ask for help and, in return, give the advance fee forpletion. And then, a portion of the fee would be given to the disciples as rewards.

    While most of it would go to the Sect treasury.

    Now, there were no missions possible because of lockdown, decreasing most of the sect''s ie.

    "We will lift it soon."

    Someone replied.

    The disciples turned around to see an old man standing behind them, besides the entrance.

    Everyone cupped their fists and greeted him.

    The Elder light nodded and said, "The Sect will open in a few days. Why are you kids here?"

    "Elder, we were sent out by Sect Leader Su." Jun Xie replied.

    "Oh? So you''re the onesˇ­ hmm, alright, follow me." The Elder stepped inside and took them to the third floor of the building.

    The third floor was the second-highest floor and was also the ce where management elders operated.

    The Elder took a seat and said, "Give me the report, and head to the Grand Mission Hall. Sect Leader has been waiting for your arrival for thest few days now."

    Jun Xie looked at the disciples beside him and then replied to the elder, "Elder, the mission was specifically assigned by the Sect Leader, I apologize, but I can''t give the report to anyone else but him."

    The Elder raised his head and smiled, "Alright, then let''s go to the Sect Leader. I was going to take your kids to him anyway. Let''s go."

    After about ten minutes, the secret mission team finally arrived in the Grand Meeting Hall.

    They found Sect Leader Su alone sitting in the huge dim hall when they stepped inside.

    The disciples cupped their fists and greeted him.

    Ye Tian Yun directly stared at the top of Sect Leader Su''s head.

    But surprisingly, there wasn''t any prompt.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and nced at the disciples beside him.

    They had the prompts.

    ''Is it because I haven''t interacted much with him in Kai Yang''s disguise.''

    The Sect Leader, sitting on the high table, stared at the disciples in front of him and gave a slight nod, and asked, "Are you the only ones who could return?"

    Jun Xie nodded his head, "Yes, Sect Leader."

    "Sighˇ­" Sect Leader Su let out a long breath and said, "I want to know everything. Don''t miss a single detail."

    Jun Xie nodded and began to dictate the pre-nned report.

    He included most of the major incidents that had transpired, from the assassination ambush they had faced at the start, Shu Xian''s death, the details regarding Silver Mist City, and the hidden experts in the entourage of princess Wu Qingwu.

    "ˇ­The mysterious Sword Saint then killed the Core Formation Realm cultivators, including Peak Master Duan. In fact, he didn''t kill them normally. They were instead exploded, which is the main reason behind Silver Mist City''s destruction." Jun Xie concluded.

    "Hmm," Sect Leader Su gave a light nod, "How did you guys survive from the explosion?"

    Jun Xie replied, "The only reason we can think of is that the mysterious cultivator just didn''t care about us."

    Sect Leader Su frowned but didn''t pursue the matter much.

    "So, the Third Princess Of Wu is dead?" Sect Leader Su asked to confirm.

    "Unfortunately, yes," Jun Xie let out a sigh, "She was killed by her own guards. Peak Master Duan confirmed it himself."

    "Did you bring her corpse?" Sect Leader Su asked.

    "No, Sect Leader." Jun Xie shook his head, "No one here even saw her corpse. Only Peak Master Duan saw her body. And then, because of the explosion, nothing was left of her."

    "Sighˇ­" Sect Leader Su slowly nodded his head, and after a moment of silence, he said, "You guys should go back to your cultivation abodes. Take a few days of rest. As for the rewards, you will get your dues. On top of that, all four of you will be included in the final team of the Grand Spirit Hunt. I hope you guys represent the sect and make us proud once again."

    The disciples cupped their fists and began to leave.

    Just as Jun Xie was about to step out, he turned and asked, "Sect Leader, may I ask about something?"

    "Hm?" Sect Leader Su frowned, "Yeah, you can."

    "Sect Leader, is there any news of Senior Brother Jiang?" Jun Xie asked.

    Jiang Yun was the number one disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect before suffering from the sudden ambush during the Sleeper Cell incident. Because of that, he was announced incapable of participating in the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    And then, after a few days, he suddenly went missing, causing a hugemotion in the Sect.

    Jun Xie wanted to know if there were any updates on him while they were away.

    Sect Leader Su pursed his lips and let out another sigh.

    "There is no news of him. We have searched every corner of the sect and surroundings, but it''s as if he had disappeared in thin air."

    Jun Xie gave a light nod and headed out.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned upon hearing Sect Leader Su''s words but didn''t care much about it.

    He knew where Jiang Yun was and what he was nning to do.

    Because of the change in fate, Jiang Yun was ambushed instead of Yuan Shuchun, and now that he had gone missing, Ye Tian Yun knew that he had gone to recover as soon as possible before the Grand Spirit Hunt begins.

    ''It''s justˇ­ now his loyalty won''t lie on the Gracious Sword Sect.''

    ''Let''s hope he doesn''t do anything else unexpected. And with him out of revenge and Fang Chen''s death, the days of Gracious Sword Sect are now numbered.''

 Chapter 425 - 425 | Emblem Of Times Ability

    Ye Tian Yun stepped out of the first and separated from the other disciples.

    He wanted to head back to his cultivation abode in the Inner Court of the Seventh Peak.

    After disguising himself back into Fang Chen in an abandoned alleyway, Ye Tian Yun headed for the chain bridge.

    "I wonder what''s Zheng Xiang''s progress nowadays?" Ye Tian Yun was curious about him.

    Zheng Xiang was one of the very few acquaintances of Ye Tian Yun ever in the Lower Heavens.

    ''I wonder if his n is really safe now?''

    As per the information he had on Zheng Xiang, Zheng Xiang was one of the earlier rivals of Fang Chen and Xiao Ming, but he suddenly disappeared with his n just before the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    ''At first, I thought he died because his n got embroiled in the secret missionˇ­ but now that I know this was all a cycleˇ­ hmmmˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun immediately asked Wang Yao in his consciousness, "Would you have killed everyone else in the city after killing me?"

    Wang Yao was stumped at this sudden question, but after some thought, he replied, "No. There was no need. I had limited time in my hand, and the more I interfered, the heavier Heavenly Constraints became. So I had no ns of killing the rest of the people in the city."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he got on the chain bridge towards the seventh peak.

    ''If we consider that I died in that battle, and Wang Yao had no ns to kill the remaining people of the cityˇ­ doesn''t that mean he did not destroy the Zheng n in the original timeline too?''

    ''Hmmˇ­ that means there''s a high chance the Zheng n''s survival is not rted to the incident at all? Or maybe it''s just me overthinking.''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t focus much on the matter and turned his attention to the ravine.

    He remembered the Sword Stele where he had cultivated and increased his cultivation and also stabilized his Sword Domain.

    ''Once Jiang Yun betrays, and the Gracious Sword Sect falls, I will definitely be the first to reap the most benefits. The high-tier Spirit Vein is a waste in anyone else''s hands.''

    Grand Spirit Hunt - the biggest event in the Lower Heavens was going to be a big turning point for all the ns and sects of the Lower Heavens.

    The Gracious Sword Sect will face the biggest brunt, and this will eventually lead to its downfall.

    Ye Tian Yun had no intentions to change the oue of this event.

    WIthout Fang Chen, the Gracious Sword Sect was going to be leaderless.

    ''Fang Chen took only eight months after entering the sect to be one of the foremost people in the whole sect and held absolute power in his hand.''

    The main reason behind all this was the rtion between Sect Leader Su and Fang Chen.

    Now that Ye Tian Yun was in Fang Chen''s disguise, it wasn''t wrong to say that Sect Leader Su will most probably focus on grooming him into a peak cultivator of his generation.

    ''But I don''t need anything from it.''

    What Ye Tian Yun needed was to get out of the sect.

    After the three weeks deadline is over, Butler Liu woulde to fetch Ye Tian Yun.

    And once they are done with their objective, Butler Liu will head back to the Middle Heavens, while Ye Tian Yun will head towards the Capital City of the Xin Kingdom.

    ''That ce is where I can get at least two more Token!''

    And if I n everything out, I might even have my hands on another Token.

    In simple words, there were a total of Three Tokens present in the Xin Kingdom Capital City!

    ''I should prepare myself in the meantime.''

    ''I only have three months before Grand Spirit Hunt begins! Let''s gear up!''

    With these thoughts, Ye Tian Yun entered the Inner Court of the Seventh Peak and headed towards the Sixth Floor.

    His cultivation abode was located on this floor.

    After getting in the room, Ye Tian Yun first had a good bath and wore neat robes.

    Then he cleaned the room and sat down to cultivate.

    Taking a deep breath, the first thing Ye Tian Yun did was to calm his mind, thoughts, and soul.

    ''Fuuuuuu....''

    He then slowly put his focus on the Emblem Of Time.

    Snap!

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun heard a snap and opened his eyes.

    In the next moment, he found himself back in the Strange Space.

    This was simr to, if not the same, the ce where he had earlier gotten stuck for about ten months!

    ''I wonder how long this time will takeˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes, and he found himself back in the cultivation abode in the next moment.

    ''Hm? I came back?''

    In confusion, Ye Tian Yun put his focus on the Emblem Of Time once again, and after a few moments, when he opened his eyes, Ye Tian Yun found himself sitting crosslegged in the strange white space.

    ''Is the time also the same?'' Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to waste time finding it by himself, so he asked Wang Yao.

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and said, "I had a feeling that your Emblem Of Time''s ability is to enter this cultivation space where the time speed is fastpared to the time speed outside this space."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Something like Time Dtion?"

    "Yeah," Wang Yao nodded his head, "I could revert the time by a few seconds; this allowed me to change the oue of the immediate past."

    "I haveter onprehended many of the previous Emblem Holders'' ability. From the cases I have seen, there''s a high chance that no matter how much time you spend in this ce, only half of it is gone in the actual world."

    "For example, two days spend here would only mean one day has gone in the actual world."

 Chapter 426 - 426 | Questions

    "That''s a nice abilityˇ­." Ye Tian Yun''s eyes shined in surprise.

    Wang Yao nodded his head, "Indeed it is. And if it''s simr to how it was in my case, then you will be able to increase the time dtion once you increase your cultivation realm."

    "THat''s even better. Maybe one day I will spend a decade inside, and only one day would have passed in the outside world." Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smile.

    The ability of Emblem Of Time was indeed pretty unique and helpful for Ye Tian YUn.

    However, there was one small problem.

    ''There is no qi hereˇ­.'' Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    When he had first entered this ce, the qi density was more than anything he had ever seen. But the current condition of this ce made it feel like barrennds.

    "Of course, there won''t be any qi density. You will have to bring resources from outside and cultivate here."

    "What happened to the space I was earlier in? Didn''t it have a very high qi density?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    Wang Yao let out a slight smile, "It''s gone. It was only a one-time thing. Even I encountered it when I first got the Emblem Of Time. This was the main reason why I told you to focus on increasing your cultivation realm."

    "Yeahˇ­" Ye Tian Yun felt relieved that he had cultivated to the highest possible realm space.

    Wang Yao scratched his chin while adding, "I didn''t know the time dtion limit, so I acted ignorant about the space. After finding out that only a few minutes had passed after about ten months in that space, even I was stumped."

    Ye Tian YUn thought for a moment and then turned his attention on his spatial ring.

    With one thought, all the resources from his spatial ring came out o the floor.

    "Hm, let''s see if anything is useful right nowˇ­." Ye Tian Yun rummaged through the countless pills, swords, and various expensive materials.

    If anyone were to see Ye Tian Yun in the current situation, they would definitely feel envious of the sheer amount of cultivation resources lying on the floor.

    However, after taking one nce at everything, Ye Tian YUn knew there wasn''t anything useful here.

    ''I can only use the Qi Strengthening Pills and deepen my foundation.''

    Sitting cross-legged, Ye Tian Yun took a pill and chugged in.

    Then, he focused on his dantian and began to digest the pill.

    When he was trapped in the Strange Space, Ye Tian Yun had increased his cultivation from Seventh Realm of Qi Stabilization to Peak Foundation Establishment Realm.

    This was a huge boost in his cultivation.

    And he hadn''t even rushed or anything. He had taken his time to stabilize each level, thus strengthing his foundation.

    However, when ten months were about to pass in the Space, Ye Tian YUn finally got anxious to get out of the space.

    He wasn''t aware that there would be time dtion, and only a few minutes would have passed in the real world.

    To him, there was a loss of ten months, and he needed to get to the Middle Heavens as soon as possible.

    Thus, he didn''t waste any more time and got out of the space with WAng Yao''s help.

    But this had created a drawback for him - he had not reached the threshold of Core Formation REalm.

    If Ye Tian Yun had stayed in the space for a few more months, he would have reached the point where the pill would have been enough for him to create his Core and thus breaking through the Core Formation Realm.

    We all know there''s no medicine of regret. Luckily, Ye Tian Yun got the time dtion ability, thus allowing him to cultivate in a time-dted environment once again.

    "Ye Tian Yun, I must say, you lost a good chance." Wang Yao spoke in his consciousness.

    Currently, he was sitting on a beach chair, enjoying the light from the artificial sun on an artificial ind, with his eyes covered with an artificial set of sses.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t pay any heed to his words,

    He knew what wang Yao was talking about, and he had no intention toment on this topic.

    The chance was, of course, to get to the peak of the Foundation Establishment.

    And the reason why Ye Tian Yun came out of that space was that it was time for him first meeting with that girl.

    "Just the thought of her makes you anxious," Wang Yao couldn''t help but shake his head, "I think I know why you killed her in your previous life, Ye Tian Yun."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t react.

    Wang Yao, however, wasn''t affected by the silent treatment. He continued, "I am pretty sure you felt like she was a burden to you and a distraction. So you had to remove her from the equation."

    "Am I right, or am I right?"

    Wang Yao asked with a smug smile.

    Ye Tian Yun finally opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

    After a long moment of silence, he spoke, "I only did it because I had no other choice. But she was never a burden."

    "Oh?" Wang Yao scratched his chin, "Now this is getting more interesting. I wonder when will these ten months pass?"

    After a pause, he asked, "Ye Tian Yun, tell me, are you eager to meet your future wife?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and popped another pill in his mouth, once again focusing on his cultivation.

    Wang Yao shrugged, "you can ignore this topic all you want, but I sure am eager to meet her."

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun once again opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

    Then he asked, "Wnag Yao, I have a few questions that are buggingme."

    "Oh?" Wang Yao frowned, "Ask away; I will see if I can answer them."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, and after a moment of thought, he asked, "I killed Fang Chen. But if I was supposed to get killed by you, then what about him?"

    "Killing me would have brought everything back on track, right? But Fang Chen is already dead? So how was he going to reenter the story?"

    "Also, many events also changed the timeline, like the Sleeper Cell incident. How did the Emblem System put everything back in ce?"

 Chapter 427 - 427 | A New Revelation, And A Good News(?)

    Wang Yao remained silent upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s questions.

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t in a hurry to hear the answer. He let Wang Yao think through the problem and give him a proper answer to this query.

    He already would be able to tell if Wang Yao tried to lie or make up things on his own.

    Just then,

    "Do you remember the fate points?" Wang Yao suddenly asked.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yep, very clearly."

    Wang Yao light nodded and asked, "Then you must be aware of how to get them. One must make changes in his fate to get them. Did you get any?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. I got somewhere in three hundred total."

    Wang Yao replied, "Well, the actual reason behind getting Fate Points is different from what you know."

    "The Emblem System didn''t give Fate Points based on how much you changed your Fate; instead, it looked at how much your actions affected the actual timeline."

    "Sometimes, you would change your fate, but the oue would remain the same. This was why you wouldn''t get a lot of Fate Points."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun was surprised to hear this.

    He had a feeling System had deceived him on many asions, but he never thought even the basic things like Fate Points didn''t slip away from its attention.

    "In this timeline, you were not supposed to kill Fang Chen; neither was the Sleeper Cell incident supposed to happen. This was why you got the Fate Points. Now tell me, was the System stingy?"

    "Very."

    "Hmm," Wang Yao nodded his head, "See, the reason why it was stingy and even created trouble was that it didn''t wish to create more inconsistencies."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "In simple words, Fang Chen was not supposed to die even after my rebirth?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes, exactly. You were going to act disguise as a disciple and then enter this sect."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "Do you know which disciple?"

    Wang Yao slightly smiled, "I know. And even you know him."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I only know a handful of disciples in the sect."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "He''s among them."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Tell me the name; no need to create suspense. Whom was I supposed to disguise as originally?"

    Wang Yao shrugged and revealed, "Zheng Xiang."

    "What!?"

    "Yes. You were going to kill Zheng Xiang and disguise as him." Wang Yao replied.

    "Thisˇ­"

    "I know it''s hard to believe, but this is the truth. The actual Zheng Xiang was supposed to get killed by you, and then you would disguise as him and enter the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "And weren''t you earlier asking me whether I killed Zheng Xiang or not? Well, I didn''t kill him because he was already dead. You had killed him long ago. I only killed you, which also meant that there was no more Zheng Xiang."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun was stumped by this revtion, "Why didn''t you ever mention this?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I won''t say stuff unless you ask me."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and focused on cultivation.

    He continued to cultivate by digesting the Qi Strengthening Pills and added extrayers on his foundations.

    With the liquified Qi in his dantian, the next step was to solidify it.

    Forming a solid core was the threshold to break through to the next realm, the Core Formation Realm.

    ''Things will be much easier once I get in that realmˇ­.''

    If possible, Ye Tian Yun wanted to reach the Core Formation Realm before working on his next n.

    Higher cultivation always makes things pretty easier.

    ''Instead of separating, I should head back to the Middle Heavens for the breakthroughˇ­ butˇ­ I only have three months before the Grand Spirit Hunt startsˇ­.''

    ''If I go in seclusion, I will end up missing a good opportunity to get my hands on one of the Tokensˇ­ and I even might miss the Gracious Sword Sect''sst stand - that means I would lose the High Tier Spirit Vein under the Second Peakˇ­.''

    ''What should I doˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun was in a dilemma.

    He couldn''t get both things. He could either go in seclusion for a breakthrough or go to the Capital City and get the next Token before Grand Spirit Hunt and thene back to the sect for the High Tier Spirit Vein.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun cleared his worrisome thoughts and closed his eyes.

    In the next moment, he found himself back in his cultivation abode.

    ''I wonder how much time had passed?''

    Ye Tian Yun was cultivating in the Cultivation Space for about six days, considering Wang Yao''s guess, only three days should have passed.

    ''Well, there''s only one way of confirmationˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun needed to go out and check for himself.

    He could tell the time passed in the Cultivation Space, but it was impossible to tell how much time passed in the real world while he was in.

    Ye Tian Yun stood up from his seat and opened the cultivation abode''s door.

    Taking a deep breath, he stepped outside and headed for the exit.

    ''I will also roam around a bit.''

    But just as Ye Tian Yun had stepped out, someone tapped him from behind.

    Ye Tian Yun turned around and saw an unfamiliar disciple standing behind him.

    "Yes?" Ye Tian Yun was confused at the fierce look he was getting from the disciple''s eyes.

    The Disciple didn''t say anything, only put forth a piece of paper in front of him.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and stared at the paper.

    [Letter of Challenge.]

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun looked at the letter and then looked back at the disciples.

    After a few more backs and forth looks, Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Not interested."

    Without waiting for a reply, Ye Tia Yun turned around and left.

    The disciple was left standing, confused, and stumped.

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun walked out of the Seventh Peak was looked at the sky.

    "Hm?" He was surprised at the sun''s position, "Only two days have passed!"

    The time dtion was actually better than Wang Yao''s guess!

    With every six days spent inside the Cultivation Space, only two days passed outside!

    ''That means I will be able to cultivate for a whole day''s worth in just one night!''

    (A/n: here, 1 night = 8 hrs.)

    This was great news for him.

    ''Maybe I can break through the Core Formation Realm in time?''

    There was a possibility, albeit very low.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian YUn heard amotion.

    ''Hm?'' Looking to his side, Ye Tian Yun saw a group of disciples enthusiastically discussing something.

    "It''s postponed!" One of the disciples eximed.

    "Are you sure about this? You do know the importance of this news, right?" Another disciple asked for confirmation.

    "I am hundred percent sure!" The Disciples let out a huge smile, "For the first time in history, the Grand Spirit Hunt is postponed for six months!"

    "It''s hard to believeˇ­." Another disciple shook his head.

    The disciple who brought the news only shrugged at this, "You can choose to believe me or not, but this is the truth. I have confirmed with one of the elders, and you will also be getting an official announcement soon."

    At the side, a smile formed on Ye Tian Yun''s face.

    ''If this is trueˇ­ then I will be able to reach the Core Formation Realm!''

    ''But first, I need to understand the whole situation. What led to such a huge change?''

 Chapter 428 - 428 | Chaotic Times For The Lower Heavens

    Thest few days were very eventful for the whole Lower Heavens.

    First, there was the appearance of Sword Saint, who destroyed half of the Silver Mist City.

    Then there was the natural phenomenon that marked the arrival of an Emblem for this generation.

    And now, the Grand Spirit Hunt was postponed for six more months.

    While the main reason was not revealed yet, there were spections that it was due to something that happened in the Silver Mist City''s incident.

    It had only been about a day that the news of Grand Spirit Hunt''s postponement spread out when another bombshell dropped on them.

    The Wu Kingdom dered war on the Xin Kingdom!

    This news was so unexpected that it caught everyone off guard..

    Almost everyone was curious as to what made King Wu dere war against the Xin Kingdom out of nowhere.

    Slowly, rumors spread out that the Third Princess of Wu Kingdom, Wu Qingwu, died in the Silver Mist City.

    Some said she was assassinated by the Xin Royal n, while many of them thought that it was the mysterious Sword Saint that had killed the Wu n Princess.

    Regardless of the truth, it was now certain that the peaceful days of the Lower Heavens had abruptlye to an end. With the two most powerful ns shing against each other, everyone here would undoubtedly be embroiled in the war and suffer the consequences.

    ˇ­

    Today, the whole Xin Royal Courtroom was livid.

    The Wu Kingdom''s abrupt war deration hade down like a bolt from the blue.

    All the ministers were tense, mainly because their descendants were going to lead the troops in this war.

    "Your Majesty, should we start the preparation?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s words ringed in everyone''s ears.

    King Xin nced at him and then closed his eyes.

    After another long moment of silence, he asked, "Prime Minister, what do you think are the chances of us winning this war?"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan pursed his lips and let out a sigh, "Your Majesty, the oue doesn''t look favorable for us. Most of our troops are stationed to fight off the Spirit Beast tides in the western region. And the reserve forces are focused on ''that''."

    "Hmm," King Xin gave a light nod, "Then what preparations were you about to start?"

    The Prime Minister replied, "Your Majesty, I was referring to the reserve forces. We need to put our attention from ''that'' to this war. We don''t know when the Wu Kingdom will attack, but ording to the reports we have received, there''s a high chance that the first battle willmence in the Southern Province."

    "Southern Provinceˇ­ hmmm," King Xin frowned, "What''s the situation of the Spirit Beast tide? Can we decrease the troops from there?"

    Prime Minister Fang nodded his head, "We have no other choice, Your Majesty. The war started too early for us. We need to wait and hold on for a few months at least before our main forces reach the frontlines."

    "How much time?"

    "Your Majesty, it will take about three to four months. Even the Wu Kingdom is still preparing, so I am sure they won''t be able tounch an attack in the next two months at least. That means the reserve forces will have to hold back the attack for a minimum of one month."

    King Xin nodded his head, then ncing at the Minister of War, he asked, "How much time will it take to arrange the reserve forces in the frontlines?"

    Minister of War, Zhou Xianping, stood up and replied with a slight bow, "Your Majesty, I will make sure that the reserve forces are ready to defend before the Wu Kingdomunches a full assault."

    King Xin shook his head, "That is not enough. You need to start making arrangements for the Main forces to head towards the frontlines, and I want them ready within two months."

    "Thisˇ­"

    Everyone in the courtroom was speechless.

    It was easy for a small group to travel from one corner of the Xin Kingdom to the other within two months, but here, King Xin was asking for them to take about half a million troops stationed at the far end of the Western Province to the South-Eastern border.

    "Your Majestyˇ­ thisˇ­"

    "I know what you''re trying to say. But let me tell you that this is not impossible. If you''re thinking that the sects and ns will obstruct the path of the troops - don''t worry about them." The King said.

    Then ncing at the Royal Eunuch, he added, "Eunuch Kui, prepare a Royal Edict!"

    A Royal Edict!

    A decree issued by the ruler was above allw, order, and the citizens.

    "Yes, Your Majesty!" Head Eunuch Kui immediately bowed at King Xin and waited for him to dictate the decree.

    Taking a deep breath, King Xin stood up from his seat and said, "I herebymand the main forces stationed against the Spirit Beast tide to head towards the South-Eastern border. Anyone who obstructs or dys their path shall be seen as an enemy of the throne and will be executed on the spot, including their whole affiliation."

    "Yes, Your Majesty." The Head Eunuch bowed once again and left the Royal Courtroom.

    After a moment of silence, King Xin dropped another bombshell, "The person who will lead this Battle will beˇ­ Crown Prince Xin!"

    "What!"

    "Thisˇ­"

    "Hm!?"

    His words shocked everyone in the room, be it Prime Minister Fang Yuan or the Crown Prince himself!

    "Your Majesty, thisˇ­" The Prime Minister stood up from his seat.

    "I am not finished yet." King Xin waved his hand and made him stop.

    Then ncing at the Minister of War, he said, "Minister Zhou, you will be in charge of dividing the main forces into the correct ratio. Even though this war is our current priority, we must not let our guards down against the Spirit Beast tide."

    "As youmand, Your Majesty." The Minister of War, Zhou Xianping, cupped his fists.

    King Xin nodded and then nced at the livid Crown Prince Xin; he said, "Crown Prince, this war started because of your mistake, and now I want you to put a stop to this. You will be leading the Xin Kingdom to victory."

    Cold sweat trickled down the Crown Prince''s back.

    ''Shit, why the hell did Wu Qingwu have to die! Now the whole world is going to be in chaos!''

 Chapter 429 - 429 | Sect Leader Su Addresses The Sect

    Everything that transpired in the Royal Courtroom soon became public.

    The citizens were shocked by King Xin''s decree and the decision to have Crown Prince Xin lead the war on frontlines.

    This was no different from sentencing him to death.

    War in the cultivation world was not a small deal.

    Especially because of the cultivation level differences among the troops.

    The atmosphere in the whole kingdom was getting heavier with the passing of each day.

    However, for Ye Tian Yun, this news came as a pleasant surprise.

    "It feels like I am getting everything served on a silver tterˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun had underestimated the reaction from the Wu Kingdom after getting the news about Wu Qingwu''s death.

    Even in the reports, Wu Qingwu was mentioned. And Fu Kai must have also confirmed her death when inquired about the details of everything that had happened during the Silver Mist City incident.

    What the whole world didn''t know was that the trigger of all the chaos that was about to begin was still alive and was now a maid for a Core Disciple in one of the major sects of the Xin Kingdom.

    Before heading to meet with the Sect Leader, Ye Tian Yun had suggested to Wu Qingwu not toe with them. He didn''t wish for anyplication to arise, just in case.

    Taking a light breath, Ye Tian Yun stood up from his ce and walked out of the cultivation abode.

    It had been about ten days since the Silver Mist City incident, and Ye Tian Yun was now waiting for someone''s visit.

    ''Four more days and Butler Liu will arrive. I wonder if Jun Xie wille to me before that, or will he continue to hesitate?''

    Ye Tian Yun opened the door of his cultivation abode and walked outside.

    His cultivation was now reaching close to the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

    "I need to practice my Sword Domain."

    This was one of the main priorities Ye Tian Yun had in his mind.

    ''I hope I get-!"

    << Disciples of Gracious Sword Sect! >>

    A loud voice entered everyone''s ears suddenly, startling them.

    Before anyone could react, it came once again.

    << We are sad to share the news that our beloved [family member] has passed away. Last [day of week], [he/she] left this earth, and with heavy hearts, we will be holding a memorial for [him/her]. Please grace us with yourpany at [ce] on [date] at [time]. >>

    << I am your Sect Leader, Su Ming. I have a few things to share with all the cultivators who are part of our great sect. >>

    << First of all, representing the whole sect, I am saddened to share the news that our beloved Seventh Peak Master Duan Ming has passed away. About ten days ago, while on an important mission, he left us behind forever. With heavy hearts, we will be holding a memorial for him. Please grace us with a two-minute silence for his sacrifice.>>

    The sudden news shocked everyone in the sect except for the very few who were aware of the happening in the Silver Mist City.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and remained still outside his cultivation abode.

    He remembered Peak Master Duan''s willingness to sacrifice his own life to defend against an attack from Wang Yao.

    ''Peak Master Duan, we may have started on the wrong page, but you will always be one of my allies, forever.''

    After about two minutes, Sect Leader Su''s words once again rang throughout the nine peaks.

    << The Seventh Peak Master Duan will be forever remembered in our hearts for his values and sacrifice for the sect.>>

    << Now, the next news is about the Grand Spirit Hunt.>>

    As soon as the disciples heard thest three words, their ears perked up.

    << You all may have heard about the rumors of its postponement in thest few days. And there is another rumor going on of war between the Xin Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom.>>

    << I am here to tell you that both are true to their facts, and both of them are rted to each other. The reason why this Grand Spirit Hunt is postponed is because of the War. For the next six months, a lot is about to happen, which will inadvertently change the power structure of the Lower Heavens. In fact, the whole Grand Spirit Hunt might get canceled or postponed even more. We never know.>>

    << This is why I am announcing that the lockdown on the sect is now lifted from this moment. I want all the disciples to prepare themselves. There is a highly likely chance that our whole sect might get embroiled in the uing war, though I will do my best not to let the dirt fall on us and our cultivation not be disturbed.>>

    << As for the Seventh Peak''s new Peak Leader, it will be Elder Cao. He will seed Peak Master Duan''s position.>>

    << There are few more minor announcements, you can have a look at them on the floor in the Mission Hall.>>

    <<Cultivate well.>>

    And with that, silence descended once again on the whole Gracious Sword Sect.

    But it onlysted for a few seconds before the whole sect was buzzing with disciple''s talking and chatting about the sudden news of Seventh Peak Master Duan''s unexpected demise and other announcements.

    Even the disciples who were cultivating in seclusion came out.

    Though most of them had irritated expressions because the Sect Leader''s words had shocked them, some were even injured because of the sudden obstruction.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned lightly upon hearing the news rted to the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    ''They might cancel the event? Noˇ­ that won''t be good. The Grand Spirit Hunt must happen, or I will lose an Emblem!''

    ''I need to get to the Capital City first. Only then will I be able to do something about this situation. I will have to join the war anyway. It''s just here earlier than expected. It''s time to rearrange my priorities and take the first step of my n.''

    ''It''s time to injure myself.''

 Chapter 430 - 430 | Zheng Xiang And The Powerful Bloodline (I)

    Ye Tian Yun needed to get out of the Gracious Sword Sect and head to the capital city.

    Now that the lockdown on the sect was lifted, he only needed an excuse to take a leave from his sect.

    ''Orˇ­ I may not even need any excuse?''

    He had to check up on the rules rted to disciples taking leave from the sect and heading back to their ns.

    ''For that, I need to head to the Martial Book Pavilion.''

    Deciding upon his destination, Ye Tian Yun took his leave and headed for the First Peak.

    But just as he was about to leave the sixth floor, a few disciples blocked his path.

    Ye Tian Yun raised his left eyebrow and asked, "What''s wrong? None of you look like my lost son."

    One of the disciples stepped forward and stood right in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    "I am Ren Dum, Inner Court Disciple from the Seventh Floor. I want to challenge you for your cultivation abode."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How about you wait for four more days? I will dly ept your challenge after that."

    Inner Court Disciple Ren Dum sneered, "You take me as an idiot? Do you really think I will give you four days of leeway so you can hide inside your cultivation abode once again and breakthrough to the next realm?"

    Another disciple chimed in at this time, "Disciple Fang Chen, this is your first challenge; you cannot reject it. There''s a reason why new disciples don''t dare toe out of their cultivation abodes when they are new to the Inner Court. You''re quite bold, or you''re just another fool. My bet is on thetter."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I would love to see your disappointed face then. Anyway, why don''t you wait till the evening? I have something important to do; once I return, I will entertain you all."

    Ren Dum narrowed his eyes, "Alright, I will agree to it. These disciples are the witnesses. If you dare to run away on a mission, you will be dered match forfeited."

    "Alright," Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged, "Now make way like a loyal dog. This young master has better things to do."

    The disciples narrowed their eyes but didn''t say anything.

    Ye Tian Yun moved ahead and was soon standing outside the Inner Court entrance.

    ''Martial Book Pavilionˇ­''

    He then headed towards the Chain bridge.

    When he was a little distance away from the bridge, a familiar back entered his eyes.

    ''Hmˇ­ is thatˇ­.''

    Before he couldplete his thought, the disciple had already sensed him and turned around.

    A pleasantly surprised expression formed on his face as he said, "Ah, Brother Fang Chen! Long time no see!"

    ''ˇ­Zheng Xiang.''

    This was a surprise.

    And it gave him a deja vu feeling.

    About two months ago, he met Zheng Xiang for the first time at this very ce.

    ''I thought he would have forgotten me.''

    Zheng Xiang might have been the only disciple Ye Tian Yun had properly interacted with before going out for the mission, but he didn''t think Zheng Xiang would remember him much.

    But judging from Zheng Xiang''s expression, Ye Tian Yun had a feeling that Zheng Xiang didn''t just consider him a mere acquaintance.

    ''Hm? Why do I feel happy after thinking of this?''

    "Brother Fang, I am talking to you!"

    Zheng Xiang moved toward him with a huge grin on his face.

    Ye Tian Yun cleared the thoughts from the mind and nodded at him, "I wasˇ­ in a closed-door cultivation."

    "Yes, I know. I came to visit you many times, but you were always in closed-door cultivation. Did you get another breakthrough?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, I increased my cultivation by a bit."

    As Zheng Xiang stood in front of him, Ye Tian Yun noticed a prompt above his head.

    Upon closer attention, Ye Tian Yun was able to read its content.

    [Zheng Xiang. Five Star Favourability. Considers you as a brother and lifesaver. Will not let you down.]

    ''So highˇ­''

    This was the highest favourability Ye Tian Yun had encountered.

    And it surprised him quite a biting from Zheng Xiang.

    ''When did I save his life?''

    This was a confusing question.

    Ye Tian Yun literally didn''t even remember doing anything for the guy in front of him to be considered a good friend.

    "What''s your cultivation now?" Zheng Xian asked, "You will be surprised after knowing my cultivation."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Mine is okayish, not too high, not too low."

    Zheng Xiang couldn''t help but roll his eyes backward, "Why so mysterious? Anyway, I broke through the Qi Condensation Realm, and now I am on the Fifth Level!"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "Really?"

    Thest time he had seen Zheng Xiang, thetter was struggling to get to the Nine Level of Qi Refining, and within a month, he jumped right into the Fifth Level of Qi Condensation Realm!

    Wasn''t that too much of a jump?

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but look at him from up to down.

    ''I had the Cultivation space; what did this guy have?''

    Zheng Xiang had a smug expression seeing Ye Tian Yun''s reaction.

    After some time, he lowered his voice and exined to Ye Tian Yun about his cultivation.

    "Actually, it was all thanks to the pill you gave me."

    "I gave you a pill?" Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and then remembered, "Ah, yes. I remember now."

    In theirst meeting, Ye Tian Yun had handed over a High-Grade Qi Strengthening Pill just before they separated.

    But that shouldn''t be enough to exin such a high increase in cultivation. At most, it would give a breakthrough to the next level.

    "I know what you''re thinking," Zheng Xiang added, "You''re right, I didn''t reach my current cultivation because of that pill, but that pill yed a very important role in my cultivation. In fact, it even saved my life."

    "About a month ago, I was challenged by my nmates, and there was a bet. It was mostly rted to cultivation resources."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then what happened?"

    "Well, because of the pill you gave me, I had already reached the peak of Qi Refining Realm, and those idiots didn''t know about it."

    "I saved myself from getting crippled and also won loads of cultivation resources which were supposed to be theirs."

    "From those resources, I increased my cultivation to the Fifth Realm of Qi Condensation."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "In a month? You do know that foundation and stability of cultivation after each breakthrough is very important. You had six breakthroughs in a single month. That means, on average, one breakthrough per five days."

    "You didn''t even spend a single week on stabilizing your cultivation levels. Are you sure you won''t face Qi deviation soon?"

    Hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words, Zheng Xiang looked at the sides and let out a smallugh.

    He then said, "Actually Brother Fang, there''s something special inside my body. I think it''s my bloodline. It''s pretty powerful. As long as I have enough cultivation resources, I can increase my cultivation realm."

    "ˇ­" Ye Tian Yun stared at him.

    ''What kind of bloodline is this?''

 Chapter 431 - 431 | Zheng Xiang And The Powerful Bloodline (II)

    Ye Tian Yun grabbed Zheng Xiang''s hands and brought him to the side.

    He then whispered to him, "What kind of bloodline is this? I have never heard about it, even in the Middle Heavens!"

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "I don''t know. I am sure no one in my n knows either."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun suddenly remembered something, "Ah yes, you are adopted."

    "Yeah," Zheng Xiang nodded, "Wait, how do you know I am adopted? I never mentioned thatˇ­ or did I?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "You did mention it when you talked about your meeting with your n league and your cousin that day."

    "Ohˇ­" Zheng Xiang remembered the incident.

    He had gone to join the Zheng n''s League but was humiliated by his nmates because of his low talent and his past of being adopted.

    ''Maybe I talked about this with Fang Chen. Anyway, this is not important.''

    "Brother Fang," Zheng Xiang asked after removing useless thoughts from his mind, "I thought you would know something about it. I am pretty sure this is rted to my birth parents. After all, the Zheng n of the Silver Mist City is just a simple n."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded. Indeed it was a simple n. If they had such a good bloodline, they wouldn''t have been simply fighting to be the top n in a small city.

    "As I said earlier, I have never seen such a bloodline or heard of it. Maybe you''re the only descendent of your bloodline, or maybe you''re just an anomaly. Too many things could have happened."

    Zheng Xiang lightly nodded, "But I am sure my adoptive father must know something about this. I don''t know why he never mentioned all this to me."

    Ye Tian Yun thought about something and said, "Zheng Xiang, I do know of someone who might help you out in this situation. It''s just you can''t meet him yet. I will ask about this matter from him on your behalf."

    "No-no!" Zheng Xiang immediately denied, "Let''s not spread this matter. I only said this because you''re my only friend and one of the people I consider close to myself."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t worry about trust. The person I am talking about is as trustworthy as me."

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "Alright, but don''t take my name. We can''t risk this matter getting out of hand."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I understand."

    "Anyway," Zheng Xiang asked, "Where were you heading to?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Martial Book Pavilion."

    "Hm? There? Why? Do you want a new cultivation technique?" He asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No, just want to have a look at the sect rules."

    "Sect rules?" Zheng Xiang frowned, "Didn''t you get the booklet regarding the sect rules when you joined the sect?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I lost it."

    Zheng Xiang began to shake his head and asked, "Which kind of rule are you looking for? I mean, why are you even looking for a rule?"

    Ye Tian Yun said, "I need to head back to the Fang n. So I want to know the rules regarding that."

    "Oh? Rules on leaving?" Zheng Xiang frowned, "You could have asked about it from anyone."

    "Hm? Everyone knows the rule book by heart?" Ye Tian Yun was very doubtful of this.

    Zheng Xiang shook his head, "No, not the whole rulebook. But the very specific rule that you''re looking for. Everyone reads and knows that. After spending a few months in this sect, many get homesick, so they check the rule book to see if there''s any way for them to head back home."

    "Oh, so, do you know the rules?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "Yeah. The rules are pretty simple. You will have to give a valid and verifiable reason. However, if the sect is in a special situation, like a lockdown or in a war, your request will be rejected."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    ''This is pretty easy. And here I was thinking I would have to take a medical leave or something after getting injured in a fight. Creating an excuse wasn''t hard. In fact, I have a good excuse ready-made.''

    "Well, this helps a lot," Ye Tian Yun then asked, "What about you? What were you up to?"

    Zheng Xiang smiled slightly, "I was going there to meet someone."

    "Oh? Your cousin or friend?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    Zheng Xiang slightly squinted his eyes, and after a moment of thought, he asked, "Why don''t youe with me? I will introduce you to her."

    ''Her?'' Ye Tian Yun was surprised, ''A girl?''

    "Let''s go!" Zheng Xiang didn''t give any chance for Ye Tian Yun to reject and dragged him inside the chain bridge lift that had coincidentally just arrived.

    "Who is this friend of yours?" Ye Tian Yun asked while correcting the robs, which got crumpled because of Zheng Xiang.

    Zheng Xiang only smiled, "You will know soon."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "By the way, will you be heading to your n?"

    Zheng Xiang shook his head, "I have no ns as of yet. Maybe in the future, but right now? No."

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    Thud!

    Soon the lift had begun to move on the chain bridge, and they were heading towards the Base of the First Peak.

    "Ahem, Brother Fangˇ­"

    Suddenly Zheng Xiang tugged at him with his elbow.

    Ye Tian Yun''s eyes narrowed at him while asking, "What is it?"

    "Cough, ahem," Zheng Xiang cleared his throat once again and asked, "Do you happen to have any more of those pills?"

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised for a moment by his request, but then after thinking, he actually found it pretty normal.

    After all, as per Zheng Xiang''s im, his bloodline allowed him to increase his cultivation as much as he took in cultivation resources.

    ''I had an Emblem Sistemˇ­ and here, his whole blood is the system. The Kill points are simply cultivation resources for him. Lucky bastard!''

    "Yeah, I have a few. Do you need some?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Zheng Xiang scratched at the back of his head and said, "Ah, how could I say no to you, my dear brother? You can just give me one hundred more pills, and I will suffer, but I won''t say no."

    "Suffer?" Ye Tian Yun gave him a disdaining look, "And one hundred pills? Do you think those pills grow on trees?"

    "Haha, I am just joking, Brother Fang. But if you have some spare, please consider lending a few to me. In returnˇ­ in return, I will help you out in small troubles."

    "Small troubles?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What kind of troubles?"

    Zheng Xiang smiled, "I am sure someone must have challenged you for your cultivation abode? Right? I can help you clear that trash out of the way."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled back his eyes, "That''s just a random disciple; he''s not even worth considering as small trouble. Anyway, if you want to help me out, then I won''t object."

    "Alright then, it''s a deal!" Zheng Xiang smiled.

    Thud!

    Just then, they had reached the First Peak.

    "Let''s go!" Zheng Xiang said, "I will bring you to my wiˇ­ new friend!"

    ...

    A/n: If you have not noticed, the chapters are longer now.

 Chapter 432 - 432 | A Love Confession

    "This ce?"

    Ye Tian Yun asked as he stood in front of a three-storey building.

    "Yes, this one. The food here is quite delicious." Zheng Xiang replied with a smile.

    Both of them had arrived here after reaching the First Peak.

    They were standing in front of a huge, decorated, and well-maintained restaurant.

    Even the dirt on the ground reeked of its ''expensiveness''.

    For Ye Tian Yun, this ce was quite familiar.

    ''Hmmˇ­.''

    He remembered thest time he visited this restaurant.

    ''The young master of Gao n owns this ce, and he even cooked the food for meˇ­ weird fellow.''

    However, the thing that Ye Tian Yun remembered quite vividly where the ss walls on the top floor.

    ''See-through ssˇ­''

    The top floor was made of special ss, which allowed the people inside to see whatever was happening outside, but it appeared like a normal wall for the people out.

    ''Even I couldn''t understand how did that guy create such an amazing thing? Maybe it was a special milestone? Or maybe it was an array?''

    "What are you thinking?" Zheng Xiang nudged him on his shoulders.

    "Hm? Nothing," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Let''s head inside. Lead the way."

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "Sure, follow me."

    ˇ­

    Soon, both of them had entered the restaurant.

    This ce was surprisingly full of disciples this time, unlike thest time Ye Tian Yun visited.

    At that time, there were barely any disciples eating here.

    "This ce is famous now?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "The food here is best. I have heard the owner of the restaurant is a rich young master from the capital."

    "He cooks?" Ye Tian Yun asks.

    "What? Haha! Why would you think that?" Zheng Xiang rolled back his eyes, "Why would he need to cook? He''s rich, and he can hire the best chef!"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    ''That guy cooked for me thoˇ­''

    "Let''s head to the Second Floor. That ce is our destination." Zheng Xiang said as he stepped on the stairs.

    Ye Tian Yun followed behind.

    ˇ­

    As soon as they stepped on the second floor, Zheng Xiang suddenly eximed in a low voice, enough for only Ye Tian Yun to hear.

    "This bastard! He''s here again!"

    Ye Tian Yun nced in the direction Zheng Xiang was looking at and found a handsome young man talking with a disciple.

    ''Isn''t thatˇ­''

    "Young Master Gao, you must have a lot of free timeˇ­" Zheng Xiang asked in a sarcastic voice as he moved closer to the table.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at Young Master Gao, who had ignored Zheng Xiang''s words and continued to flirt with the girl in front of him.

    "Hmph!" As if he knew this was about to happen, Zheng Xiang didn''t wait for any response and speaking to Ye Tian Yun, he said, "Brother Fang, follow me. We need to teach that guy his ce!"

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but nce between Zheng Xiang and Young Master Gao back and forth before letting out a sigh.

    ''This is going to be troublesomeˇ­''

    Bam!

    Zheng Xiang didn''t say anything and sat directly on the chair.

    He sat beside the girl, right in front of Young Master Gao.

    Gao Xuan finally nced at him and frowned, "That was very rude, Disciple Zheng. You should learn manners before trying to cultivate."

    Zheng Xiang only gave a disdainful nce at him, then turning towards Ye Tian Yun, he gestured at him to take a seat.

    Ye Tian Yun came to the table, and putting his hand on the chair beside Gao Xuan; he asked, "May I?"

    His words attracted the attention of the girl and Young Master Gao.

    "Ah, sure, please have a seat. I didn''t think I would meet you here," Gao Xuan smiled at Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Me neither."

    It was at this moment Ye Tian Yun clearly saw the girl''s face seated in front of him.

    ''Bai Qing''er!''

    A name immediately shed in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    The quiet girl who was seated beside them in the Heavenly League''s banquet.

    Just like him, Bai Qing''er was also surprised to see Ye Tian Yun.

    ''It''s that guyˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun was one of the two people in the sect whose mind she couldn''t read.

    It was still the same.

    She couldn''t predict what he was thinking.

    ''What could be the reason behind this?''

    She had been annoyed by this question for about two months now.

    Why couldn''t she read the thoughts of Disciple Fang Chen and Xiao Ming?

    ''This is really weirdˇ­''

    Both of them nodded at each other as Ye Tian Yun took his seat.

    After both of them were seated, Zheng Xiang stared at Gao Xuan and asked, "Young Master Gao, may I ask why are you here once again?"

    ''Again?'' Ye Tian Yun nced at the young man beside him.

    ''He''s after Bai Qing''er?''

    A natural thought appeared in his mind.

    After all, she was a beauty. And a young man wouldn''t talk to her again and again just to ask the weather.

    Young Master Gao squinted his eyes as Zheng Xiang and stared at him, "You still don''t know? I am, of course, here for this beauty in front of meˇ­"

    "Youˇ­" Zheng Xiang gritted his teeth.

    "I know Zheng Xiang is a good-looking fellow, but I didn''t think Young Master Gao would so easily fall in love." Ye Tian Yun quipped while pouring wine in the ss for himself, "Cheers."

    Hearing his words, Gao Xuan frowned and nced at him, "I am not interested in him. Young Master Fang, I would advise you to choose your words carefully."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t have any change in expression, "You don''t like Zheng Xiang, huh? Then which young man are you starving for?"

    Zheng Xiang smirked at Gao Xuan after hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    While Bai Qing''er silently shook her head. ''Why did I agree toe here?''

    Gao Xuan, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm after hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    He replied, "Well, I don''t think I can hide it anymore. Sigh, this is so embarrassingˇ­ Young Masterˇ­ Young Master Fangˇ­ it is you who I am in love with."

    "PFFT!"

    "PFFT!"

    "PFFT!"

    "Young Master Gaoˇ­" Ye Tian Yun cleared the wine at the corner of his lips and said, "I find that idea undesirable. There are worse things I could say yes to, though I can''t think of any at this moment."

    Gao Xuan simply shrugged and then turned towards Bai Qing''er; he said, "Well, jokes aside, I am genuinely interested in thisdy in front of me. Something tells me that we can be very good friends."

    Zheng Xiang smirked at him, "Ha! You can keep on dreaming about it then. I bet Qing''er didn''t even say a word to you."

    Gao Xuan simply shrugged, indicating Zheng Xian was indeed speaking the truth.

    Bai Qing''er was a very quiet girl.

    She rarely spoke.

    The main reason behind this was the ability to read other people''s thoughts.

    However, just like how she was curious about Ye Tian Yun, Bai Qing''er was also curious about Gao Xuan.

    Because, just like with Ye Tian Yun, she couldn''t hear what Gao Xuan thought about her.

    This was the third person whose thoughts she couldn''t tell after Ye Tian Yun and Xiao Ming!

 Chapter 433 - 433 | A Dilemma

    Ever since she was little, Bai Qing''er had the special ability to know what the person in front of her was thinking about her.

    She didn''t know the cause or reason behind this ability, and she didn''t tell anyone about it. Well, she once did, but unfortunately, she learned a good lesson about what not to say even to the closest person to your heart.

    There had never been anyone whose thoughts she couldn''t readˇ­ until about two months ago.

    She encountered not one but two anomalies - disciples named Fang Chen and Xiao Ming.

    She had never met any of them, but surprisingly she couldn''t hear their thoughts.

    But because of the incidents that transpired on that night, the worry about those two took thest seat in the list of her priorities.

    After about a week or so, she suddenly found a guy whose thoughts she could read - unceasingly trying to win her over.

    Unfortunately, all his silly tricks and show-offs were seen through by her.

    But she didn''t push him away because this guyˇ­ was different.

    He was one of the very few who didn''t have any lustful thoughts about her.

    This even made her apprehensive about all this.

    She wasn''t ignorant about her own beauty. In her whole life, fate had made sure that she didn''t forget about it. This was why she simply couldn''t believe how there could be a person who didn''t have lustful or ''trying to one-up himself'' thoughts whenever he was in front of her.

    This guy was, of course, Zheng Xiang.

    She found out from him that his friend Fang Chen was in cultivation seclusion, and she didn''t know anything about Xiao Ming, and due to Zheng Xiang''s persistence, her heart finally softened a bit.

    On one fateful day, he brought her to a new restaurant that was now gaining fame for its delicacies.

    A supposed normal day took a surprising turn when she encountered someone else whose thoughts she couldn''t read.

    This person came to her and even flirted with her.

    But the feeling he gave her was different from Zheng Xiang.

    Zheng Xiang''s words felt very sincere, while this person''s flirting was full of yfulness.

    Young Master Gao.

    This was his name.

    Bai Qing''er couldn''t feel any ill will from him, but she always had her guard up because the inability to read this person''s thoughts gave her a sense of insecurity.

    After all, she had relied on this ability for her whole life. She had never thought there would be people who could be exceptions to this.

    Sometimes, just because in a short span of time, she had encountered three people on whom her ability didn''t work, she guessed maybe her ability was now going away, and she was losing it.

    And today, two of those three people were sitting right in front of her.

    Fang Chen and Gao Xuan.

    Looking at the bickering between the two, she couldn''t help but wonder if they had known each other for a long time?

    "By the guys, is any one of you nning to go for Sect missions?" Zheng Xiang asked in a loud and pressing voice, dousing the arguments between Ye Tain Yun and Gao Xuan.

    Gao Xuan nced at Zheng Xiang and shook his head, "I have a lot of matters to attend to. Haven''t you heard about the war? Things are about to getplicated, and a lot might change in the next few months."

    Zheng Xiang frowned, "Can it affect us too? We are just normal disciples of one of the many sects in the Xin Kingdom. I am sure the War won''t reach this table."

    Gao Xuan smiled and shook his head, "It has already reached here. Don''t you know who is sitting in front of you?"

    "What do you mean?" Zheng Xiang frowned.

    Even Bai Qing''er had her attention on his words.

    Gao Xuan simply smiled and said, "You forget that I am the Young Master of Gao n, while the guy beside me is also one of the young masters from Capital City."

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly rolled his eyes backward upon hearing Gao Xuan''s words. But he didn''t care much.

    However, this was different for Zheng Xiang.

    He considered Fang Chen as his brother, so how could he let Gao Xuan demean him?

    "Young Master Gao, thest time I heard, the Fang n had thoroughly suppressed the Gao n in a trade war."

    "Hmph!" Gao Xuan looked the other way.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and asked him, "Can you tell me about the situation in the Capital City? I will be going there soon."

    Gao Xuan frowned, "Don''t go to the Capital City."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Why?"

    "If you go, you will be sent to the frontlines. Not even your father, the Prime Minister, can save you."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised upon hearing this.

    But he wasn''t worried; in fact, this was good news for him.

    He asked, "Tell me more in detail. I don''t want to go there and unknowingly walk in a trap."

    Gao Xuan shrugged, "Why should I tell you? Last time we had a chat - do you remember about the deal? You were supposed to give me information about the thing that I came here for. You even gave me the information - but it turned out to be wrong."

    "Wrong?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Thest time when he had met Gao Xuan on the top floor, Ye Tian Yun knew what Gao Xuan was looking for.

    He was looking for the Sword Stele - most likely to confirm the existence of the high-tier Spirit Vien.

    Ye Tian Yun had told him to look under the Second Peak.

    In exchange for this deal, Ye Tian Yun had also received a few answers.

    ''How could I be wrong? The sword Stele is definitely under the Second Peak. Unlessˇ­ I assumed it wrong, and Gao Xuan is actually looking for something else?''

    If that turned out to be true, then Ye Tian Yun would have no other choice but to facepalm himself.

    To act mysterious and all-knowing, Ye Tian Yun had just spoken total bullshit.

    "Wait," Ye Tian Yun had to confirm first this time, "You''re looking for the Sword ce, right?"

    "Sword ce?" Gao Xuan frowned, and suddenly something dawned upon her, "Ah yes, exactly that."

    "Oh? Then it''s definitely under the Second Peak."

    "But we didn''t find any traces of it." Gao Xuan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged, "That''s your problem, mate. I gave you the right ce to look at. It''s you who didn''t check everything right and ended up with no results."

    Gao Xuan frowned, "Then tell the way. In exchange, I will give you my insight on the whole War situation."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    In their previous encounter, this piece of information was not important for him because he was confident that he wouldn''t need the Sword Stele as he had the system.

    Unfortunately, now the System is gone, and every resource was important for Ye Tian Yun.

    Especially the Sword Stele.

    On the other hand, he trusted Gao Xuan''s insight, and his words on the current situation of Lower Heavens were very important for his next goal.

    Now, the question arises - should he reveal the whole information about Sword Stele or not?

 Chapter 434 - 434 | Gao Xuans Advice

    "What happened?" Gao Xuan frowned at Ye Tian Yun, noticing his silence.

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head at him, and after another moment of thought, he revealed, "I am sure by now you must have found out that there''s a hidden array on the Second Peak that is thoroughly suppressing the aura from that ce. And the only way of bypassing this array is to find the entrance of that array."

    "Duh, yeah, Do you know the entrance of that array?" Gao Xuan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded his head, "More or less, yeah. I know that the entrance is somewhere on the stairway connecting the Resource Hall at the Base of First Peak to the Grand Meeting Hall at the top of the First Peak."

    "Hm? The entrance is on the First Peak while the array is on the Second Peak?" This news came as a surprise even for Gao Xuan.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    He had decided to give up on this piece of information because he was sure that Gao Xuan wouldn''t be able to steal or do anything in this situation. It would be a very bad move to trespass the hidden arrays of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    This seemingly simple sect had many intricate andplex arrays - and all of them were always switched on.

    ''Anyway, let this guy go and suffer. I have no ns to help him more than what the deal is about.''

    Ye Tian Yun then asked, "Tell me about the situation in the Capital City. I want to know why, how, and where will I be sent if I go back to the Capital City."

    "Hmˇ­ actually, the thing isˇ­" Gao Xuan thought for a moment and said, "There''s a high chance that all young masters of the Capital City will have to go to the front lines and lead the armies against the Wu Kingdom. The Main Force that is supposedly heading towards the South-Eastern front will most likely have to change its ns. The Spirit Beasts have been acting restless sincest week."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but frown, "You know quite a lot about the situationˇ­ I have never heard of such rumorsˇ­"

    Gao Xuan simply shrugged, "Well, I have my own means. Anyway, the important thing here is that you must note to the Capital City. In fact, there are two reasons - the second reason is much more important than this war."

    "Oh? What is it?"Ye Tian Yun was now curious.

    Gao Xuan shook his head, "I can''t tell you."

    "Uhˇ­ first you mention that there are two reasons for me to not go to the capital city, and then you don''t tell me the reason at all. At least give me a hint."

    Gao Xuan shook his head, "I won''t give any hints. Just know that there''s something much more serious going on in the Fang n, and you must not head back."

    Ye Tian Yun was now ever more curious to know about the truth. He had a feeling Gao Xuan was not bluffing; instead, he was very serious - much more serious than when he talked about the war.

    ''What could possibly be going on in the Fang n?''

    After a moment of thought, Ye Tian Yun asked, "If I still went to the Capital City, which battlefield do you think I will be assigned to?"

    Gao Xuan shook his head, "That is currently unpredictable. Right now, the only signs of war are in the Southern Province Border. But that ce is the only one where the Fang n had almost little to no influence. So I highly doubt you would be sent there. There''s a high chance of you being sent to the Northern ins."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun gave a slight nod.

    ''I need to join the war anyway. Things will be much easier for me if I am sent officially by the King.''

    "You''re not nning to go, right?" Gao Xuan suddenly asked.

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged at her, "Who knows? It will all depend on how things turn out to be in the next month or so."

    Gao Xuan frowned, "Young Master Fang, you must not go to the Capital City. This is myst warning."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    Gao Xuan could only silently grit his teeth after seeing this.

    Fang Chen going to the Capital City was not something he wanted to see. It affected Gao Xuan''s future!

    ''But he''s the Crown Prince of the Great Ye Empireˇ­ I am sure he won''t be interested in the Fang n''s stuffˇ­''

    [A/n: yes, for those who have forgotten, Gao Xuan knows Ye Tian Yun''s real identity.]

    Letting out a sigh, Gao Xuan turned his head towards Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er.

    ''These twoˇ­ it''s good they weren''t paying attention to the chat between the Crown Prince and me.''

    In front of him, both Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er were chatting among themselves in a low voice.

    ''Typical teenagersˇ­''

    He couldn''t help but shake his head seeing this.

    He then nced at the person sitting beside him, Ye Tian Yun, and found him staring at the wine ss, lost in deep thoughts.

    ''Hmˇ­ let''s seeˇ­''

    "Ahem," He cleared his throat, attracting the attention of the other three on the table, and said, "Since this is the first time we all are together, let''s celebrate it with a new dish that my restaurants are soon going tounch."

    "Oh?" Zheng Xiang rubbed his hands together, clearly showing his excitement and expectations for the new dish.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was unfazed.

    ''A new dish? Which dish have I not had? The Middle Heavens have hundreds of great restaurants.''

    When it came to food, Ye Tian Yun had the right to be arrogant. After all, someone of his status had fine and exquisitely made dishes every single day when he was in the Middle Heavens.

    The food of Lower Heavens could barely surprise him.

    "What''s it called?" Still, because of hisst visit to this restaurant, Ye Tian Yun had to ask what Gao Xuan had in his ns.

    Gao Xuan let out a slight smile and said, "Well, I call itˇ­ a burger."

    "A what?"

 Chapter 435 - 435 | Gao Xuans Advice (II)

    "A what?" Everyone else on the table was confused by his words.

    Even Ye Tian Yun was confused.

    He had never heard of something called Burger.

    "Bring it." He said.

    The name was funny and somewhat even aversive. But he wanted to see the ''dish''.

    Gao Xuan smiled and stood up.

    "Why don''t you guys follow me?"

    The other three nodded and followed behind.

    "Soˇ­ what is thisˇ­ burger?" Zheng Xiang asked as they headed towards the kitchen.

    Gao Xuan smiled and said, "Well, I will exin it to you in simple words."

    "Minced and reformed beef or potato patties in a vaguely disc-shaped b, cooked and ced inside a bread roll, possibly along with various vegetables and sauces. Usually, the meat is sourced from cheap offcuts and has a higher than average fat content. That being said, there is something distinctly refreshing about biting into a great greasy burger once every so often."

    "Beefˇ­ potato pattiesˇ­ breadˇ­ vegetablesˇ­ I have never heard of these things together in a dish." Zheng Xiang asked, "Why don''t you exin to me as if I am a five-year-old?"

    "Five-year-olds don''t ask questions. They eat, and if they like it, they just want more of it." Gao Xuan said.

    The contents of burgers were prettymon things and were even part of normal dishes, and this was why they were confused by Gao Xuan''s words. They had thought Gao Xuan was going to let them taste a new kind of spirit beast meat.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Let''s eat it then. For some reason, I am very curious about thisˇ­ burger."

    Gao Xuan smiled and brought everyone to the far end of the kitchen.

    Putting a b of a book, he then brought out something fluffy disc-like roll.

    "Can I touch it?" Zheng Xiang couldn''t help but ask. The bread wasˇ­ too fluffy.

    Gao Xuan frowned, "No touching. Wait for me to cook it first."

    "Oh manˇ­ alright, alright, I can wait."

    "Good," Gao Xuan nodded, "Now witness the holy magic."

    ˇ­

    After about ten minutes, Gao Xuan picked a te and put four ''Burgers'' in front of them.

    "Taste it." He smiled.

    Just yet, Zheng Xiang was about to pick up one; Gao Xuan suddenly interrupted, "Oh, wait, first let me tell you how to hold it - or else you will end up ruining your robes."

    He then picked up a burger and arranged his fingers around it, and he took a bite.

    After a few chews, he said, "As you can see, the thumbs and the pinkies are on the bottom. The middle three fingers on each hand are on the top. Because of this, the burger is divided visually into equal parts. If the burger is held uniformly, then its contents shouldn''t spill out of the burger''s backside."

    "Ohˇ­" The three disciples in front of him nodded.

    "Alright, dig in!" Gao Xuan said with a proud smile on his face.

    The three of them nodded, and held the burger as instructed by Gao Xuan; they took the first bite of this heavenly dish.

    Ye Tian Yun slowly chewed the bites and enjoyed the never-experienced before taste.

    There was abination of tastes and textures ¨C sweet, sour, salt ¨C with a bit of crunch. The patty was quite juicy, the bun soft but sturdy.

    Overall, the taste and the sensation of it were pretty amazing.

    "Did you invent this?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    He had never tasted such a thing. And he was sure that no one under the heavens had.

    After all, if this dish was known, Ye Tian Yun was sure it would have exploded already.

    Gao Xuan smiled, "I didn''t actually invent it. But don''t think much about it. I want to know your opinion about this dish. How is it?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It''s amazing. I am sure the five-year-old won''t be the only ones asking for more. People of all ages would want to taste this."

    Gao Xuan smiled, "Well, that''s what I wanted to hear."

    "When are you nning tounch it officially?" Zheng Xiang asked.

    Even the ever silent Bai Qing''er was curious.

    All four of them were well aware of the sheer potential of this dish.

    Gao Xuan smiled, "Soon."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "I hope we don''t turn into enemies, or I will miss these burgers."

    The three smiled at his words.

    The burger was indeed quite delicious.

    It was worth making friends.

    Thinking about it, Ye Tian Yun suddenly noticed something that made him pause in his tracks.

    There wereˇ­ no prompts on the heads of Gao Xuan and Bai Qing''er!

    ''Wait, how''s that possible?''

    He was confused.

    ''How could these two not have any prompts?''

    Ye Tian Yun took another bite of burger and nced at Zheng Xiang.

    The prompt was still there on his head.

    ''What is going on?''

    He wanted to know an answer.

    However, before he could consult about this to Wang Yao, Gao Xuan nudged his shoulders, "What happened? Don''t tell me the taste is too good?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, it''s pretty amazing."

    Gao Xuan smiled, "Well, now that you know about this, don''t reveal it to others just yet. I consider the four of you good friends, so try not to speak much about it to other disciples, though I am pretty sure no one will believe your words."

    Zheng Xiangughed, "Haha! Don''t worry about that, but don''t you wish to advertise it? I hope you aren''t underestimating the power of word of mouth?"

    Bai Qing''er also spoke, "Yes, Brother Gao, this thing can really take your burger to the top!"

    Gao Xuan smiled, "I know, but it''s not the right time yet. Whenever a man makes haste, fate too hastens him."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    This simple dish could lead to many things, and he was sure that Gao n, even if it was one of the top ns of the Xin Kingdom, it was not ready to face the hard consequences of facing other people''s greed.

    Gao Xuan suddenly said before taking another bite, "Anyway, while we finish this burger, I will let you guys in with another secret. In fact, it''s more of a warning."

    "Oh? What is it?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Well, you guys should leave the sect." Gao Xuan smiled, "You guys should take a long mission from the North-Western region and go there within the next few weeks."

    "Hm?" The other three were confused, "Why would that be?"

    Gao Xuan simply smiled, "Well, great trouble is about to fall on the Gracious Sword Sect. No, not only the Gracious Sword Sect but all the sects of the Xin Kingdom. This matter is only known to very few, and you are now among them. And trust me, the whole sect is about to bathe in blood."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "When?"

    He knew what Gao Xuan was talking about.

    King Xin and his ambition to tighten his grasp over the whole kingdom.

    Along with his close ally and good friend, Prime Minister Fang Chen, King Xin had nned to suppress the unbridled sects and ns which thought they could go against or didn''t put the Xin Royal n in their eyes.

    Ye Tian Yun knew that there was going to be a huge bloodbath iing for the whole Xin Kingdomˇ­ it''s just this was supposed to happen after the Grand Spirit Hunt, not now.

 Chapter 436 - 436 | Heading Back

    "There''s a high chance the Xin Royal n is nning to do something," Gao Xuan said, and with a side nce at Ye Tian Yun, he added, "Also, the Fang n is also ying a huge part in this role."

    Zheng Xiang squinted his eyes and also looked at Ye Tian Yun. In a low voice, he added, "Brother Fang, do you know anything about it? I feel like this Gao guy is bluffing."

    "Hey! I can hear you!" Gao Xuan snarled.

    Zheng Xiang didn''t respond to him and continued to stare at Ye Tian Yun for a response.

    Ye Tian Yun simply shook his head, "I have nothing to do with all this. Have you never heard of my reputation?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "Yeah, the arrogant Young Master Fang who doesn''t have a talent neither does he give a damn about anyone else."

    Gao Xuan simply shrugged at his words. "It''s up to you guys whether you wish to believe my words or not. I have already said it all."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nods and assesses the situation.

    If King Xin and Prime Minister Fang implemented their ns before the Grand Spirit Hunt, things would be unpredictable. Because right now, the Gracious Sword Sect had Sect Leader Su alive and well, not to mention, his cultivation realm was at least Peak Nascent Soul Realm.

    That meant he might be able to hold back the enemy attack on his own.

    On the other hand, this would also mean that the Gracious Sword Sect might not get destroyed, and Ye Tian Yun won''t get the chance to snatch the High-tier, Spirit Vien.

    Even if it did get destroyed, then what could he do? Since Ye Tian Yun also needed to use the opportunity and go to the Middle Heavens to breakthrough to the next realm.

    And since he would be there, that meant he would miss the chance to get the Spirit Vein.

    ''This problem once againˇ­.''

    After all the ways he thought of, Ye Tian Yun returned to the question that had been bothering him all along.

    Suddenly Ye Tian Yun thought of something, and then ncing at Gao Xuan, he asked, "Do you know when will King Xin most probably make a move?"

    Gao Xuan thought for a few moments and then replied, "If he doesn''t do anything in the next one week, he won''t do anything at all."

    "Hm? Will he target our sect, or will he first take out the smaller fishes?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Gao Xuan shook her head, "I am not aware of the exact details, but looking at the current changes in the overall situation within the kingdom, any educated person would advise the King to make a move within the next few days. Or else they will have to follow the original n and think about it sometimeter."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded and then asked, "Do you know how much time we have before King Xin turns the young masters of the Capital City into generals leading armies into the war?"

    Gao Xuan smiled, "You have about three months. The main force that ising towards the Southern Province will soon have to divide itself into two because of the increase in Spirit Beast attacks near the Western border. And that would be the time when King Xin will throw the Capital City young masters into war."

    "The King isparing the trained military force to a group of urban hedonistic young masters." Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but shake his head in disapproval.

    What was the need to even involve the ipetent people in matters like the war against the biggest enemy?

    With no good leaders, the forces would eventually fall anyway.

    ''Anyway, it''s not something that I need to be bothered about. I only need to arrange things for myself.''

    After cleaning his mouth, Ye Tian Yun pushed the te into the dishwasher, and then, turning his head at Gao Xuan, he said, "I have to get back to my cultivation abode. Need to prepare some stuff."

    Hearing his words, Zheng Xiang also nodded, "Well, you go ahead. I will be here tillte evening."

    Bai Qing''er simply gave Ye Tian Yun a sweet smile and waved her hand at him.

    As for Gao Xuan, he suddenly had a hostile expression.

    He stepped closer to the confused Ye Tian Yun and said, "Are you really nning to head to the Capital City? Don''te and cry to meter because I am warning you."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Don''t worry about that. I have my own ns. I won''t interfere with yours."

    Ye Tian Yun had already guessed that Gao Xuan was partly trying to stop him from heading to the Capital City because Fang Chen somehow created trouble for her own ns.

    Gao Xuan turned silent after hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    After a long moment, he could only sigh and say, "Fang Chen, it''s better if you learn to say no at the right time. Sometimes, a no is more powerful than a speech."

    Ye Tian Yun only gave him a weird look because he couldn''t make head or tail of what the young master in front of him was trying to say.

    "I will take my leave, then."

    Zheng Xiang smiled, "See youter. Also, people challenge you. Just tell them that they will have to fight Zheng Xiang before they have the qualifications to fight you. I will deliver my promise. You, in turn, will arrange the resources for me."

    Ye Tian Yun gave a light nod, "Alright, deal."

    ˇ­

    After bidding goodbyes and getting creeped out by Gao Xuan''s weird smile when Ye Tian Yun was about to leave, he couldn''t help but increase his pace.

    He needed to get back to his cultivation abode, think about the iing changes, and then deviate his ns ordingly.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun stood in front of the chain bridge, someone called him from behind -

    "Disciple Fang Chen!"

 Chapter 437 - 437 | Another Meeting

    "Disciple Fang Chen!"

    The voice was pretty loud and even attracted attention from nearby students before they went along their way.

    Ye Tian Yun turned around and was surprised to find a male disciple in Inner Court robes simr to his was heading towards him.

    ''Who''s he?''

    Ye Tian Yun had never seen this disciple''s face, but judging from the robes and the badge on his chest, he immediately figured out that this disciple was from the Disciplinary Hall and part of the Second Peak.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but lightly frown at this.

    ''I wonder if that guy has finally made up his mindˇ­.''

    Seeing the Disciplinary Hall disciple step closer to him, Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists and asked, "Hello, Fellow Disciple, how can I help you?"

    The Disciple also cupped his fists and said, "You can call me Senior Brother Nai. I have something important to discuss with you. Please follow me to the Starry Tavern."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, but he was still confident that there would be no hups this time.

    The disciple didn''t wait for any response and turned around, heading for the Second Peak chain bridge.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and followed behind.

    Once they came close to the chain bridge, Ye Tian Yun noticed that there was a building with lots of disciples standing around it.

    This confused Ye Tian Yun, but he didn''t bother to ask the disciple in front of him about it.

    Surprisingly, the Disciplinary Hall disciple was heading towards the crowded building itself.

    Ye Tian Yun, too, followed behind very closely.

    Inside the tavern, the disciple didn''t stop and brought him to the second floor.

    The second floor was also the top floor; however, surprisingly, it was almost empty.

    There was only one table upied and on that table were two people.

    Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu.

    Ye Tian Yun encountered the acquaintances he had made during his time on the mission for Silver Mist City.

    ''She''s still in disguise.'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but nod at this.

    Wu Qingwu was said to be an extremely beautiful girl. but if one was powerless, their beauty would be the reason for their downfall.

    ''Well, she has Jun Xie. As long as she doesn''t offend any core elder, there won''t be any trouble.''

    "You''re here." Jun Xie said.

    He had already sensed Fang Chen, who had not tried to do anything to hide his cultivation.

    Both of them shook hands and sat at the table.

    "So, you remember me?" Jun Xie asked.

    Both of them had only met with each other once that too on the opposite side of each other.

    This was why Jun Xie was not sure if Fang Chen remembered him or not.

    Though it was a bit foolish of him to think because Fang Chen had revealed Jun Xie''s identity, so how could he easily forget Jun Xie.

    Actually, Jun Xie was quite nervous about this meeting because he might get the answers to the questions that had been haunting him ever since he could dream.

    "Well, this was unexpected," Ye Tian Yun took a seat and smiled at him and Wu Qingwu.

    The first thing, however, Ye Tian Yun did was check favourability on Jun Xie''s head.

    [Jun Xie. 2 Stars Favourability. Wishes to be good friends with you and is very curious about you.]

    ''Hm!?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''It decreased?''

    ''Is it because I am in Fang Chen''s disguise?''

    Ye Tian Yun had somewhat expected this, but he was still surprised to see the change in the favourability.

    ''I wonder If Yuan Shuchun and Xiao Ming''s favorability will remain constant since they know my true identity? Or will that be affected too?''

    "What happened?" Jun Xie called him out after seeing Ye Tian Yun lost in thoughts with a deep frown.

    "Ah, nothing," Ye Tian Yun shook his head and asked, "So, how have you been, Senior Brother Jun?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "A lot happened, but I am alive."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and then ncing at Wu Qingwu, he asked, "Who is thisdy, if I may ask? Is she yourˇ­"

    "She''s just a maid." Jun Xie replied, earning a frown from Wu Qingwu.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t continue the topic, instead asked the important question, "So, why was I called here?"

    Jun Xie smiled, "Well, you see, some things happened, and now I have lost my only way back to my home. So I have had no choice but to call for your help."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "If you needed my help, you should have shown your sincerity. For instance, instead of bringing me here without prior notice, you should have insteade to my cultivation abode or even visited the Seventh Peak."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "I didn''t wish to create a bigmotion. Anyways, tell me what do you know about me?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "You''re asking too much, Senior Brother Jun. I may not understand your frustration. However, that doesn''t change the fact that nothing in this world is free."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "What do you need?"

    Fang Chen smiled, "I need everything, but that''s asking too much from you. So, let''s just say I am in need of a manservant from the Liu n."

    "What?" Jun Xie frowned, "Are you sure about that?"

    Ye Tian Tun didn''t care about Jun Xie''s threats.

    He simply smiled and said, "It''s up to you whether you agree or not, but I will tell you everything if you can consider me your liege for the next ten months."

    The temperature in the room suddenly dropped.

    However, there was no change in Ye Tian Yun''s expression.

    This angered Jun Xie even more, "Do you know the consequence of that, Fang Chen?"

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged.

    "It''s up to you whether you believe my words or not. But let me tell you just in case you decide to make your life better - meet me in the Fang n building two months from now."

    With that said, Ye Tian Yun stood up from his seat and exited the second floor.

    At the table, Jun Xie simply stared at him with his eyes itching uncontrobly.

    [Jun Xie. 1 Star Favorability. He wants to beat the shit out of you. However, he has no choice but to create a good friendship with you.]

 Chapter 438 - 438 | Scaring Others With A Smile

    Ye Tian Yun got out of the tavern and headed straight to the chain bridge for Seventh Peak.

    As for why he wanted to call Jun Xie to the Capital City?

    It was because he would need his illusion technique in theing days.

    Since he was nning to join the war, someone who could create illusions would definitelye in handy.

    "I am sure he will definitelye to the Fang n. Now that this is done, it''s time to prepare to leave the sect."

    To leave the sect, Ye Tian Yun needed to give a valid reason to the elders.

    ''This is not something that I am worried aboutˇ­''

    The part which worried Ye Tian Yun was the change in the prompts.

    ''If I keep on changing disguise, then that would also affect the favourabilityˇ­''

    ''It''s a good thing and a bad thing.''

    ''It''s good because I can start over any time and even improve the favourability of my other identity by influencing the target with a new identity.''

    ''But the major drawback is I will never be able to see the favourability they have against my real identity unless they know who I really am.''

    ''Is there any way of getting things around this?''

    ''I will ask once I get back to the cultivation abodeˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun thought as he got on the chain bridge.

    After a few minutes of the ride, he was on the other side of the endless ravine as he stepped on the Seventh Peak.

    As always, the peak was still bustling with disciples. Now, even more so because many disciples wanted to go out for missions to get some extra resources.

    Because of the lockdown, the progress of the disciples had slowed down a bit even though the sect had increased the monthly resources quota for everyone.

    However, endless resources weren''t the only thing needed to increase and stabilize cultivation.

    Experience was also needed.

    And experience only came from life and death battles while doing the sect missions.

    This was why many disciples were enthusiastic about going out.

    Not to forget that the Grand Spirit Hunt had also been postponed for six months now.

    Meaning the total time left for the Grand Spirit Hunt was now eight months!

    In eight months, almost anyone could jump to a cultivation level if they cultivated properly.

    Some geniuses might even jump two levels of the cultivation realm.

    This meant that the result of the Grand Spirit Hunt was now going in an unpredictable direction.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and entered the Inner Court.

    He wanted to head to his cultivation abode and focus on nning his next few steps.

    However, before he could step on the sixth floor, he was once again blocked by a group of disciples.

    It was the same bunch.

    ''Not againˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun was now getting annoyed.

    He didn''t wish to waste his time in throwing weak disciples out of the stage.

    "Follow us to the battle arena!" The disciple who had earlier challenged him said. He said it loud enough to make the other disciples on the stairway stop.

    He was clearly trying to get some attention on this incident to force Ye Tian Yun to follow through with peer pressure.

    And as expected, the disciples around them slowed down. Some even waited to witness the whole oue.

    ''What was this guy''s name?'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t recall, ''Never mind, he''s not worth it.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, and putting his hands on the disciple''s shoulders, he smiled.

    "Are you sure?"

    As soon as the words reached the disciple in front of him, the disciple''s face paled.

    His hands trembled as he stared at Ye Tian Yun in shock.

    "Youˇ­ youˇ­"

    "Don''t say anything, or those will be yourst words."

    "Ahˇ­ yesˇ­ yesˇ­" The disciple gulped and stepped back.

    Making way for Ye Tian Yun to go.

    "Good boy."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at him and headed inside.

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun head inside, the other disciples around them looked at the disciple who had challenged, in confusion.

    While thetter staggered back and hit the wall.

    Sliding down, he fell to the ground.

    His face was pale, and his legs were weak.

    Even the robes on his back were now soaking wet because of sweat.

    "What happened to Ren Dum?" One of the disciples couldn''t help but ask. The disciples who had earlier stopped had a gloated expression over their faces.

    As for Ren Dun''spanions, they hade here to enjoy a good show, not their friend pissing his pants just because of a smile from the opponent.

    "Yoˇ­you guys didn''t hear anything?" Ren Dum asked for confirmation.

    "Hear what?" The disciples were not getting annoyed by his antics.

    ''Do you think we have the whole day to go after you blocking someone''s path? And when we do, you end up getting weak legs and fall on the ground because of fear? What in the fucking hell?''

    Hispanions shook their heads and picked up the lost Ren Dum as they left the scene, avoiding any further embarrassment.

    As for Ren Dum, there was only one word in his mind.

    ''Spirit Messageˇ­ Spirit Messageˇ­''

    That''s right. Ye Tian Yun had simply smiled at Ren Dum and had talked through a spirit message.

    An ability that came only to the Foundation Establishment or higher realm cultivators.

    Indirectly, Ye Tian Yun had given a little warning, scaring away this random disciple.

    ˇ­

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun was sitting cross-legged in his cultivation abode.

    ''I wonder what will be the oue of my meeting with the younger Wang Yao?''

    He had spared Xiao Ming, but that didn''t mean he was going to show mercy to others.

    Somewhere in his heart, he wasn''t satisfied with just sparing Xiao Ming, and once in a while even had second thoughts about it.

    After all, for eight months, he prepared himself to strike, kept a low profile, waited patiently, only to spare his enemy?

    ''I wonder what has influenced me?''

    This was an interesting question.

    But he didn''t know the answer.

    Maybe it was on a whim, or perhaps he was influenced by his father''s wordsˇ­ Ye Tian Yun couldn''t pinpoint the exact reason.

    Though in the end, leaving Xiao Ming alive turned out to be the right option because of the Trial that Token Of Fate put him in.

    ''I won''t show mercy to the next target.''

    Ye Tian Yun could only vow on this for now.

    "Should I go and see Xiao Ming just to make sure?"

 Chapter 439 - 439 | A Thought Protecting The Biggest Secret

    A/n: there''s a small typo that I have been doing in thest few chapters. Instead of Gao Xuan, I have been writing Gou Xuan. I have corrected it now. Sorry for the confusion.

    ...

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and appeared in the consciousness space.

    As soon as he appeared, Wang Yao opened his eyes and nced at him.

    Currently, Wang Yao was kicking a ball on a wall, both created by him.

    He snapped his fingers, and the scenery around them changed.

    Ye Tian Yun found himself standing on a boat.

    He frowned and looked around, "Must be a boring life to live in someone''s consciousness."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Well, I don''t have feelings. So if it''s boring or not, I don''t feel anything. I am just a consciousness. Anyway, why have youe here? What''s troubling you now?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Nothing much, just came here to check up on you."

    He decided not to share his doubts with Wang Yao.

    He needed to be on guard against Wang Yao too.

    Thinking about that, he asked, "Wang Yao, you once said you could hear my thoughts. But you don''t seem to react to them."

    Wang Yao let out a sigh, "Actually, I also thought I could hear your thoughts, and I was able to hear them, but just like the strange space you encountered after taking the Emblem Of Time, this ability of mine was also temporary. Now I don''t know anything and am just sitting here, passing the time."

    "You can hear what is going on outside, though?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Yes," Wang Yao nodded his head, "I can hear it, but I don''t care much. Listening to kids chattering doesn''t really interest me."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then I think you missed an important piece of information today."

    "Hm?" Wang Yao couldn''t help but ask, "What was it?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment, and then scratching his chin, he replied, "My next target is the Capital City."

    "Oh.. Wait- the Xin Kingdom''s Capital City?" Wang Yao frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    "Thisˇ­" Aplicated expression appeared on Wang Yao''s face.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Now you know who my next target is. Well, I am simply warning you not to interfere because your words will be useless."

    Wang Yao let out a sigh, "Ye Tian Yun, I don''t understand why you are missing such an important thing about me. You always forget that now I am just a mere consciousness. No power in the world can bring me back to life. In fact, let me tell you a little spoiler - I will disappear once you pass the battle on the Hundred Realm Refining Stage."

    "Hm? What?" Ye Tian Yun was at first surprised at this.

    But on second thought, he felt this was quite natural.

    "Is it because the Emblem will be gone?" He asked.

    Wang Yao unexpectedly shook his head, "No- no, it will be me which will disappear. Oh, and another spoiler alert - If you win the battle of Hundred Realm Refining Stage, you will be able to crown yourself as the Heavenly Emperor. And a consciousness of yours will then stick to the Emblem Of Time, drifting apart in the next generation, to guide the next Emblem Holder."

    "Hmmˇ­" Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "What if I die before that?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I will disappear then too. You will take my ce here. For now, I would suggest you increase your ability as much as you can. All Tokens and Emblems had upgradable abilities.

    Previously, when the Emblem Of Time first awakened inside me, I could only revert back time by three seconds. But when both of us fought on the Hundred Realm Refining Stage, I had the ability to revert time by one whole minute!"

    "One minute!?" Ye Tian Yun was shocked to hear this, "I thought you could only revert back four to five seconds of time."

    Wang Yao smiled and shook his head, "No. This was never the case. Head-on, we only fought once. That, too, on that stage. The fights and moves were so fast that one second was making a lot of difference. This was why I never had to use my ability for more than four seconds."

    "In fact, no one ever seeded in forcing me to use the Emblem Of Time to revert more than eight seconds."

    This information really came as news to Ye Tian Yun.

    He had never thought of this.

    "So, are you saying that the ratio of time dtion might increase even more?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but exim upon thinking this.

    Currently, three hours in the Cultivation Space was equivalent to one hour outside.

    And if it were possible to increase, then Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation speed would increase even more!

    ''This isˇ­ too good.''

    "Yes," Wang Yao nodded his head, "This is the most probable answer."

    "So, how can we increase these abilities?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Wang Yao shrugged at this, "You will have to find it yourself. I never found the way. It simply increased on its own."

    "It increased on its own?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Didn''t you have the system?"

    Wang Yao nodded his head, "That''s what I meant by how it increased on its own. Upon umting enough Kill Points, I was able to increase my Emblem''s ability level."

    "Ahˇ­" Ye Tian Yun let out a breath, "Then it''s almost impossible for me to increase. I never understood how the Emblem System even worked."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Me neither. But there''s something that can help you in this."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Emblem Of Luck."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How can that help?"

    In his previous life, Emblem Of Luck was in his own possession, but he had never heard of anything like Kill Points.

    "Is it because of its power on luck?" Ye Tian Yun made a wild guess.

    Wang Yao smiled, "Exactly. Because only that can help you here."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I can''t get the Emblem Of Luck till next year."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Then you gotta wait till you get it. There''s simply no other way."

    "Hmˇ­ but Wang Yao, tell me, why is that so little known to the public?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask, "There was no mention of any ability, let alone the fact that they can be upgraded. Even I didn''t know this even though I had the Emblem Of Luck."

    The information about the Emblems and Tokens should at least be known to the Top ns and sects, but even they are clueless about it.

    Wang Yao smiled, "I may not know the exact answer to this, but I do have my own guess. I think it''s because of the Emblems and Tokens. Tell me, have you ever had the urge to tell anyone about the ability of your Emblem Of Luck in your previous life?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No, I don''t wish to dig my own grave. If someone knows the ability, then he might use it against me and trick me into an ambush."

    Wang Yao nodded his head, "Exactly, and this is the thought that appears in every Emblem or Token holder''s mind, no matter how intelligent or dumb that person might be."

    "This simple thought has stopped one of the biggest secrets and mysteries behind the Emblems and Tokens - their abilities - to ever be public."

 Chapter 440 - 440 | Permission And The Royal Edict

    Creak!

    The gates of Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation abodes were pushed open as he walked out in the open.

    It had been one whole day since he came out of the consciousness space after a chat with Wang Yao and then cultivated for the whole night.

    ''Let''s head for the Elder''s Hall.''

    In normal strides, Ye Tian Yun walked through the sixth floor, passed the stairway, and then came out of the Inner Court.

    However, along the way, Ye Tian Yun suddenly noticed something weird.

    The way the disciples were looking at him was weird.

    Yesterday many didn''t even seem to know him, but today they were avoiding him.

    ''Did I overdo it?''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t think that the guy from yesterday would spill the secret of his cultivation.

    ''I was just having a bit of funˇ­ Sighˇ­''

    He shook his head and headed for the Elder''s Hall.

    Each peak had an Elder''s Hall, and this was the ce where the Elder''s managed, lived, and cultivated in the respective peaks.

    These halls were mostly situated at the base of the peaks because that would make them closer to the first and second floors of the peak - and on these floors were their cultivation abodes, with the highest Qi Density of the peaks.

    Soon, after walking down the slope, Ye Tian Yun reached in front of a two-storey building at the base of the Seventh Peak.

    When Ye Tian Yun had firste here for the Inner Court Token, the way to the Inner Court was also through this floor; however, that way waster closed.

    And the one which Ye Tian Yun was currently using opened away from the peak.

    Ye Tian Yun took a light breath and headed inside the Elder''s Hall.

    The hall was pretty huge, with high ceilings and even exquisite designs.

    There were three to four tables arranged at different corners of the hall, and on the other side of each table was an elder.

    There was a small queue of disciples in front of the elders.

    Just like Ye Tian Yun, they too must havee here to ask for something or put out their grievances, or maybe bring up a request.

    Ye Tian Yun went to the shortest queue and stood at thest.

    After about ten minutes, his turn finally came.

    "Greetings, Elder," Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists.

    The Elder just waved at him and asked, "What is it?"

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "Elder, I need to go back to my n."

    The Elder frowned and shook his head, "No. You can take up missions and all, but you can''t take a leave right now. There are few things that the higher-ups are currently nning to do, and they don''t want the disciples to go back to their ns just yet."

    Ye Tian Yun requested once again, "Elder, there is an emergency, and I must take my leave."

    "Hm," The Elder frowned and asked,"What is the emergency?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Elder, I am sure you must have already heard about the war. My n is directly affected by the war, and my presence is a must."

    "Which n are you from?"

    "Fang n, from the Capital City."

    "Oh, wait, are you the son of the Prime Minister?" The Elder asked in surprise.

    "Elder, do you know me?" Ye Tian Yun was also surprised at his words.

    ''I kept a low profile, and there''s no way he even knows me personally. Is the Fang n that famous?''

    "Well, you''re pretty well known among us," The Elder replied, "All Elders were surprised at your admission into the sect and even more shocked by your performance in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt. What''s your name? Fang Chen?"

    "Yes, Elder. I am indeed Fang Chen." Ye Tian Yun replied with a smile.

    "Hm, alright," The Elder nodded his head, "I understand. You do have a valid reason. The Fang n will definitely have to take part in the war one way or the other. So you will be taking leave till the war ends?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Indeed, Elder. If that is possible."

    "Alright," The Elder then scribbled something on the paper, "When are you nning to leave?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I would like to leave tomorrow."

    "Tomorrow?" The Elder frowned, "I will see what I can do. This paper needs to be signed by the Head Elder, and you know that the Head Elder is now also the Peak Master, so she will be too busy for a few days."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I can''t have any dys, Elder. There''s a chance I may be dispatched to the Southern Province by the King."

    "Oh?" The Elder suddenly frowned, "Hm, if that''s the case, then I think you won''t face any trouble."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this. ''Is King Xin''s influence that high in the Gracious Sword Sect?''

    As if reading his mind, the Elder smiled and replied, "It''s not because the Sect is afraid of the King, but because of the Royal Edict that has been issued."

    "A Royal Edict?" Ye Tian Yun was once again surprised.

    An Edict, be it Royal or imperial, holds a powerful influence over the region itmands. It''s something that everyone must respect, even though they are more powerful than the King himself.

    If they do not abide by it or are disrespectful, everyone else in the whole kingdom will unite against them.

    In simple words, this was aplicated matter.

    "What was in the Royal Edict?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    The Elder replied, "Basically, the King doesn''t wish for the sects and other ns to interfere or obstruct the main army or anyone who''s going to take part in the war."

    "That is why, if what you said is true, then the Gracious Sword Sect won''t obstruct your stay. We may not prefer the King, but the Sect will always respect a Royal Edict. Come back here after an hour. I will have it signed."

    Ye Tian Yun light nodded, "Thank you, Elder."

    ''This turned out to be easier than I thought.''

    The Elder nodded, "Alright, if there''s nothing else, then make way for the next disciple."

 Chapter 441 - 441 | Powerful Zheng Xiang

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he stepped out of the Elder''s Hall.

    Not because he was unsatisfied by the chat with the Elder he had just not, but because the looks and the stares from the few disciples were bugging him.

    Getting stared at wasn''t a new thing for Ye Tian Yun.

    In the Middle Heavens, he was no less than a celebrity.

    However, what bugged Ye Tian Yun was the fact that these disciples were ''avoiding'' him and ncing at him in ''fear.''

    ''The only thing I did was put a random disciple in his ce. What''s going on?''

    He couldn''t help but think that the disciples were overreacting too much.

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun walked ahead.

    However, just as he was about to enter the Inner Court once again, he encountered an acquaintance.

    Hou Xing.

    This disciple hated Fang Chen and was the prospective top disciple among the Outer Court Disciples before the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    Unfortunately, he encountered the anomaly, Ye Tian Yun, and had to satisfy himself with second ce.

    In the Heaven''s Grace Banquet organized by Yuan Shuchun about two months ago, he was the one whom Jun Xie chose to irritate Ye Tian Yun after knowing that thetter knew more about him than himself.

    ˇ­

    In the stairway, both of them stared at each other for a moment, and surprisingly, Ye Tian Yun didn''t see any hatred in Hou Xing''s eyes.

    In fact, Hou Xing turned his head to the other side and tried to pass by.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and immediately turned around.

    Putting his hands around Hou Xing''s shoulders, he asked, "Where are you running?"

    Hou Xing frowned and pushed him away, "Fang Chen, I don''t care how powerful your friend is, but I would warn you not to cross me. I am not the same Hou Xing who came second to you in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt."

    "Hm? Are you not?" Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "And here I thought I met my old talented friend. It turns out it was just a random disciple."

    "Hmph! Who''s your friend?" Hou Xing sneered, "You really think I will forget all the humiliation I have suffered because of you?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Alright, calm down, peanut butter. First, tell me, what''s going on? Which powerful friend are you talking about?"

    Hou Xing frowned at him, "You don''t know?"

    "If I knew, why would I even bother asking you?"

    "Hm, true. Well, it''s your friend Zheng Xiang. The guy who was sitting beside you in the Heaven''s Grace Banquet. He''s taking all the challengesing at you."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was confused, "What got into that guy? And what challenges?"

    Hou Xing frowned, "We both are living in the same world, right? Howe you don''t know something important rted to yourself, but the whole Seventh Peak knows?"

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by his words, "Exin to me, what''s going on? I really have no idea what you are talking about."

    Hou Xing shook his head and replied, "Well, I am sure you at least know about the challenges that disciples receive from the disciples on the higher floor."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head. The random disciple from yesterday was also talking about challenges for the cultivation abode. Then when he first came to the sect, he also met another random hobo who was after his cultivation sect.

    "So what about it?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Hou Xing shrugged, "Well, your friend Zheng Xiang is taking challenges on your behalf."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "But that still doesn''t exin what''s making the disciples afraid of me."

    Hou Xing smiled, "They are not afraid of you. They are afraid of your friend Zheng Xiang. That guy has shaken everyone."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    "Yeah," Hou Xing nodded, "I had the same reaction when I first heard of this."

    "What did Zheng Xiang do?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Hou Xing replied with an unhidden envy, "He defeated every challenger. He''s from the Seventh Floor but has defeated everyone on that floor. I mean, almost everyone. And then he created an open challenge and defeated not only the Sixth but even some of the Fifth Floor disciples!"

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    This part wasn''t any surprise for Ye Tian Yun.

    Zheng Xiang''s cultivation right now was at the peak of Fifth Level Qi Condensation Realm.

    It wasn''t going to be hard for him to take on the disciples from the Fifth Floor.

    Hou Xing was confused when he didn''t see the reaction he was expecting on Ye Tian Yun''s face.

    After a moment of thought, he added, "I am pretty sure he''s taking on the challenges non-stop. And this fact is what had shocked everyone on the Seventh Peak."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrows, "Are you telling me that Zheng Xiang took on the people who wanted to challenge me, then took on the disciples from Sixth and Fifth floor non-stop, and everything regarding this incident spread through the whole Peak - everything happened just in less than a day?"

    Hou Xing nodded, "Yep, this is why there''s currently a hype. And the reason why they are avoiding you is that Zheng Xiang had imed that you could easily defeat him. And after iming this, he defeats the opponents."

    "Other than this, there''s also a rumor that some random disciple challenged you yesterday but ended up unconscious after pissing in his pants with a single smile from you."

    "Hm? This much happened?" Ye Tian Yun didn''t remember the reaction from that disciple being this much.

    Hou Xing shrugged, "I know it''s an exaggeration, but these disciples would rather believe in bullshit than eat to prove it a lie."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "True. So, where is he taking the challenges?"

    "In the Battle Arena, of course."

    "Let''s go there then," Ye Tian Yun said. He needed to waste an hour anyway by the time the Elder arranges permission for him to leave.

    Hou Xing shrugged, "Alright. I was nning to head there anyway."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, and soon both of them were in front of the Battle Arena.

 Chapter 442 - 442 | Battle Arenas; Permission Granted

    Gracious Sword Sect had nine peaks, and seven of them were disciple peaks.

    And each of these seven peaks had a Battle Arena.

    There was a huge hall on the other side of the peaks. And in this hall, there were many elevated tforms where the disciples sparred among themselves.

    As suggested by its name, this ce was usually the go-to ce for all disciples to clear their grudges.

    The disciples would battle among themselves and settle their disputes.

    However, this was not the main use of this ce.

    This ce was also the hotspot for disciples to ept or give challenges to fellow disciples for better cultivation abodes.

    asionally, there would be cases where a disciple who was considered weak but had a cultivation abode on the lower floor would get challenged by a powerful disciple from the higher floor.

    This usually gave two results: the supposed weak disciples lost as expected, or there was a miracle, and the powerful disciples had their ass kicked out of the arena.

    But today was a special case in the Battle Arena, and this had attracted the attention of many Inner and Outer Court disciples.

    Today, instead of the supposed weak disciple, there was a friend of his, who imed to be even weaker than the aforementioned disciple.

    And now, this friend was epting challenges from all the people.

    He first defeated the direct challenger. It should be mentioned that he only took one move to defeat them all and never even took considerable breaks.

    After that, he simply said it was his turn, and then he began to issue challenges.

    He first defeated the disciples from his friend''s floor and then even defeated many of the disciples from a higher floor.

    This gave him a meteoric rise from nowhere.

    The disciple was called Zheng Xiang, a disciple mainly known for being one of the dark-horses in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    And his supposedly weak friend was Fang Chen, the famous ipetent young master of the Fang n from Capital City, and also the biggest dark horse in the Inner Court Entrance Hunt.

    Thud!

    "Woooo!"

    Cheers echoed throughout the battle arena as Zheng Xiang threw another disciple out of the tform.

    "Anyone else?"

    He called out, staring at the disciples around the tform.

    Suddenly his eyesnded on two disciples behind the crowd.

    A smile formed on his face as he jumped down.

    As the crowd made way for Zheng Xiang while congratting him, he moved towards the two disciples.

    "Haha, Brother Fang didn''t expect to see you here!" He smiled as he stood in front of the two disciples.

    These two were, of course, Ye Tian Yun and Hou Xing.

    "What has gotten into you?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    "I was just keeping my side of the deal." Zheng Xiang shrugged.

    "Which deal?" Ye Tian Yun asked. Just then, something dawned upon him, "Oh, thatˇ­ I thought you were just kidding."

    Zheng Xiangughed, "Hehe, how could I joke around on this matter! The pills are important for my cultivation."

    "What are you guys talking about?" Hou Xing asked. He couldn''t make head or tail of what Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang were talking about.

    Zheng Xiang nced at him and revealed the gist of the matter, "Well, I made a deal with him, and for that, I will be getting resources."

    Hou Xing gave him a disdainful nce, "So you sold yourself to this guy? I know Fang n has a lot of resources, but what you did is pretty shameful."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes at Hou Xing''s words, "Have you never heard of ''gaurds''?"

    Not waiting for Hou Xing''s response, Ye Tian Yun turned his attention to Zheng Xiang and asked, "How many battles did you fight?"

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "I don''t know. We need to check the records."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Let''s check."

    "Hm?" Zheng Xiang frowned, "Why bother with them? The fights weren''t hard."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "I know, but I want to see something."

    Zheng Xiang shrugged at this, "Alright, follow me to the Arena Elders."

    Each Battle Arena had many tforms, and each tform had an assigned Elder who proctored the battles and spars between the disciples.

    These elders also had records of all the fights that the disciples took part in.

    Zheng Xiang''s battles were no different.

    "104 Battles. All Won."

    Zheng Xiang said with a smug smile.

    He, himself, was surprised that he had fought so many battles. But he didn''t show it on his face.

    "That''s a good record," Even Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but appreciate this.

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "Well, it wasn''t much."

    Hou Xing, however, had a much more exaggerated reaction.

    "Hundred and four battles! What the fuck are you? A mechanical puppet!?"

    Zheng Xiang gave him a smug look, "It wasn''t much."

    Ye Tian Yun then turned towards the elder and asked, "Elder, are there any rewards for the disciples who won the challenges?"

    The Elder shook his head, "No. Since the disciples can also fix these battles to leech off sect resources."

    "Hm, fair enough," Ye Tian Yun nodded, and then ncing at Zheng Xiang, he asked, "You got anything else to do?"

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "Nah, I am just rxing these days."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Let''s enjoy spar on other tforms then. I got one hour to spend, let''s see."

    "Alright."

    Zheng Xiang followed him, Hou Xing not far from them.

    ˇ­

    About an hourter.

    Ye Tian Yun returned to the Elder''s Hall and talked with the Elder.

    "I talked with the Peak Master." The Elder said.

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "What was her response?"

    The Elder replied with a smile, "She just said to be careful in the war, and don''t lose your focus from cultivation."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and cupped his fists, "Thank you, Elder."

    "Ah, it was nothing. I already told you, the Sect will respect the Royal Edict."

 Chapter 443 - 443 | Parting Gift

    "You''re leaving the sect?" Zheng Xiang eximed as the three of them got out of the Elder''s Hall.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yes. The war might break out anytime now, so I must get back to the Fang n to help in any way I can."

    "Did the n Head call you?" Hou Xing quipped in front behind.

    He was the scion of Hou n, which was one of the ns under the Fang n. If Fang n''s young master was called, it wouldn''t be long before he was called back too.

    This was why he was curious about the state of the n.

    "I am going on my own," Ye Tian Yun revealed, "I will take my time before I get back to the Fang n, but yeah, I am mainly going there to help my n Head."

    "Hm," Hou Xing nodded his head.

    No matter how much Hou Xing hated Fang Chen or the Fang n, but he would not step back when ites to his duty as a part of the Hou n.

    "I will most probably be called back soon too." He added.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged. He didn''t care about whoes or who doesn''t.

    "I will head back to the Cultivation abode then," Ye Tian Yun said. But suddenly, he remembered something, and then ncing at Zheng Xiang, he said, "Follow me the Sixth Floor first."

    "Alright," Zheng Xiang nodded.

    Hou Xing quipped, "I will be heading to the Second Peak. See youter, Zheng Xiang. And see you never, Fang Chen."

    "This guyˇ­" Zheng Xiangughed as he shook his head.

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Staring at the disappearing back of Hou Xing, Zheng Xiang asked, "Do you both really hate each other?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    "I don''t care about him, and he doesn''t hate me."

    "Oh? How do you know?" Zheng Xiang was curious.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Would you believe me if I said it was written on his face?"

    Zheng Xiang rolled his eyes, "Alright, no need to tell."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    He wasn''t lying or trying to sound mysterious.

    [Hou Xing. 3 Stars Favourability. Wishes to be your friend but doesn''t like your conceited and arrogant nature.]

    This was the prompt on You Xing''s head.

    ''Is that guy a masochist?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''tprehend.

    Fang Chen never likes Hou Xing. To him, thattter was a nuisance.

    Yet from the favourability on his head, it was evident that Hou Xing still wished to be his friend.

    ''He''s either a masochist, or he''s scheming something.''

    ''Well, I don''t think I will be meeting him any time soon.''

    ˇ­

    After about ten or so minutes, both of them finally reached Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation abode.

    "You didn''t say anything on the way. You gonna still remain quite?" Zheng Xiang asked.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, and after opening the door, he nced at Zheng Xiang and said, "Wait here for a moment; I will be back."

    Thud!

    The door closed.

    Zheng Xiang simply nodded and leaned on the balcony in front of him and stared down at the end of the Seventh Peak.

    ''Will I survive if I jumped down?''

    He couldn''t help but think of this question every time he looked down.

    "Here."

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun called him from behind.

    "Oh, I didn''t notice," Zheng Xiang turned around and saw a pouch in Ye Tian Yun''s hands.

    "What''s this?" He asked while taking it from Ye Tian Yun.

    "The pills. Since you took care of your deal, here''s my part."

    "Oh! Thank you!!" Zheng Xiang''s face glowed with surprise and gratitude.

    Ye Tian Yun simply nodded, "I will ask about your bloodline, but I can''t really promise."

    "It''s alright," Zheng Xiang simply waved his hands, "These pills will allow me to get more opportunities to explore my bloodline. By the way, how about Ie with you to the Fang n? It will be a win-win situation for both of us."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Not now. If you wish toe,e after three months."

    "Alright," Zheng Xiang nodded his head, "I will be there unless the Sect Leader puts another lockdown."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Up to you."

    Just as he was about to turn around, Zheng Xiang asked him about something.

    "Fang Chen, what do you think of Gao Xuan''s im?"

    "Hm? Which one?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Gao Xuan talked about lots of things.

    "The one where he said there would be some trouble on the Gracious Sword Sect. Was he bluffing, or was he serious?"

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "What do you think?"

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "I don''t know, it''s just I don''t know why, but I think he was serious at that time."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Actually, something will happen. It''s just that I am not sure if it will be in the next few weeks or if it will be during the Great Spirit Hunt."

    "Ohˇ­ what do you think I should do?" Zheng Xiang asked.

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "If the sect is under attack, don''t be an idiot by sacrificing your life. You don''t have to hug death if there''s a chance of escaping. Never forget that you can always take revenge for the sect once you''re powerful enough."

    "Hm," Zheng Xiang nodded his head, "Your words are not the ideal ones, but they do make some sense."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "When the timees, it will all depend on what choices you make. See ya then."

    Zheng Xiang slowly nodded as he saw Ye Tian Yun head back to this cultivation abode.

    Soon, he too headed left. But this time not to the Seventh, but on the Fifth Floor, after all, he had defeated some powerful Fifth Floor disciples for their cultivation abodes.

    ˇ­

    The next day, Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes after cultivating for the whole night.

    ''One more day before Butler Liu arrives at the Southern Gate. Let''s go.''

 Chapter 444 - 444 | Preparations

    Tap-tap-tap

    Ye Tian Yun entered Stone Mountain Town at the Southern Border of the Gracious Sword Sect.

    This was the same town where Ye Tian Yun had disguised as Shu Xian more than two months ago for the secret mission and headed towards the Silver Mist City alongside other members of the Gracious Sword Sect and the Fu n.

    Today, however, he hade alone.

    ''Tomorrow Butler Liu will arrive. I should prepare myself.''

    Even though he trusted Butler Liu with his life, Ye Tian Yun wouldn''t reveal all his trump cards in front of him.

    For instance, if Ye Tian Yun were toe out of the Gracious Sword Sect on the exact day that he was supposed to meet Butler Liu, his fake identity as Fang Chen may have beenpromised.

    ''I don''t want anyone two know about me disguising myself as Fang Chen.''

    There was still a lot of use for him in Fang Chen''s disguise.

    ''That is why I need to keep it a secret. However, Ye Tian Yun could use a different identity for now.''

    For instance, Kai Yang''s identity.

    When he met his father and Butler Liu in the Silver Mist City, Ye Tian Yun was semi disguised.

    His perfect Kai Yang disguise had cracked because of constant fighting and going all out, showing a bit of his original face.

    Fortunately, this state of his was only witnessed by his Father and Butler Liu.

    Long after they had left, Ye Tian Yun got trapped in the Strange Space and changed back to Kai Yang aftering out.

    ''Butler Liu knows my disguise as Kai Yang... I can try that.''

    ''Oh no, wait, why is there even a need for a disguise?''

    This was a good question.

    He was not going on a secret mission, in fact, he had to make his presence known.

    ''I wonder if the System has already brainwashed the young Wang Yao?''

    Frankly, Ye Tian Yun didn''t care.

    His goal was to be a genuine Heavenly Emperor, and for that, he would have to defeat and crush all the geniuses of his generation - be it friends or foes.

    ''But no, I shouldn''t act rashly. There is no reason for Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun to appear in this ce out of nowhere. Even though I am sure no one will recognize me, there''s still that slight chance.''

    ''I can''t make Heavenly Oracle Sect suspicious of meˇ­.''

    The Heavenly Oracle Sect''s people were a hidden enemy with a knife in their hand. They were ready to slit Ye Tian Yun''s throat at a moment''s notice.

    ''They didn''t even bother to inform my father about the prophecy. It''s quite clear that they don''t hold him in high regard and want to increase their own powers secretly.''

    While thinking this, Ye Tian Yun entered one of the taverns in the town.

    This wasn''t the most luxurious or most eye-catching, but it was enough for Ye Tian Yun to stay at night.

    ''I don''t want to get useless attention on me anywayˇ­.''

    With this thought, Ye Tian Yun headed towards the tavern owner and booked a room for himself.

    "Don''t let anyone enter." Putting a few extra low-tier spiritual stones, Ye Tian Yun added, "I don''t want to be disturb."

    "Yes-Yes, Young Master!" The Tavern Owner was naturally happy with the extra ie, "Please follow me, Young Master."

    He then took Ye Tian Yun to the top floor - the Third floor.

    "There are five VIP rooms here, Young Master; you can choose any of them. And I promise no one will disturb you. However, what about your meals?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No need for meals. Just don''t let anyone disturb me."

    "Alright, Young Master." The Tavern Owner nodded with a small smile and handed out the room''s key, which Ye Tian Yun had chosen for himself.

    Ye Tian Yun took the keys as the Tavern Owner continued to smile at him and only left after the former had shut the door on his face.

    ˇ­.

    Inside the room, Ye Tian Yun began to prepare for a change of disguise.

    After about thirty or so minutes, Ye Tian Yun was ready in Kai Yang''s disguise, including the Core Court disciple robes.

    ''I need to waitˇ­.''

    Once he was ready, Ye Tian Yun then sat down cross-legged on the surface and focused on cultivation.

    ''I am already at the very peak of Foundation Establishment; cultivating anymore isn''t having much effect.''

    However, Ye Tian Yun still continued to cultivate.

    After all, something was better than nothing.

    After about ten hours, the sun had once again gone to sleep, and the moon was shining lighting over the whole town.

    Ye Tian Yun slowly opened the door of his window, and in the next moment, he had disappeared.

    ˇ­.

    About five minutester, Ye Tian Yun appeared at the gates of another tavern.

    Heading inside, he again booked the top floor and even tipped the Tavern Owner, indicating to him not to disturb his night''s rest.

    This Tavern Owner too immediately obliged.

    Ye Tian Yun gave him a slight nod and went to his room.

    Tomorrow morning Butler Liu will arrive at the Town, and then both of them will head towards Crimson Bay City.

    ˇ­

    The night passed in a blink of an eye, and the sun stretched itself after a long night''s rest, illuminating the morning sky with an orange-red hue.

    Ye Tian Yun pushed open the windows of his tavern and stared at the view in front of him.

    ''I wonder how Butler Liu will find me?''

    They had not discussed this, but Ye Tian Yun felt that Butler Liu would definitely be able to recognize his aura and trace him within this small town.

    Currently, only Ye Tian Yun''s face was that of Kai Yang''s, but the cultivation and the aura were different.

    And just as he had expected, Butler Liu did find him.

    A middle-aged man was on the top of the tavern that was right on the other side of the road.

    When Ye Tian Yun had eye contact with him, both of them couldn''t help but inexplicably smile at each other.

 Chapter 445 - 445 | Meeting Butler Liu Once Again

    "Haha, I knew you would recognize me, Butler Liu." Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smile as he stood in front of Butler Liu.

    He had left the tavern and then met with Butler Liu outside.

    "Ah, how could I not know your presence, Crown Prince." Butler Liu only gave a light smile.

    "Hehe, I know," Ye Tian Yun felt rxed around Butler Liu, "Where should we head first?"

    "Hm," Butler Liu thought of something and said, "First, let''s go back to your Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Hm!?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this, "Why do we need to go back to the Sect?"

    Butler Liu smiled, "You will know soon, Crown Prince. But first, we should do something about your sect."

    "Ah, yes. I can''t go back in this disguise," Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded his head.

    Butler Liu suddenly smiled and snapped his finger.

    Ye Tian Yun felt a light wave pass through him, and in the next moment, everything came to a standstill.

    "What''s going on?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    Butler Liu smiled, "One of my little tricks."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Ah, the illusion!"

    "Haha, and here I thought you forgot about it, Crown Prince."

    Yes. Butler Liu was an expert when ites to putting illusions; in fact, he is also a powerful alchemist.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t usually keep this in mind because Butler Liu rarely showcased his powers and was extremely low profile.

    ''Like father, like son.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think of this.

    "Butler Liu, there''s a saying the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree. Jun Xie is also very talented when ites to spiritual sense and alchemy. I can see where he got those."

    "Haha, he''s my son after all,'' Butler Liu shook his head.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and within minutes, he had his disguise removed and robes chance.

    After so long, he was finally back in his real face.

    Suddenly, an imperial aura burst out of him, and in a matter of seconds, the whole air around him changed.

    It turned into more dignified, suppressing, and authoritative.

    "Yes, this is the Crown Prince that I know of!" Butler Liu smiled.

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged at this.

    In his natural appearance, he was muchxer, and his aura was unrestrained.

    "Thisˇ­" Suddenly Butler Liu noticed something that shocked him to the core, "Foundation Establishment Realm!"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I got lucky."

    ''You call this just luck? What the fuckˇ­ didn''t he just broke through the Qi Condensation Realm just a few months back? That was already amazing... ''

    "Crown Prince, for you to reach the Third Realm of the Foundation Establishment Realm, I must say I am really proud of your aplishment."

    Ye Tian Yun simply smiled and shook his head, "It wasn''t much. Luck yed a huge part in this."

    "Crown Prince, luck is also a part of our cultivation journey." Butler Liu smiled at him.

    He was genuinely happy with Ye Tian Yun''s achievement.

    He knew that the other youngsters of Ye Tian Yun''s generation were still in the Tri-Qi Realm.

    Even those who were three to four years older than him.

    Only those who are now already eighteen years of age had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

    And it was a well-known fact that earlier one breaks through the Foundation Establishment Realm, higher is his cultivation.

    And here, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun had broken through this realm before he even turned fifteen.

    "I think it''s still a few months before you turn Fifteen, Young Master." Butler Liu praised him even more, and Ye Tian Yun could see the sincerity in his words. There was no bootlicking, only genuine emotions.

    Seeing Butler Liu''s reactions, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think what would have happened if Butler Liu knew that his actual cultivation realm was not the Third Level but the Peak of Foundation Establishment Realm.

    It was definitely beyond expectations. Even Butler Liu didn''t think that Ye Tian Yun was hiding his cultivation because the Third Level of Foundation Establishment was already very high.

    ''I am lucky that the System at least left behind quite a good number of Aura Suppressing Pills. This will help me a lot.''

    "Let''s head to the Sect first," Butler Liu said and started to rise above the ground.

    He was now flying in the air.

    Surprisingly, Ye Tian Yun also followed behind and rose in the air. He was curious as to why Butler Liu was heading to the sect. Nothing of such had happened in his previous life''s trip to bring the Ling n princess.

    However, he wasn''t doing this on his own.

    After all, Ye Tian Yun was just a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. He needed one more breakthrough before he could start flying on his own.

    It was Butler Liu who was using his cultivation prowess to make Ye Tian Yun fly alongside him.

    To do this, one needed to be at least in the Half-Saint Realm.

    Just as they had reached above Stone Mountain Town, Butler Liu remembered something.

    "Crown Prince, you should hide your cultivation."

    He had reflexively lowered his voice to let Ye Tian Yun know about the seriousness of the matter.

    "Lower than this?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    Butler Liu had a serious expression on his face, "Yes, Crown Prince. If this were a normal time, I wouldn''t have said anything about hiding your cultivation. However, some things have happened in the Great Ye n, and you need to hide your cultivation from the normal public."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this, "What happened!?"

    This was news for him. In his previous life, nothing short of such had happened.

    This was why Butler Liu''s words came as a surprise for him.

    "Crown Prince, you don''t have to worry about it," Unexpectedly, Butler Liu wasn''t nning to reveal any further details to him, "You already have the Emblem Of Time, which means you have a headstart against everyone else in your generation. This is the right time to strike and take an unsurpassable lead. Please don''t getcent."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    "Here," Butler Liu took out a bracelet from his spatial ring, "Please have this on you. This will help you suppress your cultivation level to Eight Level of Qi Condensation Realm."

    Ye Tian Yun put the bracelet in his hands.

    ''Come to think of it, wasn''t this the same cultivation lever I had when I met Wang Yao in my previous life?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but shake his head.

    However, he was more bothered by Butler Liu''s words.

    He had never heard or known about anything serious happening in the Great Ye n when he was of this age in his previous life.

    ''Since the current suppressed cultivation was my actual cultivation at that time, is that why Butler Liu or my father didn''t say anything about this?''

    Neither had he heard any rumors or even a slight ripple.

    ''I will have to look into this once I return to the Middle Heavensˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun''s curiosity was at its peak at this moment. He was more eager to return to the Middle Heavens than meeting the young Wang Yao.

 Chapter 446 - 446 | Stunned Gracious Sword Sect

    A/n: Rmended: Read Ch146 to get a recap on Sect Leader Su''s past that was revealed earlier.

    ...

    Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect was Su Ming.

    Born as amoner, he grew up to rule over his generation after a grace encounter with the previous Sect Leader.

    But then, after some incidents, he had be the biggest enemy of the Fang n from the capital city.

    One day while trying to meet his son, he had faced an ambush and had suffered from heavy injuries.

    This was not the first ambush he had faced; however, his master was not there to save him this time.

    He would have died if not for the timely intervention of a passerby.

    The fateful meeting with the passerby was a destiny-changing moment for him, and even today, Sect Leader Su would sigh every time he remembered that encounter.

    After the passersby healed the young Su Ming, Su Ming was ready to offer his services to him.

    No one knows if it was just a whim or that man saw something in Su Ming - but Su Ming soon found himself as a part of the most powerful army under the heavens - the Great Ye Corps.

    Second to none, the minimum requirement to be a part of this well-known army was Half-Saint Realm.

    Even the Half-Saint Realm cultivator was just a foot soldier in this army.

    As for a newbie Nascent Soul cultivator like Su Ming?

    He was just an errand boy for those bigshots.

    However, he never felt demotivated or ostracized.

    He very well understood the fact that in this world, the strong were right.

    Thus, instead of getting depression, he was instead motivated.

    Not to forget that he also had to take revenge against the Fang n in the Lower Heavens.

    The Great Ye Corps opened a whole new world for him.

    A world beyond the Middle Heavens.

    He then understood that for all his life, he had just been a frog in a well.

    But now, he wished to be a mingo.

    A mingo who wanted to fly across the sky and see every corner of this world.

    However, fate had other ns for him.

    After a certain devastating event, Su Ming, now one of the core members of the Great Ye Corps, was forced to return to his home, the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Within a few months of his arrival, he was crowned as the new Sect Leader and became a deafening force within the whole Xin Kingdom.

    Because of an injury, his powers were suppressed back to the Peak of Nascent Soul Realm, forcing him to close his thoughts on exacting revenge against the Fang n.

    Today was also one of those days.

    King Xin and Prime Minister Fang''s actions in thest few days were making Sect Leader Su, and he was trying hard to calm his urge of going to the Capital and one-shotting everyone to oblivion.

    ''Damn those bastards! First, they take my wife and son, and now they want to take my sect!? I will kill those fuckers with my bare handsˇ­''

    He was seething in rage as he stared at the piece of paper in front of him.

    It was thetest information he had just bought from one of the up anding information selling organizations called Nightcrawler Surveince Network.

    [A/n: Important organization.]

    In Front of him were the details of possible events that might happen in the next few weeks.

    If Ye Tian Yun were to read this paper, he would be surprised to see the simrities in the things here and the words said by Gao Xuan at the restaurant a few days ago.

    ''I need to call an urgent meeting.''

    Just as Sect Leader Su had decided upon the first step, an aura spread across the Gracious Sword Sect, thoroughly suppressing the disciples, elders, and even the Sect Leader.

    "Thisˇ­"

    Sect Leader Su''s expression changed from frown to anger and finally to shock.

    This was a familiar aura!

    ''He''s hereˇ­''

    He would never forget this aura. It was the exact same man who had once saved his life.

    "General Liuˇ­"

    A valiant and powerful figure appeared in his mind.

    The figure of a person who had once shocked the whole Upper Heavens, and his mere mention would make the enemy powers tremble in fear.

    He was the Lightning Monarch Liu Lei!

    [A/n: Lei means Thunder, Lightning.]

    Without another thought, Sect Leader Su instantly disappeared from his spot and appeared a few miles above the Gracious Sword Sect.

    He had already pinpointed the location of the source of that aura, and within an instant, he had zoomed in front of it.

    "Haha you brat Su Ming! Did you forget your daddy!" A jovial voice spread throughout the Gracious Sword Sect, shocking the disciples once again who had just regained theirposure.

    Thousands of heads raised towards the sky to find out the preparator.

    "Look there!"

    "There! There!"

    It didn''t take long for the keen-eyed disciples and elders to point to the man in question.

    Surprisingly he was not alone.

    There was someone else.

    And from the words he had just spoken, it was hard to judge whether the other party was an enemy or a friend.

    Even the two Grand Elders hade out and stared at the sky with a very serious expression.

    ''I can''t even see through the cultivation of that personˇ­.''

    Grand Elder Xuan Ren frowned.

    He felt powerless in front of the middle-aged man in the sky. And there was a teenager beside that man.

    ''He seems to be in theˇ­ Foundation Establishment Realm!''

    A fifteen-year-old Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator!

    What kind of concept was this!

    Looking carefully, he noticed an emblem on the shoulders of the middle-aged man.

    ''Great Ye n!''

    Grand Elder Xuan, who was very familiar with the powers of Middle Heavens, never missed that symbol.

    ''Then that means the boy beside that man isˇ­.''

    ''The legendary Crown Prince, Ye Tian Yun!''

    ''Why are they here? What are their connections with Su Ming?''

    Grand Elder Xuan felt a sense of urgency inside him. He needed to find everything about this as soon as possible and inform the young miss!

    However, Sect Leader Su was feeling the opposite.

    Instead of feeling urgency, he was very relieved.

    As soon as he appeared in front of the middle-aged man, Sect Leader Su immediately went for a hug and said, "Ah, Brother Liuˇ­ to think I would ever get a chance to meet you again!"

 Chapter 447 - 447 | Great Ye Corps And Their Unknown Mission

    "It''s been so many years; how have you been, Brother Liu? Did you recover? When did you return? How''s everyone else? Is there some emergency? Why did youe here? You could have just sent me a message."

    Meeting after so long, Sect Leader Su couldn''t help but bombard Butler Liu with numerous questions.

    "Alright, alright, calm down," Butler Liu put his hands on the shoulder of Sect Leader Su and said, "First of all, meet him," Gesturing at Ye Tian Yun, he said, "This is Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun. I am sure this introduction is enough for you."

    Sect Leader Su turned his head towards Ye Tian Yun, and his expression went from nonchnce to surprise and then finally to a huge smile.

    Cupping his fists at Ye Tian Yun, Sect Leader Su said, "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun. The rumors were not wrong; your talent and potential are unfathomable."

    He had already seen Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation as the Eight Level of Qi Condensation Realm.

    Ye Tian Yun returned the greeting with a slight smile, "The pleasure is all mine, Sect Leader Su."

    "Ha-ha, you don''t have to call me Sect Leader Su. Just call me Fifth Battalion Commander Su Ming; in fact, even Su Ming is no problem."

    "It''s an honor to meet you, Fifth Battalion Commander, Su Ming." Ye Tian Yun, this time cupped his fists and greeted with respect.

    Fifth Battalion.

    This was one of the twelve Battalions of the Great Ye Corps.

    ''Sect Leader Su wasmander in the Corps?''

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised at this revtion.

    ''I am pretty sure I never heard of such a thingˇ­.''

    ''If he was killed by Fang Chen in the pastˇ­ then howe no one from the Great Ye n investigated his deathˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t know the matters regarding the Great Ye Corps because it was his father''s private force, and only listened to the Emperor.

    ''They were nowhere to be found in theter years of my lifeˇ­.''

    It was as if this whole corps had vanished.

    And most surprisingly - even his father never mentioned them to him.

    But since Ye Tian Yun never had any direct connection with them in the first ce, he had no feeling about them.

    However, judging from the reaction of Sect Leader Su, it seemed the feeling was not mutual, and thismander actually held Ye Tian Yun in high regard.

    "What happened, Brother Liu?" After normal greetings, Sect Leader Su asked once again.

    Butler Liu thought for a moment and said, "Time hase, and you have been summoned."

    Sect Leader Su''s expression immediately hardened, "Brother, are we going toˇ­."

    "Yes." Butler Liu nodded his head, "And this time, we will kill every single of our enemies."

    Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Alright. I will prepare myself. What is the deadline?"

    "Deadline?" Butler Liu frowned, "Is there something bugging you?"

    "Nothing," Sect Leader Su shook his head, "Just a few Sect-rted stuff. Need to arrange things and put people in charge to handle the sect in my absence."

    "Hmm," Butler Liu nodded once again, "Alright,e to the ce within two weeks. Also, take this."

    He took out a box from his spatial ring and handed it over to Sect Leader Su, "Now you don''t have to worry about those injuries. I got this especially for you."

    Sect Leader Su''s expression turned into that of a surprise, "Woah! Thank you once again, Brother Liu! You always have my back!"

    "Haha, it''s nothing," Butler Liu changed the topic, and with a serious face, he said, "Don''t reveal your cultivation just yet. No need to tell everyone about your cultivation realm; you can handle the Lower Heavens matters once you''re back."

    "Alright," Sect Leader Su smiled, "I have waited for fifteen years. I can wait for a few more months."

    "Hmm, good." Butler Liu nodded his head, "See youter then. Don''t bete; you''re one of the few who are living in farthest corners of the world."

    "I won''t bete. Don''t worry, Brother Liu."

    "Alright. I will head back then." Butler Liu said.

    And just as he was about to turn around, Sect Leader Su suddenly said, "Brother Liu, are you in a hurry? Why don''t you visit my Gracious Sword Sect for some time?"

    "Not now. I have something important to handle. And by the time Ie back here, you will be long gone. It looks like I will only be able to visit here when things are settled and the order is restored."

    "Hm," Sect Leader Su nodded and cupped his fists in the direction of the two disappearing backs at the horizon.

    ˇ­

    After a few minutes, both Butler Liu and Ye Tian Yun finally slowed down their pace.

    They had traveled hundreds of miles within a few minutes and were only a few hour''s jourjourneysney away from their destination, the Crimson Bay City.

    "What were you both talking about? Which enemy? What order?" Ye Tian Yun asked to douse the bulbing curiosity,

    "It''s aplicated matter," Butler Liu said, "And I am not the right person to reveal anything."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was confused, "Then who should I ask? My father?"

    And seeing Butler Liu slightly nod his head, Ye Tian Yun was even more surprised, "Really!?"

    "Yes, Crown Prince," Butler Liu replied, "Only he can tell you the truth."

    "Weird... "Ye Tian Yun shrugged. It was clear that Butler Liu was most likely trying to keep his mouth shut; that is why he concocted the ''only he can tell you'' bullshit.

    "By the way, Butler Liu, how do you know Sect Leader Su? Are you also amander?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    The information regarding the Great Ye Corps was one of the most well-kept secrets of the Great Ye n. Even Ye Tian Yun was not privy of these matters.

    "Yes, I am." Butler Liu nodded and confirmed his rtion with Sect Leader Su, "I met Su Ming by coincidence when I passed through a forest. He was injured but then his determination and will to kill his enemies was strong enough to impress me. That is why I took him with me. To heal him and make him part of the Great Ye n."

    "Butler Liu, what is Sect Leader Su''s real cultivation?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Hmˇ­ it should be the Peak Saint Realm. This fellow is really talented." Butler Liu nodded his head appreciating Sect Leader Su''s hard work.

    ''Peak Saint Realm!?''

    Ye Tian Yun however was surprised to hear this.

    ''This is even higher than my peak cultivation in the previous life.''

    Ye Tian Yun was at Half-Saint Realm, and Sect Leader Su is already at the Peak of Saint Realm.

    However, to kill Ye Tian Yun, it took the whole God''s Legion.

    But when ites to Sect Leader Su, things were a bit different.

    As per the records and different sources of information, it was clear that Fang Chen had killed Sect Leader Su with his bare hands in the previous life.

    ''How in the world did Fang Chen seed?''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t have an answer.

    But he was sure that luck yed a huge part in this.

    ''Maybe Sect Leader Su was injured aftering from the mission with the other Great Ye Corp members.''

    ''But then - what is this mission about? Enough to easily crush a Saint Realm powerhouse and why did it feel like the Great Ye Corps was addicted to this mission!

 Chapter 448 - 448 | The Infamous Young Master Wang Yao

    After about six hours, Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu reached Crimson Bay.

    Known as the biggest trading center of the whole Xin Kingdom, this ce was one of the major ports in terms of economy andmerce.

    Usually, it would have been the likes of major ns from the Capital City calling shots here. However, this was not the case.

    The epicenter of the hugemerce hub was the Crimson Bay City, which was under themand of City Lord Wang - a mortal.

    About sixteen years ago, the small Wang n came to this city, and after sixteen years, it had built a very powerful base for itself.

    City Lord Wang Long had a very weird path.

    When he first made a name for himself, the rival ns didn''t put him in their eyes.

    Mainly because they couldn''t sense any cultivation from him, thus directlybeling him as a mortal in their minds.

    However, within a few weeks, even the most powerful n, for some unknown reason, didn''t wish to offend the Wang n.

    Soon even the Capital City ns didn''t interfere with the Wang n business. In fact, they even went a step further and promoted Master Wang to City Lord Wang!

    City Lord Wang surprisingly didn''t create any trouble for them. Instead, he had amicable rtions with everyone in the city.

    Under hismand, Crimson City rose to prominence and became one of the biggestmercial hubs of the Xin Kingdom.

    However, not everything about the Wang n was great. While the City Lord and his wife were well known for their deposition and humble nature - their son was the exact opposite.

    Young Master Wang Yao.

    Hedonistic sex fiend of the Wang n.

    Always chasing skirts and running rampant throughout Crimson City.

    He took the city as his ygrounds and everyone in it as his servants.

    Even though he didn''t have any cultivation, no one dared to offend him.

    It was unknown whether he had really molested girls of his age or not. There was rarely anyone who had a favorable impression.

    But there was indeed one person who only saw the best of him - his childhood sweetheart Ling Qing''er.

    No one knew about her background, but everyone knew that if Wang Yao was somewhere, then Ling Qing''er was nearby.

    Even though she had never encouraged Wang Yao in his antics, she had also never stopped him from doing things on a whim.

    This troublemaker duo was always rampant throughout the city.

    And everyone knew that the only way to not entangle with them was to avoid them.

    However, not everyone would take insults and harassment. There were always some people who would not back down when it came to suppressing Wang Yao from his antics.

    Still, because of the overprotective nature of the Wang n, no one dared to harm Wang Yao.

    However, thest few weeks were not the same.

    About three weeks ago, an incident happened, and as a result, Wang Yao was thoroughly beaten up by unknown assants.

    He was on the verge of life and death.

    Lying unconscious for days, it was unknown when he would wake up.

    Fortunately, after about ten days, Wang Yao woke up.

    But something worth noting happened - he woke up as a changed person.

    Ever since he woke up, he didn''t go out to create trouble.

    Some said he had finallye to his senses, while others said it was just an act because he was afraid of going out.

    Then one day, when he came out of the n, some young master of arandom n insulted and mocked him.

    What happened next spread throughout the city like a wildfire.

    That random young master was beaten to a pulp by Young Master Wang.

    But this was not shocking enough.

    The thing that made everyone''s head turn was Wang Yao''s cultivation.

    Third Level Of Qi Refining Realm!

    One must know that just a few weeks ago, Wang Yao was a mortal.

    And not to forget that he was also unconscious, so it was impossible for him to cultivate in that time.

    So technically, Wang Yao had reached the Third Realm of Qi Refining in just four days!

    This was insane!

    On top of that, Wang n was just a normal n. They didn''t even care much about the tributes from other ns and lived a normal life.

    This was why things were pretty shocking for Crimson Bay.

    Though not everyone believed it, some said an artifact was used, others imed someone had helped him, but still, everyone knew that Young Master Wang Yao was now a changed person.

    He was now a cultivator!

    "A few more kill points, and I will be able to reach the next level!"

    A youth draped in violet robes said with a relieved smile on his face.

    This was the infamous Young Master Wang Yao, and he was preparing for another breakthrough.

    This was just the fifth day since he woke up, and he was already close to his fourth breakthrough!

    If this fact got out, the whole world would be shaken because even Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was not so talented.

    After killing beasts in the nearby spirit forest of the Crimson City, Wang Yao returned to the Wang n''s Moon Lake Estate, which was now also known as the City Lord Estate.

    While everyone was curious about what had happened to Young Master Wang, only he knew what was going on.

    Heˇ­ was not the same Wang Yao.

    The actual Wang Yao was long dead.

    He was from a blue called Earth!

    His name was also Wang Yao, and his world was simr to this universe.

    The only difference was there was no cultivation.

    Well, cultivation did exist, but only in web novels.

    ''I surprisingly transmigrated in a cultivation world and even got my golden finger - the so-called Emblem System!''

    Wang Yao clearly remembered the incredible robotic voice which had shaken him to the core after he had just regained hisposure from the shock of knowing that he had transmigrated!

    Ding!

    [Initiating System]

    [Loading 0%... 3%... 21%... 46%... 87%...]

    [100%]

    [Initiation Sess]

    [Dear Host, you have unlocked the Emblem System!]

 Chapter 449 - 449 | Ye Tian Yuns Request

    "This is it."

    Butler Liu stood a few miles in front, away from Crimson City. And Ye Tian Yun was beside him.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    He nced at Butler Liu to look at his expression.

    ''We stopped a few miles away from Crimson City in my previous life too.''

    At that time, Butler Liu had said he was simply sightseeing before he approached the city. However, now that Ye Tian Yun carefully observed Butler Liu''s expressionˇ­

    It was clear that he was not sightseeing.

    Instead, Butler Liu was surprisingly nervous!

    ''What is he nervous about?''

    Ye Tian Yun had a guess, but he wasn''t sure.

    In front of them was Crimson City.

    The only person who could make Butler Liu nervous was Ye Tian Yun''s uncle - Wang Long.

    Wang Long was the younger brother of Emperor Ye and also the Heavenly King of the previous generation.

    Only those who had reached the top of the Middle Heavens Ranking Stele, with the cultivation of at minimum Half Saint realm and more importantly were Emblem Holders, was crowned as the Heavenly Kings.

    And the reason why he had a different surname was not known to many.

    Even Ye Tian Yun had never bothered to find out. The only thing he knew was that his uncle Wang Long was banished from the Great Ye n because of past incidents and had to give up on the Ye surname.

    The details of the incidents were never made public, and even in the Great Ye n, this was a taboo topic.

    His uncle Wang Long then settled in the Lower Heavens and took his wife''s surname.

    ''When I visited this ce for the first time in my previous lifeˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun clearly remembered the day. The memory was etched in his mind as if it had happened just yesterday.

    On that fateful day, Ye Tian Yun had arrived at Crimson City with Butler Liu.

    However, because Ye Tian Yun was forced toe here, he was not happy with it. And for some reason, Wang Yao''s antics annoyed him a lot.

    In anger, he beat up Wang Yao, and this angered his aunt, Mrs. Wang.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, wasn''t afraid of them and even insulted her.

    After that, his uncle Wang Long had expressed his disappointment in his upbringing, angering Ye Tian Yun even further.

    ''Ah, I don''t want to remember that dayˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t understand what had happened. Now that he remembered the incident, he felt embarrassed for himself.

    ''I wonder how things will turn out this time?''

    He was curious and was somewhat even looking forward to the meeting.

    Even though the desire to kill Wang Yao had not been extinguished, however, Ye Tian Yun knew that he could not kill Wang Yao.

    At least, not just yet.

    His uncle was a big block of protection on Wang Yao.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t even touch Wang Yao today.

    ''Now that I think of it, Uncle Long never appeared in any of my battles with Wang Yao, neither did my aunt. It was as if they had disappeared in thest few yearsˇ­''

    There were a lot of unanswered questions for Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Truth will eventuallye outˇ­''

    "Let''s go." Ye Tian Yun suddenly heard Butler Liu''s call and found his body more forward, closely following the former.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and focused on the destination.

    ''Ling Qing''erˇ­.''

    This girl was his future sister-inw and then his wife-to-be.

    And also the reason why he was here with Butler Liu.

    One would wonder why the Crown Prince would go himself to bring a child from the Lower Heavens.

    Was he an errand boy?

    Was there no one else?

    It was hard to tell.

    However, Ye Tian Yun knew the answer very well.

    It was because of this girl''s sister.

    The girl Ye Tian Yun didn''t even wish to think about.

    Emperor Ye had asked Ye Tian Yun toe here to show the Great Ling n their sincerity for the betrothal.

    Ye Tian Yun still remembered the trigger for Wang Yao''s enmity was when it was revealed that Ye Tian Yun would marry the Ling n Princess.

    Thinking about that incident, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but nce at Butler Liu.

    It was this very dear Butler of his who had pulled the trigger of something that wouldter lead to a huge war between the two greatest geniuses under the heavens.

    "Butler Liu," Ye Tian Yun called him out.

    "Hm?" Butler Liu turned around and asked, "What happened, Crown Prince?"

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and said, "Butler Liu, I hope you don''t reveal anything about the Ling n Princess''s betrothal."

    "Huh!?" Butler Liu was surprised by unexpected words from Ye Tian Yun, "Crown Princeˇ­ howˇ­ how do you know about the betrothal?"

    Indeed.

    Ye Tian Yun was not yet told about the betrothal by Emperor Ye.

    Mainly because the former was not in the Middle Heavens for thest few months.

    "I just know," Ye Tian Yun knew Butler Liu might inquire about this and catch the loophole, but it was worth the risk, "Don''t worry about how I know, just keep in mind that you must not speak about it."

    "Alright, I won''t. But there will be an exception - if Heavenly King Wang asks me about this on his own ord, I won''t have any other choice but to reveal the truth."

    "I understand," Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    But he didn''t care much.

    His uncle didn''t show any signs of interest in him. In fact, his uncle didn''t even care who Ye Tian Yun was.

    So why would he care about asking for Ye Tian Yun''s marriage on their first meeting?

    ''It didn''t happen in my previous life, and it won''t happen now.''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded to himself as the duo entered Crimson City.

    ''I wonder what that Wang bastard Yao is doing right now.''

    The urge to assassinate his future enemy was bubbling up with every inch they got closer to the Wang n.

 Chapter 450 - [Bonus ] 450 | Heavenly King Wang Going Off Script

    A/n : Bonus Chapter for crossing 300 Power Stones

    ...

    "City Lord, we have guests." A guard entered the City Lord''s office and dered the arrival of Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu.

    He found the City Lord staring out of the window with a deep frown on his face.

    Soon, Madam Wang entered the main hall, with a sense of confusion and worry written over her face.

    "Let''s go." City Lord Wang Long''s deep voice resounded, and the couple then followed the guard to the Guest Hall.

    Just before they were about to enter the hall, Madam Wang suddenly tapped on City Lord Wang''s shoulders and gestured to him to take a deep breath and calm himself down.

    She was afraid that her husband might explode in anger and do something unexpected.

    After all, the guest in the hallˇ­

    Well, she couldn''t be any more unfamiliar with that aura.

    Lightning Monarch Liu Lei.

    She knew that guy very well.

    Though she didn''t know who that kid was with him.

    ''Maybe his son?''

    With these thoughts, she entered the Guest Hall following her husband while the guard returned to his duty.

    ˇ­

    In the exquisitely decorated Guest Hall now stood four people.

    Butler Liu''s expression turned serious as he cupped his fists in greeting towards the couple.

    "Hmmˇ­" City Lord Wang nodded his head and gestured to them to take their seats.

    And at that moment, his eyesid on the young fifteen-something-year-old kid.

    ''That faceˇ­''

    It was very familiar.

    He instantly knew who the kid was.

    Ye Tian Yun, too, didn''t waste any time and cupped his fists while standing, "Greetings, Uncle and Aunt. I am your nephew, Ye Tian Yun."

    ''Ye Tian Yunˇ­!''

    Madam Wang''s eyebrows instantly rose in shock.

    ''What did he send his son here for?''

    The couple was curious.

    "Have a seat, Nephew Yun," City Lord Wang replied.

    However, his face didn''t express any emotions.

    It was hard to tell whether he was happy to meet Ye Tian Yun or just didn''t care.

    Ye Tian Yun''s bet was on thetter.

    "What happened, Nephew?" The City Lord asked, "What could possibly be the reason for you to descend in this mortal world from your pce?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t try to tter him, nor did he try to make a connection. He went straight for the topic.

    "Uncle, I am here for Sister Ling Qing''er."

    "Hm?" The couple frowned.

    ''Why would brother Ling send Ye Tian Yun for this?'' City Lord Wang couldn''t tell.

    The Brother Ling he was thinking about was the current n Head of the Great Ling n.

    He was also City Lord Wang''s biggest ally and friend and was one of the Four Heavenly Kings of his generation alongside City Lord Wang.

    Heavenly King Ling had visited Heavenly King Wang about fifteen or so years ago and had requested him to keep his daughter, Ling Qing''er, at the Wang n.

    This was because Ling Qing''er was born with Heavenly Yin Physique, and if this piece of information got out, huge trouble would spell on the Great Ling n.

    ''If that was the case, then why did he send that guy''s son? Ling Qing''er physique is yet to awaken. Did something big happen in the Great Ling n!?

    The room''s temperature instantly dropped by a few notches, and a huge pressure descended upon Ye Tian Yun.

    However, he didn''t feel anything - mainly because Butler Liu didn''t hesitate to protect him.

    "What are you doing, Heavenly King Wang!?" Butler Liu burst out.

    Even though he had shown to be nervous when they were outside, currently his face showed anything but nervousness.

    The pressure from City Lord Wang instantly disappeared.

    However, he seemed to be angered for some reason.

    "Tell meˇ­" He asked in a deep voice, "Why did my Brother Ling send that guy''s son to fetch Ling Qing''er?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at this.

    "Uncle Long, the ''that guy'' you are speaking of, is my father, your brother, and the Emperor of everything under the heavens. Please be respectful."

    "Hm?" City Lord Wang nced at him for a moment.

    However, things didn''t go as expected, and Ye Tian Yun didn''t see the other party getting even more angered at hisment.

    Instead, there was actually a trace of appreciation in Heavenly King Wang''s eyes.

    ''Weird uncleˇ­''

    "Heavenly King Wang, the reason why we are sent here is that the Great Ling n''s Princess is betrothed to Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun."

    "What!?" Madam Wang opened her eyes wide in shock, "How did this happen!?"

    The shock in her eyes was evident and natural.

    Everyone in the Middle Heavens knew that n Head of Ling n and Emperor Ye were bitter rivals of their generations.

    How could anyone simply believe that their direct descendants would marry each other?

    And for Madam Wang, who treated Ling Qing''er as her future daughter-inw, this was even more shocking.

    Butler Liu shook his head and said, "I am not aware of the details and was only recently informed about this."

    "Hm," City Lord Wang frowned, "Do you know about Ling Qing''er''sˇ­"

    Butler Liu nodded his head, "I am aware of her physique."

    The City Lord frowned at this. ''What is going on in the Ling n?''

    "Is everything normal in the Middle Heavens?" Madam Wang asked.

    Butler Liu nodded his head, "Everything is alright, Sister-Inw."

    Madam Wang narrowed her eyes at Butler Liu but didn''tment on his way of addressing her.

    "What about ''that'' ce?" The City Lord asked.

    "Thisˇ­" Butler Liu nced at Ye Tian Yun for a moment and then said, "There have been some weird moments from their side. I am arranging the scouts to assess the situation."

    "Hmˇ­" City Lord Wang frowned, "What did ''he'' say?"

    "The Emperor has only a request. And you know it very well, Heavenly King Wang." Butler Liu replied.

    Heavenly King Wang shook his head at this, "No. I can''t return. After that incident, there''s no going back now."

    Butler Liu let out a sigh at these words.

    However, Ye Tian Yun was instead quite confused by the City Lord''s response.

    ''Going back?''

    ''My father wants Uncle Long to return?''

    ''Thisˇ­ this isn''t supposed to be the scriptˇ­''''

 Chapter 451 - [Bonus ] 451 | Tic Tac Toe

    A/n: Bonus Chapter for crossing 50 Golden Tickets.

    ...

    It had been about fifteen minutes since Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu came to the Wang n Estate.

    Ye Tian Yun was sitting in the Guest Hall along with his Uncle, Aunt, and Butler Liu.

    "Nephew Yun, you should go inside and meet Ling Qing''er and Wang Yao." Madam Wang suddenly said, "Wang Yao is your cousin. I hope you two get along."

    ''I am not very sure about thisˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun gave a slight smile and stood up.

    ''But still, let''s meet that fool once againˇ­''

    He then walked out of the Guest hall, and suddenly, a thought shed in his mind.

    "Wang Yao."

    He called through his consciousness, and soon, Wang Yao replied, "What happened? Ah! Finally, I can see the light! I was so bored!"

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "Do you recognize this ce?"

    "Thisˇ­" Wang Yao frowned as he stared at the scene in front of him.

    After a long time, three words escaped his mouth.

    "This is home."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "And I am about to meet you."

    "Ohˇ­ don''t tell meˇ­ ah, I remember now! You are here for Qing''er!"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and headed inwards.

    In his previous life, Madam Wang had sent him out earlier to meet Wang Yao and his childhood sweetheart, Ling Qing''er.

    The ''city lord going off-script'' incident didn''t happen when he was in the Guest Hall.

    ''It happened because Butler Liu allowed me toe here considering my cultivation realmˇ­''

    "Take a right turn!"

    Wang Yao suddenly called out.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and turned right.

    Another thing that had happened in his previous life when he first visited this ce was that he had got lost in the courtyards.

    ''I think that was how I first met Wang Yao.''

    It was truly a fateful encounter.

    "Is this the same day and time when you first visited my home?" Wang Yao asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I don''t think so. I don''t remember the exact day, but there''s a high chance this is not the exact day."

    "Hmˇ­ well, I usually yed tic-tac-toe with Ling Qing''er in those days." Wang Yao said.

    "Tic-tac-toe?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What''s that?"

    It was a funny name.

    "Nothing, just a simple game I thought of." Wang Yao didn''t dwell on details, "I had just introduced this game to her in those days and was trying to amaze her with simple things."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t ask much and followed Wang Yao''s directions.

    ˇ­

    In the backyard of the City Lord Pce, two people were sitting.

    A boy and a girl of the same age.

    Between them was a table.

    And currently, while the boy was enjoying the weather, the girl, however, had a deep frown on her face as she concentrated at the table in front of her.

    On the table was a piece of paper.

    On this paper were many criss-cross lines, but from the girl''s expression, it was evident that this was very important for her, especially looking at how she concentrated.

    "Make a move already, Qing''er," The young boy said with a smile.

    He was enjoying the childlike curiosity on the face of the girl in front of him.

    ''A simple gameˇ­ let''s see how long it will take for her to master all the tricks. I also have chess and battlefield gamesˇ­ things will be more interestingter on.''

    "Brother Wangˇ­ no matter what I do, you always end up winning!" Ling Qing''er replied with a pout.

    Wang Yao had introduced this game to her, and she was amazed at how easy this game was, but the weird thing was she rarely won.

    It was as if she almost had the whole grasp of the game. Still, she would make stupid mistakes and end up losing the game.

    Suddenly a voice entered her head, shocking her.

    <

    >

    (E/n: <<...>> is for spirit messages)

    "Hm? What happened, Qing''er?" Wang Yao was confused seeing the weird reaction of Ling Qing''er.

    <<Don''t tell him. Let''s have some fun first.>>

    The voice once again entered Ling Qing''er''s head.

    "Nothing," She shook her head and marked an X at the top right corner.

    Wang Yao smiled and put an O at the center.

    <<ce X at the opposite corner of your earlier move.>>

    Ling Qing''er followed the instructions.

    Wang Yao frowned and narrowed his eyes at Ling Qing''er.

    Then his lips curled into a smile as he marked another circle at one of the corners.

    <

    > The voice called out once again.

    Ling Qing''er nodded her head and marked X at the remaining corner.

    "Thisˇ­" Suddenly Wang Yao''s smile faltered.

    He knew he had lost.

    Ling Qing''er''s face suddenly lit up, "Yay!"

    "Haha, Wang Yao, you lost!" A wide grin formed by her lips, lightening the whole garden.

    "Alright, alright, I lost." Wang Yao waved his hand and shook his head.

    "But how did youe up with this? I have just introduced the game to you about half an hour ago."

    Ling Qing''erughed, "Hehe, alright, I won''t hide from you." She then turned towards the exit and called out, "Please show yourself."

    Wang Yao frowned and nced in the exit''s directions.

    At the gate, there was a handsome boy of his age standing.

    ''Who is this?'' Wang Yao was curious. He frowned as the young boy came towards them.

    He first smiled at Ling Qing''er and cupped his fists as he said, "I am Ye Tian Yun. Nice to meet you."

    ''Ye Tian Yun?'' Wang Yao frowned. He had heard of this name, but he couldn''t remember where he had heard of this.

    "I am Ling Qing''er." Ling Qing''er said with a sweet smile.

    For some reason, this simple introduction irritated Wang Yao.

    ''Who the hell is this guy?''

    He wanted to ask, but before he could react, a prompt appeared in front of him -

    [Quest Generated: Defeat Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun in Tic Tac Toe]

    [Reward: 10 Qi Strengthening Pills]

    [Quest Cannot Be Rejected.]

 Chapter 452 - 452 | Chess? No Thanks.

    Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    Wang Yao felt the name was very familiar.

    Within a few moments of searching through real Wang Yao''s memories, he found out about the person in front of him.

    He found out that ever since the real Wang Yao was a kid, he had been told the story about a very talented Crown Prince in the Middle Heavens who goes by the name Ye Tian Yun.

    His mother had told him that this person would be his biggest rival or his most powerful ally in the near future.

    Anything could happen, but it was certain that the paths of these two were interwoven.

    ''I never thought I would ever meet this person so earlyˇ­.''

    This was truly unexpected for Wang Yao, who had just transmigrated to this world about five days ago.

    Seeing Ling Qing''er and Ye Tian Yun talk, a small bubble of jealousy sprouted in his heart, and then the quest is given by the system once again appeared in front of him.

    He then looked at Ye Tian Yun and asked, "What are you here for?"

    Ye Tian Yun turned at him, and with a slight smile, he replied, "I am here for something important. But I wasn''t nning to disturb you guys in this game."

    Ling Qing''er smiled at this. "Ah, Brother Yeˇ­ can I call you Brother Ye? Never mind, I will call you Brother Ye. So, Brother Ye, I must thank you once again. I finally feel like I am getting this game now."

    "How did you help her?" Wang Yao asked Ye Tian Yun.

    This was something that made him very curious.

    When he had first introduced the tic tac toe game to Ling Qing''er, he was confident that no one had ever yed this game once he saw her reaction to this simple game.

    But here in front, he was someone who easily saw through the game and even defeated him!

    ''Is he also a transmigrator!?''

    A shocking question shed in Wang Yao''s mind.

    "Dominos Pizza!"

    He suddenly shouted, earning looks of confusion from Ye Tian Yun and Ling Qing''er.

    "Mcdonalds!"

    Ye Tian Yun and Ling Qing''er nced at each other and then turned their heads towards Wang Yao. They were confused at what thetter was trying to say.

    "Google?"

    "AllNovelFull!"

    "ZinonWonder?"

    Wang Yao frowned at Ye Tian Yun.

    Thetter had not reacted the way Wang Yao wanted him to.

    ''Was I thinking too much? Was it just a coincidence?''

    ''System, is this Crown Prince also from Earth?''

    [Host does not have enough Fate Points.]

    ''....''

    ''Not againˇ­''

    Wang Yao shook his head and then proceeded to work towards the quest that the system had handed him out.

    The quest was pretty easy for him. He was confident that he wouldn''t lose to Ye Tian Yun again. In the case of Ling Qing''er, he was simply caught off guard.

    The other thing that encouraged Wang Yao to work on the quest was the reward.

    Ten Qi Strengthening Pills!

    This was too much.

    All previous quests had only given him something called Kill Points, and he knew that one Qi Strengthening Pill cost about 300 Kill Points.

    ''Ten pillsˇ­ that means three thousand kill Points!''

    If seen by these calctions, then this was the five times higher award than the previous most rewarding questing.

    ''I definitely can''t lose such a good opportunity!''

    These pills would be enough for him to get to the peak Qi Refining Realm cultivation!

    "Crown prince Ye, I see that you understand this game very well; why don''t we y it for some time?"

    Hearing Wang Yao''s words, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but raise his left eyebrow.

    Truthfully, he knew nothing about the scribblings on the paper.

    He didn''t even know the name of the game.

    It was the older Wang Yao residing in the consciousness that had informed him about this.

    This game was called tic tac toe and had a pretty simple concept.

    This two-yer game decided the winner by whoever ced their three of the marks in a diagonal, horizontal, or vertical line.

    However, there were a few tricks to y this game.

    But Ye Tian Yun was not interested in learning the game.

    He simply forwarded to Ling Qing''er the message that older Wang Yao had told him about the game moves.

    This had easily helped Ling Qing''er won and had even caught the young Wang Yao off-guard.

    "y the game!" Older Wang Yao''s voice called Ye Tian Yun out just when thetter was about to reject younger Wang Yao''s challenge.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned but inwardly shook his head.

    This was just going to be a waste of time, and thus he had no interest in it.

    But after older Wang Yao''s continuous persistence, Ye Tian Yun agreed.

    "Alright, let''s y a few rounds," Ye Tian Yun said.

    Ling Qing''er pped like a little child and stood up from her seat, offering it to Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun gave her a respectful bow and sat in front of Wang Yao.

    Ye Tian Yun was now going to have his second confrontation with Wang Yao after his rebirth.

    While the first encounter was a life and death battle, this encounter was the legendary game of Tic Tac Toe!

    ˇ­

    "Damn! You''re really good at this!" Wang Yao rubbed his forehead while saying.

    He was impressed and annoyed by Ye Tian Yun at the same time.

    They had yed about ten or so rounds, and Ye Tian Yun had lost none of them.

    More than eighty percent of the matches were drawn, while the remaining were lost by Wang Yao - mainly because thetter was too focused on trapping Ye Tian Yun.

    Hearing his words, Ye Tian Yun simply shook his head.

    Even though Ye Tian Yun hadn''t even bothered to ask older Wang Yao about the instructions to y the game, he was now getting the hang of it, but still, instead of trying his own stunts, he instead simply followed the instructions.

    "It wasn''t much," Ye Tian Yun simply smiled as a prompt appeared in front of Wang Yao.

    [Quest Status: Failed.]

    Staring at the prompt in front of him, Wang Yao frowned.

    This was his first quest that he had failed.

    ''Damn, I lost the chance to increase cultivation rapidlyˇ­ sighˇ­''

    It was hard to tell the emotions he was feeling right now.

    ''What if I failed this questˇ­ I will at least take back my pride!''

    Wang Yao thought of something, and then with a mischievous grin, he said to Ye Tian Yun, "Brother Ye, I actually have another game in my mind. Do you wanna try that?"

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "What is it?"

    "It''s called Chess." Wang Yao replied, "Let me tell you how it works."

    "No, don''t!" Older Wang Yao''s voice suddenly resounded in Ye Tian Yun''s head, "Don''t y chess! It''s a thousand times moreplicated than a simple tic tac toe, and it''s been ages since Ist yed that game."

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly nodded his head, "I was not nning to waste any more time on this game anyway."

    Then looking at Wang Yao, Ye Tian Yun shook his head and said, "I have yed enough. It''s time to get to business."

    "Hm?" Wang Yao frowned, "Alright, so, what are you here for?"

 Chapter 453 - 453 | Sudden Change In Situation; Ye Tian Yuns Weird Actions

    "So, what are you here for?"

    Wang Yao''s question resounded in the backyard.

    Even Ling Qing''er was curious.

    She knew about Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun more than Wang Yao. This was why she was curious about everything.

    "Well, I am here to bring Ling Qing''er with me." Ye Tian Yun replied in a simplified manner.

    "What!?"

    However, his words had a contrasting effect on the two young teens in front of him.

    While Ling Qing''er was surprised and shocked by Ye Tian Yun''s words, Wang Yao''s eyes were lit up in surprise at the incident that was currently about to happen!.

    ''Oh my fukin god! This is it! This is the legendary cultivation plot!''

    Wang Yao couldn''t believe his ears!

    After years of studying cultivation novels, he instantly understood what was going on!

    In fact, all this was a bit cliche, to be honest.

    The main character transmigrates to a cultivation world and gets a system. Check.

    He has a childhood sweetheart. Check.

    His cultivation potential is amazing. Check.

    And his childhood sweetheart is taken away. Ch-fukin-eck!

    Thisˇ­ this was simply too good for Wang Yao!

    ''Ah, I am so lucky!''

    With the plot armor, and main character profile, Wang Yao instantly knew Ye Tian Yun wouldn''t kill him!

    ''And cultivation novel characters are mostly morons, especially arrogant young masters like Ye Tian Yun!''

    ''Hahahaha! I am going to rule over this world in a few years!''

    Suddenly, Wang Yao had an urge to test Ye Tian Yun''s mob character intelligence.

    "By the way, Brother Ye Tian Yun," Wang Yao said, "I can''t help but ask, are you a virgin?"

    Ling Qing''er looked at Wang Yao with her eyes widened.

    ''What kind of question is that? That''s the worst conversation starter.''

    While Ye Tian Yun frowned at him.

    ''Where the fuck did this questione from?''

    This didn''t happen in the previous timelineˇ­ at that timeˇ­ well; Ye Tian Yun and Wang Yao were already ready to cut each other''s throats and could only be forced to stop because of the intervention of City Lord Wang.

    "No, I am not." Ye Tian Yun replied. He wanted to see what Wang Yao was trying to do here.

    "As ifˇ­" Wang Yao shook his head, "I can identify a virgin with a mere nce."

    He tried to flex the ''sexual history'' of previous Wang Yao in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, simply smiled at him, "You can ask your sister."

    "I don''t have a sister." Wang Yao frowned, not understanding what Ye Tian Yun was trying to say.

    Ye Tian Yun simply smirked at him, "You will. In about nine months."

    Wang Yao''s confused expression suddenly turned into shock and then anger.

    "YOU BASTARD!"

    His voice resounded throughout the Wang n''s Moon Lake Estate, even alerting the tri in the Guest Hall.

    Even Ling Qing''er had her eyes wide open because she finally understood what Ye Tian Yun had just joked about.

    "You''re dead!" Without any thought, Wang Yao directly charged at Ye Tian Yun.

    Seeing his actions, Ye Tian Yun lightly frowned and waved his hand.

    Piak!

    Ye Tian Yun pped Wang Yao as if swatting a fly, sending him a few feet away.

    Thud!

    Wang Yao fell unconscious!

    "What happened!?"

    Just then, a loud and deep voice resounded, and in the next moment, the Wang Couple and Butler Liu appeared at the scene.

    As soon as he saw the scene, City Lord Wang simply snapped his finger, signaling the approaching guards to stop and go back to their duties.

    However, Madam Wang had a different reaction. She immediately moved towards Wang Yao and put a pill in his mouth.

    The pill instantly melted as soon as it touched Wang Yao''s tongue, and his eyes moved.

    Within a few minutes, he was going to recover.

    "What happened?" City Lord Wang asked Ye Tian Yun.

    "Why did you hit your own cousin!?" Madam Wang couldn''t hold herself back.

    She had a good impression of her nephew, but she had never thought Ye Tian Yun would hit her son unconscious on the first day they met!

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged at her question, "I simply made a joke, and he charged towards me. Well, honestly, the fault lies on me, but his antics have annoyed me, so I couldn''t hold myself back."

    Madam Wang frowned at Ye Tian Yun, and then turning towards Ling Qing''er, she asked, "Qing''er, what was the joke about?"

    "Thisˇ­" Ling Qing''er pursed her lips.

    She couldn''t say it even if she wanted to.

    Ye Tian Yun replied in her stead, "It was something about you. Honestly, it was just a random joke."

    City Lord Wang frowned, "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, she is your aunt and my wife. This will be the first andst time I shall forgive you about this. But you will have to apologize to her."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his hands in defeat, "I apologize; it was just something random, never in the intention to offend you, aunt."

    Ye Tian Yun had to take a step back in this situation.

    ''Damn, what the hell did I do?''

    Honestly, he himself felt that the joke was uncalled for. But he still said it.

    ''Sigh, this is troublesomeˇ­.''

    While he may have apologized to his auntˇ­ but somewhere in his heart, he didn''t really regret it.

    These people in front of him never cared or even gave any respect to him, to begin with.

    So why should he care?

    However, Madam Wang''s next words made Ye Tian Yun pause his thoughts.

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun never jokes about someone''s mother. Consider how you would feel if someone had joked about your mother."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and said, "Well, trust me, Aunt, if there''s someone who dares to talk bad about my mother, I wouldn''t stop until that person kowtows for my mother and apologizes."

    Madam Wang smiled at this and shook her head, "See, this is what I am talking about."

    "Ye Tian Yun!" Suddenly Ye Tian Yun heard Wang Yao calling him in his consciousness, "There''s something weird in this situationˇ­. Why are you not acting like yourself? Weren''t you nning to change the oue?"

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly frowned.

    ''Yeahˇ­ what the hell is going onˇ­''

    His thoughts were chaotic, and the situation was depreciating with every passing moment.

    Just then, Wang Yao slowly woke up. He had fully recovered from the injuries.

    ''Motherˇ­''

    He was surprised to see his mother''s face in front of him.

    Slowly he began to recall the incident that had happened just now and the p that made him unconscious.

    ''Ye Tian Yun!''

    A face instantly shed in Ye Tian Yun''s head.

    Just then, another prompt appeared -

    [Quest: Kill Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.]

    [Grade: SSS]

    [Reward: Middle Heavens.]

    [Quest Cannot Be Rejected.]

    [Quest Failed Penalty: Death]

    [Time Limit: Seven Years.]

    Gritting his teeth, Wang Yao stood up, and as soon as his eyesnded on distracted Ye Tian Yun, he charged at thetter.

    Taking out a sword from his spatial ring, Wang Yao instantly shed at Ye Tian Yun''s neck.

    Butler Liu''s eyes opened wide at this, and he tried to make a move.

    However, suddenly his whole body froze.

    << It''s a matter between the younger generation, don''t interfere. >>

    It was a spirit message from City Lord Wang.

    He was not going to let Butler Liu save Ye Tian Yun!

 Chapter 454 - 454 | Two Things That Make The Upper Heavens Tremble

    ng!

    Two swords met.

    Thud!

    One of the sword wielders was thrown back.

    "Ugh!"

    It was Wang Yao.

    He gritted his teeth and looked up.

    Bam!

    Before he could even move his head, a kicknded right on his head, stomping his face on the ground.

    He was unconscious once again.

    "Alright, stop."

    A voice entered Ye Tian Yun''s head, making his whole body freeze.

    He calmed himself down and moved back.

    "Give him another kick."

    Another voice rang. Unexpectedly, this was Wang Yao - albeit the older version residing in Ye Tian Yun''s consciousness.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned but didn''t kick the young Wang Yao anymore.

    His mind was currently in turmoil.

    ''What happened to me?''

    He had many questions.

    However, there was no one to answer him.

    ''Maybe I should be Wang Yaoˇ­''

    Maybe except for the older Wang Yao.

    ''But first, I need to go outˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and turned around, "We started on the wrong foot. I will take my leave for today."

    "It''s alright," City Lord Wang said, "I hope Wang Yao gets serious about cultivation after this meeting. The reason why I didn''t interfere earlier was that I knew the oue of this exchange."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    He couldn''t tell what City Lord Wang was trying to say.

    ''No one here even has the Token Of Fate''s favourability promptˇ­''

    This was what made things even weirder.

    Unlike the earlier times, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t see the favourability of anyone in this room.

    In fact, there wasn''t any prompt even on Butler Liu.

    ''What in the world is going on?''

    He really had quite a lot of unanswered questions.

    But before thinking about anything else, Ye Tian Yun wished to leave this ce,

    There was something that made him averse to this ce with every passing second.

    Just then, City Lord''s words rang out once again in Ye Tian Yun''s ears.

    This time, however, he was talking to Ling Qing''er who was still standing in shock.

    "Qing''er, it''s time for you to return to your home. You have been here since you were just a year old, but this is not your home."

    Tears began to wellup in Ling Qing''er''s eyes, "uncle WAng, Iˇ­ I don''t want to goˇ­ please don''t send meˇ­"

    Madam Wang, who had just put another pill in Wang Yao''s mouth, raised her head, and with a doting expression, she said to Ling Qing''er, "Child, this will always be your home. But you must go for now."

    "And don''t you dare hold a grudge against the Great Ling n. Your father had to put a stone on his heart when he decided to bring you here. I have always told you, it was for your safety."

    "But Auntˇ­" Ling Qing''er pursed her lips, "You said we can wait till my physique wakes up, but nothing had happened yet."

    Butler Liu spoke at this time, "Miss Ling, there''s something important happening in your n, and your parents wish for you to return as soon as possible."

    Ling Qing''er then nced at the unconscious Wang Yao, "Canˇ­ Can we at least wait till Brother Wang wakes up? I don''t want to go without saying goodbye to him."

    City Lord Wang nodded, "Sure. They can wait."

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly heard an angered voice in his head, "That bastard doesn''t deserve Qing''er''s love!"

    It was the older Wang Yao.

    And he was talking aboutˇ­. Himself?

    Ye Tian Yun was confused why would Wang Yao be angry at the younger Wang Yao?

    In fact, why would he even react against anything?

    This wasˇ­ weird.

    But before Ye Tian Yun could ask Wang Yao about this, City Lord Wang turned towards the former and said, "Nephew Yun, have some rest for a few hours. And don''t go before you eat. You may not know, but your aunt''s cooking is very good."

    Ye Tian Yun simply nodded and followed City Lord Wang outside with Butler Liu following the two of them.

    Meanwhile, Madam Wang and Ling Qing''er stayed behind to tend Wang Yao''s wounds.

    ˇ­

    Upper Heavens.

    In a huge pce, which is famously known as the most powerful existence in the cultivation world, someone fell on their knees and coughed blood.

    The gender couldn''t be told, neither was the face visible because of dim light in the room, but it could be made out from their silhouette that this person was severely injured.

    "Ughˇ­ I did itˇ­"

    The figure greeted his teeth and popped a few highest-grade medicinal pills in his path.

    "These injuries won''t heal with pills." Someone''s voice rang through the hall.

    Slowly footsteps approached the kneeling figure.

    "I told you to be careful."

    The figure gritted his teeth, "It went well. The rivalry between Ye Tian Yun and Wang Yao should now begin. I am sure the System had given the quest to kill Ye Tian Yun by now. Now that transmigrated soul has a mission to bring down Ye Tian Yun and make him return to his roots."

    "Hm, good." The figure nodded, "How did you do it? Were you really able to influence both of them?"

    The injured person nodded his head.

    "Yes. I manipted their thoughts and forcefully made them hostile to each other. For the transmigrator, it wasn''t much. But Ye Tian Yun might get suspicious because he didn''t act his usual self."

    "Oh?" The standing figure turned around and walked to the nearby window.

    ncing outside at the thousands of Saint Realm disciples focused on cultivation, the figure smiled and said, "Well, Ye Tian Yun broke away from the time-cycle and now has the Emblem Of Time."

    "We can''t let him grow any stronger. Talk to the Heavenly Oracle Sect, and make them move. Noˇ­ waitˇ­. Those kids might harm Ye Tian Yun too much and we might lose our biggest asset."

    "What should I do then?" The injured figure spoke with his hands pressing on his chest.

    The silhouette beside the window turned around, and asked, "Can you influence someone''s emotions again?"

    "NO!" The injured figure immediately shook his head, "influencing emotions is highly taboo and might lead to death if done just one time. And I have already done this twice. I can''t use it again. If I try, there''s almost no chance of sess and I know I won''t survive."

    After a small pause, the figure continued, "I don''t think we should push the limits. Since the original timeline is broken, we need to be careful as to not make it fully unpredictable."

    "I have already influenced Ye Tian Yun and Wang Yao to be enemies on a stupid joke. If we do anything else, I am sure we will be found out. We can''t risk the whole n just on two kids."

    The figure beside the window thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes, I was being too irrational. We have the advantage, so there''s no need to rush. We don''t need to interfere with Wang Yao''s life now. He has a target, and a big help - the Emblem System."

    "For now, we will focus on destroying the Great Ye Corps. Spies have noticed moments among the survivors, and I think this time Emperor Ye mighte back to the Upper Heavens."

    "Emperor Ye!?" The injured figure''s face lost its color out of fear.

    The whole Upper Heavens was afraid of two things - the Heavens itself and the legendary Emperor who once alone wrecked the whole Upper Heavens - Emperor Ye Tian Xuan.

 Chapter 455 - 455 | Something That The Whole Heavens Is After.

    "What the hell happened!?"

    Ye Tian Yun had a big urge to kick the wall in front of him.

    Behind him, even butler Liu was frowning at Ye Tian Yun.

    "Crown Princeˇ­ What happened to you?" He asked.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and shook his head, "I have no idea. While talking to Wang Yao, I felt as if I had no control over the wordsing out of my mouth."

    Butler Liu frowned, "What?"

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded his head, "I know this sounds ridiculous, but I really had no control over anything. Do you really think I would make a joke about someone''s mother when my own mother is my reverse scale? Wouldn''t that be too hypocritical?"

    Butler Liu took a deep breath and let out a sigh, "I don''t know what to say about this situationˇ­ but try to control yourself next time."

    After a slight pause, Butler Liu added, "As for your thoughts and emotions getting manipted, this is not the first time I have encountered such a case, so it''s not unbelievable for me. That is why I hope you''re speaking the truth here, Crown Prince."

    "I am." The Crown Prince said as he took his seat.

    Currently, they were sitting in the Guest Hall, and City Lord Wang had left the hall.

    After a moment of silence, Butler Liu spoke, "Crown Prince, you should have some rest. I still have a few things to talk about with Heavenly King Wang. We will leave as soon as Miss Ling is ready."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Alright, Butler Liu."

    As Butler Liu left the room, Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and appeared in the consciousness space.

    Once there, he saw the older Wang Yao sitting with a nk stare.

    "What happened?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    Wang Yao pursed his lips and said, "Ye Tian Yun, can I ask you to do me a favor?"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What?"

    Wang Yao frowned, and after a long silence, he asked, "Can youˇ­ can you make Ling Qing''er fall in love with you?"

    "Wh...aaat?" Ye Tian Yun was shocked by Wang Yoa''s sudden request, "What kind of joke is this!?"

    Wang Yao pursed his lips and said with a serious tone, "I am not joking. I have only one request - don''t let Qing''er fall for that bastard."

    Ye Tian Yun looked at him from up and down, "The bastard that you''re speaking of is yourself."

    Wang Yao frowned, "No, it''s not me."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What the hell are you talking about?"

    "The guy you just stomped on is not me." Wang Yao said, "He isˇ­ well, he''sˇ­ I don''t know if this is a word or not, but he calls himself a ''transmigrator''."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I can''t tell if you''re joking or being serious. What the hell is a transmigrator?"

    Wang Yao narrowed his eyes and spoke, "Ye Tian Yun, do you know about the existence of the multiverse?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, the System mentioned about it some time ago."

    Wang Yao nodded, "That''s good. Just take it as more than one universe co-existed. The Wang Yao you just met today is from this multiverse."

    Ye Tian Yun''s frown deepened, "Then what are you?"

    WAng Yao shrugged, "I don''t know."

    "What?"

    "It''s been so many years. I don''t know anymore. Sometimes I feel like I am the transmigrator, other times I feel like I am the host whose body is possessed by that transmigrator."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then what about the guy I killed? That Wang Yao who came from the future."

    Wang Yao replied, "That was the transmigrator."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Then howe you''re not the transmigrator? And what is the proof of you as being the transmigrator?"

    Wang Yao frowned, "I don''t know. I only have clear memories of things that happened after I got the Emblem Of Time for the first time. That is why I was not sure earlier when we headed towards the backyard."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Well, let''s talk about thister. It''s hard to believe what you''re trying to say."

    Wang Yao, however, still insisted, "What about my request then?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No. I have no interest in Ling Qing''er."

    "Hmmˇ­" Wang Yao let out a sigh.

    Ye Tian Yun then asked, "What I want to know is why I acted that way. I acted dumb, hypocritical, and even somewhat arrogant. Why did I act like that when I had decided myself that I won''t do or say anything stupid."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I don''t know. I have never seen such a thing."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh.

    The whole encounter went downhill all of a sudden, and what annoyed Ye Tian Yun most was that he had no answer to this situation.

    After a moment of thought, Ye Tian Yun nced above Wang Yao''s head and said, "There''s something else too. The Token Of Fate isn''t working anymore!"

    "Hm?" Wang Yao turned his head at him and stood up, "What did you say?"

    "Token Of Fate is not working." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    "Thisˇ­." Wang Yao frowned and fell into deep thought.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t disturb him and waited for his response.

    After a long silence, Wang Yao spoke, "Ye Tian Yun, I think I know of someone who might have blocked the Token Of Fate."

    "Someone did this?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this answer.

    "Is there someone in this world you can block a Token!? Even my father can''t do thatˇ­"

    Wang Yao smiled and shook his head upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words, "Yes, there is someone. And you''re heavily underestimating your father, for him, he just needs a snap of his finger to suppress all tokens, though Emblems are a different case altogether."

    "Whatˇ­" Ye Tian Yun was shocked by Wang Yao''s words.

    ''My Father is this much powerful?''

    He never knew. His father never used his cultivation in front of him.

    Wang Yao simply smiled at this, "Well, honestly, it''s better if you don''t know too much. Sometimes, knowing too much can also bring trouble upon you."

    "What do you mean?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao was now acting like the System.

    "I literally meant what I said," Wang Yao replied, "There are enemies bigger than you could ever think of. And they will know about you if you have ''knowledge'' about some things. That was how I got into trouble when the System had gone back in time."

    "I ''knew'' some things which easily led the enemy to me. That is why it''s not the best time to know everything. At least, not yet."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Can''t you give me a hint?"

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and said, "Well, I can do that, but that will only make you more curious and distract you even more."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Try me."

    Wang Yao let out a sigh, "Well, let me test your willpower then."

    "All the hardships you have faced, be it in this life or the previous life, everything is because of the closest people in your heart."

    "And trust me when I say this, you''re something that the whole Heavens is after."

 Chapter 456 - 456 | Mother

    ''Something that the whole Heavens is after?''

    Ye Tian Yun felt that this im was quite ridiculous and hard to believe.

    ''What do I even have? Even the System I once had, is now gone. Now I am just another cultivator who survived with a bit of luck.''

    Wang Yao stared at Ye Tian Yun and shook his head, "I know you won''t believe my words. But I am not making up anything. However, it''s better if you don''t think much about it for now. Follow your goal, and you will eventually know answers to all the questions that have disturbed you along the journey."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    What Wang Yao was saying made sense. It was not the right time to think about heaven and other bullshits.

    He needed to focus on the present instead of wasting time worrying about the future.

    However, there were still a few questions that Ye Tian Yun could get answers to right now.

    "Wang Yao," Ye Tian Yun asked, "If what you said about the transmigrator is true, then how did that guy ended up possessing you?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "I thought you would know the answer to this. Of course, he''s here to kill you."

    "To kill me?" Ye Tian Yun was confused.

    Wang Yao replied, "Yes. I said the Heavens is after you, and a few weeks ago, I also said that after I (from future) killed you in the Silver Mist City, the System would have brought you back, giving my younger self a target to chase."

    Wang Yao paused for a moment and said, "If the heavens is after you, doesn''t that mean it wants you dead?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, then it suddenly dawned upon him, "Ah, yes. If the Heavens wants me dead, and the System is also rted to the Heavens, then why did the System revive me?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes. Now you have asked the right question."

    "Well, the answer to this reveals too much, and both of our existence might get into deep trouble. So for now, just keep this in mind that the Wang Yao in the other room will have one goal - that is to kill Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun."

    "It can''t be changed?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "No." Wang Yao shook his head, "System must have already given him a quest. The penalty for failing that quest is death. So there''s no saving. He will do everything to seed, and the System will help him."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Alright, I will keep this in mind. But before I go, I have onest question."

    "You keep saying our existence might be in danger or the enemy might find usˇ­ but haven''t they already found us? I mean, didn''t you say someone has manipted my emotions?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes. But they can''t do this again because you don''t have the ''knowledge''. When they tried to affect your emotions and thoughts, they did this at the risk of death. If you had known everything about them, they wouldn''t have to take much risk, and they could have simply paralyzed you when that transmigrator Wang Yao shed his sword at you."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "This enemy that you speak ofˇ­"

    "Don''t!" Wang Yao said, "Don''t discuss it anymore. For now, focus on conquering the Hundred Realm Refining Stage. That should be your main goal."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    Yes. He couldn''t distract himself from his goal. Right now, he was just at the Foundation Establishment Realm. There was still a long way to go and many enemies to kill.

    ''Hundred Realm Refining Stageˇ­''

    It was the same ce where Ye Tian Yun had his final battle and was beheaded by Wang Yao and the God''s Legion.

    Now, he was inching closer to it once again.

    ''My new target will definitely appear in the war between the Xin Kingdom and the Wu Kingdomˇ­ I just need to be ready to strike.''

    And for that, Ye Tian Yun wanted to make sure there were not going to be any mishaps or surprise enemies like the three Core formation Realm cultivators who were in Wu Qingwu''s carriage.

    ''I need to reach the Core Formation Realm before taking part in the war.''

    This was Ye Tian Yun''s current priority.

    And to reach this realm, he needed to go back to the Middle Heavens and cultivate in seclusion.

    ''Since Butler Liu is already here, and I also have a few months of time in my hands, it was a good opportunity to get back to the Middle Heavens ande back more powerful than ever.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

    He was still alone in the room, and it seemed like Wang Yao had not fully recovered yet.

    Just then, he heard footsteps approaching the hall, and soon there was a knock on the door.

    "Young Master, please head to the dining hall. Your lunch is ready."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and got up.

    ˇ­

    After about fifteen minutes, everyone from the Wang n and the guests were having lunch.

    Ye Tian Yun was sitting beside his uncle, and surprisingly, Wang Yao was sitting right in front of him.

    He had recovered.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t care much about him, even though there was unhidden killing intent flowing through Wang Yao''s eyes.

    Even though Ye Tian Yun''s hands were currently itching to punch that bastard''s face, his attention was much more focused on the food.

    It was delicious.

    "Uncle," Ye Tian Yun spoke to the Heavenly King, "I must apologize for doubting your words when you praised Aunt''s cooking."

    Heavenly King Wang smiled at Ye Tian Yun, and nced at Madam Wang; he said, "She''s the best cook I have ever encountered."

    "Oh, geez, it''s not that good," Madam Wang smiled, and then looking at Ye Tian Yun, she said, "Nephew Yun, I am a good cook, but I am not the best. And I am not being humble here. The best cook is the person who taught me all this."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was curious, "Who taught you all this?"

    Madam Wang pursed her lips as her eyes lowered.

    With a reminiscing voice, she said, "Your mother taught me all this."

 Chapter 457 - 457 | Wang Yaos Vow

    "My mother?" Ye Tian Yun''s hand paused in the air for a moment.

    Madam Wang gave a slight nod, "Yes. She taught me to cook such good food."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "How was she?"

    Madam Wang let out a sigh, "Honestly, she was different from everyone in our generation. The aura around was majestic. Her simple gaze was heavenly. She was the epitome of beauty."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Do you know where she is now?"

    Madam Wang smiled, "No one knows. Not even your father."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    It had been years since hest saw her mother.

    Now, he didn''t even remember her face.

    But if anyone insulted her, he wouldn''t take it lying down.

    Ye Tian Yun reasoned this as his affection towards his mother.

    ''I was too busy destroying the God''s Legion. I never looked much into matters rted to my motherˇ­''

    ''This time, I will definitely look for her.''

    The person who knew his mother was undoubtedly his father, Emperor Ye.

    ''I wonder if he even thinks about herˇ­?''

    ''Highly unlikelyˇ­''

    Thinking about this, Ye Tian Yun inwardly let out a sigh.

    The mood at the table had suddenly gone low.

    At this moment, City Lord Wang spoke to uplift it, "Well, Ye Tian Yun, Sister-inw was the most unique and powerful cultivator in the Middle Heavens. Most of us think that she went out in the search for a higher realm."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    ''This should be the case.''

    Seeing him nod, Madam Wang wanted to say something, but she suddenly noticed a signal from her husband and thus kept quiet.

    ''How could this child not question the fact that his mother left him alone to pursue cultivationˇ­'' She thought.

    Her sister had always been very hard to understand.

    ''And she married Ye Tian Xuanˇ­''

    Emperor Ye was no different in nature from her wife.

    However, it still surprised Madam Wang to this day how those two people even got together.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    Madam Wang took a deep breath and focused once again on cultivation.

    Seeing no change in the mood, City Lord Wang tried to change the topic by dropping a bomb.

    "So, Nephew Yun, when is my brother nning to release the news about your marriage?"

    "Cough-cough!" Ye Tian Yun choked on his food and drank some water; he said, "Uncleˇ­ I don''t know about this."

    "Hm.." City Lord Wang nced at Ling Qing''er and said, "I am sure your wife will be a virtuousdy."

    Ling Qing''er was confused as to why Uncle Wang was staring at her.

    However, Wang Yao, as a transmigrator and an avid webnovel reader, knew what was going on.

    ''He''s going to marry Ling Qing''er!''

    There was a huge explosion in Wang Yao''s mind.

    And just then, a prompt appeared in front of him.

    [Quest: Stop Ye Tian Yun''s marriage.]

    [Reward: Ling Qing''er''s love.]

    [Penalty: Death]

    [Time limit: Five Years]

    As the prompt appeared in front of Wang Yao, Ye Tian Yun suddenly felt the killing intent in the former''s eyes increasing by many folds.

    ''What the fuck is wrong with this retard?''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t understand.

    ''And why do I feel like I am forgetting something?''

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly felt like he was missing an important piece of information, and he needed to say it here.

    However, no matter how hard Ye Tian Yun, he couldn''t remember it.

    ''Forget it. I should enjoy this food and leave this ce as soon as possible. I don''t know how long I can hold myself back from killing this guy in front of me.''

    After about ten or so minutes, everyone had finished lunch and was sitting in the main hall.

    Ye Tian Yun nced at Butler Liu and frowned.

    Thetter had not spoken a single word the whole time he was at the lunch table, and even now, he was weirdly silent.

    ''Did something happen?''

    It came as a surprise for him.

    Even more than the fact that Butler Liu was sitting with them.

    Not that Ye Tian Yun minded that, but Butler Liu had never agreed to eat with him before no matter how many times he requested thetter.

    ''I should talk to him when we''re out.''

    He then nced at City Lord Wang and said, "Uncle, I should get going. I am nning to get to the Middle Heavens by sunset."

    City Lord Wang nodded his head, "Alright, let''s go."

    As he let out a sigh, Ling Qing''er also stood up.

    She nced longingly at Wang Yao as a stream of tears fell from her eyes.

    "It''s alright," Wang Yao said to her, "I wille to you in a few years."

    Ye Tian Yun had a strong urge to roll his eyes at those words.

    ''In a few years? As soon as you get out of your father''s protection, you''re dead meat.''

    "Promise me, Brother Wang." Ling Qing''er asked while sniffing.

    Wang Yao smiled, "I promise."

    City Lord Wang frowned at this and nced at Ye Tian Yun to see his reaction.

    Surprisingly, he only found nonchnce and indifference on Ye Tian Yun''s face.

    ''Isn''t she his future wife? Does he not care that she''s showing affection to someone else?

    Wang Yao came closer to Ling Qing''er and wiped her tears, and then ncing at Ye Tian Yun, he gritted his teeth.

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun!" He suddenly dered, "I will definitely surpass you! And when the timees, I will defeat you in front of the whole Middle Heavens!"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at him.

    ''Last time he said he would bathe the Middle Heavens with my bloodˇ­. Hmmmˇ­ this one sounds better.''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun suddenly stood and stepped right in front of Wang Yao.

    "Cousin Wang, this will be the first andst warning for you. When you''re talking with me, you better use your words carefully."

    Wang Yao frowned.

    "Alright, kids. No bickering." City Lord Wang put an immediate halt to the argument before it could escte.

    Ye Tian Yun simply smirked at the Wang Yao and the ncing at Ling Qing''er, and he put forward his hand, "Princess Ling, let''s go."

    Ling Qing''er reluctantly nodded and put her hand on Ye Tian Yun''s palm.

    Ye Tian Yun smoked at her, and then turning towards Butler Liu, he said, "We should go. Are you nning to stay here for some time?"

    "Hm? Ah, oh, no," Butler Liu came out of his thoughts and stood up from his seat.

    "Let''s go," Ye Tian Yun said to him and headed out, bringing Ling Qing''er with himself.

    Wang Yao stared at Ye Tian Yun with unbridled killing intent.

    Butler Liu took a deep breath and turned towards Heavenly King Wang.

    But before he could say anything, thetter raised his hands and gestured to him to stop.

    "Brother Liu, I won''te back," Heavenly King Wang said, "I have already given up everything. But not anymore. My brotherˇ­ only thinks of me as a tool, and you should remember that I was the one who got med for that incident years ago and was even stripped of my own heritage."

    "How can you expect me to go back after all this?"

    Wang Yao frowned and looked at his father.

    He vowed to burn the Great Ye n to the ground and bring back his father''s honor!

    Because that''s what the MC''s do.

 Chapter 458 - 458 | Arriving In The Middle Heavens

    Siu! Siu! Siu!

    Three figures rapidly flew across the Lower Heavens, heading towards the Barren Lands.

    This was where the path to the Middle Heavens existed.

    After passing through the Barren Lands, there came a mystical mountain range draped in thick fog.

    Beyond this fog was the Middle Heavens.

    The reason why it was categorized as a whole different realm was because of the high density of Qi beyond the fog.

    The fog wasn''t long. Rather it was a thin dense veil, making it look like a white wall.

    This wall had an amazing and unexinable property.

    Any person born in the Lower Heavens couldn''t cross it unless their cultivation realm was in the Nascent Soul Realm.

    To the cultivators below this realm, this fog was really a white wall.

    They wouldn''t be able to enter this ce.

    Another thing to keep note of was that the mountain range consisted of about eight to nine visible peaks grouped together.

    And this group of huge mountains was then covered in this fog which got denser as they got closer towards the center.

    At some point, the fog would be so dense that it would be hard even to see our own hands.

    But instead of panic, it would be a moment of rejoicing because that meant one had reached the Middle Heavens.

    Slowly, the thick fog would then dissipate, and we would find ourselves on a huge tform between two mountains.

    This was the Ascension tform.

    When someone from the Lower Heavens ascended to the Middle Heavens or anyone else who came back from the Lower Heavens, this tform was the ce where they would firstnd, no matter from which part of the mountain range in the Lower Heavens they entered from.

    This was why this ce was filled with scouts and cultivators from various major ns and sects of the Middle Heavens.

    It was usually to see if someone talented from the Lower Heavens had ascended or who hade back from the Lower Heavens.

    Today, however, was amotion.

    The legendary Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun made an appearance.

    Mainly known as the person with the most powerful background and the child of prophecy, Ye Tian Yun had be famous before his first cry.

    Ye Tian Yun''s father, Ye Tian Xuan, was a highly revered personality.

    And as the ruler of the whole Middle Heavens, the name of the Great Ye n was always held in awe and reverence.

    Even though not many had witnessed Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun''s talent in cultivation, many people believed he would be the next Heavenly Emperor.

    Despite the fact this was a feat that even Emperor Ye Tian Xuan failed to achieve, there was rarely anyone who was skeptical of Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun''s backing, the Great Ye n, was an unshakable existence.

    The Heavenly Oracle Sect always imed that it would be Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun who would one day be the Heavenly Emperor in the future.

    His name was already in the Devil Sect''s Most Wanted List even though he hadn''t stepped much out of his pce.

    These facts strengthened the beliefs of the people in the prophecy even more.

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is here!"

    Everyone in the Ascension Stage paused when Ye Tian Yun walked out of the fog alongside Butler Liu and Ling Qing''er.

    "Why is he here?" Almost everyone was confused and shocked by his sudden appearance.

    Almost no one present at the scene had seen Ye Tian Yun in person before; however, they were well aware of his facial features, and seeing Butler Liu with him reassured their doubts.

    "Greetings, Crown Prince!"

    The whole valley between the mountains echoed.

    Everyone present at the scene had cupped their fists.

    Butler Liu smiled proudly, staring at the scene.

    Even Ye Tian Yun was a bit taken back, even though this wasn''t the first such a thing had happened.

    ''But it always gives me this weird satisfactory feeling.''

    No one hates to get revered by thousands of people.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and cupped his fists.

    "Greetings, Everyone. I hope your day has been good."

    He disyed a sincere smile on his face and nced from one side to the other.

    Of course, it was on purpose.

    He didn''t wish to show himself as an arrogant person.

    When you''re famous, one action can decide the opinion hundreds of people have of you.

    In his previous life, Ye Tian Yun had usually acted indifferent and cold towards such incidents.

    That was a big mistake on his part.

    He had failed to understand the value of public opinion.

    Some might say, ''Fuck others, let your fists do the talking.''

    Well, it might be true in some cases, but Ye Tian Yun''s case was a bit special.

    When talking about him, there were two words added before people even spoke his name - ''Crown Prince.''

    He was the next ruler.

    And he had to show himself as a good and approachable person.

    Currently, his simple greeting back was enough to finish this job.

    The scouts, vendors, and many of the rando cultivators immediately had a good impression of the Crown Prince.

    Many even cupped their fists and spoke a few words.

    "The day was going alright, Crown Prince, but seeing you in person just made it great!"

    Someone from the crowd spoke.

    "Haha! Yes!"

    "Yes!"

    Many began to nod their heads.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t pinpoint who, so he simply looked in the direction of the voice and said, "Well, the same could be said for me too. You guys just made my day."

    Many people smiled at this, and few even came forward to personally greet Ye Tian Yun.

    He was no different from any other celebrity; in fact, many knew that once his cultivation talent was revealed, he would surpass all his peers and make a name for himself.

    As a matter of fact, some intelligent scouts and informants were even trying to get a hunch about Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation realm.

    s, they couldn''t feel anything from him.

    Ye Tian Yun gave them unfathomable feelings.

 Chapter 459 - 459 | One Trial, Two Emblems!

    Anything rted to the Crown Prince would be a hot topic in the Middle Heavens, especially in this area, mainly because it was close to the Imperial City.

    He was currently surrounded and overwhelmed by the people greeting him.

    ''I still can''t get used to thisˇ­''

    Even though Ye Tian Yun didn''t feel anything from the stares full of awe and envy, he wasn''t still used to this many peopleing to greet him.

    ''Things will be much more normal in the Imperial City.''

    The Imperial City was the capital of the Great Ye Empire; in other words, it was the capital of the whole Middle Heavens.

    All major ns resided in the Imperial City, and most of the major sects had their branches there.

    The whole situation was like a huge lone tree in the jungle, and the wild animals living were forced to live in harmony under its shade.

    The huge lone tree was the Great Ye n, and it was covering all the ns and sects.

    Unlike the Xin Kingdom and Wu Kingdom of Lower Heavens, things were a bit different in the Middle Heavens.

    Here, not only was there one Empire ruling over everything, but the power it held over everyone was also absolute.

    Except for a few exceptions like the Grand Alchemy Hall and the Heavenly Oracle Sect, every sect and n in the Middle Heavens were subjects of the Great Ye n.

    Even the other great ns were like subsidiaries.

    This was only because of one person''s existence - Emperor Ye Tian Xuan.

    He was dominant, ruthless, and merciless towards the people who tried to y with him.

    Even the allies had to be careful when dealing with the Emperor.

    It was not that the Emperor was a tyrant; instead, this all came from the fear, respect, and reverence towards the crown.

    "Finally, we''re out!" Ling Qing''er let out a sigh of relief as the trio started to fly their way towards the Imperial City.

    This was the first time she was in such big limelight even though she was not the main character of the situation.

    Even then, she couldn''t count how many curious eyes had noticed her.

    The people at the Ascension Stage were very curious about her identity.

    But no one dared to ask the Crown Prince in fear of offending him.

    They wanted to know who this unknown girl was and why was sheing with them from the Lower Heavens?

    Was she a friend of his? Or maybe more than thatˇ­

    Many people had a thought that big news was about to drop on the Imperial City.

    There was a high chance that the legendary Crown Prince already had a lover!

    They wondered what would be their respective n''s reaction when this news reaches them.

    ''Our n has lost a big chance to tie up with the Crown Prince if that girl is really his loverˇ­''

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun, unaware of the thoughts of the people he had just met, was currently heading towards the Imperial City.

    This was his home.

    Even though he had rarely gone out of his pce when he was young, in his teen years, he had roamed the whole Middle Heavens.

    While Lower Heavens was like an unknown battlefield, the Middle Heavens was his yground.

    He understood the power structure andplicated rtionships between major ns and sects very well.

    He even knew about the major events that would shake the whole realm in theing years.

    They were etched in his mind as if it was only yesterday when he had conquered them.

    ''I wonder when that ce will appear?''

    A huge nine-floor pagoda formed in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    This was one of the most important ces he needed to visit.

    The nine-floor pagoda would be a legendary artifact that would y the role of a trial creator.

    The trial would change the course of the history of the whole Middle Heavens.

    The trial, which would present not one, but two Emblems as a reward.

    And one of them would be the Emblem Of Luck.

    The artifact that Ye Tian Yun had wielded in his previous life.

    Although Ye Tian Yun had already proven his unparalleled talent to the masses, he took things to a whole new level once he got the Emblem Of Luck.

    ''But that was not enoughˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned when he thought about it.

    The Emblem of Luck came with a huge price. Ye Tian Yun was forced to betray the only person who had evere close to his heart.

    But even after he got the Emblem of Luck, Wang Yao and the remaining God''s Legion were only a step away from him when they confronted Ye Tian Yun.

    ''If I didn''t have the Emblem Of Luck, I am sure my death would have been even more horrific.''

    Especially because he wouldn''t even stand a chance against the ambush.

    ''This time, I will take the Emblem Of Luckˇ­ without losing anyone.''

    Ye Tian Yun promised to himself.

    ''As for the other Emblemˇ­''

    There were two Emblems in the nine-floor pagoda.

    ''... I won''t let it fall into that bastard''s hands.''

    The Second Emblem was the Emblem of Soul.

    A powerful artifact that enhanced a person''s spiritual talent and increased their potential so much that even bing a Ninth Level Alchemist won''t seem impossible, no matter how bad the talent was before getting the artifact.

    In his previous life, Ye Tian Yun had helped his only friend to take this artifact.

    This friend had then gone on to be the most powerful Alchemist the Middle Heavens had ever witnessed.

    ''I wonder what the oue would have been if he had been there on the Hundred Realm Refining Stage.''

    Ye Tian Yun was confident that the God''s Legion would have suffered a terrible defeat even when they ambushed him and came all together, if and only if his friend had been there to keep Ye Tian Yun''s back.

    ''But that bastard chose not to help meˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun felt betrayed.

    But suddenly, a thought sprouted in his mind.

    ''Was this how she felt when I betrayed her?''

 Chapter 460 - 460 | Reaching The Imperial City (I)

    "We''re here."

    Butler Liu said to Ling Qing''er.

    Ling Qing''er came out of her trance and stared at the majestic Imperial City of Middle Heavens.

    ''It''sˇ­. so hugeˇ­''

    It was almost impossible to see the other end of the city even though they were so high in the air.

    The other thing to note was the whole aura epassing the Imperial City.

    It was different.

    This ce was not something Crimson City couldpare to, where she had spent all of her life.

    This city truly signified why the people of the Middle Heavens sometimes also referred to the Lower Heavens as the Mortal World.

    "The whole cityˇ­. is amazing."

    She sighed in awe.

    Butler Liu smiled and said, "Let''s move then."

    "Are weˇ­ are we allowed to fly above the city?" Ling Qing''er asked.

    She didn''t see anyone else flying above the city.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but nce at her for this question.

    ''She''s quite observant.''

    "Of course, she is."

    Wang Yao replied to him in his consciousness.

    Thetter had begged Ye Tian Yun to allow him to see the Outside World at least whenever he was with Ling Qing''er.

    Even Butler Liu smiled at her.

    "Miss Ling, others are not allowed, but as long as Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is in the group, no one can stop us."

    "Ahˇ­" Ling Qing''er turned her head towards Ye Tian Yun in shock.

    She had really underestimated the weight of the Crown Prince''s mere presence.

    Earlier the greeting by the cultivators of the Middle Heavens had dazzled her. She was still in very much shock, and now once again, upon seeing Ye Tian Yun''s authority, she still felt surprised.

    The city in front of them was the epicenter of power in the Middle Heavens.

    Almost every major power was concentrated here.

    For Ye Tian Yun to have the power to do anything he wishesˇ­

    Ling Qing''er couldn''t help but think of Wang Yao in Crimson City.

    Thetter, too, was in a simr situation like Ye Tian Yun.

    He, too, had the power of doing anything.

    ''But both of them took different routes.''

    People of Crimson City disdained and despised Wang Yao''s antics, but on the other hand, here, the Crown Prince was revered by the whole realm!

    She couldn''t help but shake her head at this.

    Wang Yao had suddenly changed after the incident a few weeks ago. It''s as if he was now regretting his actions and was now changed into a better person.

    ''I hope brother Wang can remain like this. If he continues his old debauchery waysˇ­ we will never be able to be together ever again.''

    She wasn''t an idiot.

    She understood her own background.

    Even though she knew Wang Yao''s actual background was equal or even higher than her, what mattered, in the end, was Wang Yao''s talent and how much he had made use of it.

    ''I am sure he''s talented. He reached the Third Level of Qi Refining Realm in just four days. I wonder what''s the Crown Prince''s cultivation realm?''

    To her, the Crown Prince was still as unfathomable as ever.

    However, she knew one thing.

    The person beside her was at least in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

    Because he had helped her in the game of tic tac toe through spirit messages.

    ''Foundation Establishment Realmˇ­..''

    She felt powerless upon thinking about this.

    Who wouldn''t?

    Ye Tian Yun was simr to her age and was already four realms above her.

    "Crown Prince, how are you able to cultivate so fast?" Ling Qing''er suddenly asked him.

    She was genuinely curious about this.

    Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu were, however, taken aback by the sudden question.

    "It''s talent, hard work, and persistence." Ye Tian Yun replied, "The first thing is to find a goal. Like, your goal can be to surpass me. And then, focus on that. Persist. Cultivate more than anyone else in your group. Work harder on your techniques. And on top of all these, you need luck. It is also a part of your strength and a necessary huge catalyst in turning a normal cultivator into a genius."

    Ling Qing''er nodded, and clenching her hand in a fist, she put it in the air and said,

    "My goal is now to surpass you, Crown Prince! Even though there''s a four realm gap between us, one day I will surely reach you!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and started to move ahead.

    Butler Liu, however, frowned at this.

    Not because of Ling Qing''er''s vow but the contents of her words.

    He followed Ye Tian Yun and sent him a spirit message.

    <<Crown Prince, howe she knows your actual cultivation? Your cultivation must be kept a secret, or you might get entangled in someplicated stuff.>>

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    <<Butler Liu, I had no choice, and don''t worry about it. I will handle it.>>

    Butler Liu frowned but didn''t nag anymore.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was surprised at this.

    He then nced at Ling Qing''er and said it straightforwardly, "Sister Ling Qing''er."

    "Yes? Crown Prince?"

    "I have a request."

    "Hm?" Ling Qing''er was confused, "What is it, Crown Prince?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "I hope you don''t tell anyone about my cultivation realm. Not that it''s a big secret, but it''s also one of my trump cards. And the reason why I let you know is that I knew I could trust you."

    "Oh, don''t worry about that; I am not someone who speaks without thinking." Ling Qing''er smiled.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and hoped things wouldn''t go awry in the future.

    "Don''t worry," Wang Yao put his hand in the air and said, "I already told you, she can be your most trustable ally."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''Bastard, it''s because of your annoying antics that I had to send a spirit message.''

    Wang Yao shrugged, ''We had no choice. That bastard was trying to get closer to my Qing''er.''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''Why do you even care about Ling Qing''er anymore? Didn''t sheˇ­ be someone else''s already. Didn''t the future Wang Yao and Ling Qing''erˇ­ do the deed?''

    ˇ­

    A/n: I have purposely made Ye Tian Yun haveplicated views on women because of hisck of education and social life before rebirth.

    He will slowly improve in this regard. It won''t be an instant change of attitude.

 Chapter 461 - 461 | Reaching The Imperial City (II)

    Wang Yao frowned at Ye Tian Yun''s question.

    He gave him a deadpan look and said, "You need to change your view on women. You need to go out and see the world."

    After a pause, he added, "Also, Ling Qing''er and Wang Yao never did the deed or even acted close, no matter what that bastard tried. It was because of her physique. Once that awakens, she needs to reach a very high realm before taking the next step in her rtionship, or else she would lose all her cultivation and..., well, that''s it. She will lose everything."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned but didn''t say anything.

    After a few moments, ncing at Butler Liu, he asked, "Doesn''t Ling Qing''er have a powerful physique?"

    Butler Liu was surprised at his question, "You knew?"

    "Just a wild guess." Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    Ling Qing''er nced at them.

    Butler Liu smiled and said, "Well, yes. Miss Ling has the Heavenly Yin Body."

    Ye Tian Yun said, "Isn''t the Lower Heavens the best ce to awaken this physique?"

    Butler Liu nodded, "Indeed it is. This was one of the reasons why Heavenly King Ling sent her daughter to Heavenly King Wang. However, because of the betrothal, the Emperor has gifted Heavenly King Ling with a better alternative. That method will allow Miss Ling to reach even greater heights in the future."

    Ye Tian Yun and Ling Qing''er listened carefully to his words.

    While Ye Tian Yun was surprised by the mention of an alternative method, Ling Qing''er however was surprised by the mention of betrothal.

    ''Betrothal?''

    She had a bad feeling about it. ''Don''t tell my father is nning for me toˇ­''

    There was only one way of confirming her fear.

    "Butler Liu, what is the betrothal that you just mentioned?"

    Butler Liu smiled at her and said, "It''s not public news, but since you''re also the daughter of Heavenly King Ling, then I think you have the right to know. Actually, the Great Ye n and Great Ling n n to reconcile with each other and be connected with marriage."

    "Oh?" Ling Qing''er subconsciously nced at Ye Tian Yun and asked, "Whoˇ­ is the bride?"

    Butler Liu replied, "It will be your Elder Sister, Young Miss."

    "My Elder Sister?" Ling Qing''er was surprised.

    She couldn''t help but let out a sigh of relief at this, making Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu''s eyes twitch.

    "Oh, I am sorry!" She quickly apologized when she noticed she had been pretty ''loud'' in showing her relieved expression.

    Butler Liuughed at this, "Haha! Our Crown Prince is not that badˇ­"

    "No-no! It''s not that!" Ling Qing''er felt embarrassed.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his hand at her and said, "It''s alright, I understand. Well, Wang Yao will have to work hard if he wishes to get back with you."

    Ling Qing''er smiled at this. She was afraid that the Crown Prince might take offense to her actions.

    It turned out she was thinking too much.

    "Yes, Brother-inw! You''re right!" She replied with a huge grin on her face.

    "What!" Ye Tian Yun stumbled upon hearing her words, "What did you call me?"

    Ling Qing''er shrugged, "Brother-inw!"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at this, "Wellˇ­ we''re not like this yet. I would prefer it if you called me Crown Prince."

    Ling Qing''er, "Okay, Brother-inw Crown Prince!"

    "This girlˇ­" Ye Tian Yun frowned but didn''t pursue the topic anymore.

    Because they were now finally above the Imperial City.

    Earlier, they had seen it from a distance of about fifty or so miles, but now, they finally witnessed how huge it was.

    Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu didn''t react much to this since it was quite natural for them, but for Ling Qing''er, it was still quite surprising.

    The whole Imperial City felt like it was a slumbering dragon.

    "I underestimated this city," Ling Qing''er let out a long breath.

    Butler Liuughed, "Haha, Miss Ling, this is the power hub of the whole Middle Heavens."

    "Any n or sect that''s settled here is standing at the peak of Middle Heavens. Even the weakest ns of this city are more powerful than the most powerful n of Lower Heavens."

    Ling Qing''er was shocked at this im.

    Butler Liu continued, "Let''s first head to the Imperial Pce and meet the Emperor. It''s alreadyte afternoon. We also need to visit the Great Ling n before sunset."

    Ye Tian Yun and Ling Qing''er nodded their heads, and Butler Liu took them towards the imperial Pce.

    Since it''s a well-known rule that flying in the Imperial City was no different from challenging the authority of the Emperor, anyone who flew above twenty feet was immediately taken to the prison and punished, unless they were from the Imperial n, the Great Ye n.

    This was why, if anyone flew above the city, he would immediately be the center of attention.

    And this time, there were three of them!

    People on the ground began pointing upwards in surprise.

    "Look, someone''s flying!"

    "Hm? Who has a death wish?"

    "Looks like the city has been calm for a long time."

    "Why aren''t the guards out yet? Isn''t this a tant challenge to the authority of the Emperor?"

    "Unlessˇ­."

    "Is it Butler Liu!?" Some knowledgeable people eximed.

    In the Imperial City, who didn''t know Butler Liu?

    He was the butler of the Crown Prince!

    "Woah! It really is Butler Liu! They are really from the Great Ye n!"

    "Yes! Waitˇ­ then that means the boy with him isˇ­"

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun!"

    "Who''s the girl?"

    Many were curious about the identity of Ling Qing''er. Some conspiracy theorists even came to plot out a possible history of the girl.

    "Could it beˇ­ illegitimate daughter of the Emperor!"

    "Could it beˇ­ Crown Prince''s secret lover?"

    Many theories were popping up in nosy people''s minds, though none of them were even close to the truth.

    At a certain luxurious tavern, a young man noticed the three figures heading towards Imperial City.

    His expression had a multitude of changes as it went from curiosity to confusion and then to surprise.

    "Ah! Thedy with the Crown Prince is definitely the Second Sister! I need to inform Uncle and Aunt!"

    The man jumped right through the tavern window and flew towards the Great Ling n, albeit not flying above twenty feet.

 Chapter 462 - 462 | Imperial Palace

    The group of three stepped inside the Imperial Pce.

    The Imperial Pce of the Great Ye Empire was huge and was located at the center of the Imperial City.

    The territory covered by this pce was about one-fifth of the whole city.

    It wasn''t a single huge fortress but a group of pces, which were together called the Imperial Pce.

    The Emperor''s Pce, the Crown Prince''s Pce, the Ancestors Shrine, and the Imperial Library were the most significant of all buildings and also were the four major pirs of the Imperial Pce.

    In this whole area, the Great Ye n''s people resided.

    The Great Ye n had hundreds of members from Branch, and Core Family, all of them were talented individuals of their generation, striving to uphold the n''s prestige and make a name for themselves.

    In the Great Ye n, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t part of the Branch or Core Family. Since he was the son of the Emperor, he was part of the Imperial Lineage.

    The Imperial Lineage was the most important part of the Great Ye n and was also treated with extreme reverence and respect.

    Currently, in the whole pce boundaries, there were only two people from the Imperial Lineage, the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

    Emperor Ye Tian Xuan didn''t have any other son.

    However, there were other princes in the Great Ye n.

    They were groomed to be the future leaders of the Empire when one day the Crown Prince takes the helm.

    ''Out of all of them, half of them sacrificed themselves for me, while the rest betrayed me.''

    Thinking about those faces who had sacrificed their lives just like Butler Liu, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but sigh.

    The Great Ye n was like a slumbering dragon.

    However, this dragon was no different from a ticking time bomb which was about to explode any time.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath as they headed towards the Emperor''s Pce.

    ''I need to first finish my work in the Lower Heavens before worrying about the Upper Heavens.''

    There was still a time before things went out of hand.

    For now, his main goal was to get the Tokens and Emblems.

    He had already gotten enough hints that his journey wouldn''t stop even after Wang Yao''s death.

    ''There is someone pulling strings.''

    ''The Heavens? Or is there someone else?''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t know the answers as of yet.

    Even though the older Wang Yao could tell him, that would put both of their lives in danger.

    ''I am not in a hurry to know anyway. Let''s take one step at a time for now.''

    "We''re here." Butler Liu spoke, distracting Ye Tian Yun from his thoughts.

    In front of them was a hallway and at the end was a huge gate.

    Beyond the gate was the Imperial Courtroom.

    This was the ce where all major decisions rted to the Empire were taken.

    On both sides of the hallway were guards standing in full attention.

    ''Half Saint Realmˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded at these.

    These guards were the most powerful batch in the whole Pce, and their main task was to ensure the safety of the Emperor.

    ''Not like my father needs anyone to guard anywayˇ­''

    Emperor Ye was the most powerful cultivator in the whole Middle Heavens. Still, there were regr assassination attempts on him or the important members of the Great Ye Family like Ye Tian Yun himself.

    These guards usually took care of them.

    Ye Tian Yun took a note of their stoic facial expression and followed Butler Liu and Ling Qing''er towards the huge gate in front of them.

    ˇ­.

    Beyond the gate was the Imperial Hall of the Great Ye Hall.

    This was the ce where all ministers and other authoritative figures of the Middle Kingdom came to advise the Emperor on the direction of Middle Heaven''s future.

    Though there was rarely any event when the Emperor actually listened to them.

    In the Middle Heavens, to be a major power, one not only needed to have a base in the Imperial City, but they also needed to have a seat in the Imperial Courtroom.

    Each major power got one seat, which was usually taken by the leader of those powers.

    However, not all leaders could always be present here, so they usually sent someone else as a recement, who was usually the second inmand.

    The Imperial Court was held on a weekly basis, and rarely anyone missed them.

    While one of the reasons was, they were afraid that the Emperor might take offense. However, the main reason behind their full attendance was because they were worried some other n or sect might try to plot or do something funny against them.

    And since everyone here was on their own, there were rarely any groups within the group.

    Today, however, the hall was pretty empty.

    Only the Emperor sat on his throne with his eyes closed.

    "Your Majesty, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun had arrived with Butler Liu and an unknowndy. They are currently heading towards the imperial Courtroom."

    "Hm, send them in." The Emperor replied to the anonymous source of the voice.

    "As youmand, Your Majesty."

    The voice replied, and the hall turned silent once again.

    After a few minutes, the gate at the other end of the hall slowly opened, and three figures stepped in.

    They were precisely YeTian Yun, Ling Qing''er, and Butler Liu.

    They approached the center of the hall and kneeled down.

    "We have returned, Father." Ye Tian Yun said.

    Emperor Ye opened his eyes and nodded at the three.

    "Your cultivationˇ­" The first thing that Emperor Ye noticed was his cultivation.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I have progressed a bit."

    "Hmˇ­" Emperor Ye smiled, "Good. But remember that now is not the time to show off."

    "Yes, Father." Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    He somewhat felt that there was a hidden message in Emperor Ye''s words.

    The Emperor wouldn''t stop him from showing his talents.

    Unless there was something or someone that Ye Tian Yun needed to be careful of?

 Chapter 463 - 463 | Emperor Yes Gift

    Emperor Ye then turned towards Butler Liu and nodded at them, and then looking at Ling Qing''er, he smiled once more and asked, "Are you Ling Qing''er?"

    "Yes, Your Majesty." Ling Qing''er gulped.

    This was the first time she had ever met such a powerful person.

    Emperor Ye''s presence alone made her feel powerless, and the aura around him only made her revere him.

    "Good, how have you been?" Emperor Ye asked, "Did Jian''er treat you well enough? Or was he very harsh?"

    "Jian''er?" This name confused Ling Qing''er. She had never heard of this name before. What was she supposed to reply?

    "Cough," At this moment, Butler Liu cleared his throat and said, "His Majesty is talking about Heavenly King Wang."

    "Ah," Ling Qing''er came to a realization and hurriedly replied, "No-no! Uncle and Aunt Wang never made it difficult for me. I lived a very good life."

    "Hm," Emperor Ye nodded, "Are you tired? You should have some rest."

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask, "Father, don''t we need to send her to the Ling n?"

    Emperor Ye smiled at this, "What''s the hurry? Ling n''s people will arrive here soon."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    Yeah, her parents won''t be able to hold back the excitement.

    ''That meansˇ­ I won''t be able to go to her n.''

    ''Why do I feel sad?''

    Ye Tian Yun was confused at the weird feeling he suddenly got.

    On the throne, Emperor Ye said, "Anyway, it''s not the right time for Ling Qing''er to return to her n. She first needs to awaken her physique."

    "Hm?" The other three were surprised at this.

    "Father, she will be staying in the Imperial Pce?"

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Yes. For the next two months."

    ''Two months?'' Ye Tian Yun was surprised upon hearing this.

    Emperor Ye then nced at Ling Qing''er and said, "You don''t have to worry about anything. This ce is also your home. And as for your parents, they will be here any minute now."

    "Thank you, Your Majesty," Ling Qing''er bowed once again.

    Emperor Ye nodded his head and then said, "Bring Ling Qing''er to the Guest Hall, And send a message to the Lings, just in case."

    As soon as he finished his words, a figure appeared right in front of the other three and bowed, "As youmand, Your Majesty."

    This man was covered in ck clothes, and even his face was hidden behind a mask.

    Then turning towards Ling Qing''er, he said, "Lady Ling, please follow me."

    Ling Qing''er bowed once again towards the Emperor, and then nodding at Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu, she left the hall with the man.

    After Ling Qing''er had left, Emperor Ye turned his attention towards Ye Tian Yun and asked, "Is everything alright with you?"

    Ye Tian Yun was taken aback by Emperor Ye''s question, "I am alright, Father, what could happen to me?"

    Emperor Ye frowned, "It has only been about three weeks, and your cultivation has increased a lot."

    Butler Liu also nced at Ye Tian Yun.

    Thest time when he and Emperor Ye had met Ye Tian Yun in the small city called Silver Mist City, he hadn''t focused much on thetter''s cultivation realm because he was more worried about his son, Jun Xie.

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and considered whether he should reveal his actual cultivation or not?

    After a moment of thought, Ye Tian Yun decided against it. There was no need to reveal his trump cards just like that.

    As if reading Ye Tian Yun''s mind, Emperor Ye smiled at him and said, "You''re very cautious. I like that. But do you really think I need to ask you to know your cultivation?"

    Before Ye Tian Yun could react, Emperor Ye moved forward and stood in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    "Here." He then raised his hand.

    When Ye Tian Yun looked at his father''s palm, he was surprised to see a small pouch in thetter''s hands.

    "This isˇ­"

    He was confused, but he still took the pouch without hesitation.

    "It''s a pill. The one you need right now." Emperor Ye smiled and said.

    ''The one I needˇ­!?'' Ye Tian Yun was shocked by his father''s words.

    ''The only pill I need is the one required to form the coreˇ­''

    ''Wait... don''t tell me he saw through my actual cultivation!?''

    This was shocking for Ye Tian Yun.

    He had never thought someone would be able to see through System''s pills.

    ''I wonder what his cultivation realm is?''

    Ye Tian Yun had never seen his father go all out, so he didn''t know about Emperor Ye''s actual cultivation realm.

    Publicly, it was known that Emperor Ye was a Great Saint Realm cultivator.

    But thinking about thisˇ­ won''t it be equal to Butler Liu, who had first hidden his cultivation to the Half Saint Realm?

    Ye Tian Yun was confident that his father was more powerful than a Great Saint Realm expert.

    In the hall, Butler Liu was confused at the exchange between the father-son duo.

    He didn''t think there was any pill that Ye Tian Yun needed till the Peak of Foundation Establishment, which Emperor Ye personally required to provide.

    The cultivation resources in the Great Ye n were abundantˇ­

    ''The only pill he would need to give is the Heaven Defying Core Creation Pillˇ­. But Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun will need to be in the Peak of Foundation Establishment Realm for that, which is a long way to go. After all, he''s still in the Third Level of Foundation Establishment.''

    ''Waitˇ­ what if the Crown Prince is alreadyˇ­''

    It suddenly dawned upon Butler Liu.

    And just then, as if confirming his wild guess, Emperor Ye spoke.

    "This pouch contains the highest grade of Core Creation Pill, the Heaven Defying Core Creation Pill."

    "It will help you form a powerful purple core, making use of your full cultivation potential and also making it easier to breakthrough in theter stages."

    "There is only one because there is no other such pill left. At least not among the sources which I know of."

    Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu were shocked after hearing his words.

 Chapter 464 - 464 | Chat With Emperor Ye

    "Crown Prince, are you reallyˇ­ at the Peak of Foundation Establishment Realm!?" Butler Liu asked in a suppressed voice.

    He couldn''t believe his eyes and ears.

    Peak Foundation Establishment Realm before even turning fifteen years of age!

    Such talent!

    Even though he believed Ye Tian Yun was the most talented person, still seeing him achieve such feats right in front of him took things to another level.

    Ye Tian Yun could only give the excited Butler Liu a wry smile.

    ''All effort in hiding the cultivation realm and keeping a low profile has gone to wasteˇ­''

    He could only sigh at his luck.

    His father was just too powerful.

    Thinking about this, the most dreading question popped up in his mind once again.

    ''If my father is this powerful, then where was he when the God''s Legion ambushed me?''

    In his previous life, Ye Tian Yun had many subordinates, but when D-Day came, he was alone.

    Some had abandoned him, but many had already lost their lives for him.

    ''I can''t help but think about thisˇ­ where was he on that day? It would take only a wave of his hand to change the oueˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips upon thinking about this.

    "What did Jian''er say?" Emperor Ye''s voice suddenly rang in his ears, bringing him out of his thoughts.

    The Jian''er that his father referred to was his uncle.

    Ye Tian Jian.

    This was his given name before Ye Tian Yun''s uncle was banished from the Great Ye n.

    Later, he was known as Heavenly King Wang because of his ties with the Great Wang n.

    ''In my previous life, I thought my father and my uncle hated each otherˇ­. Why do I feel like this is not the case?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think about how everything rted to his family members was slowlying out to be false.

    His father wasn''t the cold-hearted and emotionless killing machine that he had presumed.

    The brotherly rtionship between his father and his uncle was much moreplicated than just hate.

    ''This justplicates the questionˇ­ why would the Great Ye n banish my Uncle if my Father worries about him?''

    "Your Majesty, I personally talked to Heavenly King Wang, but his stance is still the same. He said he will not step on the Middle Heavens for now."

    "What is that idiot doing then!?" Emperor Ye suddenly got angry, "Does he not know the situation we are in?"

    "Thisˇ­" Butler Liu let out a sigh and said, "I exined everything, Your Majesty, but he''s still adamant about not interfering."

    "Why?" Emperor Ye asked in a deep voice.

    Both Butler Liu and Ye Tian Yun felt that the person in front of them was about to explode out of anger.

    "Your Majesty," Butler Liu cleared his throat and said, "He wants you toe and visit him personally."

    "What?" Emperor Ye frowned, "That son of a - no, why should I cuss at my mother for him? That god damn bastardˇ­. Does he think I am ignoring him? If I could, I would have visited him right now!"

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask, "What is stopping you, Father? You''re the ruler of the Middle Heavens, no one can stop you in the Lower Heavens, and even in Upper Heavens, I am sure you would be among the peak cultivators. What is it that''s stopping you?"

    Emperor Ye paused for a moment but then shook his head, "Not nowˇ­. Sighˇ­"

    Butler Liu suddenly quipped, "Your Majesty, Crown Prince is really talented in cultivation. I think we can tell him at least something?"

    Emperor Ye frowned and considered Butler Liu''s words.

    "Don''t let him tell you!!" A loud shout echoed in Ye Tian Yun''s consciousness.

    It was Wang Yao.

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao shouted once again, "Don''t let him tell you! You may have a lot of potential and talent, but you''re still at the Foundation Establishment Realm."

    "Don''t think about such questions for now. The enemy can kill you with just a single nce. I already told you, the only thing protecting you is your ignorance."

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and said to the Emperor, "Father, I don''t wish to know. I have a feeling that this is not the right time."

    Relief could be seen in Emperor Ye''s expression.

    Butler Liu, however, was confused for a moment, but then something dawned upon him.

    "Thisˇ­. Oh noˇ­ don''t tell me they are targeting you already, Crown Prince!"

    His face paled out of shock.

    Emperor Ye took a deep breath and said, "It''s alright. No need to worry about Ye Tian Yun."

    Butler Liu sighed, "I apologize, Your Majesty. I failed to see the full picture. I didn''t know that ''that'' person is still alive."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "It''s alright, it wasn''t your fault. You haven''t been to the Upper Heavens for thest fifteen years."

    Ye Tian Yun listened carefully. He knew Emperor Ye wouldn''t reveal core details, but still, Ye Tian Yun wanted to have a picture of the enemy at least.

    "Don''t think!"

    Suddenly Wang Yao shouted once again.

    "If you try to imagine them, your imagination wille true. Don''t create trouble for yourself."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, and in the next instant, all ess from Wang Yao was taken away.

    Earlier, he had allowed Wang Yao to peek outside only because of Ling Qing''er''s presence.

    But now that she was gone, there was no need for Ye Tian Yun to treat him well.

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and said, "Father, I would like to take my leave. I don''t wish to waste time in my cultivation."

    Emperor Ye and Butler Liu paused and turned towards him.

    "Hm, alright, if you have anything to talk about, you cane to meter," Emperor Ye said to him and resumed his chat with Butler Liu.

    Ye Tian Yun swiftly headed out of the hall, but he could still hear a few words from the former''s conversation.

    Assembling the Great Ye Corpsˇ­ bringing them to the Upper Heavensˇ­ killing the -

 Chapter 465 - 465 | Preparing For Breakthrough

    Ye Tian Yun headed straight for his pce after getting out of the Imperial Courtroom.

    Along the way, many guards and servants greeted him; he simply nodded and continued to move forward.

    Right now, there was only one thing in his mind - getting to the next stage.

    The Core Formation Realm!

    This was a good chance for him, and his father had even gifted him a power pill which would be a huge help for him.

    The Heaven Defying Core Creation Pill.

    ording to Emperor Ye, this was a purple core formation pill.

    Core Formation is a slow and steady process and sometimes even takes about two to four months.

    The more time it takes, the higher level it bes.

    A Core Formation is divided into the seven colors of Heaven''s Bow - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

    Heaven''s Bow is a strange phenomenon that usually appears as a fierce storm or heavy rain.

    After the fierce storm, the sky turns crystal clear. Against the giant palette of blue, there seems to be dripping color, an arc, translucent and resplendent, hovers in ease and grace. A riot of color, a work beyond art, a promise of bliss - a gift from heaven, the Heaven''s Bow!

    As the old legends have pointed out, Heaven''s Bow has one end in a spot of golden Sun and the other with the eye of the beholder.

    The arc of seven identified colors- this rare phenomenon is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some cultivators.

    [A/n: yes. It''s a rainbow.]

    The above stated seven colors - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet - are in the exact order in which they appear.

    And for cultivators, in order to reach the Core Formation Realm, they will need to form a Core of one of these colors.

    Orange, Yellow, and Green are the mostmon, while Blue and Indigo aremon among geniuses.

    Red and Violet, however, are the rarest. Just like how hard it is to find a super genius, it''s also rare to see someone talentless who has reached the Peak of Foundation Establishment Realm.

    Some might think that the older one gets, the higher the chances of getting a Red Core; however, it has been proven false many times.

    The forming of the Core depends on theprehension ability, calmness of mind, and most importantly, control of the Qi within the Dantian.

    The better the control, the higher the chances of getting a powerful core.

    As for the pill, it''s needed to stimte the Qi.

    The Core Creation Pills are very special and have their own ranking system among the cultivators.

    The highest one, of course, is the Heaven Defying Core Creation Pill which Emperor Ye gifted to Ye Tian Yun.

    The lowest one, however, is the simple Core Creation Pill, and in that, the chances of Qi Deviation are also high.

    Even though the cultivators at this stage have long passed through the Tri-Qi stages and have assimted the Qi in their Dantian, it goes without saying that mistakes can happen, and if one isn''t alert enough, he might lose his life without knowing why.

    After all, with great powerˇ­. Come greater chances of dying by mistake.

    ck! Click!

    Ye Tian Yun closed the door of his room and stared at the front.

    In front of him was a huge soft bed.

    About a few months ago, this was the exact ce where Ye Tian Yun woke up for the first time and came back to the past.

    ''Initiating Systemˇ­''

    He could still hear those two words that had once shocked the daylights out of him.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    So much had happened ever since that day.

    When he went out of this room in Butler Liu''s disguise, he had chosen the Token Of Fate as his first target.

    Today he had returned, but not only with the Token Of Fate, but also the Emblem Of Time.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun cleared his mind from unnecessary details and sat cross-legged on the bed.

    The whole room was very clean and well-maintained, so there weren''t any unexpected dys.

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and appeared in a huge white space.

    This was where he was nning to breakthrough to the next stage.

    He was going to save a lot of time in the cultivation space.

    ''The only thing Ick here is the dense Qiˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and closed his eyes once again.

    He focused on calming his mind and making his whole consciousness as stable as possible.

    Wang Yao also chose not to speak or do anything lest he disturb Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation and created unwanted trouble.

    After about a day or so, Ye Tian Yun slowly opened his eyes and took out the pouch his father had gifted.

    In the pouch was a white pill.

    Without hesitation, Ye Tian Yun gulped one pill and began to meditate once again.

    The pill melted as soon as it touched his tongue.

    After that, everything returned to normal.

    ˇ­

    Heavenly Oracle Sect.

    The atmosphere within the sect for thest few days had been pretty depressing. It was mainly because of the unexpected appearance of the Emblem about three weeks ago.

    The sky turning pitch ck phenomenon signified an end of a generation and the beginning of a new generation''s turn to imprint their names in the annals of history.

    However, things had been pretty hectic because the sect higher-ups had miscalcted or overseen a single step.

    They had tried all their ways to find the First Emblem Holder of this generation, but it was basically impossible.

    Some even thought it could be Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun. But that was immediately removed from the possibilities.

    The Crown Prince had not even left his pce; how could he have the Emblem?

    Did the Emblem walk all the way to him?

    Impossible!

    There was definitely someone else who had the Emblem.

    However, after three weeks of intense research, nothing was found out, drowning the people in depression.

    As if the heavens were not satisfied with just this, some special guests arrived in the Heavenly Oracle Sect, making the higher-ups dread and despair even more.

 Chapter 466 - [Bonus ] 466 | The Mysterious Man And Woman In The Heavenly Oracle Sect

    The atmosphere in the Main Hall of Heavenly Oracle Sect was pretty tense.

    It had been like this for thest few weeks; however, it was especially tense today.

    But the major thing to note was that today it was not the Elders of the Sect who were trembling. Instead, it was the Grand Elder''s turn.

    The three Grand Elders of the Heavenly Oracle Sect stood at the peak of the Middle Heavens.

    However, they were afraid that one wrong move and they would lose their lives at this moment.

    They had their heads lowered as sweat dripped on the floor from their foreheads.

    Surprisingly, they were not seated on the main chairs this time. Instead, they stood at the center of the Main Hall, facing their own seats.

    They stood like used criminals waiting for the jury''s verdict.

    In front of them, their seats were not actually empty.

    Instead, two people sat on two of the three high seats, while the third one was empty.

    One of the two was a young woman, while the other one was also of her age, but a man.

    Between their seats was an exquisite table with wine ced on it.

    As the young man took a sip of his wine, the woman beside him stared dead into the eyes of the Head Grand Elder of the Heavenly Oracle Sect.

    "Do you have any idea what has happened?" The woman said.

    The other two Grand Elders nced at the Head Grand Elder, forcing him to be the one to answer, "Your Highnessˇ­. The Emblemˇ­ the Emblem had appeared."

    The man paused his hands, holding the ss for a moment, then once again resumed drinking wine as if nothing happened.

    The girl, however, showed disdain towards the Head Grand Elder''s words, "Emblem? Those are mere toys. Don''t mention them again in front of us, or else you will lose your tongue."

    "I apologize, Your Highness!" The Head Grand Elder gulped and immediately kneeled.

    The girl took a deep breath and stood up.

    The two remaining Grand Elder stepped back out of instinct.

    The young woman smirked and then nced at the Head Grand Elder kneeling in front of her; she said, "Let me make you aware of a few details regarding the situation."

    "There''s a time cycle which was much needed, but because of an unexpected variable, the cycle is disrupted, disturbing our mother''s rest."

    The three elders gulped at the mere mention of the ''mother''.

    They had only seen a glimpse of her, and if it was not for the pity of the two people in front of them, all three would have turned to dust long ago.

    "Mother had told us that the real timeline cannot be restored anymore because just like the other timelines, that was destroyed by a timeline, which was the current we''re part of."

    The Third Grand Elder pursed his lips and spoke for the first time in this meeting, "Does that mean this is the new and original timeline now?"

    "Exactly," The young woman smiled at him and then added, "However, we don''t know the end result this time. Therefore, we''re here to tell you that your workload has now increased, and you have also lost an important member of the group."

    "What is the workload? And whom did we lose?" The Third Grand Elder was quite confused about the situation.

    The woman smiled and stepped forward and stood in front of the Head Grand Elder.

    She then said, "Your main responsibility will now be the growth of Wang Yao. He''s an important catalyst for us to get Ye Tian Yun. There''s a big event about to happen in the Upper Heavens, so there''s a high chance this will be ourst meeting for the next few years."

    "And as for the person that you have lost -!"

    "UGH!"

    Thud!

    Suddenly, a head rolled down near the feet of the young woman.

    She looked at it with a sweet smile and finished her sentence.

    "- is your Head Elder."

    Before the remaining two Grand Elders could react, the young man stood up and said, "This was a personal order from the Mother."

    And then ncing at the Third Elder, the young man threw a token at him and said, "You will be the new Head Elder. No need to hide your cultivation. Tell me the details of your findings in the Lower Heavens."

    The Third Grand Elder was ecstatic at the sudden opportunity. However, it didn''tst for more than a second when a thought shed in his mind.

    ''The next to die will be meˇ­.''

    The Third Grand Elder moved forward and slowly began to exin the finding from the Silver Mist City.

    "....Your Highness, the battle was long over, and the mysterious saint had long disappeared from the spot. We don''t have any proof if the Emblem appeared there or not, but we know one thing that there''s a high chance that a Token appeared."

    "Hmˇ­" The young woman frowned, "Did you use the techniques to find the possible parties?"

    The Grand Elder nodded, "We did, but we found nothing. However-"

    "Alright, that''s enough." The young woman suddenly frowned and put her hand on her stomach.

    The young man moved forward and stared at the young woman''s stomach, "Has the pain returned?"

    The woman lightly nodded.

    This made the young man frown.

    "That bitch forced you to use the forbidden technique to interfere in someone''s emotions and thoughts. Why; why don''t you say anything about it?"

    The man snarled.

    "It''s alright," The woman took a pill and said, "Let''s go back. I am afraid the bacsh is severe."

    The man nodded, "Alright," Then, turning towards the Grand Elder, he said with disdain, "Did you at least interrogate the main ns or sects of that city? We need at least something."

    "I did," The Third Grand Edler nodded, "There was a small n called Zheng n."

    "I tortured and interrogated them for ten days, but they didn''t utter a word. We know that they were hiding something. However, no one said a word about the situation, and in the end, I had no choice but to kill all of them."

    The man shook his head, "It was just an insignificant n, but still, too loyal for their own good. Just a bunch of idiots, in my opinion."

    Before the Grand Elder could reply, the man had left the hall with the young woman.

 Chapter 467 - [Bonus ] 467 | Coming Out

    On the seventh day after Ye Tian Yun''s seclusion in the cultivation space, his dantian finally began to react.

    It was already in a liquefied stage, and now the next step was to turn it into a solid core.

    Some might think that a core is spherical in shape; however, the truth is, it can be of any shape.

    The important and the only thing to note is that the qi must be solid, and it must not expand.

    If it expands, then it simply means that the core is iplete.

    Once Ye Tian Yun was able to control the qi in his dantian, the next step in front of him was to turn it into a whirlpool.

    After about a few hours of effort, Ye Tian Yun sessfully formed a slow whirlpool.

    Now, the only step that remained for him was to increase the speed of his whirlpool.

    The higher speed and the longer he could keep it up, the better results he would get.

    And just like this, a total of six months passed in the cultivation space.

    Ye Tian Yun''s seclusion was nowing to an end.

    ˇ­

    "Finally."

    Ye Tian Yun slowly opened his eyes, and an inexplicable smile formed on his lips.

    He was pleased with the hard work he had put into getting to the next stage.

    Though he was surprised that it took him more than six months to finish his cultivation in seclusion.

    ''If I didn''t have the Emblem Of Timeˇ­ I would have ended up wasting a lot of time and good opportunities.''

    Thankfully because of the godly artifact, hepleted six months of cultivation seclusion in just two months of real-world time.

    This was a really good achievement and a big step for him.

    In his dantian, there was now a huge purple solid core.

    He had sessfully reached the Core Formation Realm.

    In his previous, it took him about one and half years to go from the Foundation Establishment''s First Level to breaking through the Core Formation Realm.

    But this time, it took him about three months to jump about thirteen cultivation levels!

    If this got out, no one would believe, and even if someone were to believe, they would be blown away by this fact.

    Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation speed was godly just with the help of the Emblem Of Time. He couldn''t imagine how things would turn out once he got his hands on the other artifacts.

    ''Just the thought of it makes me itch to go back to the Lower Heavens as soon as possibleˇ­.''

    Two months had passed in the Real World.

    He wondered about the state of the Lower Heavens and the Gracious Sword Sect.

    ''Did King Xin and Prime Minister Fang Yuan make their moves yet?''

    If those two really did make a move, then there was a high chance that Gracious Sword Sect might not surviveˇ­. This was what Ye Tian Yun had thought before Butler Liu revealed Sect Leader Su''s actual cultivation realm.

    ''Sect Leader Su is a Saint Realm Cultivatorˇ­.''

    That guy hid pretty wellˇ­

    However, it was still a wonder that such a powerhouse ended up dying at the hands of Tri-Qi realm kids in the original timeline.

    ''It feels as if there''s a whole new hidden world right in front of himˇ­.''

    Butler Liu was a Great Saint Realm powerhouse.

    How did he die in Ye Tian Yun''s previous life?

    If someone asked this question before Ye Tian Yun left the Gracious Sword Sect, he would have said that Butler Liu sacrificed himself and was ambushed by God''s Legion.

    However, if Butler Liu was really a powerhouse with cultivation in the Great Saint Realm, then how the fuck did God''s Legion even touch his hair, much less kill such a man?

    It was impossible.

    And at that time, the God''s Legion members were Nascent Soul Experts, the realm above Core Formation.

    ''There was only one realm difference, and the opponents, although had a low cultivation, they were still geniuses and could have easily killed a Half Saint REalm cultivator if coordinated the ambush well enough.''''

    This was the reason why Ye Tian Yun didn''t investigate much about the situation around Butler Liu''s death.

    And then there''s the rtion between his father and uncle.

    Also, the Great Ye Corpsˇ­.

    He felt as if there was a much bigger plot going on, and he wasn''t even qualified to know about it in his previous life.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and returned to his room.

    Because his body had not moved an inch for thest two months, he was currently covered in dust.

    However, there weren''t any other major problems.

    Unlike mortals, cultivators can sit still for months and just focus on cultivation without food, water, or muscle cramps.

    And when they wake up, their body doesn''t even hurt at all.

    Ye Tian Yun dusted himself and called the servants to prepare a bath.

    The first person to greet him was, of course, Butler Liu.

    "Ah, Crown Prince, you''re already out?" He was surprised to see Ye Tian Yun out of seclusion within just two months.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Take a guess."

    Butler Liu shook his head and asked, "Crown Prince, I meant, don''t we have to stay there for a long time?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and sent him a spirit message.

    Immediately, the truth dawned upon Butler Liu''s face, and he let out a smile, "Ah, this is really a good thing, Crown Prince."

    Ye Tian Yun had just said three words in the spirit message - Emblem Of Time.

    Hearing Butler Liu''spliments, Ye Tian Yunughed and then once again asked for a servant to prepare bathwater.

    While the servants were preparing water, Ye Tian Yun asked, "Butler Liu, did anything major happen in the past two months?"

    Butler Liu paused for a moment and then said, "Well, I don''t know where to start from."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Start from something that is directly rted to me."

    "Ahem, there are still a lot of choices remaining in this," Butler Liu thought for a moment and then said, "Ah, I know that. Well, congrattions, Crown Prince, now the whole world knows about your engagement with First Ling n Princess, Ling Feng''er."

    ˇ­

    A/n: Feng means phoenix, a mythical bird known for rising from its ashes.

 Chapter 468 - 468 | Great Ling Clans Play; New Head Elder Of Heavenly Oracle Sect

    "What!?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised upon hearing Butler Liu''s words.

    "Yes," Butler Liu said, "It was because of the Great Ling n, those guys leaked the news."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    This is not how things transpired in his previous life.

    The Great Ling n never told a soul about the engagement because to the public, the Great Ling n and the Great Ye n were big enemies.

    This was also the reason why it was easier to change the bride to Ling Qing''er after Ling Feng''er''s death.

    ''Why did they leak the news now?''

    "What are your thoughts on this, Crown Prince?" Butler Liu asked, "Personally, I am a bit dissatisfied with the Lings."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Are you sure about this, Butler Liu? I don''t think Ling n would leak such an important matter..."

    Butler Liu clenched his teeth, "I trusted them on this too but looks like we overestimated them."

    He sneered and, "Crown Prince, they just wanted to preserve Miss Ling Qing''er''s reputation by throwing out your name. Now because of the leaked news, they have left no way to step back for the Great Ye n."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "I can see. Looks like our n had gotten toox on these people."

    Butler Liu slowly nodded his head.

    "By the wayˇ­. What was Father''s reaction?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    "Of course, he was furious," Butler Liu replied as a matter of fact, "Let me tell you in short what actually transpired."

    "It all began when we first returned from the Lower Heavens with Miss Ling Qing''er. Almost everyone in the Imperial City had witnessed our arrival, and everyone was curious."

    "And after about half an hour, the n Head of the Great Ling n, Heavenly King Ling, and his wife came to the Imperial Pce."

    "Many soon joined the two cases and concluded that the mysterious girl with the Crown Prince was most probably the mysterious Second Miss of the Great Ling n."

    "However, the main question of the hour was - Why was she with the Crown Prince? What rtionship do they have? Why did the Crown Prince himself personally go to bring her back?"

    "And we all know people have some wild fantasies. This was why there were rumors starting to flood the Imperial City about your and Second Miss Ling''s rtionship."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    This didn''t happen in his previous life.

    In his previous life, the three of them didn''te to the Imperial Pce, instead directly went to the Great Ling n.

    Butler Liu continued to add, "The Great Ling n were facing trouble. They didn''t wish to see this since Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun would be engaged with the First Miss rather than the Second Miss. Therefore, they leaked the news about the Engagement, shocking the already chaotic Imperial City. And then, the news spread like wildfire. People didn''t even doubt this since it wasing personally from the Lings and also because you had brought the Second Miss to the Middle Heavens. This had instead helped the people in believing the Ling n''s words."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    Butler Liu, however, wasn''t done yet.

    "Crown Prince, but do you know that this was actually a trap by the Ling n!? Your engagement is not yet finalized, but because they had leaked the news, the Great Ye n will have no other choice but toply, or else it might sully your reputation."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked but didn''t say anything.

    ''Great Ling n.... what are they nning?''

    ''They better not n something funny... or they will end up digging their own graves.''

    ''If only my Token Of Fate was working-''

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun noticed one thing.

    There was a prompt above Butler Liu''s head!

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun''s eyesnded on it, he was able to understand it.

    [Liu Lei. 5 Star Favourability. Will never betray you and only wishes the best for you. Because he had no other choice but to be away from his family, he has spent many years with you and treats you like a son.]

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this prompt.

    ''When did thise? This is more detailed than any I have ever seenˇ­.''

    Previously, in the Lower Heavens, all the prompts were just one-line statements without much detail.

    And now that they were back, the details had also increased.

    ''Butler Liu''s familyˇ­''

    The only person that Ye Tian Yun knew that was rted to Butler Liu was Jun Xie. He never asked or heard about Butler Liu''s wifeˇ­

    "Butler Liu, if you don''t mind, can I ask you something?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Yes, Crown Prince?"

    "Doˇ­ no, whatˇ­ ahem, I mean, where is your wife?" Ye Tian Yun asked after carefully deciding the question.

    Butler Liu''s expression faltered for a moment and then instantly reverted back to normal.

    "Crown Prince," He pursed his lips and said, "Not that I want to hide anything from you, but it''s better to remain ignorant about some things."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned but didn''t pursue the topic anymore.

    Wang Yao had also once said something along the lines of being ignorant is good.

    Ye Tian Yun changed the topic and asked, "What else happened, anything of major significance?"

    Butler Liu nodded, "Yeah, a few more things. Most important of them was that the Heavenly Oracle Sect has a new Head Elder."

    "What!?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised upon hearing this.

    There had not been any new Head Elder of the Heavenly Oracle Sect in his previous life!

    ''How did this happen?''

    Because Ye Tian Yun knew that this sect was a hidden enemy, he had decided to put extra attention on it.

    And now, the first news that he heard about it was something that never happened in his previous life!

    "Who is the new Head Elder?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Butler Liu replied, "The previous Third Grand Elder, Jia Rong."

    Him!?

    Wasn''t he Qin Wentian''s Master?

 Chapter 469 - 469 | Duan Ling Tian; Immortal Pavilion

    Ye Tian Yun clearly remembered that Qin Wentian''s master was the Third Grand Elder Jia Rong of the Heavenly Oracle Sect.

    This personˇ­ was very ambitious.

    And this Grand Elder was also the one who had once visited Ye Tian Yun''s pce to meet him while the former was in the Lower Heavens.

    ''How did he be the new Head Elder?''

    This was an unexpected development.

    ''Why do I feel like it''s because of me?''

    Ye Tian Yun had a weird feeling about the situation because it seemed like everything regarding this situation in the Heavenly Oracle Sect was because of him.

    ''The Heavenly Oracle Sect''s moves might be unpredictable nowˇ­''

    Jia Rong was different from his predecessor.

    While he was ambitious, he was also patient.

    He was like a hidden snake, ready to strangle its prey but also calm and willing to stay still.

    ''I will be more carefulˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun asked Butler Liu, "Do you know how and why this happened? I don''t think there was any need for them to change the Head Elder."

    Butler Liu shook his head, "Only the Grand Elders of the Heavenly Oracle Sect know the real truth, and for some reason, they are tight-lipped about the situation. Although they have made a good excuse that the previous Head Elder had gone into closed-door cultivation for the next few years, our spies within the sect have told things otherwise."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I see. Oh, this reminds meˇ­ did you investigate the situation around the prophecy regarding the Token Of Fate? Heavenly Oracle Sect never released the prophecy to anyone else."

    Butler Liu nodded, "I have thoroughly investigated the situation, but there are still a few missing details in the situation. This is why I have not told you about my findings yet. Well, since you have asked me, I will tell you what we have found out."

    "The Heavenly Oracle Sect did get a prophecy, but only the very core disciples and higher-ups knew about the details."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded and then asked, "Did anything else happen?"

    Butler Liu thought for a moment and said, "Well, I did tell you a lot of things have happened but two more things which you should keep note of - there''s this young brat from the Great Duan n, he has reached the Nascent Soul Realm and is about to challenge the cultivators in the Middle Heavens Ranking Stele."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and a figure formed in his thoughts.

    "Is it Duan Ling Tian?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Yes," Butler Liu nodded his head, "This boy is the greatest genius from the Great Duan n and has reached the peak of the generation just based on his own talent."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    Duan Ling Tian was one of his rivals in Ye Tian Yun''s previous life.

    This young man was almost twenty-two this year and would have been the most powerful genius if not for the appearance of Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    However, while Ye Tian Yun still had to prove his talent and name, Duan Ling Tian had already cemented himself in the minds of the masses as a super genius.

    One thing worth noting was that Duan Ling Tian and Ye Tian Yun were not enemies, rather good rivals who could have be good friends if not for the untimely deaths of each other.

    While Ye Tian Yun died on the Hundred Realm Refining Stage, Duan Ling Tian died long before that battle when he fought the Chaos Emperor Shi Yan.

    Shi Yan had thoroughly defeated Duan Ling Tian and beheaded him in one of the biggest confrontations of that time.

    "Crown Prince," Just then, Butler Liu asked, "The reason why I told you about this is that I hope you don''t get hot-headed and show off your talent. I have already stressed this many times before, and I can''t stress it more - you must keep a low profile for a few years. You can be a super genius, but don''t show off your actual cultivation realm."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Don''t worry, Butler Liu, I won''t make such a foolish mistake."

    Butler Liu smiled, "That''s a good reassurance, and now I will tell you about the most important news."

    "Oh, do tell?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Butler Liu smiled, "Immortal Pavilion is now opening for your generation of disciples."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded with a slight frown.

    Immortal Pavilion was the most neutral sect within the whole Middle Heavens, and it only focused on cultivating new talents.

    It only opened once in a generation, and all the disciples wished to be part of this prestigious sect.

    "Because the Emblem has appeared," Butler Liu said, "The Immortal Pavilion has decided to open its doors for the new generation of disciples."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    In every generation, the appearance of the first Emblem was the trigger to the opening of Immortal Pavilion.

    "Will you be taking part in its trial?" Butler Liu asked.

    The Immortal Pavilion was very famous and was well-acknowledged by everyone. Therefore, almost every cultivator in the generation wished to be its disciple.

    But how could it be possible to take everyone in?

    Therefore, a trial was designed, and only those who passed this trial would be able to enter the Immortal Pavilion.

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and replied to Butler Liu, "I will head to the Immortal Pavilion but not now. I remember the Immortal Trial remains open for three whole years. So there''s no need to hurry."

    Butler Liu frowned, "But the earlier you enter, the better it is for you. And with your cultivation, I am sure you won''t face any worthy obstacles during the Trial."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I don''t wish to join the Immortal Pavilion yet. There''s still a lot to do in the Lower Heavens."

    "Hm.." Butler Liu replied, "Well, I just hope that you don''t miss any opportunities."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    He was not going to miss the Immortal Pavilion Trial.

    After all, that ce was an important step in his journey.

    Both, the Emblem Of Luck and the Emblem Of Soul, were in the Immortal Pavilion!

 Chapter 470 - 470 | Ling Hao

    A/n: There was a big error in Ch468. I had pasted the wrong file. Thanks to the promptment from reader LW130003, I was notified of this and have now uploaded the chapter with the correct context. You will have to go to your profile tab > settings > clear cache before rereading that chapter. My apologies for this blunder.

    ...

    "Your highness, your bath is ready." A maid''s words reached Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu as they discussed the Immortal Pavilion''s Trial.

    "I will go ahead, Crown Prince," Butler Liu said, "Please head towards the Jian Pce after bath."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Why the Jian Pce?"

    Jian Pce was the abandoned pce of the Imperial Pce. Even though no one lived there, it was always kept clean for some reason.

    Ye Tian Yun knew who this pce belonged to.

    It was his uncle, Ye Tian Jian''s pce.

    Even though he had been banished from the n, Heavenly King Wang''s pce remained untouched and uninhabited.

    This was why Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    There was nothing in the Jian Pce.

    "Miss Ling Qing''er lives there." Butler Liu said, "She has been our guest for thest two months while her Heavenly Yin physique was awakened."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    In his previous life, Ling Qing''er physique awakening was one of the reasons why he and Butler Liu went to the Lower Heavens to bring her back to the Middle Heavens.

    This time, they went early, and the physique was yet to awaken.

    Surprisingly his father had offered an alternative method to the Lings, and thus, Ling Qing''er was still here to awaken her physique.

    "But why do you need me to go there?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    There didn''t seem to be any reason for him to go there now.

    "Well, there is an important reason." Butler Liu replied, "His majesty, The Emperor, has asked me to bring you with me when I go with Miss Ling to her n."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Alright, I will be there soon."

    Butler Liu nodded with a smile and left the room.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and prepared for a bath.

    ''Two months have passedˇ­. I should return to the Lower Heavens.''

    The war between the Xin and Wu Kingdom was important for Ye Tian Yun.

    Even though it had triggered too early, Ye Tian Yun wouldn''t miss it.

    ''I must get the next tokensˇ­.''

    ˇ­

    After about half an hour, Ye Tian Yun was standing in front of the Jian Pce.

    This pce was situated in the northern part of the Imperial Pce and was most known for its calm and serene environment.

    ''I never noticed itˇ­ but this ce gives me a familiar feeling.''

    Ye Tian Yun felt like he was back in the Lower Heavens at the Wang n''s Moon Lake Estate.

    ''I don''t like this feeling.''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and went inside.

    The first thing he saw upon entering was a huge hall with simplistic decorations and furniture.

    "Ah, you''re here." A voice called out.

    It was Butler Liu.

    He was currently standing beside the couch at the center of the hall.

    There was someone seated on the couch. However, that person had not noticed Ye Tian Yun''s arrival and was focused on a piece of parchment in front of him.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded at Butler Liu and stepped towards them.

    The person seated on the couch was a young kid, who seemed to be a few years younger than Ye Tian Yun''s age.

    ''This face is familiarˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t recall the young kid''s name, but thetter gave him a sense of familiarity.

    Just as Ye Tian Yun took a seat in front of him, the young man finally noticed the former''s presence.

    "Ah!" He was flinched for a moment and immediately stood up and cupped his fists, "Greetings to the Crown Prince, this humble one is Ling Hao."

    There was a very deeply hidden trace of fear which even Ye Tian Yun missed noticing.

    ''Ling Haoˇ­''

    The name triggered a few forgotten memories in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    ''Is it that Ling Haoˇ­? So young...''

    Ye Tian Yun waved at him and gestured to him to sit down, "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Little Brother Hao."

    Ling Hao smiled and said, "Haha, Please is all mine, Crown Prince. I didn''t expect to meet you here; this was a pleasant surprise!"

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips curled upwards, "Well, I guess it was a fateful meeting. Are you Miss Ling''s brother?"

    Ling Hao nodded, "Yes, I am her little brother."

    "Ah, as I thought," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Are you here just to meet your sister, or are you nning to bring her back to the n today?"

    Ling Hao frowned and said, "I have been told to bring my Second Sister to the main n, so I am waiting for her."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, then we will be in each other''spany for a while."

    Ling Haoughed, "That''s great!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled but didn''t say anything.

    Then ncing at the paper in front of Ling Hao, he asked, "Do you mind telling me what''s this?"

    Ling Hao came over to him with the parchment and pointed the finger at the paper, "I am learning alchemy."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrows in intended surprise, "Ah, that must be a lot of hard work."

    Ling Hao replied with a smug smile, "Yes, but I am sort of a genius, so it''s no big deal for me."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Why don''t you be my alchemist in the future?"

    Ling Hao scratched his chin with his little hands, "Hmˇ­ your personal alchemist? That''s a lucrative offerˇ­ but unfortunately, I must decline."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Ah, that''s unfortunate. Mind telling me the reason why you declined?"

    Ling Hao crossed arms, puffed up his chest, and in a fake deep voice, he said, "I want to be the best alchemist in the world!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, that''s a good ambition, but do you know how you will know that you''re the best in the world?"

    Ling Hao frowned and began to think.

    After a long silence, he raised his head and asked, "How?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "You will know when the best cultivator of that timees to you."

    "Hmmˇ­" Ling Hao began to nod his head slowly and asked, "Who''s the best cultivator?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "He''s sitting in front of you."

 Chapter 471 - 471 | Weird Token Of Fate And Ling Haos Fear

    Click-click

    Tap-tap

    Just as Ling Hao was busy listening to Ye Tian Yun''s brainwashing words, they heard footsteps approaching them.

    The three of them turned around and found Ling Qing''ering down from the second floor.

    As soon as she came in view, her calm face turned into that of a surprise, "Ah, Brother-inw!"

    Ye Tian Yun''s eye twitched upon hearing her words.

    Ling Qing''er increased her pace and was soon standing in front of the trio.

    "I didn''t expect to see you here," She said to Ye Tian Yun, and then nodding at Butler Liu, she asked, "Butler Liu, you''re here too. Did something happen?"

    Butler Liu replied, "His majesty, the Emperor, has said that your physique is now fully awakened; you don''t need to stay here anymore."

    "Oh!" Ling Qing''er face turned into that of a surprise upon hearing these words, "Will I be able to visit the Ling n finally!"

    "Yes, Second Elder Sister," Ling Hao said with a cheerful smile.

    Butler Liu also nodded, "Indeed, Miss Ling, and this is why Crown Prince hase here. He will be apanying you to the Ling n."

    "Oh!" Ling Qing''er smiled, "That''s great! Brother-inw, have you met my Elder Sister?"

    A breathtaking face appeared in Ye Tian Yun''s mind, but then he shook his head and said, "No, I have not met her yet."

    "A.." Ling Qing''er pursed her lips, "Do you know my Elder Sister was the first one toe and visit me?"

    "Your Elder Sister came here?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    "Yes!" She nodded, "She was standing right outside the courtroom!"

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    ''Really? We were just a door away from each other?''

    "Yes-yes!" Ling Qing''er replied with a smile, "She''s such a sweet person! Ah, I was so nervous about everything, but when I met her, I calmed down in no time."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Oh?"

    "Yes! And then my father and mother also arrived. Aishˇ­ I never knew I had such a sweet family."

    "Sis! What about me, sis!" Ling Hao''s childlike voice filled the hall.

    Ling Qing''er smiled, "You''re the best thing I could ask for, Ling Hao!"

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and stood up.

    "Are you ready, Miss Ling?" He asked, "Or should we wait for more?"

    Ling Qing''er thought for a moment and then eximed, "Ah! I will be right back; give me a minute."

    She swiftly ran back upstairs.

    Ye Tian Yun''s gaze followed her, but his mind was filled with the words she had just said.

    ''Her elder sister came to her?''

    ''She was good to her?''

    ''Thisˇ­ doesn''t seem right..''

    Ye Tian Yun knew the First Miss of the Ling n very well.

    That girl had all the qualities of a virtuousdy, but there was one drawback.

    She hated her younger sister.

    Ling Feng''er hated Ling Qing''er.

    ''Why is she acting well now?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t tell.

    ''Maybe it''s just an actˇ­.''

    That was a possible situation here.

    Ling Feng''er was acting like a good sister, but she secretly hated Ling Qing''er.

    Even though Ye Tian Yun himself was an arrogant person in his previous life, he didn''t like Ling Feng''er unnecessary hate towards Ling Qing''er.

    ''If she''s still the sameˇ­. It will be easier for me to forget her.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a breath and nced at Ling Hao.

    Suddenly, something made him frown.

    A prompt had appeared above Ling Hao.

    ''Waitˇ­ this wasn''t here before.''

    He turned his head towards Butler Liu.

    There was a prompt above Butler Liu''s head.

    ''This is annoyingˇ­.''

    He couldn''t understand how did this Token Of Fate even workedˇ­

    ''Is this Token broken?''

    That seemed to be the only answer.

    He would sometimes see the prompt, but for most of the time, he won''t.

    ''Was there a trick to bring this prompt?''

    He couldn''t tell.

    ''I would rather not see these prompts if they are so random.''

    Just as he turned his head towards Ling Hao, he suddenly noticed something.

    The prompt had disappeared.

    ''What the hell!''

    This annoyed Ye Tian Yun even more.

    ''It''s gone againˇ­ I didn''t even get the chance to inspect it.''

    Just as he said this in his mind, the prompt appeared right in front of him!

    Huh?

    What in the world is wrong with this?

    He couldn''t tell.

    Waitˇ­

    A wild idea appeared in his mind.

    ''I don''t want to see the prompt.''

    As soon as he willed to make the prompt disappear, something weird happened.

    The prompt faded away!

    ''Ohˇ­ so this is how it works!''

    ''Ah, and here I thought this Token was brokenˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but shake his head.

    ''God damn the person who made this artifactˇ­. At least put a tutorial for the new users, you dumbass!''

    Ye Tian Yun sighed and focused on the prompt above Ling Hao.

    [Ling Hao. -1 Star Favourability. He is afraid but curious about you and wants to see if what he has heard is really true or not.]

    ''Hm? What has he heard about me?''

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised to see favorability in the negative!

    ''What did I do to him? Why does he hate me?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but be curious.

    Ling Hao was someone he knew in his previous life too.

    But at the current age, even in their previous life, they hadn''t met each other before.

    ''So why does he hate me?''

    ''Don''t tell me someone is spreading bad rumors about me?''

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and decided to ask Ling Hao himself.

    "Ling Hao."

    "Yes, Crown Prince."

    "I can''t help but notice that you''re afraid of me. Why is that? At first, I thought it was my status, but now I don''t think that''s the case because you were talking pretty muchfortable with me a few minutes ago. So, what is it, tell me? Maybe it''s a misunderstanding?"

    Ling Hao was rmed by Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    ''Crown Prince saw through me!? He''s so dangerousˇ­ but what should I tell him nowˇ­?''

    Ling Hao gulped and said, "Myˇ­ my Elder Sister told me to be carefulˇ­ thatˇ­ that you''re dangerous. BUT I SAID YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON!"

    Butler Liu''s eyes twitched.

    ''Did this little brat just sacrifice his sister?''

    However, Ye Tian Yun hadn''t noticed this.

    He was more focused on the content.

    ''Ling Feng''er said that?''

    ''Really?''

    ''The girl for whom I was the whole world said to her brother to stay away from me?''

    ''Ling Feng''erˇ­. what is wrong with you?''

 Chapter 472 - 472 | The Villainess

    All women are born evil. Some just realize their potentialter in life than others.

    Me?

    I grasped it when I firstid eyes on him.

    Born in a super-powerful n, I had all the riches I could have ever asked for.

    I lived a luxurious and calm life.

    But I wanted more.

    In the whole Middle Heavens, there was no one who wouldn''t fall for my beauty, there was no one who wouldn''t pause in my presence, and there was no one who didn''t envy me.

    Except for that one person.

    When I was born, it was the most auspicious omen for my n.

    It is said that the whole Imperial City celebrated for twelve days, and the entire Middle Heavens congratted my father.

    In four months, I was able to speak properly.

    In the eighth month after I was born, I could walk.

    And since the day I turned one year old, I remember every instance of my life.

    By the time I turned three, I had understood human nature and used it to manipte people around me. Not that I needed to, but I enjoyed the feeling of being in control.

    I turned five and started to cultivate.

    For the first five years of Cultivation, everyone must strengthen their body and adapt it to the qi.

    I did that.

    By eight, I was able to do this.

    I wasn''t the most talented, but I had the privilege of being the center of attention.

    Beauty and talent. I had both.

    In the whole n, everyone treated me like a princess.

    In the Imperial City, everyone treated me like a young miss.

    In my friend circle, I wasn''t the meek one.

    All my wishes were met. I could have anything I wished for.

    When I turned ten, I stepped into the Qi Refining Realm.

    Four years passed in a sh, and I was halfway through the Qi Condensation Realm.

    But everything began to change when I was about to turn fifteen years of age.

    The first instance when I knew my life''s trajectory was going in an unpredictable direction was when I came to know that my father had betrothed me to the Great Ye Empire''s Crown Prince.

    Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    I had heard of this name more than anyone else''s from my generation.

    And I considered him to be my greatest rival.

    Not only because of his talent but also because of the friction between our two ns.

    I knew from the very start that one day I would have to sh against this Crown Prince.

    Just like everyone else in my generation, I had not seen him with my own eyes but already considered him my greatest rival.

    But everything changed with a single decision from my father.

    I was now going to marry my rival, the most talented person and quite possibly, the future Heavenly Emperor, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun,

    I am very sure that if there were anyone else in my life, she would have been on cloud nine after hearing the news.

    But for me?

    No.

    I was angry and frustrated.

    How could I submit to my rival without ever fighting him?

    And so it began - I vowed to get control of my fate and defeat my future husband.

    I had nned to start working hard. I even made timetables for myself to learn different crafts. Just so that I can defeat my rival and prove that he''s unworthy.

    Just when I had nned out everything, another incident urred.

    My twin sister.

    Oh, yes, I have a twin sister. Did I mention that?

    Well, now you know.

    We both were born just five minutes apart, and I was the eldest.

    For some reason, which I found out prettyte, my father had sent her to the Lower Heavens for her fifteen years.

    And that day, she came back.

    The most surprising thing was, even though we were called twins, we didn''t look alike.

    If someone asked me what were my thoughts on her arrival?

    The true answer would be that I didn''t really care.

    I couldn''t afford to distract myself.

    And I also couldn''t make myself treat my twin as her sister.

    How could I treat someone like my sister just upon first meeting?

    I wanted to observe her first.

    I wanted to see if she was worthy.

    And I came to a conclusion as soon as Iid my eyes upon her.

    She wasn''t worthy.

    Just with one interaction, I knew her nature - the type who always acts like the most innocent and simple of all in the room.

    Such girls always annoyed me, and now my new sister was like them too.

    How could I make myself like her?

    But before I could make myself hate her, my eyesnded on the person beside her.

    At our very first eye contact, I heard my heartbeat pounding in my chest.

    I felt as if time had stopped and only the person behind me existed and mattered in this world. It was as if a high-power electric current passed through me.

    For the first time, I felt nervous and shy. It was a weird feeling, but I liked it.

    And as if this wasn''t enough, my sister was acting cold towards him. This angered me for some unknown reason.

    Her favourability dropped even more in my heart.

    After a little chat, another shock stumped me - the person that I just fell for was my rival and my future husband, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    And as days passed by, my frustration began to increase slowly.

    I had just made an oath to beat him, and now I wanted to spend my whole life with him.

    I tried not to think about him, but I ended up asking about him from my sister.

    I tried not to meet ever again, but I ended up visiting the Crown Prince''s Tavern Hall for the first time in my life.

    I met him there. *cough* I swear it was a coincidence, and I didn''t orchestrate anything in the meeting.

    After that meeting, I was ecstatic once again.

    And I knew I was in love with this man.

    As for the promise to myself on defeating him and proving him unworthy?

    Isn''t there a saying which goes - promises are made to be broken?

    Well, I was the living proof of it.

    I used to visit him.

    I used to try everything I could to spend more time with him.

    He never said no.

    But he never said yes either.

    His feelings were always a mystery to me.

    But he revealed his thoughts to me sometimes.

    One of them was rted to my sister - he didn''t like her.

    Well, now we have at least one thing inmon.

    I didn''t like my sister either. She was slowly taking away all the people from my side to hers.

    She was now bing the center of my friend circle.

    People didn''t care about me anymore.

    I got jealous.

    And I hated her.

    I did everything I could to create trouble for her and ruin her image.

    I was going to make her regret evering in my way.

    My future husband was also happy because of this. And I couldn''t ask for better encouragement.

    And thus, I became the viiness.

    I ruined everyone and everything for my sister just to see the entertained expression of my future husband.

    It was all going well.

    I even came to know about my sister''s secret lover from Lower Heavens. I didn''t leave that brat just like that - I created trouble for him too.

    Not because he loved my sister, but for my husband''s entertainment.

    One thing, though - I never got caught.

    In front of everyone, I was the same.

    But inside, I was the evilest person they could ever think of.

    Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years.

    For three years, I enjoyed being the troublemaker and the cause of my sister''s misery.

    But this wasn''t the only thing that happened.

    Quite a lot happened, too, like how I sacrificed my little brother Ling Hao for my Crown Prince''s ''entertainment'', but the most important was - the start of the Immortal Pavilion''s trial.

    I didn''t have any issue passing the trials and was soon one of the major disciples of Immortal Pavilion.

    But then came an incident that changed everything for me.

    It was a trial for the Emblem Of Luck.

    Everyone knew the prize, and they were ready to go to any lengths to achieve it.

    As for me?

    I was the same, but there was one thing different.

    While everyone wanted the Emblem of Luck for themselves, I wanted it for my Crown Prince.

    And helped him reach the final stage.

    However, it was at this ce my whole world changed.

    To get the Emblem Of Luck, the person for whom I was ready to give up everything stabbed a sharp saber right through my heart.

    I died.

    But was I really dead?

    I don''t know.

    But did I feel betrayed? Was I angry? Did I want revenge?

    Yes. Anytime.

    And this is where we are now.

    I got the chance.

    I now have my turn to take revenge.

    Because I am reborn back to the time when I was fourteen years of age.

    At first, it felt like a dream, but when I asked a maid to punch me, I knew this was real.

    It has been three weeks since the day I woke up.

    And I have promised myself two things.

    First, I won''t change myself. I was the viiness then, I will be the viiness now.

    But my target will change.

    It won''t be my little sister Ling Qin''ger who I almost killed a thousand times.

    It won''t be my young brother Ling Hao who I sacrificed.

    It will be Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    The person who used me. The person for whom I was ready to give up everything. The person who betrayed me.

    Ye Tian Yun, I, Ling Feng''er, vow to kill you with my own hands.

    This time, no promises will be broken.

 Chapter 473 - 473 | Ling Family

    "Your Highness, the carriage is ready."

    A voice rang out from outside of the Jian Pce.

    It was a guard.

    Butler Liu turned towards Ling Qing''er, who had just returned from her room and was chatting with Ye Tian Yun, "Miss Ling, it''s time."

    Ling Hao was about to ask something but stopped midway upon hearing Butler Liu''s words.

    "Let''s go! Second Sis, it''s finally time to take you home! Yay!" He cheered.

    Ling Qing''er smiled, "Yes, let''s go." And then, turning towards Ye Tian Yun, she asked, "Crown Prince, thank you for everything."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It wasn''t much. Let''s go."

    With that, the four of them headed out of the pce with Ye Tian Yun in the lead.

    A huge Six Golden Ferghana Horse carriage was outside the Jian Pce with the Imperial Seal embedded on it.

    Below the seal was a small crown, signifying that this carriage belonged to the Crown Prince.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly frowned at this but didn''t mind much.

    ''Why do they need to use an official carriage?''

    As if reading his mind, Butler Liu answered, "Crown Prince, this is your first time visiting your inws. We have to make it count."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    But remembering his previous life, he couldn''t recall any fanfare like this. The whole event was pretty discreet, and only the people who needed to know about this knew about this.

    "Let''s go!" Ling Haoughed and hopped towards the carriage.

    Ye Tian Yun gestured at Ling Qing''er to move first, and then he too followed behind.

    Soon, the four of them were on the carriage as it began to move.

    "It will take some time to reach the Ling n." Butler Liu said.

    "Oh?" Ling Qing''er couldn''t help but ask, "Why? Are we going to stop somewhere in between?"

    Butler Liu thought for a moment and replied, "Something like that. Well, everyone in the Imperial City will know that this is the Crown Prince''s carriage and would most likely stop whatever they are doing just to get a look of his face."

    "Oh?" Ling Qing''er was surprised.

    Butler Liu couldn''t help butugh at this, "You should get used to this if you are going to be friends with the Crown Prince."

    "Yeah, I figured. Brother-inw sure is famous." Ling Qing''er smiled.

    Just then, someone called out.

    "Crown Prince."

    It was Ling Hao.

    The other three in the carriage turned their heads towards him.

    "What is it, little brother Hao?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Umˇ­" Ling Hao thought for a moment before asking, "Ca-canˇ­ Iˇ­ also call you Brother-inw?"

    His childish and innocent voice rang through the carriage, making the other three smile.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t say no, so he nodded, "Sure, call me as you like."

    "Thank you! Brother-inw!" Ling Haoughed.

    He felt a sense of achievement.

    Ling Qing''er said, "Aiyo, Third Brother, you don''t need to ask something like this; you could simply call him Brother-inw just like I do."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes at her words.

    Ling Hao simply smiled at this, "Hehe, Second Sister, I know, but I felt I should ask first."

    Ling Qing''er simply shrugged at this.

    For some reason, she felt veryfortable talking to Ye Tian Yun, so calling him Brother-inw didn''t create hesitation for her.

    However, Ling Hao''s case was a bit different. He had spent all his life in the Middle Heavens, and for him, Ye Tian Yun was like a celebrity. Thus he didn''t wish to offend him.

    As the three of them continued to chat with a line or two in between from Butler Liu, too, they finally reached the Ling n Manor.

    This was not where the main Ling n lived; rather, it was one of their manors in the Imperial City.

    None of the Great ns or super sects were headquartered in the Imperial City.

    They only had a base here.

    The Ling n had a whole province under them, called the Ling Province in the north-western part of the Middle Heavens.

    However, this didn''t mean the manor in the Imperial City wasn''t important.

    Rather, it was the ce where the Ling n Head, Heavenly King Ling Guang, lived with his wife and daughter and a few servants.

    The remaining n members lived and managed the Ling Province.

    This was simr to how the other ns managed things.

    As for the sects and schools, things were a bit different.

    Click!

    The gates of the carriage were opened, and Ye Tian Yun stepped out.

    As soon as he stood out of the carriage, the whole area suddenly went silent.

    It was as if there was an explosion as the whole area burst with cheers in the next moment.

    ''So many peopleˇ­.''

    There were just too many people covering the whole area, standing at the gates of the Ling Manor, waiting to catch a glimpse of the legendary Crown Prince.

    "Crown Prince!"

    "Crown Prince!"

    "Crown Prince!"

    The whole area suddenly got sted with cheers.

    Ye Tian Yun''s left eye twitched upon hearing this.

    ''Ling nˇ­ what are you people ying at?''

    He decided to confront Heavenly King Ling Guang about thister.

    For now, he stepped aside as the next person to step out was Ling Qing''er.

    As soon as she stepped out on the ground, the area was silenced once again.

    Within a few seconds, the crowd began to recover from their trance and cheered once again.

    They knew Ling Qing''er was soon going to be a heaven-defying beauty.

    Soon, Ling Hao and Butler Liu had also stepped outside of the carriage.

    "Let''s head inside," Ye Tian Yun said, gesturing Ling Qing''er to walk ahead of them, "It''s your moment. Enjoy it."

    Ling Qing''er slightly nodded and headed inside.

    The crowd slowly parted, revealing the full entrance of the Ling n Manor.

    However, the first thing that theyid eyes on was the people at the other end of the path.

    It was the Ling Family.

    The n Head Ling is also called the Heavenly King Ling Guang.

    On his right was his wife, Madam Ling, Ling Mingyu.

    And on his left was his eldest daughter, Ling Feng''s.

    "You''re finally here." Only three words came out of Heavenly King Ling''s mouth.

    His daughter was finally home.

    Tears welled up in Ling Qing''er''s eyes as she immediately went in for a hug.

    n Head Ling Guang spread his arms wide and took his daughter in his arms.

    Even though he was one of the most powerful people in the whole Middle Heavens, both in terms of cultivation and prestige, Ling Guang right now was just a father.

    In thest two months, he had already met his daughter twice, but seeing her stepping inside the home for the first time, he lost hisposure and couldn''t suppress his emotions.

    He clearly remembered how he had to put a stone on his heart and hide her daughter at his friend Heavenly King Wang''s ce.

    He had no other choice at that time, but now things calmed down and his daughter could finally be home.

    Besides him, his wife had an even bigger reaction.

    She had lost herposure as soon as her eyesid on Ling Qing''er.

    She had spent almost all of her past two months in the Jian Pce, but just like her husband, she couldn''t hold back her tears.

    This was truly an emotional moment, not only for the Ling Family but for everyone witnessing the scene.

    Though there was one exception.

    Ye Tian Yun.

    His left eye was twitching, and a thousand questions were popping in his heart.

    But because he didn''t wish to be a party-pooper, he didn''t say anything and decided to wait for the right moment.

    What made the calm Ye Tian Yun have so many questions?

    Well, it was the favourability on the Ling Family''s head.

    [Ling Guang. -3 Stars Favourability. He doesn''t like you because of your Father and mainly hates you because he has no other choice but to marry his daughter to you.]

    [Ling Mingyu. -3 Star Favourability. She feels helpless and disappointed in herself as a mother because she can''t even help her own daughter. She puts the whole me on the Great Ye n for this.]

    This wasn''t surprising.

    In his previous life, too, Ye Tian Yun had felt something was off from their attitude towards him.

    Though slowly, they epted him.

    But what distracted him most right now was Ling Feng''er.

    She didn''t react like a star-struck girl who fell in love at first sight.

    In fact, she didn''t even look at ye Tian Yun.

    She was instead focused on her younger sister, who had juste home for the first time in fourteen years.

    ''Something''s offˇ­.''

    This was the second time Ye Tian Yun felt as if things weren''t going as scripted when it came to Ling Feng''er.

    The biggest red g was the prompt on her head.

    There was no prompt.

    ...

    A/n: This week will have irregr updates ranging from 1ch/d to 4ch/d. Myptop will be repaired by next tuesday.

 Chapter 474 - 474 | Nervousness

    About an hour ago.

    Great Ling n Manor.

    "Qing''er will finally return home," Heavenly King Ling was on cloud nine today.

    His youngest daughter was finally returning.

    Besides him, his wife and eldest daughter also had smiles on their faces.

    "Yes, I hope she epts us." Madam Ling said.

    "Mother, don''t worry, she won''t feel like an outsider here," A sweet voice rang out.

    It was her elder daughter, Ling Feng''er.

    This small exchange of words had happened more than twice since morning, and Ling Feng''er had replied with the same words to her nervous parents.

    While her parents were skeptical and nervous about theing future, she was confident and knew exactly what would happen.

    ''My little sister is the sweetest and most innocent child in the world. This time I will never let her feel like an outsider.''

    Ling Feng''er had only two regrets in her life before rebirth - not treating her siblings the right way and falling in love with the wrong person.

    ''He will also be thereˇ­.''

    Even though she hated his guts, his face still couldn''t leave her mind.

    While her parents were nervous about their daughter''s reaction, she was nervous about meeting him.

    ''I hate himˇ­.''

    But no matter how much she hated his guts, she couldn''t think of any other way to get him out of her mind.

    ''How should I reactˇ­.''

    She was confused.

    ''Damn that bastardˇ­ I hate him!''

    The hate was deep but still shallower than her love.

    ''I am not the naive young missˇ­. This time, I will definitely surpass everyone who mistreated me and kill that bastardˇ­.''

    She had decided her mind.

    ˇ­

    One hourter.

    The Crown Prince''s carriage arrived at the manor.

    ''The crowd is blocking the viewˇ­.''

    She had seen his head but not his face because of the crowd.

    The nervousness increased with every passing moment.

    And when the crowd parted, she immediately focused her whole attention on her sister.

    She was not going to look at that man.

    She hated him, but she was also afraid.

    Afraid that she might fall in love once again.

    ''I will not look!''

    But even though her eyes were on Ling Qing''er, she could feel his stare.

    He was looking at her.

    She felt him frown at her with confusion.

    But she didn''t turn her head towards him to confirm.

    "Ah, Son-inw! You''re here too!"

    A loud voice resounded throughout the entrance.

    It was her father, Ling Guang.

    He was staring at the Crown Prince.

    As his words left his mouth, themotion outside suddenly came to a standstill.

    There was pin-drop silence as many people widened their eyes.

    And in a moment -

    "Woah!!!!"

    "It''s true!"

    "Wow! The rumor is true!"

    "The Ye''s and the Ling''er are going to join together!"

    "Crown Prince Ye is really going to get married!"

    "I thought it was just a false rumorˇ­ but it turns out to be true!"

    Almost everyone at the gates was eximing.

    They had heard of the rumors regarding Crown Prince Ye''s engagement with the First Ling Princess.

    But today, this was the biggest confirmation they could have ever received.

    They were sure that now the whole Middle Heavens was going to know about this, and once again, the gossip was going to start.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun and Butler Liu were, however, not very entertained by this.

    Especially Butler Liu. He was fuming, but he knew they couldn''t do anything right now.

    He sent Ye Tian Yun a spirit message.

    <<Crown Prince, I know you must be irritated, but please don''t do anything drama-creating. We can talk about this in the house.>>

    Ye Tian Yun heard Butler Liu''s words and smiled at Heavenly King Wang, "Greetings, Father-inw!"

    Ling Guang''s lips twitched, but his expression didn''t falter.

    He smiled even wider and said, "Come,e. Let''s head inside."

    Then turning towards Ling Hao, he said, "Kiddo, I hope you didn''t irritate your brother-inw."

    "Haha, father, don''t worry. Both of us got along with each other very well."

    Ling Guang nodded his head, "good, nowe inside."

    As the group of seven entered the Ling Manor, the crown began to disperse.

    There were many spying and informants of other ns mixed in among them. They were mainly here to confirm rumors regarding the engagement, and now that they had heard and seen the answer they wanted, they headed back to their affiliations.

    Soon, the engagement was going to be a fact instead of just a rumor for the whole Middle Heavens.

    ...

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and entered the Ling Manor.

    His mind was currently focused on Ling Feng''er.

    That was because there was no prompt on her head.

    At first, Ye Tian Yun thought it was just a normal thing, but even when he focused all his attention on her and tried to make the prompt appear, nothing happened.

    There was nothing above Ling Feng''er''s head.

    Just to check, he even looked at others'' heads.

    The prompts appeared as soon as he wanted to see and disappeared when he didn''t.

    ''What is going on?''

    Ye Tian Yun felt a bit confused.

    It was just like Gao Xuan and Bai Qing''er.

    This girl also had no prompt.

    ''What''s wrong?''

    ''Maybe because I haven''t interacted with her yet? But then why can I see prompts on the head of Heavenly King Ling and Madam Ling?''

    It was hard to judge.

    Token Of Fate was very confusing for Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Why can''t it be simple like the Emblem Of Time?''

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly let out a sigh.

    "Come, sit." Heavenly King Ling gestured at Ye Tian Yun to take a seat.

    Butler Liu was standing behind Ye Tian Yun, while Madam Wang and her three children had gone to the other room.

    "This is the Guest Hall," Heavenly King Ling said, "You are not a guest, but it''s still time before you formally be a part of this family."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him for a long moment and then let out a long breath.

    Heavenly King Ling frowned at this, "What happened?

 Chapter 475 - 475 | Decision

    "What happened?" Heavenly King Ling frowned.

    He felt a bit disrespected by Ye Tian Yun''s reaction.

    "Why are you doing this?" The Crown Prince asked.

    Heavenly King Ling asked, "What are you talking about?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and leaned forward, "Uncle Ling, I -"

    "Wait!" Heavenly King Ling interrupted him, "I am not your uncle anymore. You should call me Father-inw."

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes.

    "What?" Heavenly King Lin smiled, "You don''t want to?"

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun calmed himself and said, "Father-inw. I want to ask you, why did you let the cat out of the bag? What was the need of announcing the engagement to the whole world?"

    "Announcing?" A confused expression appeared on Ling Guang''s face, "What are you talking about? The Great Ling n did not make an announcement."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "So that''s how it isˇ­ alright... "

    Taking a light breath, he leaned back on the couch, "Father-inw, there''s no point in acting ignorantly. And I don''t want to beat any bush. That is why I have asked directly - what does the Ling n want?"

    Ling Guang remained silent for a moment before bursting into a hugeugh, "Hahahaha! You are quite funny, kid. You forgot the fact thatˇ­." He suddenly grew serious with every word, "It''s my daughter who''s getting engaged. The whole world must know that it''s a great asion for the Great Ling n. It''s a historic event for the Middle Heavens."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and stood up.

    "Hm?" Ling Guang frowned, "Are you going back? You have juste here, what''s the hurry?"

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and said, "Heavenly King Lingˇ­ if you think you can take advantage of the Great Ye n, I must remind you that you''re gravely mistaken here. If the Great Ye n can form this engagement, they can also break it!"

    "Boy!" Heavenly King Ling stood up.

    The aura around him suddenly changed.

    He clenched his teeth and said, "boy, keep a lease on your mouth. You might get into trouble for that. And it''s you who''s ignorant if you think the Great Ye n can do whatever it wants. Go and ask your father why this marriage is even taking ce, and try to break this engagement. We will then see the oue."

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards the exit, "Heavenly King Ling, wait for the new then."

    Without even waiting for Ling Guang''s response, Ye Tian Yun headed out.

    The shocked Butler Liu also followed behind.

    Behind them, Ling Guang sneered.

    ''He really thinks this marriage can be broken just like that? Let''s see your expression when you hear your father''s words.''

    ˇ­

    Outside the Ling Manor.

    The Great Ling n guards had already kicked out the crowd blocking the path, and now the things had returned to normal.

    "I will get the carriage."

    Butler Liu said and disappeared in the next moment.

    Ye Tian Yun stood near the closed gates of the Ling n Manor and looked up.

    ''The sky isˇ­ different today.''

    He then turned around and saw the huge Ling Manor.

    The five-floor manor was close to his pce in majesty and stood there like a sleeping tiger.

    Suddenly, his eyesnded on one of the curtained windows.

    ''Is thatˇ­''

    Just then, a strong gust of wind flew by, and the curtain was swept away.

    A majestic and breathtaking figure appeared at the window.

    Ye Tian Yun''s eyes widened.

    It was her.

    She was looking right at him.

    But instead of the love-filled eyes that he had expected, there was only unbridled anger in her eyes.

    But nothing as such mattered for Ye Tian Yun at this moment.

    Because he was currently starring right in her eyes.

    "Crown Prince, the carriage is here."

    Just then, Butler Liu appeared and interrupted Ye Tian Yun''s attention.

    "Hm, let''s go." Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and turned around.

    Soon he was in the carriage, heading back to the Imperial Pce amidst the curious eyes of the people and the guards on the street.

    ˇ­

    "What happened!?"

    After a few minutes, Madam Ling hurried to the Guest Hall.

    Heavenly King Ling was staring at the main gate in deep thought.

    "What happened?" She asked again.

    Behind her, Ling Qing''er and Ling Feng''er also arrived.

    Ling Guang nced at them and shook his head, "Nothing, just my son-inw throwing a tantrum.."

    "Father, is everything alright? Why did Brother-inw Ye Tian Yun leave so suddenly?" Ling Qing''er couldn''t help but ask.

    Heavenly King Ling frowned, and after a long silence, he said, "Crown Prince wishes to end this marriage."

    "What!?" Madam Ling and Ling Qing''er shocked voice resounded in the Guest Hall.

    However, the most shocked among them was, of course, Ling Feng''er.

    ''What? This was not supposed to happen!''

    She was confused and stumped at her father''s words.

    Why would he reject the marriage?

    She had thought of a hundred different possibilities, but this oue never crossed her mind.

    Because the Crown Prince would never break off this engagement on his own.

    ''Doesn''t he need me for the Emblem Of Luck? Why did he reject the marriage? Did I do anything that changed the future?''

    A thousand questions shed in her mind, but she had the answer of none.

    ˇ­

    Few miles away from the Great Ling n manor.

    The Crown Prince''s carriage was entering the Imperial Pce.

    Inside the carriage were ButleR Liu and Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    They hadn''t spoken a word ever since they left the Great Ling n.

    As the carriage passed through the Imperial Pce Gates, Butler Liu finally asked, "Crown Prince, why do you wish to end this engagement?"

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and leaned back on the soft seat of the carriage.

    "Butler Liu, there are a lot of things that I wish to aplish, and marrying Ling Feng''er was never on the list."

    "But why?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at this question, "The answer is pretty simple. If this engagement goes forward, there wille a day when I will have to kill her personally."

 Chapter 476 - 476 | Ling Fengers Decision

    "You will have to kill her?" Butler Liu was shocked upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    "Yes. It''s hard to exin for now, but I will have no choice."

    Butler Liu let out a sigh, "I will agree with your decision, Crown Prince. I am quite disappointed in the Great Ling family anyway."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Yes. I don''t know what they are nning, but it''s time they learn their ce."

    "Crown Prince," Butler Liu thought for a moment and asked, "Why don''t you personally talk about this to his majesty?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, I was nning to head thereter. Let''s do this right now."

    "Alright," Butler Liu nodded and signalled the carriage driver to change the course and head towards the Emperor''s Courtyard.

    ˇ­

    In the carriage, Ye Tian Yun was still feeling quite conflicted about this decision.

    At first, he had thought he might use Ling Feng''er once again to get the Emblem Of Luck, but he changed his mind when he saw her.

    Ye Tian Yun, for some reason, couldn''t help but think about any other alternative.

    ''It''s not like she''s the only person who can get me the Emblem Of Luckˇ­.''

    The trial in the Immortal Pavilion was very hard, and many geniuses lost their lives in their quest to get to the top floor.

    In the end, only six people had reached the top from tens of thousands of young cultivators who participated in the trial.

    Even then, only two people walked out alive from the top floor; one of them was Ye Tian Yun.

    ''If Ling Feng''er doesn''t love me in this timeline, I am sure the Trial won''t have any weakness of mine to exploit.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and decided in his mind.

    ''I must break this engagement and stop the inevitable. This is the only wayˇ­.''

    ''Feng''erˇ­ this is the only choice I have. I am ready to kill my way to the top, but I will not betray you in this lifetime.''

    ˇ­

    The Great Ling n Manor.

    Feng Courtyard.

    This was the ce where the First Miss of Ling n has lived ever since she was born.

    She had spent all her childhood here, and this whole ce was only hers.

    The whole ce gave a majestic and calming aura.

    However, today the mood was a bit different.

    There was only one person in the whole courtyard - Ling Feng''er.

    She was sitting on the ground with a deep frown on her face.

    ''What is going on???''

    She was still confused with Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun''s actions, especially how thetter wanted to cancel the engagement.

    ''That bastardˇ­ What is he nning to do?''

    Ling Feng''er wasn''t sad about Ye Tian Yun''s decision.

    Rather, she was actually pretty satisfied.

    After all, wasn''t this the exact thing that she wanted to happen?

    ''If the marriage really breaks off, I won''t have any other distractions.''

    ''My current priority is to increase my strength and take my revenge.''

    ''At that time, after betraying me, he must have gotten the Emblem Of Luck. There was already no one in the Middle Heavens who could have stopped him, and with the Emblem in his hands, I am sure he became the Heavenly Emperorˇ­.''

    ''This time, I will not let it happen.''

    ''I don''t know why I have returned in time, but I couldn''t have asked for anything better.''

    ''But the only problem I have right now isˇ­ I won''t be able to take down Crown Prince on my own.''

    ''He''s a very powerful existenceˇ­ and his growth is basically unstoppable. Even with all the knowledge I have, the gap between both of us is just too big.''

    ''I need allies.''

    ''Who cane close to someone like Ye Tian Yun?''

    ''There is no one in the Middle Heavens. Not a single one from any of the Great Family or Super Sects.''

    ''Lower Heavens? Hmˇ­ I remember there was an organization called God''s Legion? They had pretty talented peopleˇ­ and my sister''s lover was the leader of that organizationˇ­.''

    ''Should I join them?''

    ''But they were too weak at that time. I am sure Ye Tian Yun must have killed Wang Yao with ease.''

    ''What else can I do?''

    ''Waitˇ­ that time God''s Legion didn''t have someone like me. Because of Crown Prince, I never tried to go after the limelight, but I have mastered both alchemy and array formation.''

    ''Now that I think of it, howughable it was! I did everything I could to help him. I sacrificed my cultivation potential to focus on alchemy and array formation and secretly learn them.''

    ''But he killed me when he saw that I was an obstacle for himˇ­.''

    Ling Feng''er gritted her teeth and stood up.

    ''I will go to the Lower Heavens, no matter what the Crown Prince does with the engagement. I may not join Wang Yao because that guy is an even bigger hypocrite. But I will have to look for people who can help me.''

    ''The Lower Heavens is the answer. The younger generation from the Middle Heavens is toocent, and Crown Prince has already created a huge shadow in their hearts. There is no way I will be able to use any of them.''

    ''That''s it then. I will go to the Lower Heavens. And I will prepare myself for the battle against Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.''

    ''The first thing I need is a disguiseˇ­''

    ''And a new name.''

    ''Feng Yun.''

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun stood in front of the Emperor''s Courtyard.

    He was feeling hesitant.

    Just then -

    "Come in. Why are you standing outside?"

    It was Emperor Ye.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the huge gate in front of him.

    He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

    ''Heavenly King Ling said my father won''t cancel the engagement no matter what I sayˇ­ I have a feeling this might be trueˇ­.''

    ''But still, I will have to try.''

    ''Other than thatˇ­ I have other questions to ask too.''

    ...

 Chapter 477 - 477 | Father And Son

    "What happened?" Emperor Ye asked.

    He was sitting at a huge table in casual clothes.

    In front of him was a huge pile of paper, most of them with the Imperial Seal.

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised to see the scene.

    ''He must be very busyˇ­.''

    He took a deep breath and said, "Father, I visited the Great Ling n today."

    "Oh," Emperor Ye nodded, "Anything important happened there?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and asked, "Father, do you know why the Great Ling is acting like this? From what I know about Heavenly King Ling, I am sure he isn''t someone to act like this."

    Emperor Ye paused and raised his head towards Ye Tian Yun.

    After a few moments of silence, he said, "Son, I am sure your father-inw must have his own reasons. Anyway, we''re not at a loss, are we? This engagement was my proposal, and now that they have not only agreed, but they are also announcing it, isn''t that a good thing?"

    "Oh wait... Don''t tell me you don''t like that Ling n girl."

    Ye Tian Yun lowered his head, "Father, why did you not discuss this engagement with me?"

    Emperor Ye narrowed his eyes at Ye Tian Yun, "Did I need your permission to arrange this marriage?"

    Ye Tian Yun clenched his teeth but didn''t say anything.

    Emperor Ye closed his eyes and shook his head, "Son, I am doing this for your own good. There are a lot of things that you don''t know. Have I ever asked anything from you? Never. Just take this as my request. This marriageˇ­ must happen."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head, "Father, is that girl the only option?"

    Emperor Ye shook his head, "Of course not. But she''s the most ideal. And don''t worry, I have looked into all possible candidates for you, and she stood out the most."

    Ye Tian Yun gulped.

    He wasn''t sure what to say.

    ''What should I do?''

    ''I have to try at leastˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and asked, "Father, you have said that you''re doing this for meˇ­ can you at least tell me about the threat? I want to know about the danger."

    Emperor Ye frowned, "Sonˇ­ sometimes, being ignorant about some things is the best option. Do you think I would get anything to hide from you? I wish I could tell you, but that will only put you in grave danger."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    His father''s words were no different from what Wang Yao had said to him some time ago.

    Seeing his expression, Emperor Ye let out a sigh and said, "Son, for now, just focus on increasing your cultivation realm."

    Ye Tian Yun sighed.

    ''I couldn''tˇ­.''

    "I will take my leave, Father."

    With that said, he turned and headed for the exit.

    "Wait."

    Emperor Ye called out.

    "Yes, Father." Ye Tian Yun said as he turned around.

    "Son, I am very proud of you," Emperor Ye smiled, "You have reached the Core Formation Realm at just fifteen years of age. How could I not feel proud? But the cultivation you haveˇ­ is still not enough. One day, when I tell you about the real enemies, you will know that the current you is nothing but an insignificant ant in front of them."

    "That is why you need to focus on getting more powerful. You already have one Token and one Emblem. I want you to get all of them. I want you to be a genuine Heavenly Emperor."

    "Thisˇ­" Ye Tian Yun was shocked upon hearing Emperor Ye''s words.

    ''Not only he knows about my cultivation realmˇ­ he also knows about the Token Of Fate!''

    "No need to be so rmed," Emperor Ye smiled, "I only want the best for you. If you were still in the Qi Stabilization Realm today, I might not have even had this conversation with you. But your talent surpassed my expectations."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a wry smile.

    ''Wasn''t my cultivation in the Qi Stabilization Realm at this age in my previous life? Is that why he never talked like this to me?''

    "Son," Emperor Ye said, "I have conquered the Middle Heavens, and this ce will be yours to rule once you be the Heavenly Emperor. But let me tell you one thing - the Heavenly Emperor is someone who rules the Heavens. Above the Middle Heavens are the Upper Heavens."

    Emperor Ye narrowed his eyes as he continued, "Your real journey will begin in the Upper Heavens. What you currently face is nothing but a small warm-up."

    Ye Tian Yun gulped.

    "Father, do you know who my current enemy is?"

    Emperor Ye smiled, "How could I know everything? I can only wish you luck and give my blessings."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and said, "Father, my current enemy is my cousin Wang Yao."

    Emperor Ye shrugged, "Defeat him then."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I will."

    "Good," Emperor Ye nodded, "Conviction and confidence are the first steps of sess."

    Suddenly he frowned and looked at the table in front of him.

    "Son," Without raising his head, he continued to ask, "Do you wish to go to the Upper Heavens right now?"

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was shocked by the sudden proposal, but he denied, "I am sorry, Father, but there are still many things to do."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Nevermind. I just asked on a whim. For now, focus on getting to the Saint Realm."

    "If you can reach that realm, I will tell you some interesting stories. Most of them will make you doubt yourself, but all of them will be life-changing for you."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, and then gathering his courage, he asked, "Father, before I leave, I just want to ask two things, is there really no other choice? I don''t want to go forward with this engagement."

    Emperor Ye stared at him for a long time and then shook his head, "I seeˇ­ sigh, Son, wait for some days. I will try to look for another alternative. But if I can''t, then you will have no other choice."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

 Chapter 478 - 478 | Comtemplation

    Click!

    Ye Tian Yun closed the door of his room and sat down on the bed.

    He had just returned from the Emperor''s Courtyard and was now contemting his next steps.

    ''I need to head to the Lower Heavens as soon as possible. In a day or two, things will be clear. If there is no other way, I will just go with destiny irrespective of the oue. There are more important things than wasting time on fixing my marriage.''

    ''As for my cultivationˇ­.''

    Right now, his cultivation has already broken through the First Level of Core Formation Realm.

    There was no doubt that he had the highest cultivation realm among the cultivators of his age group.

    ''But this is still not enoughˇ­.''

    He didn''t wish to getcent.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish for the God''s Legion to even form in this lifetime. And for that, he needed to dominate the whole Lower Heavens as soon as possible.

    From his previous life, one thing Ye Tian Yun learned was that Wang Yao was lucky. He was extremely lucky. Like a cockroach, he wouldn''t die or move out of the way easily.

    Throw him off a cliff; he wille back more powerful.

    Try to assassinate him; there will be a protective array saving him.

    Kill him out in the open; there will be some powerful figureing to save him.

    He was truly a cockroach.

    This time Ye Tian Yun wanted to end this trouble in one blow.

    The only thing that''s stopping him is the existence of Heavenly King Wang. If thetter interferes, Ye Tian Yun will never be able to seed.

    ''But still, that won''t stop me from going all out.''

    ''I will directly go after Wang Yao once the Grand Spirit Hunt is over. Because before that, I need to clear some other obstacles.''

    ''But first, let''s focus on cultivation.''

    ''I can''t increase that, but I can still increase my battle prowess.''

    ''Sword Intent.''

    ''I need to see if it''s still the sameˇ­.''

    He had not used his Sword Intent ever since he lost the Emblem System.

    Earlier, it was mainly because of the Emblem System that he was able to control the Sword Intent and create the Sword Domain.

    ''If I lose consciousness now, no one will be able to save meˇ­.''

    ''Should I call Butler Liuˇ­?''

    ''No... ''

    Even though Ye Tian Yun trusted Butler Liu a lot, paranoia still existed in him.

    This made it hard to trust anyone else.

    ''I need to practice on my own.''

    But where could he practice without letting anyone know about the Sword Intent?

    Even though this was his pce, powerful cultivators were within the whole vicinity. If he loses control of his Sword Domain, the whole world will know that he has Sword Domain.

    ''The Nine Heavens Painting!''

    Ye Tian Yun remembered the painting and took it out from his spatial ring.

    The Nine Heavens Painting was bought from the System Shop and allowed him to cultivate his Sword Domain without letting his aura leak outside.

    ''I wonder if I can use this painting inside the Emblem Of TIme?''

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and entered the Cultivation Space of the Emblem Of Time without wasting any time.

    ''This is great!''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled as he saw the Nine Heavens Painting in front of him.

    ''Maybe I can cultivate my Sword Domain in the Emblem Of Time too, but I can''t confirm it without taking risks.''

    ''And I can''t take any risks here.''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun entered the Nine Heavens Painting.

    Now, what he needed to do was to focus on increasing his mastery over his Sword Intent.

    ''I should first see how good the state of my Sword Domain is.''

    *swish!*

    Ye Tian Yun took a fighting stance holding a sword in each hand, and then in the next instant, he released his aura.

    BOOM!

    In an instant, he released his Sword Domain!

    Swish!

    Ye Tian Yun moved his sword and performed the [One Sword For All] sword movements.

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun let out a smile.

    ''This is great.''

    He was able to control his Sword Domain easily!

    It didn''t take him more than a second to know that he was at the peak of Sword Domain.

    In his previous life, he had reached up to this level of Sword Domain.

    The only difference was, he did the same but six years prior.

    ''I was twenty-one years old when I reached the peak of Sword Domainˇ­ but now I am just fifteen.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    The next realm was the Sword Soul Realm.

    Sword Soul Realm is the final realm of Sword Intent. It is almost impossible to reach because this realm requires not only a high level of cultivation and deep understanding of sword but also a high level of Spiritual talent.

    ''I do have good spirit sense, but it''s not enough to reach the Sword Soul Realmˇ­.''

    ''Oh waitˇ­''

    ''How can I forget thatˇ­.''

    When he had first unlocked his Sword Domain, the system had informed him that he could mold his Sword Domain into any nature as long as hisprehension was high.

    ''There is no one with more than one nature of Sword Domainˇ­.''

    ''If I can have two Sword Domains, doesn''t that mean I can have two different identities?''

    This could help be his biggest help in creating a disguise.

    And even if he was forced to use his SWord Domain, he won''t have to worry about people finding out about his real identity in theter dates.

    ''Let''s do this then.''

    ''Instead of aimlessly focusing on the Sword Soul Realm, I should get a few different natures of Sword Domains.''

    Ye Tian Yun immediately opened his eyes and headed outside of his room.

    ''I need things to prepare myselfˇ­.''

    "Butler Liu!"

    As soon as he called out, Butler Liu appeared in front of him.

    "Yes, Crown Prince?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Butler Liu, I need a few things very urgently."

    "Oh? Do tell, Crown Prince. I will arrange them."

    "Hm.." Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Wait, let''s prepare a list. Come inside."

    Once inside the room, Ye Tian Yun took out a piece of parchment.

    ''System didn''t tell me the exact method, but there''s no loss in trying.''

 Chapter 479 - 479 | Ye Tian Long

    "All Elemental Essence?"

    "As many Qi Strengthening Pills as possible?"

    "Spiritual Qi Pills?"

    "Soul Condensing Pills?"

    "All levels of Alchemy Manuals?"

    "Full Alchemy Preparation Kit including necessary herbs?"

    Butler Liu began to read the list, and the further down he went, the more surprised he got.

    "Crown Prince, may I ask if you''re interested in Alchemy?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "That''s for your son."

    "Hm?" Butler Liu was shocked, "What do you mean, Crown Prince?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I need a powerful alchemist by my side, and Jun Xie''s talent is very good, but he doesn''t have appropriate backing."

    Butler Liu smiled, "Thank you, Crown Prince, for this consideration."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Haha, don''t mention it. Just prepare these materials. As for stuff other than Alchemy rted, those things are for the future. Since I will be heading back to the Lower Heavens, I won''t be able to get them there."

    "Oh?" Butler Liu was surprised, "How long are you nning to stay in the Lower Heavens? Even though your cultivation has increased by leaps and bounds, I still feel that staying in the Lower Heavens for too long might be detrimental for your cultivation."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I understand this, but right now, being in the Lower Heavens is more profitable for me than being here."

    Butler Liu smiled, "As you wish, Crown Prince. I will head back and prepare these materials. It will take a few hours to get all this stuff ready."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I will head towards the Imperial Library then."

    "Oh? Crown Prince, are you looking for a new cultivation method?" Butler Liu frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I have the most powerful cultivation method; why would I waste my time in practicing another one from scratch."

    "Then?"

    "I am going there to study about the Sword Intent."

    "Sword Intent!?" Butler Liu was surprised, "Have you reached the Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent!?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and lightly nodded.

    "Oh, this is great!" Butler Liu cheered, "I can''t wait for the day when you go out and suppress the whole realm!"

    Ye Tian Yunughed, "That will take some years. There''s a long way to go."

    "Yes, yes." Butler Liu nodded his head, "I will get these things ready and will inform you by evening."

    "Alright," Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    After Butler Liu had left, Ye Tian Yun also took his leave and headed for the Sword Imperial Library.

    This building was the third highest building in the whole Imperial Pce and was also one of the most well-kept ces.

    This building was home to thousands of cultivation manuals, historical records, and most importantly, the cultivation experiences of powerful cultivators from the previous era.

    In the Imperial Pce, Ye Tian Yun''s pce was located on the other side of the area from the Great Ye n.

    Ye Tian Yun rarely went to meet the Elders and kids of his generation, even in his previous life.

    ''Hm, now that I think of thatˇ­ I wonder if that guy is in the Imperial Pce?''

    The person that Ye Tian Yun was talking about was his cousin.

    His father, Emperor Ye, had two younger brothers.

    However, both of them were opposite in terms of talent.

    While one of them grew up to be the world-renowned Heavenly King Wang, the other one was totally forgotten by the people of the Middle Heavens.

    He was rarely mentioned. The reason behind this was his talent.

    This is a cultivation world, and here, the talent and potential of a person decide their value in public opinion.

    Ye Tian Yun''s third uncle, Ye Tian Fan, didn''t have any potential or talent.

    It was as if he was born to bnce everything in Emperor Ye''s generation.

    However, he couldn''t say the same for his son, Ye Tian Long.

    In the Great Ye n, members born in the main line of the family have the ''Tian'' in their names.

    However, if someone from the main family doesn''t have much potential, hees at the risk of losing ''Tian'' from his name, and thus ultimately losing all the main n privileges.

    This is decided by the talent and potential of the offspring of the so-called talentless member of the Main Branch.

    In other words, if Ye Tian Long shows a high level of talent and potential, he will be able to regain his father''s lost honor and once again solidify his side of the family in the main branch.

    This is why his father, Ye Tian Fan, had high hopes for his son.

    ''But Ye Tian Long has no interest in regaining any honorˇ­.''

    To Ye Tian Yun, Ye Tian Long was the only memorable character in the Great Ye n''s current generation.

    In Ye Tian Yun''s previous life, the former was dered no talent, just like his father. And when Ye Tian Long turned sixteen, his side of the family was stripped from their Main Branch privileges.

    That was the time when Ye Tian Yun had first heard of Ye Tian Long.

    ''I wonder why Father didn''t do anything about this?''

    This wasn''t the important question right now.

    The important thing to note was that Ye Tian Long wasn''t talentless; rather, he was very talented and deeply hid his potential.

    ''He hates the main branch.''

    ''Because Third Uncle never got any recognition and how everyone else looks down on his father, Ye Tian Long never considered himself to be a part of the family.''

    ''And my father''s uncaring and indifferent attitude regarding this situation only made things worse.''

    ''Anyway, he was one of the final people who reached the top floor in that trial for the Emblems.''

    ''There were six people. Two survived. He was not among the survivorsˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, ''Now the question arises, should I do something about him? Or leave him be?''

    Currently, Ye Tian Yun didn''t see any use of Ye Tian Long, but the future was uncertain.

    ''If I can reduce one enemy, then why not?''

    ''I remember he used to spend all his time in the Imperial Library; I wonder if I will meet him there?''

 Chapter 480 - 480 | Imperial Library

    The Imperial Library was situated in the southern part of the Imperial Pce.

    This four-storey pagoda-like building contained almost all of the most sought-after cultivation manuals, experience tabs, and even a few manuals rted to Arcane Arts.

    Yuan Shuchun once dered her Arcane Arts manual as the prize for a banquet that Ye Tian Yun attended a few months ago.

    The manuals in the Imperial Library were not the same, but they were indeed rted to the Arcane Arts.

    However, Ye Tian Yun was not here for them.

    Neither was he here for any cultivation manual.

    Rather, he wanted to go through the cultivation experience of the predecessors regarding the Sword Soul.

    ''In my previous life, by the time I reached the peak of Sword Domain, I was too busy scheming against the God''s Legion that I didn''t get the chance toe here.''

    ''I hope this trip is worthwhile. If I can get Sword Soul within the next few years, no amount of luck will be able to help Wang Yao in catching up to me.

    Ye Tian Yun soon arrived in front of a huge four-storey pavilion. The words "Imperial Library" were carved on a que, giving off a majestic vibe.

    Staring at the que in front of him, he couldn''t help but smile.

    [The Imperial Library]

    [This is an arena of possibility, opening both a window into the soul and a door into the world.]

    ''Indeed.''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    In his opinion, the only thing one absolutely had to know was the location of the library.

    Be it in a small sect or a kingdom spanning the whole realm; libraries were always considered sacred.

    ''I am sure I will be able to get a new direction for my Sword Intent cultivation here.''

    Ye Tian Yun walked inside and saw a young man with dark ck hair and high vitality sitting behind arge table in front of the inner entrance.

    Usually, there would be an old elder sitting here if it had been any other library; however, in the Great Ye n, the elders paid special attention to the heart of the younger generation.

    That was why there was always someone from the younger generation sitting at the entrance, looking after the pce.

    As for fear of the books getting stolen or an enemy attack?

    The Great Ye n was very confident when it came to defense.

    To reach the Imperial Library, one would have to enter the Imperial Pce, which was impossible unless he entered through the main gate. He also needed to have permission for this.

    The young man sitting at the table raised his head upon sensing him and smiled.

    "Wee, Crown Prince." He said.

    Ye Tian Yun was a celebrity in the whole Middle Heavens. How could his own nsmen not know him? Especially the younger generation. To everyone, sans few, he was like a god-like figure.

    Mysterious, unfathomable, and powerful.

    Ye Tian Yun greeted the young man, "Good day, Brother Ye Cui."

    "Ah!" The young man in front of him was shocked, "You know my name, Crown Prince!?"

    Ye Tian Yun simply smiled, "That''s the least I can do."

    "Haha! This is enough, Crown Prince" Ye Cui smiled, "How can I help you?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and said, "I will be heading to the Third Floor."

    "Oh?" Ye Cui was curious, but this wasn''t his first time here, so he knew what shouldn''t be asked.

    "I will lead you there, Crown Prince." He added and stepped inside the library.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and followed him.

    ''It''s good that I noticed the names of the disciples on the notice board outside the Imperial Library.''

    There was a notice board at the entrance of this building, and on that board was a list of the disciples who would be on duty.

    That was how he knew that the disciple walking in front of him was called Ye Cui.

    "Please head this way," Ye Cui came at a halt and pointed at Ye Tian Yun, "This staircase is strengthened with arrays and will rise automatically. You just need to put both of your steps at the bottom, and it will take you to the third floor."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Thank you."

    Ye Cuiughed, "My pleasure, Crown Prince. I will now take my leave."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and stepped on the first step.

    Soon the stairway began to move, and he rose with it.

    As he left, the First Floor, which was silent, suddenly turned abuzz.

    "Crown Prince was here!"

    "Wow! I couldn''t even speak anythingˇ­."

    "Me tooˇ­ sigh. I should have greeted him."

    The Ye n disciples who had been quietly studying the cultivation manuals began to discuss among themselves.

    They hadn''t noticed Ye Tian Yun''s arrival until Ye Cui had started to tell him about the array staircase.

    "Silence!"

    Suddenly, a shout resounded on the First Floor.

    It was Ye Cui.

    "If you want to talk, go outside. This is the library, and I don''t want to see or hear any disturbance."

    The disciples turned quiet once again and focused on the manuals in front of them.

    Ye Cui nodded at them, and ncing at the moving staircase, he smiled.

    ''Today was a lucky day.''

    ˇ­

    Upon reaching the Third Floor, Ye Tian Yun didn''t waste any time and went straight towards the [Intents] section.

    Every floor of the Imperial Library had a purpose, and the Third Floor mainly contained manuals regarding the cultivation experiences.

    However, because not just anyone''s cultivation experience was good for every person who read it thus, not everyone could simply enter this floor. The Elders were afraid that the younger generation might get derailed from the correct path because of the influence from these experience manuals.

    So only a few of them were allowed to enter.

    However, just like the other floors, this floor was also divided into different sections and subsections.

    Ye Tian Yun went straight for the [Sword] Sub-section in the [Intent] Section.

    ''I am sure there will be at least a few experts who have reached the Sword Soul Realm.''

 Chapter 481 - 481 | Sword Soul Realm

    [For a Sword Intent to reach the Sword Soul, it needs to have a nature. However, you might question that your Sword Domain already has a nature, on which your Sword Domain is based. However, the nature of the Sword Soul is a bit different.]

    [In Sword Domains, the nature of the sword is usually based on elemental energies like earth, fire, air, water, lightning]

    [For Sword Soul, it''s more of an emotional nature like ughter, destruction, devastation,prehension]

    [However, this doesn''t mean that you need to get a whole new nature for your Sword Intent to reach the Sword Soul Realm, rather, the nature of Sword Soul is strongly based, directly or indirectly, on the nature of Sword Domain.]

    [When one is able toprehend the true meaning behind the nature of the Sword Domain, he can reach the first stage of Sword Soul.]

    [A Sword Soul is divided into five major realms - Fusion, Embryo, Sapling, Peak, and Soul Realm.]

    [It is said that upon reaching the final realm, one can separate the Sword Soul from his body and create a clone of himself, which is equal in power and is fully under control.]

    [However, experts who reached the final realm of the Sword Soul realm in the history of cultivation can be counted on one hand. Even I was only able to reach the Sword Sapling Realm after more than a thousand years of cultivation.]

    [To the future genius who is reading this, remember not to lose your way in the Sword Cultivation. Focus andprehension are the keys to creating the Sword Soul.]

    [I wish you good luck, Sword Maniac Xiu Nu]

    "Useless."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and put the manual back on the shelf.

    "This was also useless."

    He had been on the Third Floor for about four hours now and had already read about sixteen experience manuals.

    However, most of them only had the basic knowledge of the Sword Soul Realm. Not a single one mentioned how they reached the legendary realm.

    ''Were these people fakers?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but doubt their credibility.

    No one even talked about how they reached the Sword Soul realm. They only talked about what the Sword Soul realm was.

    ''Looks like I will have to really put this thing on hold.''

    Ye Tian Yun was quite disappointed with the oue of this trip.

    ''Well, I will have to find my own way of reaching the Sword Soul REalm.''

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and headed for the stairs.

    He noticed that there was actually another stairway, and this one had a sign pointing downwards.

    ''I guess this one is to go back to the First Floor.''

    Ye Tian Yun stepped on the stairway, and it began to move downwards.

    ''Hm?''

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was passing through the Second Floor, he noticed someone at the end of that floor.

    Without hesitation, Ye Tian Yun stepped out of the stairway and got on the Second Floor.

    He stared at the young man who was sitting quietly in a corner.

    ''Spearˇ­.''

    This young man was studying manuals rted to spears.

    ''This guy must be Ye Tian Long.''

    In his previous life, Ye Tian Yun had only met thetter twice, but that was about two to three years from now.

    This was why Ye Tian Yun had to take a guess to identify the young Ye Tian Long.

    He remembered that thetter was a genius in Spear Cultivation and had even reached the Attainment Realm of Spear Intent.

    If one goes by the age, Ye Tian Long had reached the Attainment Realm before Ye Tian Yun!

    However, because of the difference in resources, Ye Tian Yun was able to reach the Domain Realm before Ye Tian Long.

    ''And he also died before that. So I can''t say I reached the Domain realm before him because of my talent.''

    Talent in cultivation is different from talent inprehension.

    Ye Tian Yun had the best cultivation talent. However, hisprehension talentcked quite a bit whenpared to Ye Tian Long.

    However, this wasn''t known to many people, mainly because Ye Tian Long hid his powers.

    ''If it weren''t for the Emblem Trial in the Immortal Pavilion, he wouldn''t have been forced to use his full cultivation.''

    At that time, Ye Tian Yun was in the Fifth Realm of the Core Formation Realm.

    The second strongest was in the First Realm of Core Formation Realm.

    However, when Ye Tian Long revealed his cultivation, he turned out to be a Fourth Realm Core Formation Realm expert!

    Just one realm away from Ye Tian Yun!

    Long before Ye Tian Yun fought with Shi Yan, Ye Tian Long was the first person from the same generation who made Ye Tian Yun feel wary.

    As for Wang Yao? Ye Tian Yun never acknowledged him as a worthy opponent because he thoroughly suppressed the former even in the final battle.

    Only because of the interference from God''s Legion did Ye Tian Yun lose his momentum and suffer a terrible defeat.

    ''I wonder what his cultivation realm is right now?''

    Ye Tian Yun was curious.

    He stepped forward and headed for the seat in front of Ye Tian Long.

    ''Hm?'' Sensing someone approaching him, Ye Tian Long raised his head.

    A handsome young man with starry eyes and sword-shaped eyebrows, amanding aura, and dressed in Imperial clothes appeared and took a seat in front of him.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    Ye Tian Long immediately guessed the identity of the person in front of him.

    Anger welled up in his heart, but he calmed himself down.

    ''This guy has done nothing wrong. Why should I waste my direct anger at him?''

    He calmed himself down, and then smiling at Ye Tian Yun, he said, "Greetings, Crown Prince."

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes at him, "Good day, Cousin Long."

    His attention was on the prompt above Ye Tian Long''s head.

    ''Hm, the information I had on him was correct.''

 Chapter 482 - 482 | Preparation

    [Ye Tian Long. -2 Star Favourability: Does not wish to get acquainted with you and would prefer to maintain distance. Mainly influenced by his hate towards your father, any interaction you have with Ye Tian Long will worsen the situation.]

    ''Hmmˇ­''''

    Ye Tian Yun lightly frowned at the screen and once again put his attention on Ye Tian Long.

    He had already considered the scenario that thetter hated the main branch of the Great Ye n.

    ''Let''s see if he can be saved.''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded at Ye Tian Long and said, "Cousin Long, it''s been years since west met."

    Ye Tian Long nodded.

    Even though both were part of the main branch and were closely rted, they had actually never met each other in their lifetime.

    ''But I can''t just say this is our first meetingˇ­ that will only increase our hatred.''

    "We have met before?" Ye Tian Long was stumped.

    He couldn''t recall ever meeting this famous cousin of his.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, continued with his act, "Well, this is our first official meeting, but we have encountered each other quite a lot. Hmmˇ­ now that I think of it, I am pretty sure you must not have noticed me."

    "What do you mean, Crown Prince?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and said, "No need to be so formal. You can just call me Cousin Yun."

    "Cou-Cousin Yunˇ­"

    "Hm, good. Well, as I was saying earlier, we both have actually crossed paths with each other. It''s just your attention was on something else."

    "Really?" Ye Tian Long frowned, "Please help me recall ourst meeting."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly smiled, and then looking at the sides to confirm if they were out of other people''s hearing range, he slowly whispered, "Great Xiao n."

    Traces of shock shed through Ye Tian Long''s eye before returning to normal, "What about the Great Xiao n, Crown Prin- I mean, Cousin Yun."

    Just now, he could have used Spirit Message but chose not to because that would also reveal to Ye Tian Long that the person in front of him had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

    Upon hearing Ye Tian Long''s response, Ye Tian Yun''s smile receded.

    He had expected these words.

    "Cousin Long," Ye Tian Yun leaned forward and slowly whispered, "I want you to invite you to my pce for something."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Long frowned, "What for?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I have something to give you. Just take it as our meeting gift."

    Without saying anything else, Ye Tian Yun stood up and left the Second Floor, leaving behind a very confused Ye Tian Long.

    ˇ­

    Getting out of the Imperial Library, Ye Tian Yun didn''t stop and headed straight to his pce.

    ''I wanted to test him, but on second thought, it''s best if I let him be. There''s no need to make the Great Xiao n alert for any reason.''

    The Middle Heavens was home to many superpowers. Just like the Great Ye n and Great Ling n, there was the Great Xiao n.

    However, unlike the Great Ling n, the Great Xiao n didn''t hide their animosity against the Great Ye n.

    Even though Emperor Ye ruled the whole realm, there were bound to be few powers who didn''t like to be under his rule.

    The Great Xiao n was one of them.

    Why did Ye Tian Yun mention them?

    Well, they were one of the reasons why Ye Tian Long hated the Great Ye n.

    After all, his third uncle, Ye Tian Fan, never med or hated the Great Ye n, then how could so much hatred form in Ye Tian Long without anyone ming the anger?

    The person who sowed the seeds of hatred in Ye Tian Long''s heart was a youngdy from Xiao n''s younger generation.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and shook his head.

    ''Love can also be a poison.''

    ˇ­

    After about fifteen minutes, Ye Tian Yun was sitting in his room.

    He was waiting for Butler Liu to return so he could then try his luck on getting new kinds of Sword Domains.

    Butler Liu returned one hourter.

    As soon as he knocked on the door, Ye Tian Yun stood up and made hime in.

    "Crown Prince, here it is." Butler Liu took out a spatial ring and gave it to Ye Tian Yun.

    "This ring contains everything you asked for."

    "Oh, that''s great," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I will now go into closed-door seclusion for a week. And then I n to head towards the Lower Heavens."

    Butler Liu nodded, "I can take you to the Lower Heavens if you want. I am sure you will be able to save a lot of time."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "That will be great, but we will have to make a careful disguise."

    "Indeed," Butler Liu nodded his head, "The whole world''s attention will be on you for some time because of the Ling n''s little stunt."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, that''s why we will have to be extra careful."

    Butler Liu smiled, "Don''t worry about that, Crown Prince. I will have everything ready."

    Ye Tian smiled, "Alright, that''s great. I will start my cultivation then, see you one weekter."

    Butler Liu smiled and headed outside of the room.

    Once outside, he closed the door and then ncing at the guards standing in the hallway, he said, "No one is allowed to approach the Crown Prince lest you disturb his cultivation and court death."

    Squinting his eyes slightly, Butler Liu went straight towards Emperor Ye''s pce.

    As soon as he stood in front of the courtyard, Emperor Ye called him inside, "Come."

    Soon, Butler Liu was standing in front of the table where Ye Tian Yun stood earlier in the morning.

    "What happened, Brother Liu?" Emperor Ye asked without removing his attention from the papers on the table in front of him.

    "Your Majesty," Butler Liu pursed his lips and asked, "What are your ns regarding the Crown Prince''s engagement?"

 Chapter 483 - 483 | Heavenly Oracle Sects Impending Fate

    "ns?" Emperor Ye frowned and looked up, "What ns do I need?"

    Butler Liu replied, "Your Majesty, what I meant to ask was - are you nning to cancel the engagement?"

    Emperor Ye shook his head.

    "We can''t cancel the engagement. I just gave an excuse to Yun''er that I will look for an alternative way, but we both know that there is no other way around the situation."

    "Ling Guang will not allow engagement between Ye Tian Yun and Ling Qing''er because of her physique."

    "That only leaves us with Ling Feng''er."

    Butler Liu frowned, "Actually while returning from the Ling n Manor, Crown Prince informed me that he will have to kill Ling Feng''er in future if the marriage continues."

    "Oh?" Emperor Ye frowned, "Did he say why?"

    Butler Liu shook his head, "No, but he said he will have no other option."

    "Hm," Emperor Ye thought for a moment and said, "The best thing we can do is try to avoid this on that eventful day. Other than that, there''s nothing we can do."

    Butler Liu let out a sigh, "Also, Crown Prince will soon be heading back to the Lower Heavens."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "That was expected. The chances of encountering a Token or an Emblem are pretty high in the Lower Heavens."

    Butler Liu frowned, "But Your Majesty, I am afraid if something happens to the Crown Prince, we won''t be able to go to save him."

    Emperor Ye took a deep breath and let out a sigh, "Brother Liu, there are a lot of things that Yun''er must face on his own. I have never interfered in his cultivation path, and I most likely never will."

    "But Your Majesty, what if the Crown Prince''s life is in danger?" Butler Liu asked, "You won''t let him die just like that, right?"

    Emperor Ye took the seat at the table and leaned back.

    "Brother Liu," He said, "I won''t let him die, don''t worry about that. He''s my son; of course, I will be biased towards him. And I think, with his power and intelligence, only an unexpected ambush can take him down. And I won''t let that happen."

    Butler Liu smiled, "I knew it."

    Emperor Ye had a serious expression, "There''s something much more interesting you need to look at."

    "Oh?" Butler Liu frowned and stepped forward.

    He then began to browse through the papers on the table.

    Soon his eyes were wide open in shock as he stared at the papers in front of him.

    "Is this true!?" He asked, almost shouting.

    Emperor Ye pursed his lips and lightly nodded.

    "Damn it!" Butler Liu punched on the wall beside them, "How long do we have?"

    Emperor Ye shrugged, "I have no idea. But there''s a high chance it will happen this month."

    Butler Liu frowned, "I nned to drop Ye Tian Yun to his destination in the Lower Heavens one weekter."

    Emperor Ye frowned, "Why one weekter? Tell him to go tomorrow."

    "Tomorrow?" Butler Liu thought for a moment and said, "I will inform him immediately."

    Emperor Ye nodded his head, "Alright. Oh, this reminds me, what happened to the group you went to call from the Lower Heavens? I think this ''thing'' is very suitable for them."

    Butler Liu smiled, "I have already informed Su Ming from the Fifth Battalion."

    "Oh? The brat that you saved in the Lower Heavens?" Emperor Ye frowned, "He''s a Commander now?"

    Butler Liu smiled, "That guy is a good leader, and his nature is also good."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "That''s great. What does he do in the Lower Heavens? Is he a reclusive cultivator?"

    "Quite the opposite, " Butler Liu smiled, "He''s actually a Sect Leader of one of the powerful sects called the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Emperor Ye smiled, "That''s good. So, his battalion will be heading to the Upper Heavens this time?"

    Butler Liu nodded, "Yes, and I will also personally go with them. From these reports, we can see that ever since the first Emblem appeared in this generation, the enemy has shown too many activity signs."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Yes, that''s what intrigues me so much. It feels like I am missing some important info here. Those people in the Upper Heavens don''t need to be worried about the Emblems. Then why is it that they have started to make a move ever since that day?"

    "What if it''s just a coincidence? Or it could be a ruse?" Butler Liu frowned.

    Emperor Ye nodded, "I thought of that too, but then don''t you know what happened in the Heavenly Oracle Sect?"

    Butler Liu was surprised, "Don''t tell me the change of Head Elder was because of those people?"

    Emperor Ye nodded, "I am afraid that''s the truth. I was already quite suspicious of the Heavenly Oracle Sect, but now I am sure they are our hidden enemy."

    Butler Liu frowned, "But are we sure about this? You know that it''s them who gave all the fame to the Crown Prince. Don''t tell me they have something bad nned about this?"

    Emperor Ye shrugged, "I don''t know yet, but I am pretty sure they don''t have any good thoughts."

    "Should we do something about them?" Butler Liu said, "We can always kill them? The Heavenly Oracle Sect won''t stand a chance against the Great Ye Corps."

    Emperor Ye smirked, "That''s true, but the Heavenly Oracle Sect is just a pawn in this game. Bringing out our trump card just for them will be an overkill."

    "So we should leave them be?"

    "No," Emperor Ye shook his head, "Ye Tian Yun will be going to the Lower Heavens, right?"

    "Yes," Butler Liu nodded.

    Emperor Ye smiled, "I am sure he won''t return for some time. And once he returns, a huge responsibility wille on his shoulders. I don''t want those pesky sects to be a nuisance for him. Ask Fifth Battalion Commander Su Ming to go alone and take care of the Heaven Oracle Sect. That kid alone is enough for this."

 Chapter 484 - 484 | All Elemental Essence And The Spiritual Qi Pills

    Unbeknownst to the huge change that was about to happen in theing future, Ye Tian Yun was currently busy understanding the All Elemental Essence.

    This was one of the items that he had asked Butler Liu to arrange for.

    All Elemental Essence, as its name suggests, contains the essence of the basic elements found in nature - Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.

    These four elemental essences are put together in a small orb, then termed as the All Elemental essence.

    This orb is mainly used in Alchemy practices or when a Cultivator tries to understand the nature of his Sword Domain.

    Though, thetter purpose is very specific and very rare.

    Ye Tian Yun had asked for this orb for precisely that.

    He wanted to use this orb to try his luck in getting Sword Domain of different natures.

    The use was pretty simple - the orb has four equal-sizedpartments containing the essence.

    What a cultivator needs to do is consume the essence.

    Upon consuming, it won''t help in cultivation. However, it will let the cultivator reach the realm of ''Being One With The Nature.''

    Upon reaching this realm, the cultivator will be able to experience being the element itself.

    This is where the talent inprehensiones into use.

    The faster the cultivator understands the elemental nature, the better it is for his future progress.

    Most of the time, cultivators will spend a lot of effort inprehending the essences, and upon reaching the limits, they will have to spit it out and try the next one.

    This is usually how Attainment Realm Sword Intent cultivators try to reach the Sword Domain.

    Ye Tian Yun was nning the same.

    ''Let''s start.''

    Knock!-Knock!

    ''Hm?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned,

    Everything around him was white.

    ''What was that sound?''

    "Crown Prince, sorry to disturb you, but this is urgent."

    A familiar voice entered Ye Tian Yun''s head.

    "Oh, butler Liu?" Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and got out of the Cultivation Space.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped forward and opened the door.

    To his surprise, it was indeed Butler Liu who had just left his room about a few minutes ago.

    However, what surprised him the most was thetter''s expression.

    "Did something happen, Butler Liu?" Ye Tian Yun asked with a slight frown. Butler Liu''s expression was very serious, and there was even a hidden trace of worry over his face.

    He was sure that Butler Liu wouldn''t disturb anyone''s cultivation seclusion unless it were an emergency.

    Butler Liu pursed his lips and said, "Crown Prince, I apologize once again for the disturbance, but this is quite important."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What happened?"

    Butler Liu replied, "The Emperor has asked you to him tomorrow."

    "Alright," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "anything else?"

    "Yes," Butler Liu lightly nodded, "We will have to go to the Lower Heavens tomorrow."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised upon hearing this, "Is everything alright?"

    Butler Liu nodded, "Everything is alright; it''s just that I may have to leave for some mission at any moment''s notice. I don''t know if I will be avable after a week."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Alright then, let''s head to the Lower Heavens first. I can do my cultivation seclusion there too."

    Butler Liu sighed in relief, "Crown Prince, I will then head back. I have to make some preparations."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Sure, go ahead. I will see you tomorrow."

    "Yes, Crown Prince." Butler Liu cupped his fists and left the ce.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the former''s disappearing back for a long time before shaking his head and getting back into his room.

    m!

    Click!

    The door was once again closed.

    Ye Tian Yun put his hands behind his head andid on the huge bed.

    "Looks like I will have to make a few changes in the ns. I will cultivate the Elemental Essence once I reach the Fang n."

    ''I should simply cultivate for the next level tonight.''

    Ye Tian Yun raised his body and then sat cross-legged on the bed.

    As soon as he closed his eyes, he found himself back in the Cultivation Space beside the Nine Heavens Painting.

    When Butler Liu came, Ye Tian Yun was in the Nine Heavens Painting, mainly to suppress the Sword Domain aura.

    And now, as he came back to the cultivation space, instead of directly appearing beside the painting, he found himself beside it.

    He put the Nine Heavens Painting back in his spatial ring since he won''t be able to focus on his Sword Domain.

    Ye Tian Yun then took out a pill from the spatial ring that Butler Liu had given to him.

    The pills were greenish, unlike the bluish Qi Strengthening Pills, and most importantly, the aura emitting from this greenish pill was much more rich and dense than the highest quality Qi Strengthening Pills.

    ''Spiritual Qi Pills.''

    These are advanced levels of Qi Strengthening Pills and are basic consumable pills for Core Formation Realm cultivators and highers.

    These pills are used to strengthen the power of the Core inside the dantian, not in terms of robustness, rather in terms of spirituality.

    The levels of spirituality within the Core define the levels of the Core Formation Realm.

    Upon reaching the peak of the Core Formation Realm, the core gains spirituality.

    This spirituality then triggers a heavenly lightning tribtion, and upon passing this tribtion, the core transforms into a Nascent Soul.

    Nascent Soul Realm is the very peak of Lower Heavens.

    ''Let''s start.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and put the pill in his mouth.

    It melted as soon as it touched Ye Tian Yun''s tongue.

    Soon, a sweet taste flowed down through his throat, and everything returned to normal.

    Just then, as if out of nowhere, Ye Tian Yun''s stomach lurched in pain, and the core in his dantian began to expand.

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and tried to regainposure.

    However, the core continued to expand, and if it goes on like that, Ye Tian Yun would cripple himself because of the dantian explosion.

 Chapter 485 - 485 | A Pleasant Breakthrough

    "This is not good."

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and tried his best to suppress the pressure building up in his dantian.

    However, it was not easy, and with every passing moment, Ye Tian Yun felt like he would explode in the next instant.

    His heartbeat rate kept on increasing exponentially.

    Suddenly he just felt like there was noing back; everything vanished.

    "Haaˇ­. haaˇ­. Haaaˇ­"

    Ye Tian YUn tried to stabilize his body as his chest jumped up and down.

    Bum! Bum! Bum!

    He could hear the heartbeat loud and clear.

    Cold sweat dripped from his back as he tried to calm himself down.

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun''s body finally calmed down as heid on the white surface.

    ''I expected this, but it was still too fierce.''

    He closed his eyes and focused on digesting the pill while still lying straight on the ground.

    ''It will take me a few hours.''

    It was already evening outside, and Ye Tian Yun had about sixteen hours before he needed to go out.

    ''Sixteen hoursˇ­ That means I have two days to cultivate in the cultivation space.''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded to himself and started to cultivate.

    To digest a cultivation pill, it is not necessary to sit in a cross-legged lotus position.

    Rather, it is more important to have a calm and focused mind.

    Ye Tian Yun cultivated the pill with his eyes closed and started to digest its benefits.

    The Core in his dantian has shrunk to normal size. However, one thing that was interesting to note was that now there was a mist around the core.

    A violet-ck aura-like mist covered the whole Core.

    ''Nice.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled as he sensed the mist.

    ''This is the spirituality of the Core.''

    The formation of the mist signified the beginning of the journey in creating a Nascent Soul.

    It took about seven hours for Ye Tian Yun to digest the pill fully.

    ''If I had the system, this would have taken only an instant.''

    Now the System is gone.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t eat the pills indiscriminately without the fear of exploding.

    Once he fully digested the pill, Ye Tian Yun popped another pill in his mouth.

    The intense pain once again began to spread throughout Ye Tian Yun''s body as his Core started to expand.

    However, things turned normal after some time, and Ye Tian Yun started to digest the pill.

    He repeated this process again and again for about forty-eight hours.

    "Finally done."

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes.

    He had long changed his position to sitting because it felt morefortable.

    He then took a deep breath and came out of the cultivation space.

    The room was quite dark because Ye Tian Yun had locked the windows and the door so no one else disturbs him.

    ''It feels great to know that I can get three times the cultivation time than everyone else.''

    Lost in thoughts, he opened the window to bathe in the sunlight.

    Trrr'' Trrr''

    Trrr'' Trrr''

    "Uhˇ­ what happened to the sun?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, and then he suddenly noticed that it was still night.

    "What?"

    He frowned and looked at the clear night sky.

    "It will take one more hr to sunriseˇ­."

    ''That means I still have four hours before I meet my fatherˇ­.''

    ''Did I miscalcte?''

    ''I am pretty sure I spent two days inside the Cultivation Space.''

    ''Last time I checked, I got three times the actual duration of time. ording to that, sixteen hours should have passed outside while I cultivated for forty-eight hours.''

    ''But only twelve hours have passed.''

    ''That means I got four times the total time passed outside! I got four hours instead of just three for every hour that passed in the real world!''

    ''Did the Emblem Of Time''s ability increase!?''

    It was a pleasant surprise for him.

    ''Is it because my cultivation increased?''

    This was good news.

    ''I need to get back to the Cultivation Space.''

    Ye Tian Yun immediately closed the window again and sat cross-legged on the bed in a lotus position.

    Every second passed outside meant he lost four seconds.

    Now he still had four hours in his hand; in other words, he had a total of sixteen hours of cultivation in the Cultivation Space!

    ''This is really great.''

    Ye Tian Yun popped another Spiritual Qi pill as soon as he appeared in the space and began to cultivate.

    The pain still remained; however, its intensity had decreased to quite a few notches.

    As he continued to cultivate, time slowly passed, and soon even these sixteen hours came to an end.

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and found himself back in his room.

    ''The quality of these pills is pretty high. It won''t be long before I reach the second level of Core Formation Realm.''

    Because of the exponential increase in cultivation potential with his early breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Ye Tian Yun''s cultivation speed was bound to increase at a fast rate.

    And with the very high-quality pills that Butler Liu brought to him, Ye Tian Yun got another boost.

    ''Where did he get these pills from?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ponder.

    Even in his previous life, Butler Liu had brought these pills, but Ye Tian Yun never bothered to ask the source, mainly because he thought these pills were from the Supreme Alchemy Hall.

    ''But after Butler Liu''s death, I never found out how to get such high-quality pills.''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''I should ask him about the source of these pills. Just in case.''

    Soon he had opened his eyes and was once again back in his room.

    Without hesitation, he opened the window, and sure enough, the bright sunlight covered his face and lit up the whole room behind him.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    ''My guess was right.''

    Nodding his head, he walked out of his room and headed for the Emperor''s Courtyard.

    ''I wonder if Father has found any alternatives to the engagement? If he says no, I will at least try to pry out some information regarding the reason behind the engagement.''

 Chapter 486 - 486 | Reach Saint Realm In Three Years?

    ''Here we are.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and stepped inside the Emperor''s Courtyard.

    Since it was early morning, Ye Tian Yun knew that Emperor Ye wouldn''t be in the main hall; rather, he would be in the Imperial Court, meeting with people from different sects and ns.

    He didn''t wish to waste time interacting with any of them right now, so he decided to wait in the other room.

    As he stepped into the main room, the first thing that Ye Tian Yun noticed was the pile of papers on the table.

    ''The room is as messy as ever.''

    This room was one of the most important rooms in the Imperial Pce because Emperor Ye spent most of his time here if he was not cultivating.

    "What are these?"

    Ye Tian Yun was curious about the papers on the table.

    But he didn''t check them.

    He simply sat on the other side of the table and waited for his father to return from the Imperial Courtroom.

    He decided against looking at the paper mainly because he didn''t wish to poke his nose in someone else''s business.

    It didn''t take long for Emperor Ye to return.

    "Ah, Yun''er, you came quite early today."

    Emperor Ye had enough cultivation to sense anyone''s presence within the imperial pce.

    He was already aware of Ye Tian Yun''s arrival.

    This was one of the reasons why he ended the meeting earlier.

    "I didn''t know when you would be free, so I figured I should juste a bit early." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    Emperor Ye nodded his head and took the main seat on the other side of the table.

    "So you will be heading towards the Lower Heavens today?" He said while arranging the papers in front of him.

    "Yes, Father," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Butler Liu might not be avable a week from now, so he suggested that he bring me to the Lower Heavens while he''s free."

    "Hmm, I know," Emperor Ye nodded, "Liu will be heading for an important mission soon, so it''s better if he finishes his business in the Middle Heavens first."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is he going to the Upper Heavens?"

    Emperor Ye paused for a moment and then nodded his head, "Yes."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while asking, "Father."

    "Hm?"

    "How different is the Upper Heavens from this realm?"

    "It''s a whole new world."

    "A whole new world?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "If our n was in the Upper Heavens, how powerful would we be?"

    Emperor Ye smiled, "Our n would still be one of the top ns."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I thought the power difference between the Upper Heavens and the Middle Heavens would be huge."

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Your assumption is right. The thing is, our n is too powerful ording to the standards of the Middle Heavens. If youpare any other n or sect, like the Great Ling n, they won''t amount much in the Upper Heavens."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment before asking, "The Upper Heavens must have a better cultivation environment, right?"

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Yes, it''s way better than the Middle Heavens."

    "Really?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "If our n can stand as one of the top ns even in the Upper Heavens, and the cultivation environment of that ce is also good, then why have we not shifted our n to that realm?"

    Emperor Ye smiled, "It''s because the whole Upper Heavens wants to kill us."

    "What!?" Ye Tian Yun was shocked, "Why!?"

    Emperor Ye smiled, "The reason is pretty simple, it''s yu- wait, brat, you have gotten quite crafty after spending time in the Lower Heavens."

    "What, father?" Ye Tian Yun gulped.

    ''Did I get caught? No! I must act ignorant.''

    Emperor Ye sneered, "Brat, don''t forget I am your father. My mind was just preupied, so I didn''t notice it earlier. You''re trying to get information from me, right?"

    "Ahahah..." Ye Tian Yun gave a wry smile and looked to the other side.

    The paintings on the wall looked very beautiful for some reason.

    "Yun''er," Emperor Ye said with a serious expression, "I will tell you about the Upper Heavens when you reach the Saint Realm."

    "Saint Realm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "That''s at least five years away."

    "Five years?" Surprise shed through Emperor Ye''s eyes before returning to normal.

    After a moment of thought, he stared at Ye Tian Yun and said, "Son, you will have to reach the Saint Realm in three years."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun raised his eyes in shock, "In three years!? That''s impossible!"

    Emperor Ye smiled, "Don''t you wish to end the marriage agreement with the Lings?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Yes, I want to."

    Emperor Ye shrugged, "The only solution for that is for you to reach the Saint Realm in three years."

    Ye Tian Yun''s frown deepened, "This is absurd. If it was Half Saint Realm, I could have tried my luck. But Saint Realm? There''s no way I can reach that."

    Emeoper Ye smiled, "Why? I thought you would be hotblooded, but it turns out you''re quite a wimp."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Father, you don''t have to instigate me. iming to reach the Saint Realm is the pinnacle of foolishness."

    "Oh?" Emperor Ye let out a long sigh, "Then I guess you will have to marry that girl."

    Ye Tian Yun clenched his teeth.

    ''If the engagement goes on, I will have to kill Feng''er. This is unavoidable. But I can''t reach the Saint Realm in three years. Because I won''t have all the Tokens and Emblems by that time.''

    Emperor Ye, noticing his silence, slowly began to say, "Son, I know you''re worried about not getting all the Emblems and Tokens. You should just stop thinking about canceling the marriage. And I heard you would have to kill that girl? Why would you do that?"

    After a slight pause, Emperor Ye added, "Son, canceling the marriage is running away from the problem. Instead of this, you should find a different oue and find a way in which you won''t have to kill your future wife."

 Chapter 487 - 487 | Go Against The World For Her

    Ye Tian Yun fell into a deep thought upon hearing Emperor Ye''s words.

    ''The only way to not kill her is to not fall in love with her.''

    This was it.

    But was it possible?

    In his previous life, the Emblem of Luck was not a boon for Ye Tian Yun. Rather, it was a huge bane.

    An unforgiving and relentless burden.

    Before Ling Feng''er death, Ye Tian Yun only saw her as an amusing disposable tool.

    But just when his heart began to change, the Immortal Pavilion''s Emblem Trial began.

    It was only after she left that he knew that the Emblem of Luck was not worth her.

    Emperor Ye stared at his son but didn''t say anything.

    He felt Ye Tian Yun was thinking about something important and thus didn''t wish to distract him.

    After a long time, Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and raised his head.

    "Father, I will follow the other path."

    Emperor Ye frowned, "And that isˇ­?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I will not let Ling Feng''er be my weakness."

    Emperor Ye let out a sigh, "Yun''er, this is where you are wrong."

    "What do you mean, Father?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I don''t see any other way out of this situation."

    Emperor Ye smiled, "Instead of weakness, make her your strength. Instead of a liability, make her your immunity."

    "Yun''er, love is the most powerful emotion in this world. When I had lost the sense of my own being because of the Emblem Of Chaos, it was your mother''s love that pulled me out of that darkness."

    Ye Tian Yun lowered his gaze, "Father, your case was different. In my case, anyone who I love will have to die."

    Emperor Ye closed his eyes, "don''t sumb to fate. Do what you feel is right, even if the whole world is against you."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It just sounds easy. I am pretty sure it''s almost impossible. We''re mere humans, after all. We''re no god."

    Emperor Ye suddenlyughed, "Hahahaha! Yun''er, ah, Yun''erˇ­ did you forget what I said a few minutes ago?"

    "The whole Upper Heavens is against me. Is that not the whole world? I am already fighting the whole world because I don''t want to sumb to my destiny. How could my son have such a weak will?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t say anything.

    Emperor Ye''sughter slowly died down.

    He stared at Ye Tian Yun, and with a serious tone, he said, "Yun''er. There are a thousand things I could tell and a million examples I can give. But there are few things that you will only learn when you experience them yourself."

    "You''re not like me; you were never like me. I am a hot-blooded person who believes in fists, but you, Yun''er, you have a scheming nature. But schemes and cleverness alone are not enough."

    "Imagine, you are in a life-death battle against your mortal enemy. And there''s no one to have your back. No amount of cleverness or scheming will work. You will have to talk with your fists."

    "I am not telling you to change yourself. But I want you to adapt. I want you to make your personality and thought process flexible."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How do I do that?"

    Emperor Ye smiled, "You will slowly learn. Yun''er, why do you think I don''t interfere in your quest to get the Tokens and Emblems? Do you think I don''t have the power to bring them for you?"

    "Then why, Father?" Ye Tian Yun subconsciously asked.

    Emperor Ye narrowed his eyes, "I want you to experience. I want you to go out into the cultivation world and experience it yourself. You might think that you can get experience once you have all the Tokens and Emblems. Maybe yes. But that''s not the kind of experience I want you to have."

    Seeing the confused expression of Ye Tian Yun, Emperor Ye smiled and continued, "I want you to treasure what you have. You have one of the most powerful backgrounds in the whole world. Still, you don''t understand its potential. It''s because you don''t treasure its value."

    "But if we take the Emblem of Time''s example. I am sure you understand that this artifact is very important in your journey."

    "And if youpare your background with the Emblem of Time, you will prefer the Emblem of Time."

    "That is what I want you to feel for everything that you have. And the only experience can take you to that stage."

    "Yun''er, I won''t be forever beside you. My life is constantly at risk. Do you know that there doesn''t go a day when I don''t face assassination?"

    "What!?"

    "Yes. I face assassination every. Single. Day. Now, what if the enemy seeds in today''s assassination? Won''t I die? What if I die? What will you do?"

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips trembled. This possibility had never crossed his mind. Because -

    "It''s impossible! You''re the most powerful cultivator. You''re invincible, Father!" Ye Tian Yun replied.

    His breathing had quickened.

    Emperor Ye shook his head, "Invincible? Haˇ­ if I am invincible, Yun''er, tell me howe I failed to be the Heavenly Emperor in my generation?"

    "Yun''er, there''s a lot for you to learn. I may be among the most powerful cultivators, but this doesn''t change the fact that there are still some cultivators in the Upper Heavens who can kill me."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Who are they, Father?"

    EMperor Ye shook his head, "Their identity is not the topic here. What I want you to understand is - even if the whole world is against you, as long as you don''t betray yourself, no one, I say, no one can stop you."

    "But yeah, cultivation is also important. If you think with Core Formation Realm, you can go against the world; I will be the first to pop this fantasy."

    "Yun''er, I will also be going to the Upper Heavens this time. The enemy already knows this. They are prepared for my arrival. There''s a very high chance I might not return, and this might be ourst conversation."

    "Son, if therees a day when I am no more beside you, you will need to be strong. Peak cultivation won''t be enough. Never forget I also have the cultivation."

    "What you will need is strength. Ling Feng''er will be your strength."

    ...

    A/n: Read [Creator''s Thoughts]

 Chapter 488 - 488 | Preparation For The Lower Heavens

    ''Make Ling Feng''er my strength?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but shake his head upon thinking about this.

    He had returned from the Emperor''s Courtyard and was currently heading back to his pce.

    ''I will deal with thister. It''s time for me to head back to the Lower Heavens.''

    He changed his route and went to call Butler Liu.

    "Ah, Crown Prince, you''re here?" Butler Liu was at first surprised to see him, but then the reason for Ye Tian Yun''s visit dawned upon him.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t let him say anything and said, "Follow me to my pce first."

    Butler Liu nodded and followed Ye Tian Yun to the Crown Prince''s pce.

    In his room, Ye Tian Yun first took out Aura Replicating Pill and showed it to Butler Liu.

    "This is an aura replicating pill. Have you heard about it?"

    He remembered that the System did mention that some of its items were not from this world.

    Ye Tian Yun had never heard of this pill in his previous life, but there was a chance that he was just ignorant about it because he never studied anything rted to Alchemy.

    Butler Liu was quite surprised as he took the pill in his hand and then staring at it for some time; he raised his head and said, "Crown Prince, may I ask how you got this pill?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I bought it from someone."

    "Oh?" Butler Liu thought for a moment and said, "This pill is unique to the Upper Heavens. Actually, even in the Upper Heavens, this pill is quite rare, mainly because its ingredients are difficult to handle."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then it means we cannot find this pill in the Middle Heavens."

    Butler Liu smiled, "Do you need this pill?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, and of this exact quality if possible."

    "Hmˇ­" Butler Liu frowned, "I can get some of them, but this will take time. I can''t arrange them in one day."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I am in no hurry. But I will need some in about six to seven months from now."

    "Oh?" Butler Liu thought and said, "Hmm, six months are more than enough."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "That''s a good thing."

    "Crown Prince," Butler Liu asked, "How long will you be in the Lower Heavens this time?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "I was there for about six monthsst time; this time, it will take me a long time. Maybe a year or two? I can''t say."

    Butler Liu frowned, "We already talked about this, but please note that the longer you stay in the Lower Heavens, the more detrimental it will be for your cultivation speed."

    Ye Tian Yub smiled, "Don''t worry about that. I have something in my mind that will help me get the best cultivation environment."

    "Oh," butler Liu scratched his chin.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and said, "Let''s start the preparation to head towards the Lower Heavens. We need to form a good disguise because it will create unnecessary trouble if a third party gets suspicious about this."

    "Indeed," Butler Liu nodded, "Crown Prince, I suggest that you should disguise as me while I disguise as a guard."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was confused, "Why don''t I simply disguise myself as a guard, and you can be in you. What''s the need to make thingsplicated?"

    Butler Liu shook his head and said, "Crown Prince, people will take note that a guard is heading towards the Lower Heavens with me. And if I were to return alone, some intelligent people from other sects might suspect that it was you who went with me. This is why, if we were to disguise as a guard and return as a guard, while the ''Butler Liu'' stays in the Lower Heavens, the chances of people getting suspicious about the trip would be very low."

    Ye Tian Yunughed, "That''s a good idea, but tell me, Butler Liu, what''s the need to disguise right now? You can disguise yourself as a guard while returning back, and for now, let''s not make thingsplicated."

    "Ahˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Butler Liu, actually I don''t want to waste the Aura Replicating Pills unnecessarily. The guard I will disguise as needs to be a well-known person, and his presence with you also needs to be natural. It shouldn''t make the witnesses doubt why a guard is with you. I think someone who is seen with you many times in public will be the best target."

    Butler Liuughed, "Yes, I have the right person in mind! Please wait. I will bring thatd."

    Without waiting for a response, butler Liu rushed out of the room.

    Ye Tian Yun moved towards his bed andid on it.

    ''I have been in the Middle Heavens for just over two months now. A lot must have happened in the Lower Heavens. The first thing I will need to do is gather information.''

    After about five minutes, as Ye Tian Yun was lost in his thoughts, thinking about the possible next steps, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

    "Crown Prince, may wee in?"

    "Yeah."

    With Ye Tian Yun''s permission, two people entered the room.

    One was Butler Liu, while the other was a young man in his twenties.

    Thetter immediately cupped his fists as soon as he entered the room, "Greetings, Crown Prince. My name is Wei Guiyin; I am the Imperial Head Guard."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Nice to meet you, Imperial Head Guard Wei. Do you know why you have called here?"

    "No, Crown Prince. Butler Liu told me that you calleˇ­.."

    Thud!

    Wei Guiyi suddenly fell unconscious.

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised and turned towards Butler Liu, "Did you do this?"

    Butler Liu smiled, "Even though I trust this brat a lot, I can''t take a risk with your safety. And don''t worry about him; he will wake up in two days."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Alright.. I will change my disguise, and then we will head towards the Lower Heavens."

 Chapter 489 - 489 | Trust

    After about half an hour, two men came out from the Crown Prince''s room.

    Butler Liu and Imperial Head Guard Wei.

    The guards in the hallway saluted them as they went past.

    Soon, both of them were outside the Imperial Pce.

    <<Crown Prince, it''s best not to fly for now. Some people will be able to detect that I am the one who''s bringing you up.>>

    Ye Tian Yun, currently disguised as Wei Guiyin, smiled.

    <<You don''t have to worry about this, Butler Liu.>>

    As he sent the spirit message to Butler Liu, Ye Tian Yun''s feet began to rise, and he was soon up in the air.

    "Thisˇ­."

    Butler Liu was shocked to see this.

    <<Crown Prince, you have reached the Core Formation REalm!>>

    Butler Liu couldn''t fathom what had just happened.

    ''Wasn''t he in the Third Level of Foundation Establishment!? How did he reach the Core Formation Realm!?''

    ''It''s just been two months!''

    Butler Liu could only speechlessly follow behind Ye Tian Yun.

    Even though the cultivation difference between them was huge, they could still fly at the same level. The only difference would be the maximum speed possible for both of them was heavens and earth apart.

    But that was not even a problem here.

    Butler Liu was moving with YeTian Yun pace.

    As for Ye Tian Yun, he was at his fastest right now.

    Even though the disguise was impable, he didn''t wish to stay in the spotlight for long.

    As long as he reached the Lower Heavens after crossing the Ascension Mountains, he would be able to rx.

    He chose to reveal his actual cultivation to Butler Liu because of the chat he had with his father earlier today.

    For some reason, he wanted to trust Butler Liu and his Father.

    His father, Emperor Ye, trusted Butler Liu a lot, and this trust was very mutual.

    The biggest proof of it would be that Emperor Ye knew that Ye tian Yun might have to kill Ling Feng''er in the future.

    The only person whom Ye Tian Yun had told this was butler Liu.

    Some might get suspicious or angry about this because Butler Liu had revealed what Ye Tian Yun had talked about.

    But Ye Tian Yun didn''t feel like that.

    Instead, this strengthened his trust in Butler Liu even more.

    In his previous life, when Jun Xie came to the Middle Heavens after facing many struggles, he decided to go against Ye Tian Yun by helping God''s Legion.

    It was at that time Butler Liu had to choose between Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie.

    And with a heavy heart, Butler Liu chose to remain loyal to Ye Tian Yun.

    Eventually, after a year or so, Butler Liu would die at the hands of the God''s Legion in an ambush.

    The ambush was actually for Ye Tian Yun, but Butler Liu had switched ces with him at the veryst moment.

    ''How could I doubt the loyalty of such a person? Not to forget that the Prompt on his head was still at the Five Stars.''

    The only reason why Ye Tian Yun hid his cultivation before was because of his paranoia.

    But after today''s meeting with Emperor Ye, something in his heart changed.

    ˇ­

    It took them about an hour to reach the Ascension tform.

    Butler Liu''s arrival did attract attention from many but it wasn''t on the scale on which Ye Tian Yun was greeted by everyone.

    After answering some greetings, Butler Liu made his way through the dense fog ahead, Ye Tian Yun in Imperial Head Guard''s disguise following him right behind.

    Once they passed through the gate, they maintained the normal pace for some time, and after reaching above a secluded forest area, Butler Liu took the helm, and soon both were heading towards the Xin Kingdom''s Royal City at lightning speed.

    <<Crown Prince, we will stop few miles before reaching the city so you can change your disguise.>>

    Butler Liu sent a spirit message.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    <<That would be for the best.>>

    ....

    Fang n, Royal Capital, Xin Kingdom.

    One of the top four ns of the Xin Kingdom, the Fang n, was known for its political background.

    Its n Head, Fang Yuan, was the Prime Minister of the Xin Kingdom andmanded a lot of respect and awe from the citizens of the kingdoms.

    Other than n Head Fang Yuan, the elders of the Fang n also had high designated posts in the Xin Kingdom Beaureocracy.

    In terms of cultivator strength, too, Fang n was one of the top ns in the Kingdom.

    It was rumored that Prime Minister Fang, who was very busy with his work as the Prime Minister, was at least in the Nascent Soul Realm.

    However, this prestige and strength weren''t handed out by the Fang n predecessors.

    And the main reason why people of Xin Kingdom respected the Fang n so much was not because of their current background.

    n Head Fang Yuan was the one who brought Fang n from one of the thousands of normal ns to be the most powerful n in the Big Fours of the Xin Kingdom.

    This fact alone made normal people, mortals or cultivators, feel respect for the Fang n. This was not only in the Xin Kingdom, rather the whole Lower Heavens knew about Prime Minister Fang Yuan and the Fang n.

    However, not everything was perfect in this picture.

    While n Head Fang Yuan was one of the most well-respected people in the whole Lower Heavens, his son was quite the opposite.

    Born with a silver spoon, his son was one of the most arrogant scions of the Royal City, and what made things worse was that his cultivation was also below average.

    Young Master Fang was the ck sheep of the Fang n.

    And this person was also the reason why the whole n was in chaos for thest month.

    About two months ago, Young Master Fang Chen had mysteriously disappeared from a tavern after leaving the Gracious Sword Sect.

 Chapter 490 - 490 | Butler Liu Asks For A Favour

    "Crown Prince, this ce is right to change your disguise." Butler Liu said as both of themnded in a secluded part of the forest outside the Capital City.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t waste any time and had soon disguised himself as Fang Chen.

    "Butler Liu, this should be enough. I will now head forward on my own. You should disguise yourself as the Imperial Head Guard Wei Guiyin."

    Butler Liu nodded, "Don''t worry about that, Crown Prince. I will disguise myselfter. I first need to visit the Gracious Sword Sect.."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded with an ''oh''.

    Suddenly an idea struck Butler Liu and he said, "Crown Prince, I think I shouldn''t disguise as Wei Guiyin."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What do you mean, Butler Liu?"

    Butler Liu shook his head, "I mean, you should disguise as him but not exactly how he was. You should disguise as injured Wei Guiyin."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "How will that help us?"

    Butler Liu smiled, "Many people have seen you and Wei Guiyin head towards the Lower heavens."

    "Now imagine if you''re one of the scouts from a major sect or n, and suddenly, the Imperial Head Guardes out of the fog, but he''s heavily injured."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "That will spark a huge discussion in the Middle Heavens."

    Butler Liu nodded, "Exactly. And since people already know you were with them, they would be even more shocked by your absence. This will lead to spection, and we will be able to throw off any close spections from the enemy."

    "I will just have to take care that this cover doesn''t blow up; it will backfire upon us."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, this is a big problem. I think you should abandon this idea. While there is definitely some gain in this, the risk is too high. You see, just a small misstep, and this ruse will be discovered."

    "The enemy will know that there is something weird going on, and they will suspect even more."

    "Don''t forget that the real Wei Guiyin will also wake up and if he''s seen recovered, things will only get moreplicated for us. So it''s better not to arouse any suspicion and go with the flow. Also, don''t forget to tell Wei Guiyin to keep his mouth shut because he will definitely find out that ''he'' had gone to the Lower Heavens while ''he'' was unconscious."

    Butler Liu frowned, and after some time of thought, he said, "Alright, Crown Prince. I will not modify the n."

    Ye Tian Yun, "I should get going then. It''s already afternoon now."

    "Ah, wait, Crown Prince," Butler Liu said, "Here, take this first."

    He handed out something to Ye Tian Yun.

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Spatial Ring?"

    Butler Liu nodded, "Yes, this is for you. I have collected a few extra cultivation resources for you to cultivate."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "Thank you, Butler Liu."

    Butler Liu shook his head, "It''s nothing much, Crown Prince. However, I have a favor to ask from you."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Ask me anything, ButleR Liu."

    Butler Liu hesitated for a moment, and then taking a deep breath, he took out another spatial ring, "Crown Prince, I hope you can give this spatial ring to my son."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun took the spatial ring and put it on his right-hand index finger, "I will."

    Butler Liu let out a sigh, "I haven''t done anything for that brat except for abandoning him. But I had no choice at that time. Even now, if hees to the Middle Heavens without getting powerful enough, he won''t be able to survive for long. The people who are behind The people who are behind his neck are just too many."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Who is this enemy?"

    He had never heard about this in his previous life.

    Butler Liu shook his head, "Crown Prince, I will tell both of you once you finish your business in the Lower Heavens."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright. But do you mind telling me what''s in the Spatial Ring?"

    Butler Liu nodded, "Ah, the stuff in this spatial ring is rted to Alchemy. I am sure the contents of this spatial ring will make him one of the best alchemists in the whole world."

    "What!?" Ye Tian Yun was shocked upon hearing this.

    One of the best alchemists in the whole world.

    This was not something one could scoff at.

    And Butler Liu was iming that Jun Xie might reach that stage by following the contents of this spatial ring?

    And Butler Liu was iming that Jun Xie might reach that stage by following the contents of this spatial ring?

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but be skeptical.

    "Butler Liu, it''s not that I doubt you, but is this spatial ring enough? I have a feeling that someone scammed you in this."

    Butler Liuughed at this, "Haha, Crown Prince, don''t worry about this. I am sure Jun Xie will understand this ring''s value."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright, I will let him decide."

    Butler Liu smiled and then cupped his fists, "You should now head towards the Capital City. it''s south of this ce."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Alright, I will see you after some time then."

    ButleR Liu smiled as his body began to rise in the air, "I pray for your sess and well-being, Crown Prince. Andˇ­ please take care of my son."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled back, "I will treat him like a brother, ButleR Liu. You have done a lot for me. This is the least I can do for you."

    Butler Liu''s smile widened upon hearing this, and with onest nce at Ye Tian Yun, he disappeared in the wide sky.

    Ye Tian Yun stared in the direction Butler Liu had left for a long time and then let out a sigh; he headed towards the Capital City gates.

 Chapter 491 - 491 | Nightcrawler Surveillance Network.

    The Royal Capital City of the Xin Kingdom was one of the most well-known cities of the whole Lower Heavens.

    Not only was it the home to the most powerful ns of the Xin Kingdom, but it was also a trade andmerce hotspot.

    In the Xin Kingdom, the most powerful n was the Xin Royal n. However, there were other four major ns too, which have created a deep-rooted base for themselves.

    These are the Big Four of the Capital City - Fang, Ling, Gou, Kang.

    These four ns are only second to the Xin Royal n and are regarded as the noble ns of the Xin Kingdom.

    Ye Tian Yun had currently disguised himself as Fang Chen, the young master of the Fang n.

    His first goal was to settle down in the Fang n and then create a way for himself to be a part of the war between the Xin and Wu Kingdom.

    ''But even before I get to the Fang n, I first need to gather information.''

    Ye Tian Yun had covered his face as he moved towards the Capital City.

    He rubbed a ring in his right hand''s index finger with his thumb as he walked past the crowd of cultivators.

    This was the same spatial ring that Butler Liu had given to him for Jun Xie.

    On his left hand, there was another spatial ring.

    This was his original one, and the spatial ring that Butler Liu had given to him was also emptied in this spatial ring.

    Ye Tian Yun was currently in a light disguise and wasn''t fully in Fang Chen''s stature.

    He first needed to understand the situation of the Lower Heavens before deciding on anything.

    And right now, he knew exactly where he could get the information from.

    The Nightcrawler Surveince Network.

    This was Lower Heaven''s biggest information hub.

    Well, not in the present, but in theing future.

    This organization was soon going to rival the Crimson Pavilion and would eventually surpass thetter.

    One should not forget that the Crimson Pavilion is one of the most powerful organizations in the whole Lower Heavens - with powers rivaling that of the whole the Xin and the Wu Kingdom.

    But right now, the Nightcrawler Surveince Network was a small unknown fledgling organization, slowly taking its shape.

    Ye Tian Yun''s biggest advantage right now was this information organization.

    Because this organization was currently new, it had very few customers, and no more than a hundred people knew about their existence.

    Less than a hundred people.

    This was the same organization that was soon going to be a household name in the Lower Heavens within the next three years.

    No one knew how deep its strength actually was because this organization never pursued power or wealth.

    To them, the value of information was supreme.

    The owner of this organization was actually one of Ye Tian Yun''s acquaintances from this life.

    Gao Xuan.

    The scion from one of the Big Four - the Gao n.

    ''I wonder if that guy will be here?''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to meet him.

    ''I hope I don''t meet him ever.''

    For some reason, Ye Tian Yun felt as if Gao Xuan was able to see right through him.

    ''I will have to be careful while dealing with this guy.''

    Because Gao Xuan was more of a scheming kind and usually yed hidden in the dark, he was a difficult enemy to kill.

    And the only reason why Ye Tian Yun knew about the identity of Gao Xuan was that in the previous life, Gao Xuan had actually revealed this on his own.

    It happened around the time when God''s Legion had conquered the Lower Heavens and was the most powerful existence.

    It turned out that Gao Xuan had earlier rejected Wang Yao''s proposal to join the God''s Legion. However, he had decided to help the Legion by giving them critical information about the enemy.

    Gao Xuan even had connections in the Middle Heavens when the Hundred Realm Refining Stage Battle came.

    "I wonder how far did this guy go after that? I will ask Wang Yao when I sit to cultivate next time."

    The older Wang Yao was still trapped in Ye Tian Yun''s unconsciousness, and it has been quite some time since Ye Tian Yun chatted with him.

    "Identify yourself!"

    Suddenly, a shout brought Ye Tian Yun back to reality.

    A guard was standing in front of him, with his hand brought forward.

    Ye Tian Yun nced to the side, ''Oh, my turn came already?''

    He then proceeded to take out the Gracious Sword Sect''s disciple token and showed it to the Guard.

    The Guard checked it and let him enter the city.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and stepped inside the Capital City.

    `Looks like the situation is not at the worst stageˇ­.''

    He had decided to show the Gracious Sword Sect''s token to see the Guard''s reaction.

    If King Xin and Prime Minister Fang Yuan had taken action, the Gracious Sword Sect would have be the enemy of the Xin Kingdom.

    The Guard would have immediately called the other guards to arrest Ye Tian Yun.

    ''But still, the biggest mystery for me is the Gracious Sword Sect''s Sect Leader, Su Ming.''

    ording to Butler Liu, this person was in the Great Saint Realm.

    Cultivators of this realm stood at the very peak of the Middle Heavens, and this was just the Lower Heavens - here, Nascent Soul Realm was enough to wreak havoc.

    ''If he was in the Great Saint Realm, how in the world did he die? And how was the Gracious Sword Sect almost destroyed even in his presence?''

    These were some baffling questions.

    It was highly likely that Sect Leader Su was the most powerful cultivation in the Lower Heavens.

    Then how did he die at the hands of youngsters like Xiao Ming, Fang Chen, and Yuan Shuchun?

    ''I will ask this too from Wang Yao.''

    ''For now, I need to find the first base of the Nightcrawler Surveince Network.''

 Chapter 492 - [Bonus ] 492 | The Exchange

    If the timing was right then Ye Tian Yun was sure that the Nightcrawler Surveince Network, henceforth NSN, only had one base.

    Unlike other information organizations from the distant past, the NSN didn''t hide its location.

    They were built in the Third Floors of certain restaurants and taverns and were already avable to sell or buy information.

    The first base was actually in one of the Kang n''s restaurants.

    This never brought any suspicion on Gao Xuan, and the Kang n, for some reason, never revealed anything about the Nightcrawler.

    Nightcrawler was the pseudonym Gao Xuan was given by the people of the Lower Heavens.

    "This name suits that bastard."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked and roamed through the city, looking for the most expensive restaurant owned by the Kang n.

    It took him about half an hour to reach the right ce after asking directi0ons and roaming through half of the city.

    As he stood in front of the three-floor building, he couldn''t help but let out a sigh.

    ''This ce speaks rich.''

    Everything, even the trashcan, was expensive.

    ''Let''s head in and see what they have to offer.''

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and stepped inside the building.

    As soon as he stepped, he immediately felt the temperature drop, and a cold air surrounded him.

    ''An air cooling array?''

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised upon noticing this.

    This array could change the temperature and keep it constant, no matter what the weather was outside of the tavern.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped towards the bartender near the far end of the first floor.

    As soon as he reached it, the first thing he noticed was a huge board with something written on it.

    [There are two rules of life:]

    [1. Never give out all the information.]

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and shook his head.

    ''It must be Gao Xuan who put this quote here.''

    "What would you like, Master?" The Bartender asked Ye Tian Yun with a smile on his face.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him for a moment before saying in a rather deep voice, "I would rather sell something on the third floor."

    The Bartender was taken aback by Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    He immediately called another staff to take the position as the bartender, and then gesturing at Ye Tian Yun, he asked thetter to follow him.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and followed behind.

    Soon both of them were walking in the spiral stairway towards the third floor.

    "What would you like to sell, Master?" The Bartender asked as they entered the third floor.

    Ye Tian Yun looked around without replying.

    Unlike the second and first floors, the third floor was not an open hall-like area.

    Rather, there were small cabins with soundproof arrays.

    As the bartender waited for Ye Tian Yun''s response, thetter finally said, "I will sell you exactly something that is worth what you tell me."

    The Bartender was confused, "Apologies, master. But I do not understand what you''re trying to say,"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Tell me the information I want, and then I will give you information that will be equal to the value of your answer."

    "Thisˇ­"

    The bartender hesitated.

    He had never faced such a weird situation.

    In the NSN, there were two ways to get information - one was to buy it, the other was to exchange it with information of simr value.

    While almost all the customers used the first option, there were rare cases when the second option of payment was used.

    Mainly because it was hard to judge the worth of the information.

    As for its validity? The Nightcrawler Surveince Network has its own ways of verifying the truth.

    Ye Tian Yun wanted to use the second method even though he had enough to pay for the information because of a special reason.

    ''This incident will help me quite a bit in theing future.''

    Ye Tian Yun waited for the bartender, who was confused about what he was supposed to do.

    Just then, someone walked out from one of the cabins and said, "What happened Number 341?"

    This person was covered from head to toe. However, the most unique thing about this person was that it was hard to evaluate the gender based on the voice.

    The voice was quite weird and felt cracked.

    It was rather too unique and unforgettable, and not in a pleasant way.

    The bartender bowed at the mysterious person and then exined to him about the situation.

    The person listened carefully and then said, "341, you should head back to the first floor. I Will handle the situation from here."

    The bartender bowed once again and left.

    The person then turned his head towards Ye Tian Yun and, cupping his fists, said, "Wee to Nightcrawler Surveince Network, Master. I am number 3."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun nodded and asked, "So, what do you think of my proposal, Number 3?"

    Number 3 said, "I will have to first know what kind of information you are asking, and what kind of information you have. This will be the only way to evaluate everything."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What''s the point in it if you evaluate after knowing the information?"

    Number 3 shook its head and said, "You don''t have to tell us the exact information that you''re willing to exchange; rather, just tell us what question that information will answer."

    "Ohˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun kind of understood what Number 3 was trying to say.

    Telling them the question would allow them to evaluate the value of the information more urately.

    After thinking for a moment, Ye Tian Yun said, "I want to know every major incident that has happened in thest months. I am talking about every major incident in the whole Lower Heavens. Especially rted to the war between the Xin and Wu Kingdom."

    "Oh!" For the first time, Ye Tian Yun felt emotion in Numer 3''s voice.

    Number 3 was surprised.

    "What information are you willing to sell in exchange, Master?" Number 3 asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and said, "I will tell you the names of the people responsible for the assassination of the Second Young Master of the Gao n."

 Chapter 493 - 493 | Second Young Master Of Gao Clan, Gao Long

    The Gao n was one of the Big Fours in the Xin Kingdom.

    At one point in time, Gao n was the most powerful n among the Big Four, and then the Fang n entered the stage.

    Fang n''s Head, Fang Yuan, not only destroyed one of the previous Big Fours, but he also schemed and decimated most of the Gao n''s power.

    Now, the Gao n is considered at the bottom of the Big Four.

    Some even suggest that in a few years, the Big Four will turn into the Big Three.

    This n is also one of the most unfortunate ns - their previous n head died from injuries. This generation''s biggest genius was turned into a cripple by an unknown enemy.

    The Gao n did anything to find clues on the assants, but they never discovered the truth.

    The Second Young Master of Gao n, Gao Long, was once hailed as the Capital City''s biggest genius.

    But about three years ago, when he was around fifteen, he suffered an ambush while on a journey to the Southern Province.

    ording to Gao Long, the enemy was very powerful and brutal. They killed all the guards with just a snap of a finger and then crippled him.

    The reason why they crippled him instead of killing him was never known, but there was no doubt that the enemy could have beheaded Gao Long without any trouble.

    The Gao n then did an extensive search, but no results came out.

    The biggest suspect was, of course, the Fang n.

    However, the Gao n had no proof.

    They could only swallow the bitter pill and keep the grudge in their hearts.

    Gao Long was Gao Xuan''s elder brother.

    In the future, when Gao Xuan would reveal the truth about the Nightcrawler Surveince Network, he would oncement that the mystery behind Gao Long''s assants was one of the reasons why Gao Xuan created the organization.

    But by the time Gao Xuan had found out about the truth, the enemy was long dead, and he was never able to exact his revenge.

    However, now Ye Tian Yun was willing to give this information to Gao Xuan.

    Everything in the future was rapidly reaching an unpredictable stage.

    Ye Tian Yun wanted to use the information he had to gain as much advantage as possible.

    When the person hidden in the ck robes heard about Ye Tian Yun''s offer, he was speechless.

    Their master had told them to try finding out any possible information about the incident surrounding Gao Long, and now there was someone willing to reveal the truth.

    "Master, please keep in mind that we will know if you hide or change the truth." The masked person said.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I understand. Now tell me, are you willing to ept the offer?"

    The person bowed, "I cannot properly judge the value of this information. I would like you to wait for my master to appear. Please follow me; my master will be here in half an hour. I have already informed him about this situation."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrow, ''Already informed him?''

    The masked person didn''t say anything else and directed Ye Tian Yun to the top one of the room.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun noticed something.

    He couldn''t see any prompt above this person!

    ''This is weirdˇ­.''

    He was able to see prompts above the guard he just met and even the bartender. But this masked person was different.

    ''Who is this person?''

    Ye Tian Yun was now curious about his identity.

    ''Don''t tell meˇ­ it''s Gao Xuan pretending to be mysterious?''

    This was a possibility.

    After all, his organization was still at a budding stage.

    ''There''s no use in trying to confirm the identity. It will only create an unnecessary enemy.''

    ''Maybe I can ckmail him in the future once the organization gets a bit more influential.''

    The masked person had left, and now, Ye Tian Yun was in one of the cabins.

    The cabin had a serene atmosphere and calmed Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    ''There are quite several arrays in this ce too?''

    He couldn''t help but be startled upon noticing this.

    Not because of the array itself, but rather on the fact that Gao Xuan was able to spend quite a lot on this array system.

    ''Does the Gao n have this many resources?''

    But to be able to run the arrays constantly, it wouldn''t be hard for the organization''s current stage, but in theing future, things would be troublesome for Gao Xuan.

    ''Either the guy doesn''t understand the value of Spiritual Stones, or he understands them too muchˇ­.''

    ''The restaurant is one of the most famous ones in the whole Capital City, but Gao Xuan can''t maintain the array system within the building just based on this revenue.''

    ''Unless they have a very famous dish, oh wait! Wasn''t there a bread dish called a burger? I wonder if he has released it yet.''

    If Burger was released to the public, it was sure going to create a huge sensation in the whole Capital City.

    ''I didn''t check the menuˇ­ maybe I should have a look at it once I am done with the work here.''

    Click!

    Just then, the door of the cabin opened, and someone entered.

    It was another figure covered in a full-body robe and a white mask on its face.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Are you the owner?"

    The person shook his head, "I am Number 1."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised upon hearing this.

    Not because of the number, but because he was able to tell the gender of this person!

    The one who was covered in a mask before had something which distorted his voice, making it hard to tell the gender of the person, but the one who just entered Ye Tian Yun cabin - he was sure that the person in front of him was a woman!

    ''Or maybe she''s a ''he'' and is distorting his voice to appear as a ''she''?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, but his suspicion deepened when he noticed another thing.

    There was no prompt above this girl''s head.

 Chapter 494 - 494 | State Of The Xin Kingdom

    ''Her too?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t tell if there was a reason behind all this or the Token of Fate itself was broken.

    ''From her aura, she is not the person who brought me to the cabin.''

    ''But I can also change my aura, so I should be more alert about thisˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun was confused; however he had a strong hunch that this person was Gao Xuan.

    It was just an intuition.

    And Ye Tian Yun was someone who trusted his intuition.

    "Master?" the woman asked.

    Her voiceˇ­ was mesmerizing.

    ''Is she using something to make me feel this?''

    Ye Tian Yun became even more alert and cautious.

    He said, "Hello. I hope your subordinate has already informed you about the deal. I will ask this onest time, do you ept it?"

    The woman put one leg on the other as she sat in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    Scratching her chin, she said, "I agree. However, Master, what if you''re bluffing?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "The fact that I know what information you''re looking for should be enough for you to trust me, right?"

    The woman remained silent for some time.

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes.

    ''She''s nervousˇ­.''

    He was able to confirm this because of this woman''s hand movements.

    Even though she had covered the whole body, the hand and finger movements were quite clear.

    These were enough for Ye Tian Yun to know that he had the advantage in this situation.

    The woman finally agreed, "Alright, Master. I will agree with this deal. Please ask me what you wish to know about the Lower Heavens?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Tell me about the happenings in the major ns and state of the Capital City."

    The woman nodded upon hearing the question, and after a long pause, she said, "The mood of the whole capita is currently focused on the ongoing war in the South-East region."

    "As for the ns, the older generation is busy trying to get the biggest benefits from the war while the younger generation is unaware of the current situation in the kingdom."

    "The top talents of the Capital City - the Three Swords of Xin - are busy chasing the skirt of the princess, trying to impress her."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Who are these three swords?"

    "Hm?" The woman was surprised, "You don''t know?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Never bothered to."

    The woman just nodded and began to exin, "The Three Swords are Young Master Ling Yun from the Ling n, Second Young Master Fang Yunru from the Fang n, and Young Master Gao Xuan from the Gao n."

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips curled up upon hearing Gao Xuan''s name, but he didn''t say anything.

    The woman continued, "these three are the top geniuses and are also Sword Cultivator - currently in the Qi Stabilization Realm but varying in levels."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Did anything worth noting happen in the Capital City?"

    The woman replied, "Except for the war, the most talked-about thing was the disappearance of First Young Master Fang Chen from the Fang n."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was intrigued.

    ''Was I in the Middle Heavens for too long?''

    The woman nodded and said, "First Young Master of Fang n, Fang Chen is a disciple from the Gracious Sword Sect and was supposed to return to the n about one and a half months ago. However, he has mysteriously disappeared from one of the taverns in the Southern Region of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "People have spected that this is the doing of Second Young Master Fang Yunru because both Young Masters have hated each other since young; this is a well-known fact."

    "What else would you like to know, Master?"

    Ye Tian Yun remained silent for a long moment before asking, "Tell me about the current situation of the war between the Xin-Wu Kingdom."

    The woman nodded her head, and after organizing her thoughts, she said, "It all began about two months ago when the Wu Kingdom''s Princess, Wu Qingwu, went missing in the Xin Kingdom."

    "The Wu Royal n mes this on the Xin Royal n, and this incident has triggered what seems to be taking the shape of an all-out war soon."

    "The main force was called back from the Western Province, and is now about to reach the South-Eastern border, which has now turned into the battlefield."

    "Currently, the army in the frontlines are the reserve forces led by General Ling Qi."

    "The army has suffered about three times more losses than the Wu Kingdom, and about twenty-two battalions have beenpletely wipeout by the Wu Kingdom''s gueri forces."

    "General Ling Qi, a Third Level Nascent Soul Realm expert, was injured by Shi Huang, the General leading the Wu Kingdom''s army."

    "Shi Huang is the Wu Kingdom''s most powerful General and has reached the Fifth Level of Nascent Soul Realm in terms of cultivation."

    "Ling Qi and Shi Huang have twelve exchanges, and in thest blow, General Shi Huang of the Wu heavily injured General Ling Qi. This incident happened about a week ago, and the morale of the Xin Kingdom forces at the frontlines is now thoroughly plummeted."

    "The only hope right now is the Main Army, which has already been strategically divided into smaller parts, allowing the faster battalions to reach the South-East border earlier than expected."

    "They will reach the frontlines by tomorrow morning, the earliest."

    "The chances of the Wu Kingdom defeating the Xin Kingdom are high, but still unpredictable because everyone in the Xin Kingdom has put their hopes on the Main Army."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded upon hearing this.

    Surprisingly, except for the early breakout of events, there was not much change in the war''s oue.

    ''The Main force will be able to contend against the army. No, they will be able to force back the Wu Kingdom. And the Xin Kingdom will finally be able to sigh in relief."

    ''However, unbeknownst to them, this would be the beginning of the worst nightmare for the Xin Kingdom.''

    ''Because the South-East battlefield is just a distraction from the Wu Kingdom.''

    ''The actual army will strike from the North, and within one week, it will reach the Capital City, destroying everything in its path.''

 Chapter 495 - 495 | Exchange Of Information (I)

    ''I need to be in the North Battlefield once the battlemences.''

    This was necessary for Ye Tian Yun to get hold of his next target.

    "Master, would you like to know anything else?" The young woman asked.

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Are there any signs of King Xin sending the young generation of the capital city into war?"

    The woman frowned and shook her head, "There have been no such developments."

    "Oh.." Ye Tian Yun then asked, "I heard rumors of the Royal Bloodline Trial. What do you know about that?"

    The woman replied with a smile, "The Royal Bloodline Trial is a Trial for the Xin Royal n descendants to strengthen their bloodlines and increase their cultivation potential."

    "Each Generation of the Xin Royal n takes part in this trial, however, this trial is only limited to the Female Cultivators within the generation."

    "In this generation, however, there is only one princess. Therefore there won''t be any internal conflicts in the Xin Royal n."

    "However, there is a condition for the princess to take part in this trial - she must choose a male cultivator partner for herself."

    "These two will then go and take the trial together. If they seed, both of their cultivation potentials will increase by a lot, and both of them will be proimed as the Dragons and Phoenix of this generation."

    "The partner is actually not chosen by the princess. However, there is a martialpetition at the end of the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "The winner of thispetition received the title of ''Young Dragon'' and became the partner of the Princess for the Trial."

    "Historically, it has been noted that the Dragon usually ends up marrying Lady Phoenix, this princess."

    "The martial event doesn''t happen in every Grand Spirit Hunt (which takes ce every five years). This year''s event is more hyped due to the martial event, because the ''Young Dragon'', if he doesn''t die young, usually bes one of the top cultivators in the whole Lower Heavens."

    "However, winning thepetition is not enough. The princess has the right to reject the ''Young Dragon''."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "So she can make the result of Grand Spirit Hunt invalid?"

    The woman shook her head, "Not invalid, but the one she chooses must defeat the current ''Young Dragon'' in one year."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin.

    The information that the young woman in front of him had just given wasn''t new for Ye Tian Yun.

    The report he had gotten from his informants also mentioned everything about this, but he had already learned his lesson and would not believe everything he read from the report blindly.

    And the Nightcrawler Surveince Network is the best ce to verify such information.

    In the future, there will be a saying which goes - truth doesn''t be truth unless the Nightcrawler says it''s the truth.

    The Royal Bloodline Trial was important for Ye Tian Yun.

    Once he was done with the current target, he would then go after the princess.

    The princess of Xin Kingdom, Xin Xiaoqing, is one of Wang Yao''s future wives.

    However, this was not the reason why Ye Tian Yun had his eyes on her.

    Rather, she would be one of the Token Holders in the future.

    And the Token she was going to receive was very important for Ye Tian Yun.

    The Token would appear in the Royal Bloodline Trial.

    Thus, making it important for Ye Tian Yun to be the Young Dragon in the future.

    In his previous life, the one who became a dragon was Fang Yunru.

    However, Princess Xin Xiaoqing, who had already fallen for Wang Yao, rejected him as the Dragon and reced him with Wang Yao.

    This led Wang Yao, who was in the Qi Condensation Realm, to be enemies with the whole Fang n.

    One yearter, after oveing many challenges, Wang Yao would behead Fang Yunru on the stage in front of the whole Kingdom.

    From then on, the Xin Royal n will be Wang Yao''s allies, which will turn the Fang n against them.

    However, Fang Chen would enter the scene and destroy the Fang n as revenge for using him to kill his father, Su Ming.

    As for the princess and Wang Yao, they will go through the Royal Bloodline Trial, and there they will get a Token.

    Wang Yao, who already had the Emblem Of Time, wouldn''t take the Token and ''gift'' it to Xin Xiaoqing.

    ''I wonder what would have happened if Wang Yao didn''t have the Emblem Of Time?''

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips curved upwards upon thinking about those scenarios.

    ''Well, the future won''t go this way now.''

    ''Xin Xiaoqing met Wang Yao for the first time two months before the Grand Spirit Hunt.''

    ''However, some things happened during that event which became the main reasons why she fell for Wang Yao.''

    ''Right now, she just knows Wang Yao as an acquaintance, so there''s still hope.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t afford to waste one year waiting for Wang Yao.

    This was why just winning the tournament was not enough. He had to do anything for Xin Xiaoqing to not fall for Wang Yao.

    ''I will make thatss fall for me.''

    However, this was not going to be easy.

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head and nced at the woman in front of him who had been silent all along not to disturb Ye Tian Yun''s thought, "Tell me about Xin Xiaoqing."

    The young woman replied, "Xin Xiaoqing is the third princess of the Xin Kingdom, and she is known for her cold and aloof nature. She''s also a cultivation genius and is a part of the Void Ice Sect. Due to her affinity with Ice and sword talent, it is almost certain she will one day seed inprehending the Ice Domain Sword Domain."

    "As for her social life, the princess is known for being the target of courtship from many young cultivators."

    "The closest who could ever get to her are the ''Three Swords of Xin.''

 Chapter 496 - 496 | Exchange Of Information (II)

    "The Three Swords of Xin which I mentioned earlier too - Ling Yun, Fang Yunru, and Young Master Gao Xuan."

    "One of these three will most probably be the future Young Dragon - currently Fang Yunru has the high possibility of seeding because of his recent publicly known breakthrough to the Sixth Level of Qi Stabilization Realm."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "How old are these three?"

    "All three of them are between sixteen to seventeen years of age."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    The talent Fang Yunru had shown was quite close to Yuan Shuchun''s level.

    ''Yuan Shuchun is from the Middle Heavens, and her background is way more powerful than anyone else''s around her. Still, to be able to remain at her level is already a good achievement for this guy.''

    And considering the surname, Ye Tian Yun knew that he was about to encounter Fang Yunru pretty soon.

    ''I wonder how the rtionship between Fang Chen and Fang Yunru wereˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin and turned his head towards the young woman; he asked, "Tell me in detail about all the big Four Families."

    The woman nodded and said, "The least powerful of the four is Gao n."

    "n Head of Gao n is Gao Fu; he has two sons and one daughter. The Eldest Son is Gao Xuan, the second son is -"

    "Wait!" Ye Tian Yun interrupted, "Which is the most powerful among the Big Four?"

    The young woman replied, "It''s the Fang n."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded, and after a few moments of silence, he said, "Tell me about the Fang n."

    The woman said, "Prime Minister Fang Yuan heads the Fang n."

    "Prime Minister Fang Yuan is known for his political history and is well-respected in the whole Kingdom. He was also the previous generations'' Young Dragon.''"

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised to hear this, "Did he marry the then princess?"

    "Yes," The young woman nodded her head, "They even bore two children - Fang Chen and Fang Bai."

    "Fang Chen is the Young Master of the Fang n, while Fang Bai is his seven-year-old younger sister."

    "Young Master Fang Chen doesn''t have a good reputation in the n or the whole city and is known for his mediocre talent. He had been in the news recently because of his mysterious disappearance."

    "As for Young Miss Fang Bai, she''s still too young for evaluation."

    "The second inmand in the Fang n is Fang Shihong. He manages the n''s internal affairs and has a son, Fang Yunru."

    "Fang Yunru is the current most talented cultivator of this generation and is known for his scheming and arrogant nature."

    "Other than these members, there are a few notable characters like Elder Zhu, known for his alchemy skills, Elder Ying, and Elder Xiu, who hold high positions in the Imperial Government."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head.

    The woman continued to exin Fang n''s family tree''s whole structure and even told some important details regarding a few members.

    All this took about ten or so minutes to finish.

    "What else would you like to know, Master?" The young woman asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "That''s it for now. I know enough now."

    The young woman nodded, "Then pleaseplete your side of the deal."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "The people who ambushed the Second Young Master of Gao n are from the Crimson Pavilion."

    "Crimson Pavilion!?" The shock was evident in the young woman''s voice, "Why would the Crimson Pavilion attack him?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don''t know, but what I am saying is indeed the truth."

    "Is no one from the Capital city connected to this?" The woman asked.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "There is. The Xin Royal n."

    "Them!?" The young woman was surprised once again, "I had a strong suspicion, but I can''t understand why they would do thisˇ­?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "To keep the Fang n''s position stable in the city. King Xin and Prime Minister Fang Yuan are very close; however, Gao Long dominated this generation of cultivators. They were afraid of the Gao n''seback; therefore, they wanted to nip the bud before it could bloom."

    "Hmmˇ­" The young woman frowned, "Are you saying that the Devil Sect and the Crimson Pavilion are both working for the Xin Royal n?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Answer to this question does note under our deal."

    The woman frowned, "Is there anything you would like to know? We can exchange more information."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I already know what I want to know. Maybe in the future, but not now."

    The woman let out a sigh but didn''t say anything.

    Ye Tian Yun then asked, "is there anything else you would like to know?"

    The woman clenched her fists and asked, "Names. Can you tell me the names of the people who took part in the ambush targeting Second Young Master Goa Long?"

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes before changing his expression to normal. "I don''t know all the names, but for starters, you should target the Second-in-Command in Crimson Pavilion."

    The young woman nodded.

    Crimson Pavilion was as powerful as the whole Xin Kingdom. Its vice leader was no doubt a powerful cultivator.

    To catch him, Gao Xuan would have to take many measures and go through countless sacrifices.

    Both the young woman and Ye Tian Yun understood this fact.

    But they also understood that they couldn''t do anything against this.

    "Master, thank you for this deal." The young woman stood up and, taking a deep breath, turned to leave.

    Her voice sounded low and distressed.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and said, "Wait."

    The young woman turned in confusion, "Anything you would like to know, Master?"

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Nah. Let me give you a little bonus information. Crown Prince Xin. He was the one who orchestrated this whole n and even made some arrangement for you to me the Fang n."

    The young woman narrowed her eyes, "Crown Prince Xin Xue Fei?"

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the young woman with a smile and, after some time, slightly nodded his head, thus giving the affirmation.

    The Crown Prince of the Xin Kingdom was the one responsible for Gao Long''s ambush.

 Chapter 497 - 497 | Gao Xuans Thoughts

    "Do you know what you''re saying?" The young woman asked in a low voice.

    The mysterious man in front of her had just dered that it was the Crown Prince Xin Xue Fei who arranged the ambush on the Second Young Master of Gao n, Gao Long.

    However, this was hard to believe for several reasons.

    "The Crown Prince is one of the biggest allies of the Gao n," The woman said, "His interests and ambitions lie in the Gao n''s interests. What possible reason could he have to cripple the Gao n''s Second Young Master? And didn''t you say it was the Crimson Pavilion? How are both of these parties rted?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged his shoulders, "I have already told you enough. Let''s continue this chat sometimeter."

    The woman remained silent for some time before nodding her head and leaving the room.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath, and he too soon left the cabin.

    His next destination - the Fang n.

    He had already learned quite a bit about the Fang n from the young woman, though there wasn''t much that he could use for his own ns; the information would indeed be enough for him to live a peaceful life in his enemy''s n.

    ˇ­

    While Ye Tian Yun had left the tavern, the young woman had gone to an underground room below the tavern.

    Upon entering, she closed the door and removed the ck mask covering her face.

    She was a beautifuldy with thin lips, a sharp nose, and tworge eyes. From the depths of the eyes, a human figure could be seen with no stain or dirt within it.

    She was like a lotus in the clear waters, a beauty who was carved by nature!

    After closing the door, she turned her head towards the futon at the center of the room.

    Soon she was sitting on the futon in a lotus position with her eyes closed.

    <<Young Master, I have something to report.>>

    Hundreds of miles away, in a tavern, a young man was sitting near the window, staring intently at the empty wine ss in front of him.

    Suddenly, a voice rang out in his mind.

    He took a deep breath and asked.

    <<Did he give the correct information?>>

    Back in the royal city, the young woman replied,

    <<Yes, Young Master. Every word he said was true, I have checked through the Token.>>

    Gao Xuan nodded.

    <<Hmm, what do you think about it? Is Crown Prince really the one who is behind all this?>>

    The woman wasn''t surprised that Gao Xuan knew about the contents from Ye Tian Yun''s information.

    <<Young master, we both have the same thoughts, this question is unnecessary.>>

    <<Ah, yes>> Gao Xuan shook his head, <<I just wanted to see if you have any other opinion.>>

    After a slight pause, Gao Xuan asked, <<what is it that you wanted to report?>>

    The young woman replied, <<Young Master, the aura around this mysterious man was familiar. But I couldn''t pinpoint where exactly we have met him.>>

    <<Oh?>> Gao Xuan was surprised upon hearing this.

    He might be able to hear the conversation between Ye Tian Yun and the young woman, but he could not do anything else, like he was not able to see the face of the person or assess the other party''s aura.

    <<Young Master, who do you think this person could have been?>> The young woman asked once again.

    Gao Xuan shook his head.

    <<I don''t know. You''re more sensitive to qi than me. You were able to tell he''s familiar even without ever going out of the tavernˇ­ he must really be someone important for us.>>

    The young woman nodded.

    <<Yes, Young Master, that''s what I feel. I wanted to put a tracker on him, but then I changed my mind at thest moment. He holds quite a bit of information, and if he wasn''t sharing right now, that means there''s a high chance he''s saving it for future bargains.>>

    Gao Xuan nodded.

    <<Yeah. Information is never enough in this world. I am sure he wille back pretty soon.>>

    The Young Woman nodded and then asked.

    <<Young master, will you be returning to the Capital City soon?>>

    Gao Xuan frowned.

    <<I wille in a few days. There''s one thing I need to do first.>>

    The Young Woman frowned.

    <<But Young Master, in the next two days, they will announce the partnership between Fang n and Gao n.>>

    Gao Xuan leaned his head on the chair.

    << Don''t worry about this. Earlier, I hesitated to betray the Crown Prince, but now that we know he was the one who put Second Brother in that state, I will make him suffer a fate worse than death.>>

    Even though Gao Xuan''s message was in a calm and normal voice, the young woman could feel waves of anger and frustration ready to burst upon the Crown Prince because she also was feeling the exact same.

    <<Young master, pleasee back early. Even though we have set up guards for the First and Second Young Master, your presence ispulsory for theing two days..>>

    Gao Xuan frowned.

    <<Why don''t you go? No one will stop you. >>

    The young woman immediately shook her head.

    <<No, Young master. You know what I wish. You will have to be there. We can''t take the risk of exposing my identity.>>

    Gao Xuan smiled and didn''t say anything.

    <<Young master?>> Upon getting no response, the young woman asked once again.

    <<Alright, alright. I will try toe. I hope that Crown Prince Ye doesn''te to the Capital City in Fang Chen''s disguise, or we will have to kill him.>>

    ˇ­

    "Young Master Fang is here!!"

    "Young Master Fang is here!!"

    A huge shout resounded through the Fang Manor, attracting everyone''s attention.

    Ye Tian Yun had just stepped into the Fang n''s courtyard, and someone had already identified him, even shouting his name, alerting the whole n. ''

    ''So this is Fang n.''

 Chapter 498 - 498 | The Complicated Past Of Fang Clan

    Fang n is the second most powerful n in the whole Xin Kingdom, directly after the Xin Royal n.

    The main strength of the Fang n is its political grasp over the kingdom, having many of its elders sitting at ministry positions in different departments of the bureaucracy.

    And the most powerful figure in the Fang n, n Head Fang Yuan, was the Prime Minister of the Xin Kingdom, as well as a close friend and brother-inw to the King himself.

    Famous for his rag to riches history, n Head Fang Yuan inspired huge respect and awe among the citizens of the Xin Kingdom.

    He had one younger brother, and one younger sister - both of them extremely talented in cultivation.

    This Fang Trio made its name and established the Fang n years ago, and within a decade, it had reced the Gao n as the most powerful n among the big fours.

    Fang Yuan had a son and a daughter - Fang Chen and Fang Bai - respectively.

    Fang Bai was about seven years old today and was known for her literary talent.

    Fang Chen, however, didn''t have a good reputation, he was known more for his debauchery and days of being a wastrel.

    And when it turned out that his cultivation wasn''t much, his reputation further plummeted.

    However, Prime Minister Fang Yuan was able to give his son a back door entry in one of the biggest sects of the kingdom, the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Although such a fact should be a well-kept secret, Fang Chen didn''t have many people in the n who liked him and were happy to denounce him for his actions.

    However, what surprised people was that Fang Chen had been sent to the Gracious Sword Sect - whose biggest enemy is none other than the Fang n.

    Many people thought that the Fang n had sent him as a sacrificial tool, but they didn''t dare to voice out any such thoughts.

    They were afraid of getting bacsh from the Fang n because Fang Chen, no matter how he acted or where he was, it couldn''t be denied that he was still the Fang n''s First Young Master and probably the future sessor to Prime Minister Fang Yuan.

    But what they didn''t know was if Prime Minister Fang Yuan really knew about such thoughts, he wouldn''t get angry.

    Instead, he would actually smile.

    Fang Yuan had indeed sent Fang Chen as a sacrificial pawn.

    Ye Tian Yun was aware of this.

    He was also aware that Fang Chen was not the son of Fang Yuan; rather, he was thetter''s nephew.

    Fang Chen''s mother was Fang Bai - Fang n''s princess at that time, and now its Third Elder.

    And Fang Chen''s father was Su Ming - Gracious Sword Sect''s Main Disciple at that time, and now it''s Sect Leader.

    But because of the connections between the Fang n and the Xin Royal n, Fang Yuan had to fight with Su Ming, and both of them became bitter enemies.

    After Su Ming disappeared and was considered dead, Fang Yuan brought his sister back to the Fang n.

    But the birth of Fang Chen was kept a total secret.

    At that time, Fang Yuan''s wife, the then princess of Xin Kingdom, Xin Xue Yan, gave birth to a dead baby.

    This, if got out, would have caused huge trouble for the Fang and Xin n, so Fang Yuan had no choice but to rece Fang Chen as his son.

    The princess, Xin Xue Yan, was unaware of this fact, and only three people knew about this - King Xin, Fang Yuan, and Fang Bai.

    Fang Bai, at first, was adamant about not giving away her son, but after huge pleas from Fang Yuan, she finally gave in.

    Anyway, her son was going to be under the same roof as her.

    Years went by, and Fang Chen grew up to be the Young Master of Fang n.

    However, he was very intelligent from birth and learned to hide his emotions and thoughts from a young age.

    He had already perceived his father''s hate for him and thus never tried to go for the limelight.

    He wanted to know the reason behind this but never pressed on this topic.

    He focused on getting the reputation of a hedonistic scion, and as mentioned earlier, he was pretty sessful in this regard.

    He never doubted the fact that Fang Yuan was not his father. It was simply absurd and impossible for him.

    About two months ago, news came to the Fang n that Young Master Fang Yuan had left the GRacious Sword Sect on his own ord and was heading back to the n to ''help his father.''

    It was no doubt that Prime Minister Fang Yuan had gotten extremely angry upon hearing this, but for his wife. Xin Xue Yan, this was a worrisome matter.

    Unlike Fang Yuan, Xin Xue Yan treated Fang Chen like her own son and doted on him a lot.

    Upon hearing the news that he wasing alone, she became very worried mainly because she had gotten the information earlier than the two guards sent with Fang Chen were long dead.

    To appease her worries, Prime Minister Fang Yuan sent a group of his men to fetch Young Master Fang Chen as soon as possible.

    However, a few weekster, shocking news came - Young Master Fang Chen had disappeared from a tavern.

    Fang Yuan ordered his men to search the whole region and find Fang Chen - dead or alive.

    But all this turned useless, and not a single trace of Young Master Fang was ever found.

    This annoyed Fang Yuan more and more because two people closest to his heart were getting affected by this incident.

    His wife and his sister''s health was deteriorating with every passing day.

    However, today something happened which attracted the whole n''s attention - including these twodies.

    "Young Master Fang Chen is back!!"

    As soon as the shout resounded through the n, both of them got out of their rooms and headed to the main entrance.

 Chapter 499 - 499 | Act

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan, who was in his study room writing something on parchment, paused upon hearing the shout and slowly stood up from his seat.

    ''That bastard is back?''

    He narrowed his eyes and scanned the whole n area.

    Sure enough, he was able to sense Fang Chen.

    ''He really isˇ­''

    Suppressing the bubbling anger, Fang Yuan moved towards the door and headed towards the n entrance.

    It didn''t take him long to get outside.

    The first person he met was his younger sister, Fang Bai.

    While everyone in attendance was standing close to Fang Chen, Fang Bai was standing far away, quietly near the hallway, staring silently at her son Fang Chen.

    Sensing someone''s presence, she immediately wiped her tears and turned her head.

    Fang Yuan lowered his gaze, not wanting to meet his sister''s eyes.

    Seeing this, Fang Bai let out, "Hmph," and left.

    Fang Yuan stood there for a moment with his closed eyes.

    ''Fuck! What kind of brother am Iˇ­ if not for that bastard Su Ming, my sister would be living a very happy life right now!''

    He hated the fact that he failed to stop Su Ming from capturing his sister, Fang Bai''s heart.

    The pain in Fang Bai''s eyes was what Fang Yuan hated the most.

    Even though he knew he was at fault, too, Su Ming was more at fault in his eyes.

    Taking a deep breath, Fang Yuan stabilized his emotions and headed back to his study room.

    He had no interest in meeting Fang Chen or even knowing what in the world he was up to.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan simply didn''t care about Fang Chen.

    The only reason he went outside was that he had sensed the unstable emotions of his younger sister and his wife.

    He didn''t wish for Fang Bai to go and hug Fang Chen like a mother.

    That would have been disastrous.

    Fang Bai''s affair with Sect Leader Su Ming was not a secret to the public, but no one knew that Fang Chen was actually their son, not Fang Yuan''s.

    And if she lost control over her emotions and went to Fang Chen out of motherly instincts, it would generate many frowns and unnecessary rumors.

    Mainly because everyone knew that Third Elder Fang Bai wasn''t close to Young Master Fang Chen.

    Rather, she always cultivated alone in her courtyard and was rarely present even in important n meetings.

    Since Fang Yuan''s wife, Princess Xin Xue Yan wasn''t aware of the truth and considered Fang Chen as her son; thus she was currently tightly hugging Ye Tian Yun, who was in Fang Chen''s disguise.

    His arrival had attracted attention from almost the whole Fang n.

    In terms of size and poption, the Fang n was the smallest among the Big Four ns of the Xin Kingdom.

    Only in thest generation did this ne into power and had since then gradually grown in size.

    Even then, there were about fifty members in the n and four times more guards and servants - half of them were currently standing in front of Ye Tian Yun at the Fang n''s entrance.

    They were elonging their necks to see Fang Chen''s face and confirm with their own eyes that the rumored dead Young Master was finally back.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, wasn''t paying attention to anything.

    He was rather stumped by the sudden hug from ''his mother,'' Xin Xue Yan.

    He didn''t feel much about it, mainly because he had never considered himself to be a part of the Fang n.

    To him, everyone around him was an enemy.

    Even the ''mother'' who was hugging and crying him right now would no doubt do everything to kill him once she knew the truth.

    Fang Chen was long dead.

    There was noing back.

    The current Fang Chen was his murderer who disguised as him.

    This was also the reason why Ye Tian Yun had decided not to mingle much in the Fang n.

    He just wanted to head towards the battlefield as soon as possible.

    And he didn''t need to do much. He simply needed to act like how the hedonistic real Fang Chen used to act.

    ''But I don''t know about his familial tiesˇ­''

    This was indeed a troublesome matter.

    As he stood frozen at once on the spot, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t understand how he should react to his mother''s hug.

    ''I need to get out of the spotlight!''

    This was his main priority.

    ''Fortunately I have prepared well for this.''

    Even though he had disguised himself as Fang Chen and even copied thetter''s aura, Ye Tian Yun didn''t have the ability to act like someone.

    He wasn''t fully urate in his understanding of how Fang Chen acted in his daily life.

    ''I can only hope things don''t work out pretty badˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath, and pulling himself out from his mother Xin Xue Yan''s hug, he smiled lightly and said, "I have returne-ˇ­.!"

    "Woah! Woah! Woah!"

    "Watch out!"

    "What happened!?"

    "Son!"

    Many shouts echoed suddenly as Fang Chen fell unconscious.

    This was the safest route Ye Tian Yun could think of at this stage.

    Falling unconscious, he wouldn''t have to personally deal with any of Fang Chen''s family, friends, or acquaintances. Saving him from all the hassles of acting like the real Fang Chen and bringing more trouble onto himself.

    He would simply act sick and tired!

    ˇ­

    After about half an hour, the chaos finally subsided as the royal physician passed through the gates of the Fang n.

    By now, the whole city already knew about this incident, and everyone was discussing it.

    "Is it really true that Young Master Fang has returned?" Just like thousands of groups, a group of men were chatting among themselves in a tavern.

    Answering the question, one of the men replied, "Yes, and I heard that Young Master Fang is severely injured."

    "What do you think might have happened? I think some rival n ambushed him? Maybe someone from theˇ­ big four?"

 Chapter 500 - 500 | Fang Yunru

    Another man beside him shook his head and said, "Don''t spout unnecessary nonsense and be careful of what you say if you love your tongue."

    "Just think - if An enemy really ambushed young Master Fang, why was thetter left alive?"

    "And another thing would be - Young Master Fang isn''t a target that''s worth an ambush. Maybe if it was Fang Yunru, your words might havee true."

    Hearing this man''s words, the others quieted down.

    It was indeed true that while Young Master fang was famous, he was not renowned for the right reasons.

    Young Master Fang only had one good thing about him - his background.

    Even then, the enemy would be stupid if they targeted Fang Chen instead of Fang Yunru because thetter''s death would have given a deeper blow to the Fang n.

    As for Fang Chen, he was considered a dispensable character.

    ˇ­

    Simr to this, many discussions were going on at different corners of the Capital City.

    But this is only limited among themoners.

    For the cultivators in the higher hierarchy, they couldn''t care less if Fang Chen came back or died on the way.

    To them, Fang Chen was insignificant.

    However, there were still few people in the whole Capital city who were affected by his arrival the most.

    One of them was someone from the Gao n, while the other was from the Fang n, Fang Yunru.

    Being the most talented cultivator in the whole capital city, he had his own arrogance and wit.

    Since birth, he was at the top of the food chain, and there were not many he considered to be his friends.

    Fang Chen, however, held a special ce in his heart.

    Fang Chen was younger than him, but thetter was First Young Master of the Fang n.

    When he was young, the servants used toment about this, and sometimes he even heard how unfair it was.

    Maybe he was naive or jealous, but he began to hate his cousin Fang Chen.

    But when he turned eight, things began to change.

    His talent had not yet fully bloomed at that time, so not many people knew about his true potential.

    And one day, Fang Yunru made an acquaintance.

    That was Fang Chen.

    Even though both of them were so closely rted, that was their first official meeting.

    From then on, both of them became good buddies, and Fang Yunru couldn''t help but feel stupid when he thought how jealous he was of such a good person.

    He used to spend a lot of time whenever possible with his younger brother, and both of them used to have a lot of fun.

    But the distance also grew as the difference in both of their cultivation potential became apparent.

    While the whole capital city treated Fang Yunru like a prince, Fang Chen never changed his way of interacting with him, and this was what Fang Yunru liked the best about their brotherly rtionship.

    There was nothing ''fake'' about it.

    And now, upon hearing about Fang Chen''s arrival in the Fang n, Fang Yunru rushed towards the n to meet his younger brother.

    "Ah, Second Young Master!" The maid at the entrance was surprised to see Fang Yunru.

    To anyone else in the Capital City, Fang Yunru and Fang Chen appeared to be rivals.

    To them, a huge sh between these brothers was going to happen soon.

    Because while Fang Yunru had the talent and potential, he didn''t have the right to be the next n Head.

    Whereas, even though Fang Chen had the highest possibility of being the next n head, there was no cultivation potential.

    And in a world where the winner is decided by strength, a sh was pretty apparent.

    People had seen both of the young kids being jolly to each other, but no one believed it was real, and many were sure that both were faking it.

    This was the reason why the maid outside Fang Chen''s room was surprised to see Fang Yunru.

    But Fang Yunru had no patience to reply, so he went straight in.

    Inside the room, as soon as he entered, two pairs of eyesnded on him.

    The Royal Physician Han and his aunt Xin Xue Yan.

    There was someone else too - his little Cousin Sister, Fang Ning. But she was depressed and crying while looking at unconscious Fang Chen and didn''t notice Fang Yunru''s arrival.

    All three of them were sitting on either side of Fang Chen, who was currently in a seemingly deep sleep.

    They were surprised to see Fang Yunru entering the room.

    "How is First brother?" Fang Yunru asked.

    Madam Xin pursed her lips, "Uncle Han says he will wake up soon."

    Uncle Han was precisely the old man on the other side of the bed, mainly known as the Royal Physician.

    Royal Physician Han cupped his fists at Fang Yunru as a greeting, and ncing at Fang Chen''s face; he said, "There are almost no signs of major injuries. However, there is a presence of harmful qi inside the meridians which might be the cause of Young Master''s current state."

    "What kind of qi is it, Royal Physician Han?" Fang Yunru came closer to the bed while greeting him.

    Royal Physician Han shook his head, "I failed to identify this qi. But it''s different from the one we use to cultivate. But one thing is sure - upon testing it, I found out that this qi is very harmful to one''s body. I will have the alchemists concoct a Qi Repelling Pill if Young Master Fang doesn''t recover in the next two days."

    "The pill will be ourst option because it has a few side effects and might hurt the cultivation."

    Fang Yunru frowned and stared at the unconscious Fang Chen.

    The room turned quiet, and only the asional sobbing from Fang Ning was heard.

    However, Ye Tian Yun, who was simply pretending to be unconscious, was currently having a big urge tough.

    The qi that Royal Physician Han had mistaken as poison was nothing else but the Chaotic Qi that Ye Tian Yun had stuffed inside his meridians during his visit to the Sword Stele in the Gracious Sword Sect!

    ...

    A/n: We have reached 500 Chapter Mark! Thank you for reading my novel.

 Chapter 501 - 501 | Fang Ning

    "Wake up, Brother!"

    A young girl around seven years of age was trying to wake up a teenager.

    The bed was huge, and the room appeared to be luxurious.

    This was the Fang n and the room belonged to its First Young Master, Fang Chen.

    The young girl was Fang Chen''s little sister, Fang Ning.

    As for Fang Chen, he was long dead, and currently, there was someone else in his disguise, sleeping on his bed.

    This person was Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun arrived in the Fang n yesterday and created a little show to settle down in the n.

    Now that he was in Fang Chen''s disguise, he first needed to handle thetter''s direct rtives like mother Xin Xue Yan, Father Fang Yuan, and younger sister Fang Ning.

    Till now, Ye Tian Yun had only met two of the three, the mother and the sister.

    He was yet to encounter Fang Chen''s father, Fang Yuan.

    When he entered the n, he faked his injury and turned himself into a semi-unconscious state.

    This helped him avoid unnecessary contact with others.

    However, there were still some people he needed to have a chat with at the least.

    His mother and his sister were among them.

    Yesterday, while he was acting unconscious, someone else also arrived, and it turned out to be his cousin brother Fang Yunru.

    He listened to the chat between the Royal Physician and his cousin brother.

    Once both of them left, Ye Tian Yun slowly opened his eyes, surprising both his mother and sister; they hadn''t left the room yet.

    While his sister tried to talk to him, his mother immediately went to call the Royal Physician back.

    Soon, Fang Yunru, who was also not far away from the courtroom, and the Royal Physician, were back in Fang Chen''s room.

    The Royal Physician checked upon him and did some tests like talking and gauging Fang Chen''s mental health.

    Ye Tian Yun, who had predicted all this, let everyone in the room to one big conclusion.

    Fang Chen was suffering from amnesia!

    To be more specific, he was suffering from Retrograde amnesia.

    In this type of amnesia, first, the recently made memories are slowly lost, and childhood memories also begin to disappear.

    The patient then reaches a stage where he is no different from a newborn child.

    Ye Tian Yun showed signs that he didn''t remember his stay in the Gracious Sword Sect and only remembered till the day when he first headed for the sect with his two guards.

    Suddenly, two days ago, he found himself in this state and had tried to get back to the n as soon as possible.

    This answer felt ridiculous, but to Royal Physician Han, who had seen Retrograde Amnesia happen many times, he reassured the three others in the room that this is exactly how this type of amnesia works.

    With no other choice, they could only leave the room, hoping for a good recovery for Fang Chen.

    Royal Physician Han, on the other hand, went to prepare the pill to stop the effects of amnesia from taking away Fang Chen''s memories.

    His mother went to talk to his father, and Fang Yunru nodded and left the courtyard.

    Fang Ning, the little sister, stayed near the bed for a long time, but Ye Tian Yun didn''t interact with her and closed his eyes.

    He was afraid that she might get suspicious of him, which would create a lot of unnecessary trouble.

    Children are more sensitive to their surroundings than adults, after all.

    And now, a new day has begun in the Lower Heavens.

    Fang Ning was trying to wake her older brother up.

    "Wake up, Brother!"

    "Everyone is talking about how you have lost your memories, brother. Have you forgotten Ning Ning too?"

    "Wake up, big brother, tell me, uwuˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun finally gave in and stood up from his bed.

    Frowning at the little girl beside his bed, he said, "I did not forget you."

    Fang Ning raised her head and narrowed her small eyes, "hmph! Then why didn''t you answer me all this time? I am sure you''re lying."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes backward and got out of the bed, "Think as you like."

    "Youˇ­! Big brother, you have changedˇ­.hic!... What happened to you, Big brother? Wuwuwuˇ­ hic.."

    Ye Tian Yun turned around and stared at the little girl.

    He stepped forward and sat on his knees, bringing himself right on her level.

    He took a deep breath and smiled at her.

    "Ning Ningˇ­ you''re the only treasure that I have which I can''t get rid of."

    "Hm?" Fang Ning was confused, "What does that mean, Big Brother?"

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "It''s for you to figure out."

    "Hmph! You never tell me anything!" Fang Ning scrunched her little eyebrows and ran outside.

    She stopped near the get and stuck out her tongue, "UU! Stupid big brother, father has called you in the study. He is very busy these days, so go meet him before he leaves for the Royal Pce."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded and stood up.

    About half an hour after Fang Ning''s departure from the room, Ye Tian Yun stepped outside.

    He had taken a bath and changed into new, better clothes.

    After leaving the tavern, Ye Tian Yun had changed his disguise and purposely created light marks of injury. Then he carefully disguises himself as injured Fang Chen at the brink of death.

    And after everything had fallen into ce, he wanted to continue acting like this for a few more days, but then he changed his mind upon seeing Fang Yunru.

    ording to the Nightcrawler Surveince Network, Fang Yunru and Fang Chen were good friends, but everyone misunderstood them as bitter rivals.

    What those ignorant people didn''t know was that Fang Chen had already reconciled about this matter with Fang Yunru and had even promised to give up on the seat of the Fang n''s n Head.

    Thinking about this, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smile.

    ''So typical of Fang Chen.. Keeping friends close, and enemies closer.''

 Chapter 502 - 502 | Meeting Prime Minister Fang Yuan

    "Young Master, the n Head''s study is this way!"

    A young man''s voice rang through the hallway, making Ye Tian Yun''s head turn.

    It was a newly recruited guard who went by the name Ao Jia.

    Ao Jia was just seventeen years old, but because of his poor background and normal talent, he had no other choice but to give up on getting into sects and focus on taking a job to provide food on the table for his family.

    About a week ago, he got extremely lucky and got a job as a guard in the Fang n Manor.

    He was ecstatic when he first got the news, and his enthusiasm was simply over the top.

    He felt like a whole new chapter was about to begin in his life.

    The Fang n was the second most powerful n in the Xin Kingdom,ing just after the Royal Family itself.

    And now he had the opportunity to work at this ce!

    He was ready to embark on a new adventure and live a life less ordinary.

    He strengthened his will and made his mind not to falter in the life and death missions given by the Fang n.

    But it only took half a day to douse all his enthusiasm.

    The Fang n''s Butler rejected his request to make him part of the escort guards and made Ao Jia a guard in the hallway.

    A guard. On the Hallway.

    And this hallway was closest to where Prime Minister Fang Yuan resided.

    So, he, a 1st Level Qi Condensation Realm, was the guardian of one of the most powerful cultivators in the Lower Heavens.

    How fucking awesome was that?

    No, it was not.

    By the time the sun reached overhead, Ao Jia was already at his job.

    He wanted to join the battlefield! Make a name for himself and get a promotion!

    How was it possible for him to get a promotion by standing still in the most protected hallway of the Xin Kingdom?

    ''Fuck my luck!''

    Ao Jia could only mutter curses to himself and stand still as a guard.

    He didn''t dare to talk back to the Butler.

    The pay here was too good to create trouble for himself.

    And thus, for a week, from nine to five pm, he was standing still in this quiet hallway, questioning the life decisions he made.

    That was until yesterday.

    He heard the shouts of the infamous Young Master Fang Chen''s return.

    This had nothing to do with Ao Jia, but it sure had made the hallway pretty lively.

    First was Prime Minister Fang Yuan, who came out of the study and headed towards the exit.

    Just as Ao Jia was cursing his bad luck on how he had just missed a great father-son reunion, Prime Minister Fang Yuan came back and mmed the door shut.

    ''He didn''t meet himˇ­.''

    It didn''t need a lot of intelligence to figure this out.

    The hallway once again returned to its calmness.

    And just when Ao Jia had thought this was as lively as things could get, Madam Xue came stomping in the hallway.

    There was a big argument regarding Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s absence between the husband and wife.

    But what caught Ao Jia''s attention was the bombshell of news that Madam Xue dropped - Young Master Fang Chen had lost a part of his recent memories!

    Ao Jia could only sigh at this.

    He had heard about the hedonistic nature and debauchery of Young Master Fang Chen, but for a youngd like him to lose his memoriesˇ­ that was truly tragic.

    He could only sigh at this as he went off duty.

    A new day came, and once again, young Ao Jia was in the hallway.

    ''This ce is exceptionally quiet todayˇ­.''

    ''But my life sucksˇ­.''

    As Ao Jia began his daily routine of cursing his luck, someone stepped into the hallway.

    It only took a nce for Ao Jia to figure out the identity of this person.

    Young Master Fang Chen!

    He was curious about him and heard two words, ''study room'' as thetter went past him.

    ''He''s here to meet the Prime Minister?''

    Even though Ao Jia kept a straight face, his whole attention was on the Young Master, who looked clueless.

    ''Why is he not asking me? I know he had amnesiaˇ­.''

    Young Master Fang Chen was not asking him anything.

    Finally, Ao Jia couldn''t hold himself back and said, "Young Master, the n Head''s study is this way!"

    Young Master Fang Chen stared at him for a second and headed towards the said direction.

    Just as he was about to enter the room, he turned around and smiled, "I owe you one."

    Ao Jia smiled back and got back to his duty.

    This time with more enthusiasm.

    ˇ­

    Knock-knock!

    "Hm? Enter." A deep voice replied from inside the room.

    Ye Tian Yun''s hand stopped midair from knocking on the door once again.

    He was standing in front of Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s study room.

    Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door and went inside.

    Inside the room, a familiar scene appeared in front of him.

    It felt like he was back in the Middle Heavens in his father''s study room.

    There was a huge table at the other end of the room, and on the table were huge stacks of paper littered all over the ce.

    A middle-aged man was focused on analyzing the contents of the paper.

    "How is your condition?"The man asked Ye Tian Yun.

    "Much better than yesterday." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    "Hmm... do you really not remember anything?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "No, I don''t."

    "Ok." Prime Minister Fang Yuan nodded his head and continued to go through the contents on the paper.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t leave and stood straight.

    He was used to this situation; thus, it didn''t affect him much.

    After about half an hour, the doors behind him clicked open.

    Someone stepped inside the room.

    A familiar fragrance wafted through Ye Tian Yun''s nose.

    It was Madan Xin Xue Yan.

 Chapter 503 - 503 | Reasons

    "Son, why are you standing? Take a seat," Madam Xin said in a concerned voice, "You are still not fully healthy, standing for long will only harm you."

    She didn''t let Ye Tian Yun reply and dragged him to sit on a chair.

    And then, ncing at Prime Minister Fang Yuan, she snarled, "How heartless are you! First, you didn''t visit him, and now that hees to you, you make him stand for so long!? If I didn''te here, god knows how long my child would have suffered!"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan replied without raising his head, "He''s a young man. If he can''t even stand in one ce, how will he grow up as a powerful cultivator?"

    Madam Xin narrowed her eyes, "How can a man not love his own son!? I understand Chen''er has made a few mistakes, but do you have to be so iron-hearted? Maybe he''s like this because you have failed yourself as a father!"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan wasn''t affected by these sharp words. He continued to reply without raising his head, "He can leave this room whenever he wants. I never told him to stay."

    Hearing these words, Ye Tian Yun had a strong urge to roll their eyes.

    Did Prime Minister Fang consider him a noob?

    Ye Tian Yun''s father was Emperor Ye.

    As loving as he was, Emperor Ye was also the strictest.

    And Ye Tian Yun had learned enough lessons, and he understood the nguage'' of a ''father''.

    "I bet you didn''t even look at your son''s face!" Madam Xin, however, was angered by Prime Minister Fang''s indifferent attitude, "Are those pieces of paper worth more to you than your son and me?"

    The Prime Minister frowned and put down the paper.

    Raising his head, he stared at the woman and young man in front of him.

    Without missing a beat, Prime Minister Fang said, "Yan''er, nothing in this world is worth more than you to me."

    Madam Xin''s expression didn''t falter from the honeyed words, "What about your son? You still haven''t looked at him!"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan shook his head, and looking into Ye Tian Yun''s eyes; he said, "He lived a luxurious and carefree life in the Royal City. Even though his talent was worthless, I still sent him to the Gracious Sword Sect to be a cultivator. But he left the sect with an excuse of ''helping me''."

    "Now, look at him. It''s not me who needs his help. He needs his own help."

    Madam Xin frowned, "You should be happy that your son at least had the guts to make this excuse. Look at scions of other ns. None of them had the guts to say this."

    Prime Minister Fang smirked, "It''s because they know what''s happening, and Fang Chen is simply ignorant."

    Madam Xin narrowed her eyes, "Do you think your son is omnipresent? He can only know if you tell him. All other scions got the information from their ns; only those sacrificialmbs are unaware of the truth. Don''t you dare say that you''re nning my son to be your sacrificialmb!"

    Prime Minister Fang lowered his gaze and didn''t say anything, indirectly confirming Madam Xin''s words.

    "You bastard!" Madam Xin''s anger exploded, "How could you do this!? What more do you need!? Hah! You have everything, and you can''t even love your own son!? What kind of father sacrifices his son to get into the good graces of his King?"

    "And have you forgotten that the King is also your brother-inw and my elder brother!? How in the world did he even allow this to happen!?"

    "I will go right now! I will visit my elder brother and have a nice chat with him. You two bastards, trying to kill my son! I will never forgive you!"

    Turning her head at Ye Tian Yun, she said, "Come with me, son. Just think that you don''t have a father, hmph!"

    Prime Minister Fang clenched his teeth, and just as Madam Xin was about to get out of the room, he said, "Stop, Xin Xue Yan."

    Madam Xin''s footsteps halted, "What did you just call me?"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan ignored her words, "Xin Xue Yan, you will not go and talk about this matter to the King. There are a lot of other things you need to worry about. I could not contact the two guards I had sent with Fang Chen, so my message never reached Fang Chen."

    "I didn''t wish for him toe back to the Royal City. At least not till next year. But this stupid kid is now here, and there''s no going back. The decision is also already made, and King Xin can''t take it back just for Fang Chen''s sake."

    "Why can''t he take it back?" Madam Xin frowned, "Did he forget that Fang Chen is his nephew?"

    Fang Yuan let out a sigh, "No, he didn''t forget. Ah, Yan''er, why don''t you look at this situation from my perspective?"

    Madam Xin narrowed her eyes, "Now you know what to call me, hmph! Tell me, what''s your perspective on this? I really want to know what makes you think that sending your own son to the grim reaper is the right thing to do."

    Prime Minister Fang gestured at the two of them and said, "First, take a seat; I will exin this to you once.

    As both Ye Tian Yun and Madam Xin took two seats on the other side of the table, Prime Minister Fang began to exin.

    "Let''s be real here for a moment. Fang Chen''s cultivation talent is pretty mediocre. But his nature is cunning, and his strategic thinking is his biggest trait. His nature is the reason why I want him to go to war. He won''t be cannon fodder; instead, a strategist. He will have his own army in the war."

    "If he wins that war, I won''t have trouble in giving the n Head''s seat to him."

    As Ye Tian Yun heard these words, he got more and more confused.

    ''He wants his enemy''s son, Fang Chen, to be the next n Head?''

    ''Thisˇ­ this is not ording to the scriptˇ­.''

 Chapter 504 - 504 | A Bad Feeling

    Ye Tian Yun highly doubted Prime Minister Fang''s words.

    But everything was going as he had nned so he didn''t interrupt thetter.

    Madam Xin''s anger however calmed down.

    Her biggest worry was her son and his future.

    Fang Chen''s cultivation talent has already proved to be pathetic. This put Fang Chen''s appointment as the next n head at risk.

    Madam Xin wanted her soon to have a good and secure future, and him bing the next n head was on her wish list.

    "Will sending Chen''er to the battlefield really help?" Madam Xin asked.

    Fang Yuan shook his head, "It''s not a guaranteed deal. But if this brat can make use of the opportunity, he will definitely rise in the ranks of the kingdom."

    "But what about his cultivation?" Madam Xin asked, "Is there really no way to increase his talent?"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan shook his head, "I am afraid there is not."

    "Umˇ­ can I say something?"

    Ye Tian Yun''s voice rang out in the room.

    The Fang couple turned their attention, and Madam Xin asked, "What is it, son? You don''t want to go to the war? If you don''t want to, just tell me. No one will force you to do it."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It''s not like that. The war is a good opportunity for me, and I want to make use of it. I just interrupted because I wanted to show you something."

    "Hm? What?" Prime Minister Fang frowned.

    It was rare for Fang Chen to speak in front of him.

    ''Did he grow some balls?''

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat, and in the next instant, a sudden aura burst out of his body.

    "Thisˇ­"

    The Fang Couple''s eyes widened in shock as they came to an unthinkable conclusion.

    "Ninth Level Qi Condensation Realm!"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan stood up from his seat and came in front of Ye Tian Yun to test thetter''s cultivation on his own.

    "It really isˇ­."

    A huge smile formed on Madam Xin''s face, "Haishˇ­. Finallyˇ­. Heavens have finally blessed usˇ­ my son is not a talentless cultivator. Oh, heavens, thank you for these blessings!"

    Her eyes were getting moist by the time she reached the end of her sentence.

    Prime Minster Fang Yuan was also surprisingly happy.

    One of Ye Tian Yun''s motives for showcasing his cultivation was to see Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s emotions.

    Suddenly, two prompts appeared on the Fang Couple''s head.

    [Fang Yuan. 4 Star Favourabiulity. Complicated emotions. Hard to judge. The main reason for not liking you is your heritage.](Fang Chen)

    [Xin Xue Yan. 6 Star Favourability. For her, you''re three of the most important people in the whole world alongside her daughter and her husband.](Fang Chen)

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised to see the prompts.

    ''Damn, I always forget the fact that I have the Token Of Fateˇ­.''

    He was still not used to seeing and checking the prompts.

    And this time, he noticed something else too.

    There was Fang Chen''s name at the end of the prompt.

    ''Why''s that for?''

    "Son, I am really proud of you!" Madam Xin''s sudden exmation interrupted his thoughts.

    He turned his head towards and let out a small smile, "As long you''re happy."

    "Why were you hiding your cultivation?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan had already recovered himself, "You like to be treated like shit by everyone around you?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I was not hiding. I simply didn''t get the chance to show it."

    Fang Yuan frowned, "Hmm, but how did your cultivation increase this much? Even Fang Yunru had like five to six breakthroughs in the time you were gone. And you broke through about eighteen to twenty times in just eight months?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don''t remember. All memories rted to my time spent in the Gracious Sword Sect are gone now. Maybe in a few days, I will recover them; only then will I be able to recount everything."

    "Hmˇ­" The frown on Prime Minister Fang''s head loosened, "Don''t worry, I will ask the Sect itself. I won''t reveal your cultivation, but I will tell them about the incident. I am confident that the Sect will help us in your situation."

    "Really?" Madam Xin frowned, "With how bad your rtions are with Sect Leader Su, I highly doubt that. But if they can send us the details of all incidents rted to our son, then maybe upon reading them, he might recall some memories?"

    "Yeah, that''s what I hope for," Fang Yuan nodded, and after a slight pause, he smirked while saying, "As for Su Ming not cooperatingˇ­ don''t worry about that. That guy loves his disciples. I am sure he won''t hesitate to help."

    Fang Yuan then went back to his seat and, looking at Fang Chen; he said, "With his cultivation potential now changed, should we change our deal with the Gao n?"

    Madan Xin frowned, "Why?"

    Fang Yuan shrugged, "Why not? With his talent, he mightpete for the ''Young Dragon'' position."

    "What!?" Madam Yunru made a horrified expression, "Xin Xue Qing is his cousin, for god''s sake! Stop thinking about getting them together!"

    Fang Yuan pursed his lips but didn''t reply.

    Madam Xin frowned, "Husband, don''t make any reckless decisions. I don''t want my son to entangle with that princess."

    "Hm? What''s wrong with her?" Fang Yuan was confused, "Other than the fact that these two are cousins."

    Madam Xin took a deep breath and said, "Xin Xue Qing might be my niece, but I don''t like her. She gives me a bad feeling, just like how her mother makes me feel. I don''t want that bratty princess in my house."

    Prime Minister Fang raised his hands in surrender, "Alright, alright. I won''t break off my promise with the Gao n then."

    "Hmm, so when are you going to make this public?" Madam Xin said.

    "Before Fang Chen goes to war."

    "Why?"

    Prime Minister Fang replied, "The longer we dy, the moreplicated things will be. Right now, Gao n is in the weak spot, and since Fang Yuan has returned, it''s better to get done with this thing."

    Ye Tian Yun was confused about what these two were talking about, but then Prime Minister Fang Yuan dropped a pipe bomb that gave him a dreadful feeling.

    "Maybe by next year, we might have grandkids if we keep the promise with the Gao n."

 Chapter 505 - 505 | Inevitable Trouble?

    ''Did I hear it correctly?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and looked at the Fang Couple in bewilderment.

    ''Since when did Fang Chen ever get married? This guy didn''t wish to create any attachments because that would be his weaknessˇ­.''

    ''And the Fang n and Gao n never had such a dealˇ­ what in the world is going onˇ­.''

    He was confused and even slightly panicked.

    Since he was in Fang Chen''s disguise, he was now at the center of this mess.

    The Fang Couple had not noticed Ye Tian Yun''s reaction and were still discussing among themselves.

    "Gao Kang doesn''t have much political influence, but he has a lot of connections. This is the reason why even though the Gao n is still considered one of the big fours even though there are ns which are more powerful than them." Prime Minister Fang Yuan said.

    Gao Kang was the current n Head of Gao n.

    Madam Xin frowned while asking, "When is my brother nning to send the scions of big ns to war?"

    "One and a half months from now."

    "Oh?" Madam Xin thought and said, "So that means we only have about one month. Chen''er is already an adult now. What about that Gao nss?"

    "She''s the same age as Fang Chen." Prime Minister Fang replied.

    "Hm, let''s start preparation then." Madam Xin nodded and stood up.

    Ye Tian Yun, who was speechless from the sudden development, felt that this would be thest and only chance he had to avoid the iing troublesome days.

    "Uh.. wait a minute!" He stood up from his seat, attracting the Fang Couple''s attention.

    Madam Xin asked, "What happened, Son?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "That''s my question. What''s happening? What are you both nning?"

    Fang Yuan frowned, "Keep that tone of yours in check,d. And why are you acting surprised? Didn''t you get the news when you were in the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    "What news?" Ye Tian Yun was confused even more.

    Madam Xin shook her head, "Ah, you have lost a bit of your memory. It''s alright. I did send a letter to you regarding the decision we made regarding your marriage."

    "My marriage!?" Ye Tian Yun had already gotten the hunch, but the confirmation still came as a surprise.

    ''I ran away from one marriage, only to fall in another one?''

    ''Damn it; even the NSN didn''t mention anything about thisˇ­.''

    ''Wait... Gao Xuan was warning me not to enter the Capital Cityˇ­.''

    ''Oh man, one more troublesome person on the wayˇ­.''

    "Why have you spaced out?" Madam Xin tapped on Ye Tian Yun''s shoulder.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and said, "You are taking my life decisions, and you didn''t even consider discussing it with me?"

    Madam Xin pursed her lips, "Son, this is for your own good."

    "How is it for my own good?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "It''s quite clear you''re doing this to get your hands on the Gao n."

    "Brat!" Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes, "Think before you speak. And as for discussing with you, do you think you''re worth it?"

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Fang Yuan put down the quill from his hand and stared at him while saying, "Fang Chen, your talent is the worst among all your peers, but your social standing is one of the highest. You have the authority, but you don''t have the power to back it up."

    "This is why I nned to do things for you - one would be that you join the war, and the other would be your marriage."

    "And the reason why we decided with the Gao n is that no one else is willing to give their daughter to marry you."

    "What made Gao n agree?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Fang Yuan shrugged, "Gao n is currently the weakest among the big four. Gao Kang wants his daughter to have a good future, and by marrying you, she will be the future madam of the Fang n, while you will get Gao n''s support."

    "This is a win-win situation for both parties and the best way to secure your future."

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "But didn''t I show you my cultivation realm?"

    "You did, but it''s toote." Fang Yuan shook his head, "And your talent is still not the best in the capital city."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I don''t want to go ahead with this marriage. We need to cancel it."

    In just three days, this was the second marriage he wanted to cancel.

    "That''s impossible." Fang Yuan denied, "This marriage is a must."

    "Why is it?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You said something about Gao n being in a bad state, but why does the Fang n need to take advantage of the Gaos?"

    Fang Yuan let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead, "Brat, who do you want to marry then? Don''t you know your own reputation?"

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath, and after a long silence, he said, "I will take part in the Grand Spirit Hunt for the position of ''Young Dragon''."

    "Oh.. wait- what!?"

    Fang Couple''s eyes and mouth widened in shock.

    "Absolutely not!" Madam Xin reflexively denied, "You are not allowed to marry that bratty princess! And have you forgotten what I just said? She''s your goddamn cousin!"

    While Madam Xin was snarling at him, Prime Minister Fang had the opposite expression on his face.

    "Fang Chen, let me make this very clear. Don''t even think about taking part in thatpetition. The whole deal is moreplicated than you think. Xin Royal n is a huge mess, and I don''t want to see my son entangle in it."

    ncing towards her husband, she added, "Why are you silent? Say something. He can''t marry anyone else if he marries the princess. You should be the clearest about this fact."

    Prime Minister Fang let out a sigh, "I know, I know.. But I don''t think Fang Chen said anything about marrying Xin Xiao Qing."

 Chapter 506 - 506 | Decision

    "Hm? What?" Madam Xin frowned, "What do you mean?"

    Prime Minister Fang didn''t reply but turned towards Ye Tian Yun, "Am I right, son?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. I just want to participate in the tournament to decide the young Dragon and take part in the trial, I don''t have any thoughts of marrying my Xin Xue Qing. The trial is very important for my future, and no amount of persuasion will change my mind."

    Madam Xin let out a sigh, "Ah, this childˇ­ don''t you know that if you be the Young Dragon, you will be no considered Son-inw by the Xin Royal n?"

    "We can make things clear from the very start." Ye Tian Yun suggested, "We can make it very clear that I don''t wish to marry the princess."

    "Heh, that will be a big mistake." Prime Minister Fang shook his head while saying, "If the Young Dragon doesn''t wish to marry the princess, the Xin Royal n will make the princess reject the Young Dragon, making the former lose his chance to enter the dungeon."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then does that mean whoever goes in the trial with the princess will have no other choice but to marry the princess?"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan nodded his head, "Yes, there is no other option. This is why we don''t want you to take part in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Madam Xin nodded her head, "Yes. The matter rted to Young Dragon is tooplicated and has many hidden schemes and plots. You should stay away from them and live a peaceful life."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Peace was never an option. We are cultivators, and in this world, only the most powerful can live a peaceful life. I am not the most powerful yet. I still have a long way to go, and in my way, troubles like the Grand Spirit Hunt wille, and I will have to face them."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan frowned, "Alright, let''s assume we allow you. But you won''t be able to take part in it anyway because the Gao n won''t agree."

    "They won''t agree?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is it because of the difference in the status of the princess and the Gao nss?"

    Prime Minister Fang nodded, "Yes. If you were to take part in the Grand Spirit Hunt and get crowned as the Young Dragon, which in simple words would mean you will be marrying the princess. And since you will also be marrying the Gao n''s Miss, there will be unnecessary friction between the two."

    "And don''t forget that there can only be one Madam of the n Head. And because of the status and upbringing, the princess will be the Madam, instead of the Gao n''s miss."

    "Gao Kang will never agree to this. He won''t let her daughter''s status fall. And we will also be making enemies out of the Gao n."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Why can''t we simply stop the marriage from progressing? The public doesn''t know anything about it; can''t we cancel it?"

    Prime Minister Fang shook his head, "We have been over this already, and I don''t want to discuss it anymore. Marriage is a must. It has to happen. Maybe if you one day reach the Nascent Soul, I will tell you the main reasons behind the marriage."

    "Nascent Soul?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You''ve decided to get me married within a month, and you will tell me the reason behind my marriage five to six yearster? Are you serious?"

    Prime Minister Fangughed, "Now that you put it this wayˇ­ well, you will have to wait. Believe it or not, you had a chance to escape from this marriage, but you lost it as soon as you stepped into the capital city."

    "Hm? Are you saying the only way to avoid this marriage was not to leave the Gracious Sword Sect?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "Exactly," Prime Minister Fang shrugged.

    "Son," Madam Xin suddenly said, "There is one more way to get all this done, but you will have to work hard."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "And that would be?"

    Madam Xin smiled as she replied, "Crush all your opponents so thoroughly that no one in your generation can even touch you. Once you have be the Young Dragon, don''t say anything about the marriage. Just focus on cultivation and get to the stage where you can thoroughly crush the Xin Royal n; only then will you have your free will."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What is the highest cultivation realm in the Xin Royal n?"

    Madam Xin frowned, "There are three elders. The weakest among them is in the Half-Saint realm."

    "Half Saint Realm?" Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    This realm was reachable in a few years.

    Even in his previous life, he was at the peak of this realm by the age of twenty-two.

    Prime Minister Fang smiled while observing Ye Tian Yun''s expression, and after a few moments, he said, "Go and take some rest now. We will announce your marriage with the Gao n''s miss tomorrow."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun stood up and left the room with a slight frown on his face.

    ''Sigh, how far do I need to go for these goddamn tokensˇ­.''

    Inside the study room, Prime Minister Fang Yuan resumed his work, and Madam Xin was staring at him with a thoughtful expression on her face.

    "What happened now?" Prime Minister Fang asked.

    Madam Xin said, "Is it just me, or did you also notice that Fang Chen has changed?"

    "What?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "I didn''t notice anything."

    "Oh? Maybe I am just overthinkingˇ­."

    Prime Minister Fang shrugged, "Fang Chen is still injured. It will take some time for him to recover. You want to see his usual self?"

    Madam Xin shook his head, "No. At least he was talking properly today. Earlier, he used to always avoid us."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan smiled, "Fang Chen has finally shown some potential. I will have to talk with Gao Kang about this.. Tomorrow, the whole Capital City will know about the marriage."

 Chapter 507 - 507 | Back In Counciousness Space.

    *click*

    The sound of the door opening rang through the empty hallway.

    Ao Jia, the guard, standing at the end of the hallway, turned his head and saw someoneing out of Prime Minister Fang''s study.

    ''Young Master Fangˇ­''

    It was Ye Tian Yun who hade out of the room, and from his expression, it looked like he was in deep thought.

    ''I wonder what they were discussing?''

    Ao Jia was a curious soul.

    A bad trait for a guard.

    And since there was only a two-year gap between fang Chen and him, his outlook on the former was different from the older guards.

    ''Sigh, the life of a young masterˇ­ this lucky bastard.''

    He felt envious of Fang Chen.

    Latter didn''t have any talent, but his background was powerful enough to make him stand at the forefront of his generation.

    ''It''s no use thinking about it.''

    Ao Jia knew that no one gets to decide where they are born or who they are born as. Just like how he had no control over his birth in a poor family, he understood that Fang Chen also didn''t have the privilege of being born in a rich family of his choice.

    ''Ah, if only I weren''t stationed here. This ce has the least odds of giving me a promotion. I will never be able to increase my social standing at this ce. Neither can I make any connections since I am the only one in the hallway.''

    ''I wonder what mother has cooked for lunch? It''s still early morning, but I am already hungry.''

    ''Father is also - huh?''

    Ao Jia''s mind suddenly went nk as he stared in front of him.

    Fang Chen was standing there, looking at him with a frown.

    ''Shit! How did I offend this guy now!?''

    He couldn''t help but inwardly gulp upon thinking about the reckless nature of Fang Chen.

    ''Oh man, I had just gotten this job. Now it''s goneˇ­.''

    "What''s your name?" The young master in front of him asked.

    "Huh?" Ao Jia was confused, but in the next instant, heposed himself and replied, "Young Master, I am Ao Jia."

    "Hm, Ao Jiaˇ­ how long have you lived in the Capital City?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Ao Jia shrugged, "I was born in this city. My father is also a guard of some n."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin and asked, "How long have you been as a guard in the n?"

    "About three weeks."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head while staring somewhere about Ao Jia''s head.

    There was a prompt.

    [Ao Jia. -1 Star Favourability. Cautious against you because of the rumors he had heard](Fang Chen)

    ''This one also has ''Fang Chen'' in the endˇ­ is it because I am in Fang Chen''s disguise?''

    Ye Tian Yun felt an urge to test this theory.

    But he still had a few things to do.

    Putting his hand on Ao Jia''s shoulder, he said, "You will be my personal guard from now on."

    "Huh?" Ao Jia was confused by the sudden turn of events, "Your guard? WAit- your guard!?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Go and tell the person who arranged your duties. He will look for a recement for you, and then youe to my courtyard."

    "Your courtyardˇ­" Ao Jia couldn''t help but gulp upon hearing this.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t pay much attention to the panic and confusion in Ao Jia''s eyes and said, "I will take my leave now. Visit my courtyard in the evening."

    Ao Jia stared at the disappearing back of Ye Tian Yun with a nk expression on his face.

    However, his thoughts were in a pretty chaotic state.

    ''His courtyardˇ­''

    ''In the eveningˇ­.''

    ''Don''t tell me he hasˇ­ those kinds of taste?''

    ''Oh, mom, why did you make me so handsome? Sigh!''

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun, unaware of Ao Jia''s thoughts, headed straight for his room.

    He only knew people in the Fang n by name. He had never seen or met them in both of his lives.

    This was why he wanted to have the least possible contact with any of the Fang nsmen.

    After about ten minutes, Ye Tian Yun was sitting cross-legged in the lotus position on his bed.

    ''This was unexpectedˇ­.''

    He was currently thinking about the sudden development that had happened in his meeting with the Fang Couple.

    ''I can''t avoid this trouble; the most I can do is fake my death and disappear once everything is done.''

    This was the only feasible way for him at this moment.

    ''But why in the world did the informants never mention something rted to Fang Chen''s marriage in the reportsˇ­.''

    ''I need to talk to Wang Yao.''

    Ye Tuan Yun took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

    Ye Tuan Yun took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

    Soon he found himself at the top of a mountain.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and looked around.

    "Where are you, Wang Yao?"

    His shout echoed through the mountain valley.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t clearly describe the scenery because anything ten-fifteen away from him was quite blurry.

    But he was sure that he was standing at the peak of a mountain.

    ''The important thing is I can''t find Wang Yaoˇ­.''

    This was a surprise for Ye Tian Yun because this ce was his own consciousness.

    ''How could someone hide in this ce?''

    He frowned and looked around, but Wang Yao was nowhere to be found.

    "Wang Yao! Where the fuck are you!?" With no other option, Ye Tian Yun shouted out loud.

    His words echoed through the valley many times before everything returned to the initial calm.

    "Oh, you finally remember that there''s someone living in your soul?" A familiar voice replied.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and looked around.

    He couldn''t pinpoint the exact distraction of the voice, because it felt as if it wasing from all directions.

    "Where are you, Wang Yao?" He asked, "Come out, I need to discuss some important things."

 Chapter 508 - 508 | A Slave, But With Cool Name.

    Wang Yao remained silent for a moment before saying, "No need for me toe out, just tell me what you need to discuss."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and looked at the sky.

    He had a hunch that this wasing from the sky itself.

    But after a moment, he frowned and looked at the snow beneath him.

    There was another intuition telling him that the voice wasing from the snow itself.

    ''This is weirdˇ­.''

    ''Oh wait, Could it beˇ­.''

    Suddenly, an incredible thought shed through his mind..

    He clearly remembered the first meeting with WAng Yao in this consciousness space.

    Wang Yao was sitting at a table, having tea.

    On the next encounter, he was fishing on an ind he created for himself, and the darkness around the ind was the sea.

    The next time he met Wang Yao, thetter was sunbathing.

    ''This timeˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, ''Let''s see if what I think is really true or notˇ­.''

    He closed his eyes, and as soon as he opened them again, everything changed.

    Even though he was still in his consciousness, the scenery around him had changed.

    He was no longer in a valley. Instead, he was back in the ck space.

    ''I knew it.''

    He smiled.

    Thud!

    "Ugh-!"

    Ye Tian Yun turned around and saw Wang Yao lying on the floor, rubbing his back.

    "Why did you have to do that, you sick bastard!" Wang Yao gritted his teeth and cursed.

    Ye Tian Yun simply shrugged, "I wouldn''t have minded you if you had appeared in front of me. But you had pretty huge guts to change yourself into the whole mountain valley itself and try to y silly tricks on me?"

    WAng Yao frowned, "You figured that out?"

    "It wasn''t hard." Ye Tian Yn shrugged.

    Wang Yao rolled his eyes, "It took you like a thousand visits."

    "Five."

    "Still more than one."

    Ye Tian Yun snorted, "I didn''t pay attention to little details."

    Wang Yaoughed, "You have your enemy''s partial soul in your consciousness, and you ''didn''t'' pay attention?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "In the beginning, yeah. But now? Well, I don''t need to waste a whole monologue on myself because I have a better grasp over situations now."

    "Oh?" Wang Yao narrowed his eyes, "Is it rted to Token Of Fate?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    Wang Yao smiled, "Good. This is good. So, how long was I acting as a mountain?"

    Ye Tian Yun scratched the back of his head while saying, "We met about two months agost time."

    "Two months?" Wang Yao was surprised, "Damn it, and here thought a decade has passed. Sigh, you were about to go into closed-door cultivation. I bet there wasn''t any drama."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at him while taking a seat on a chair that had formed near him.

    Wang Yao frowned at the former''s silence, "Wait, don''t tell there really is some interesting drama?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Once I came out of my closed-door cultivation, things were pretty lively."

    "Two different girls were betrothed to me in two different disguises, one of the hardest secrets to find. And one of my future wife''s brothers is nning to kill me before my marriage. Also, I will be fighting to get married to one of my cousins. And apparently, I now also have a younger sister and loving parents."

    Ye Tian Yun took a breath and leaned back on the chair.

    Wang Yao opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say.

    "It was a lively holidayˇ­." He finally uttered the closest possible sentence he could think of, "Two marriagesˇ­ who is the second one? I already know one of them was Ling Feng''er."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "I have now reached the Lower Heavens, and I am in Fang Chen''s disguise. And just a few minutes ago, I found out that Fang Chen was actually engaged to someone. And this girl is none other than Gao Xuan''s younger sister."

    "Gao Xuan''s younger sister?" Wang Yao frowned, "Fang Chen''s marriage?"

    "Yeah."

    "What yeah?" Wang Yao shook his head, "Fang Chen never mentioned anything about this engagement."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I am nning to ditch this girl once my work here is done."

    "Hm? Why?" Wang Yao frowned, "Why would you ditch her? Don''t forget she will be your wife. Are you saying you will abandon your wife?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "that will only be in the name. I won''t allow her to get close to me because I am not Fang Chen. Once my work here is done, I will fake Fang Chen''s death and leave this ce."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "That''s just wrong."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "There''s no right or wrong is just perspective. You''re not living my life, so you don''t clearly understand my situation."

    "This ce is just a temporary stop, and once my job is done, I will be leaving. And don''t forget that one day Fang Chen''s blood will run out, and I won''t be able to disguise as Fang Chen ever again."

    Wang Yao let out a sigh, "The final choice is yours. I would just say, don''t decide it beforehand; let your heart and mind be open to other options."

    After a moment of silence, Ye Tian Yun frowned and changed the subject, "Do you know which cousin I want to marry?"

    "Hm? Wang Yao frowned, "Who?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Xin Xue Qing."

    Xin Xue Qing was Wang Yao''s wife in the previous life.

    "That bitch!?" Wang Yao''s reaction, however, was the opposite of what Ye Tian Yun was expecting, "Why would you want to marry that kind of woman?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Wasn''t she your wife? Why do you hate her?"

    Wang Yao shook her head, "I never considered her my wife. I only have one girl whom I love, Ling Qing''er. Everyone else is worthless."

    "But you did marry her thoughˇ­."

    "I didn''t. It was that transmigrator who thought every girl in the world was trying to get into his pants. And believe me or not, some girls were indeed trying to get into his pants, just that, their real attitude and ''face'' was contemptible."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin and said, "Well, I will be clearer. I am not plotting to marry Xin Xue Qing; I want to be the Young Dragon and get the Token which is inside the Royal Bloodline Trial."

    "What?" Wang Yao frowned, "No, no! Don''t do that. Trust me. The Token is not worth the trouble you will be facing once you be the Young Dragon."

    "During my time, Fang Yunru became the Young Dragon, but because the princess was already in love with Wang Yao, she rejected Fang Yunru and selected Wang Yao."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You''re Wang Yao. Why are you talking in the third person?"

    "Oh-ho, don''t interrupt. And I am talking in the third person because that Wang Yao was not me. I wouldn''t fall this low for just a few resources."

    "Now, where was I? Oh yeah, after Fang Yunru''s rejection, KinG Xin arranged the challenge, and one yearter, Wang Yao defeated Fang Yunru."

    "But do you know Wang Yao was not the one who defeated Fang Yunru?"

    "Hm? What do you mean?"

    "Well, how should I put itˇ­. The position of Young Dragon is an inescapable. The only difference between him and a ve was that he had a cooler name. By the time Wang Yao''s time came to challenge Fang Yunru, thetter was ready to give up the title at any moment."

 Chapter 509 - 509 | Other Side Of The Story

    "ve?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Xin Royal n''s ve? Or the princess''s ve?"

    Wang Yao replied, "Xin Royal n''s."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Is Fang Chen''s father also a ve?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "No, but he''s the reason why Fang Yunru was under so much pressure and was inwardly very happy to give up on his position."

    "Oh? What did Fang Yuan do?"

    "He created the Fang n," Wang Yao shrugged, "Xin Royal n may be very close to the Fang n. But a mountain cannot have two tigers. The Fang n''s influence is increasing every day, and this is mainly because the Xin Royal n failed to keep Fang Yuan in check when he was growing. And now, King Xin feels threatened by the Fang n, though he shows very amicable expression."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "So they don''t want another Fang n to appear. Fang Yunru became the Young Dragon, this meant Fang n''s influence was going to increase even more, but then Wang Yao was elected by the princess. However, Xin Royal n was unsure of his victory, this is why they continued to entangle Fang Yunru into them?".

    "Yes," Wang Yao nodded, "Your analysis is pretty close to the truth. And the reason why they didn''t bother much with Wang Yao was because he had no intention of creating his own n and settling in the Xin Kingdom."

    "Now imagine if you were to be the ''Young Dragon'', what would they think? Don''t forget that you''re in Fang Chen''s disguise."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "This disguise is creating too much trouble. I feel like I miscalcted the pros and cons of being Fang Chen."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "We will see about that, but you have to tread carefully when ites to the position of ''Young Dragon.''"

    Ye Tian Yun remained silent for some time before suggesting, "I will disappear once I get the Token."

    "Disappear?" Wang Yao frowned, "The whole Xin Kingdom will be outside when youe out of the Trial."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I know. What I am saying is, once I get out, I will disappear after some time."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "It''s not worth it. You should forget about this Token."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How will I be the Heavenly Emperor if I don''t have all the Tokens and Emblems?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Did I have all the Tokens and Emblems? I only had the Emblem Of Time, but I became the Heavenly Emperor."

    "A fake Heavenly Emperor." Ye Tian Yun smirked.

    Wang Yao shook his head, "That''s the same thing that you will be as well. Bing the Heavenly Emperor is not a simple matter."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "borate it a bit."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "It will be hard to exin. Your worldview is still quite narrow. The Heavenly Emperor is a position, and a cultivation realm. To reach the Heavenly Emperor Realm, one needs to be a Heavenly Emperor, but do you think the world only has one Heavenly Emperor Realm cultivator? Of course not, but why do they say that there will only be one Heavenly Emperor in a single generation?"

    "Why?"

    "I don''t know," Wang Yao shrugged, "There are very few people who can exin everything clearly."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Do you know any?"

    "We both know one of them."

    "Who?"

    "Your Father."

    "My Father?"

    "Yes. Emperor Ye knows a lot more than me, but he''s stuck in his own troubles, failing to teach you anything."

    "What is he troubled with?"

    "I can''t tell you. Just know that it''s the enemy we talked about earlier."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Hm, alright. I will talk to Father about this when I return to the Middle Heavens."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Alright."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "For now, I need to focus on the current situation."

    "Yeah," Wang Yao put on a thoughtful expression, "What are your ns? Is there really no way of getting out of the marriage?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Unfortunately no, but let''s see what happens."

    "What if you act like an idiot?" Wang Yao suggested, "The Gao n might reject this marriage."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "That will create trouble for my other ns. Don''t forget I need to make Xin Xue Qing fall in love with me."

    "Ah yes," Wang Yao nodded, "Xin Xue Qing may be a bitch, but she won''t fall for an idiot."

    "Yes," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "If she doesn''t fall for me, and falls for Wang Yao, then bing the ''Young Dragon'' won''t be much rewarding."

    "Hm? Why? You won''t be able to defeat Wang Yao?"

    "No, that''s not the problem," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It''s the time. I will have to wait one whole year. I can''t afford to waste that much time."

    "Ah yes," Wang Yao nodded, "You won''t be allowed to touch Wang Yao for one whole year and you will also be troubled by the Xin Royal n in that period of time."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. I don''t want to drag things too long. Right now, Wang Yao might not be as big of a threat as he would be in the future. But let''s not forget that he''s not the only one I need to defeat. There''s also Shi Yan."

    "Shi Yanˇ­" Wang Yao nodded, "That guy is on the same level as both of you, but the only difference is, he likes to remain lowkey."

    "Lowkey?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Really? A lowkey person will not name himself the Chaos Emperor."

    Wang Yao smiled, "That was just a way of increasing influence. Fang Chen had suggested that. Wang Yao was at the top, but in the eyes of the people, he was still young and inexperienced."

    "This is why we created the Chaos Emperor. His presence suppressed everyone else''s."

    "But, the main reason why he was there - was to show to everyone that the Chaos Emperor was a subordinate of Wang Yao."

 Chapter 510 - 510 | Danger

    In a few years from now, if everything went like the previous timeline, the Lower Heavens would see the rise of God''s Legion, and leading them would be two very powerful figures.

    Wang Yao and Shi Yan.

    Everyone would know that Wang Yao was the leader, but the one who deterred the most was Chaos Emperor Shi Yan.

    His feats would make him an insurmountable wall in the eyes of his generation, an unfathomable existence in the eyes of mortals, and an Emperor in the eyes of everyone.

    Chao Emperor Shi Yan - this was what he would be proimed.

    The first cultivator to be titled an Emperor.

    "....and you''re saying that all this was propaganda to showcase Wang Yao''s power?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes. Once the image of Chaos Emperor was etched in the heart of the Lower Heavens cultivators, it waster revealed that this powerful existence was a subordinate of Wang Yao."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "That''s a good strategy. He created someone topare himself with and then thoroughly suppressed the other party''s presence, making himself rise in the eyes of the people."

    "Yes," Wang Yao nodded, "Fang Chen wasn''t called the master strategist for no reason. This n was the reason why his position was cemented in the God''s Legion, even though he never became one of the core members like his friend Xiao Ming."

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Did he choose not to be one? Or Wang Yao didn''t wish for him to be?"

    Wang Yao replied, "The first option. Fang Chen chose not to be part of God''s Legion. Rather he called himself a friend of the God''s Legion."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "That''s clever."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes, it is. By bing a friend of the God''s Legion, he was on equal standing with the whole Legion instead of being Wang Yao''s subordinate."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "Did Wang Yao not see through this?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "It was toote by the time that guy noticed this. However, by this time, Fang Chen had already shown his worth, and Wang Yao didn''t wish to send him away because that would be a big loss for the God''s Legion."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What did he think of Fang Chen?"

    "A nuisance." Wang Yao replied, "In that guy''s eyes, Fang Chen was a nuisance. And when you killed Fang Chen, you actually did a favor for Wang Yao. This is the reason why there wasn''t a huge reaction from the God''s Legion."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun had a thoughtful expression as he replied, "I was waiting for them to lose control of their emotions and go berserk. If they had gone out of control, I could have gotten one more fish in the hook."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I don''t think so. Wang Yao may not have liked Fang Chen, but Fang Chen was very loyal to the God''s Legion. He even arranged some things long before his death."

    " Yes," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I suffered a lot even after that bastard''s death."

    Wang Yao smiled, "It was toote by the time Wang Yao understood Fang Chen''s importance. If he had Fang Chen in the Upper heavens, he may not have had toe back in time and lose everything."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "Fang Chen was indeed someone with high intelligence, and I knew this when I saw him in front of me. Still, I chose to kill him because I couldn''t look at him without having Butler Liu''s mangled corpse sh in front of my eyes."

    Wang Yao pursed his lips, "Butler Liu was quite unfortunate."

    "Oh, this reminds me," Ye Tian Yun suddenly asked, "How did you guys seed in defeating Butler Liu? From what I have seen, Butler Liu''s cultivation is way beyond the Saint Realm. How did you defeat him?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "He was heavily injured. His cultivation had regressed to Half-Saint Realm."

    "Heavily injured?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "When did that happen? I never saw him injured...:"

    Wang Yao frowned, "Really? Butler Liu was in a really bad state. Even in the Half-Saint realm, he was very weak."

    "Whatˇ­"

    This came as a surprise for Ye Tian Yun.

    He had never noticed even a bit of injury on Butler Liu.

    After a few moments of thinking, Ye Tian Yun asked, "Do you know how Fang Chen killed his father, Su Ming? Sect Leader Su is definitely not an existence he can handle."

    Wang Yao frowned, "Why not? Sect Leader Su Ming isn''t as powerful as you think, he was only in the Peak of Nascent Soul Realm when things got heated, and by the time the final day came, his cultivation had regressed to the Core Formation Realm."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "That''s impossible. I can confirm that Sect Leader Su has at least the cultivation realm of the Great Saint Realm."

    "Great Saint Realm!?" Wang Yao''s eyes opened wide in shock, "Are you kidding me? A Great Saint Realm can rule the whole Lower Heavens, why would he just be a Sect Leader of an insignificant sect?"

    "And don''t forget that he never attacked the Fang n, no matter how much he hated the other party. Why was that the case if he had such a high cultivation realm?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I don''t know, but he is in the Great Saint Realm, that''s a fact."

    "Damn, then why was he in the Nascent Soul Realm when Fang Chen began to target him?" Wang Yao was confused, "And how do you know his cultivation?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Sect Leader Su Ming is a part of the Great Ye Corps. Butler Liu and I met him before we visited Wang Yao."

    "Oh?" Wang Yao was surprised, "That''s news for me. I wasn''t aware of what was happening outside, so maybe that''s why I missed it."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, but suddenly a thought shed in his eyes.

    "Didn''t you say Butler Liu was heavily injured and his cultivation was regressed?" He asked Wang Yao.

    "Yes."

    "Then what if Sect Leader Su was also suffering from the injury? We know that both of them are part of the Great Ye Corps. Maybe they suffered from the same injury?"

    "Hm.. maybeˇ­" Wang Yao lightly nodded.

    "Wait a minuteˇ­"

    Suddenly Ye Tian Yun remembered something.

    "Butler Liu called Sect Leader Su to the Middle Heavens for a mission, and beforeing back here, he also told me that he will be going to the Upper Heavens for a mission."

    "Most probably both of them are going to the Upper Heavens for the same missionˇ­"

    "Is this the mission in which they will be heavily injured?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he thought about this.

    If he knew about this earlier, he would have at least warned Butler Liu to be careful during the mission and retreat when things get out of hand.

    ''Who is this enemyˇ­ able to crush even Great Saint Realm cultivatorsˇ­''

    ''Sigh... I hope everything''s alright...''

    "I have already affected the timeline a lotˇ­ I wonder if the oue of the mission will be affectedˇ­."

 Chapter 511 - 511 | Hard From Outside, Weak From Inside

    "You should expect the worst." Wang Yao said.

    "What do you mean?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "You know, about the mission of Butler Liu and Su Ming. You should expect the worst."

    "Why? Because I changed the future?"

    "Well, yeahˇ­ but that''s not the main reason. Let me tell you a small thing which you should always keep in your mind - the enemy whom Butler Liu and his men are fighting is the same one who created the Emblem System."

    "What!?" Ye Tian Yun was stumped.

    The Emblem System was very powerful and even brought out things from midair.. And the one who created this system was in the Upper Heavens!?

    ''That person is definitely very powerfulˇ­''

    "Who is this person?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I will be honest. I don''t know who that is. I mean, I don''t know the identity of that person. Even at the peak, I didn''t have the power to meet him."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How powerful is that person?"

    "Any estimation with me is an underestimation." Wang Yao replied with a very serious expression.

    "Ohˇ­" A trace of worry appeared over Ye Tian Yun''s face, "If they came back alive in my previous life, I hope they cane back alive this time too."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "It''s not in my nature to be optimistic. The person who created the Emblem System also knows that you have defeated the transmigrator and have gotten the Emblem Of Time."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How does that affect the mission of Butler Liu and Sect Leader Su?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I know you''re worried, but don''t stop using your brain. This time, you''re very powerful, so the enemy won''t go easy on Butler Liu and the others with him."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Do you know how powerful my Father is whenpared with the person who created the Emblem System?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I don''t know, but definitely weaker because by the time I knew everything, your father was long gone, and that existence was still alive and well."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun lowered his gaze.

    He was now really worried about Butler Liu''s safety.

    ''I am too powerless right nowˇ­''

    ''I can only hope that I don''t lose himˇ­''

    Even though it felt unrealistic, the mere thought of losing Butler Liu again made Ye Tian Yun panic.

    ''I haven''t even brought Jun Xie to himˇ­''

    ''Sighˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head and said, "I will talk to youter."

    In the next instant, he disappeared from his consciousness.

    "Wait-!"

    Wang Yao tried to stop, but it was toote.

    "Goddammit! I am once again alone in this ce."

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and found himself back in the room.

    He had been talking with Wang Yao for about half an hour.

    It was about ten in the morning outside.

    ''I shouldy low for a few daysˇ­''

    ''No, that''s not good.''

    He immediately removed the thought of resting.

    His current priority right now was to get acquainted with Princess Xin Xue Qing.

    ''Hm, I only know about Wang Yao''s meeting with her. Should I try my luck on replicating this?''

    Wang Yao had first encountered Princess Xin Xue Qing in Purple Spring Garden.

    Purple Spring Garden was a ce in the northern part of the Capital City, and only a few people were allowed to enter this ce because of its calm and serene atmosphere.

    Tired of royal politics, Xin Xue Qing usually spent her time in the garden; she enjoyed her time as an ordinary noble family girl with a simple disguise.

    Even though her nature was evil, that was only towards the people she hated.

    To the people she loved, she wouldn''t hesitate to do anything for them.

    Like, she was happy to give up on her status for Wang Yao.

    But she didn''t be like this towards Wang Yao from day one.

    In fact, both of them met under special circumstances.

    She was in disguise, and some n''s young master was bullying her.

    Just as she was about to unleash her anger on the said young master, Wang Yao appeared, thinking of himself as the hero saving the damsel in distress.

    However, the princess, who had lived a life less ordinary, saw through his cheap tricks and didn''t bother much.

    But this meeting led to another, and that led to another.

    Soon, both of them were meeting secretly, both unaware of each other''s secret identity.

    ''I should try this.''

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while sitting on the bed in his room.

    ''But how do I get that young master?''

    This was troublesomeˇ­

    ''Should I hire someone?''

    ''No, noˇ­''

    He immediately rejected this idea.

    Xin Xue Qing had gouged out the eyes of the young master after Wang Yao had left and then had cut that young master''s tool as a punishment.

    ''If I hire someoneˇ­ not only will this happen to them, the person will also do anything to avoid such a thingˇ­ and will most probably reveal the truth.''

    ''I can''t use someone elseˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t even know who that Young Master was, or else he would have plotted to get that guy in front of the disguised princess before the actual date.

    ''What should I do..''

    ''I should go and simply meet her?''

    ''I should also disguise myselfˇ­''

    This was a bit important.

    Right now, he was in Fang Chen''s disguise, and Fang Chen didn''t really have the kind of reputation which could be termed as ''good''.

    ''If she knows I am Fang Chen, she will leave before I even say anythingˇ­''

    Even in God''s Legion, Xin Xue Qing was one of the few who showed open discontent towards Fang Chen, no matter how much thetter contributed to the Legion''s sess.

    ''While Fang Chen yed a crucial role in defeating me, Xin Xue Qing''s biggest contribution was pleasing Wang Yao in bedˇ­''

    The powerful alliance of youngsters who were hot-blooded to shake the whole worldˇ­ didn''t really have a deep connection among each other.

 Chapter 512 - 512 | Third Miss Of Gao Clan

    ''Sigh, this is going to be toughˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

    He wanted to calm his mind and focus on thister on.

    *knock-knock!*

    Just then, the door knocked, and someone called out from outside.

    "May I enter?"

    It was a young man''s voice.

    ''Who could this be?''

    Ye Tian Yun stood up from his bed and opened the gate.

    A young man with a refined and handsome face appeared in front of him..

    ''This isˇ­''

    "Cousin Chen, I am Fang Yunru, your brother." The young man smiled, "I hope you haven''t forgotten me."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and looked very carefully at him.

    "Ohˇ­ you didˇ­ forget meˇ­" Fang Yunru blinked.

    "Shh!"

    Ye Tian Yun gestured him to keep silent and continued to stare at him with full attention as if trying to remember where he hadst seen him.

    "It''s alrigh-"

    "Shh!"

    "Ok-o-"

    "Shh!"

    Fang Yunru simply raised his hands in surrender.

    Ye Tian Yun stood straight, and his expression returned to normal as he let out a sigh.

    "Cousin,e in," He said and turned around, heading towards his bed.

    "Alright, wait- what?" Fang Yunru frowned, "You know who I am?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I knew it when you entered the room yesterday to check up on my condition."

    "Whatˇ­ wait- so all this right now? Were you acting!?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "No, I was simply adopting an amnesiac patient''s character."

    "That is what acting is, you bastard!" Fang Yunruughed.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright, have a seat," Gesturing at the chair near the bed, he added, "What brings you here?"

    Fang Yunru took a seat while replying, "Nothing, just came to see how you are doing. Is everything alright?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It''s alright, just not sure if I will remember anything or I will continue to lose my memories."

    Fang Yunru waved his hand, "Bah! Don''t worry too much."

    "Look who''s talking," Ye Tian Yun rolled back his eyes and said, "Seriously, why are you here? Did something important happen?"

    Fang Yunru closed his eyes and lowered his head. After a long silence, he said, "Fang Chen, I just want you to know that this big brother has your back. The world might think that we hate each other, but let me make this very clear to you, you''re one of the very dearest people to me."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded but didn''t say anything.

    Fang Yunru let out a sigh upon seeing no response, "Fang Chen, I want you to know that the reason why I keep myself motivated to cultivate harder every day is that I have a little brother who''s somewhatcking in terms of cultivation talent. He might be silly sometimes, but I want to protect that little brother."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath and remained silent.

    Fang Yunru pursed his lips and stood up, "I can''t stay here for long. I came back rushing from the sect branch. I was here in the capital city for a mission. I will be returning to the sectter today, so I don''t know how long it will take before we meet next time. Take care, Brother. Your elder brother is always here for you."

    Fang Yunru turned and headed for the exit.

    Just as he was about to head out of the door, Ye Tian Yun called him from behind.

    "Wait."

    "Hm?"

    "We will be meeting soon."

    "Oh? When?"

    "In less than a month."

    "What?" Fang Yunru turned around, "Is something importanting up? The n''s yearly meet is still six months away."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Something very big is about to happen?"

    "What?" Fang Yunru thought for a moment, and then his eyes widened in shock, "Don''t tell meˇ­ you messed up with someone once again? But how? I don''t think anyone will allow you to go out."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I didn''t mess up. It was your uncle and aunt."

    Fang Yunru narrowed his eyes, "They are no strangers to you. Call them father and mother. What did they do?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, and after a long moment of silence, he sighed, "I am getting married."

    "Oh, that''s no big dea- what!? What the fuck did you just say!? "Fang Yunru''s sudden shout echoed through the courtyard.

    "Woah, woah, homie, calm down," Ye Tian Yun gestured at Fang Yunru to lower the voice.

    Fang Yunru ran to the bed and asked in an almost whispering voice, "When did this happen? Who is my sister-inw? Why does no one else know about it? Are you trying to fool me? You better not."

    Ye Tian Yun calmed him down and said, "Well, it happened while I was away in the sect, and I have no control over it. Your sister-inw will be someone from Gao n."

    "Gao n''s Miss?" Fang Yunru had a pleasantly surprised expression.

    "You know her?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "Who doesn''t know the Gao n people?" Fang Yunru shrugged, "And this Miss is actually an acquaintance of mine. Ah, to think she will be my sister-inw, haha, this is good. She is a good-natured youngdy, and she will take care of my brother very well."

    The corner of Ye Tian Yun''s lips twitched.

    He didn''t even know the name of this girl that he was about to get married to in less than a month.

    ''Sigh, this will be troublesomeˇ­''

    ''Even the Fang Couple didn''t tell me her name.''

    "Ahem, Brother Yunruˇ­" Fang Chen cleared his throat and said, "Can you tell me about this Gao n''s Miss?"

    "Oh?" A teasing smile appeared on Fang Yunru''s face, "You want to know about her~ haan~?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Just tell me a little about her because I surprisingly don''t have any memory of her."

    "What?" This was Fang Yunru''s turn to be surprised, "You don''t know anything about her? I didn''t expect thatˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Was I supposed to know her?"

    "Ahem," Fang Yunru cleared his throat, "Well, how should I put itˇ­ She was once a target of your pranksˇ­."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun felt relieved, "And here I thought I did something indecent. What''s her name?"

    Fang Yunru smiled, "It wasn''t indecent to me, but you know, I am very partial towards you, so let''s not take my opinion as the general public''s opinion."

    "As for her identity, she''s the Third Miss of the Gao n, Gao Suyin."

 Chapter 513 - 513 | Preparation

    ''Gao Suyinˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun was hearing this name for the first time.

    ''She was never mentioned in the report rted to Gao Xuanˇ­''

    "What happened to her in my previous life?" Ye Tian Yun asked Wang Yao.

    WAng Yao shrugged, "Nothing much. She is just a normal girl. I didn''t even meet her."

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    Gao Suyin was a simple and normal girl, and now, she was unlucky too.

    The person who was supposed to be her husband was long dead, and a stranger had taken his ce..

    The stranger was going to marry her, and simply disappear after a few months.

    ''This is fucked upˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and nced at Wang Yao he said, "Let''s first visit the Purple Spring Garden. Help me woo her when we get there. I can''t even recognize her, so you will guide me."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I can''t."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Why not? Didn''t you meet her too?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Well, in those days, my consciousness was heavily injured. I don''t have good memories of those days. But if you encounter the princess in her real appearance, I can definitely help you out."

    "..."

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and was back in his room.

    ''Useless bastard.''

    Cursing Wang Yao, he stood up from the bed and changed his attire.

    ''I will simply roam around and see who I can find. Xin Xue Qing will be disguised as an ordinary girl. It won''t be hard to find her since no one else will be ordinary in that garden.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and left his room.

    Currently, he was using his Core Formation Realm cultivation to hide his presence and was also disguised as someone else.

    Getting out of the Fang n wasn''t hard; the guards were usually in the Qi Stabilization Realm.

    And if he sensed a powerful aura, he would change his direction and head towards another direction.

    After about ten minutes, Ye Tian Yun came out of an alley and mingled in the crowd.

    ''Now, the next goal is to enter the Purple Spring Garden.''

    ''But before thatˇ­ I need to find where this garden isˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin and asked a vendor.

    "Brother, can you tell me the way to the Purple Springs Garden?"

    The vendor had just sold a few items to a customer and was busy arranging everything back in ce when he heard Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    "Purple Springs Garden?" He raised his head and pointed in the left direction, "Head towards this way, ask for Gao n manor. The Purple Springs Garden is closer to the Gao n."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun slightly nodded and thanked the vendor; he left towards the Gao n.

    After about fifteen minutes, Ye Tian Yun found himself standing in front of the Gao n.

    The streets outside the n were filled with vendors and merchants, selling all sorts of cultivation resources.

    Ye Tian Yun had no interest in buying anything, but he still roamed around not to appear suspicious.

    He had already found the entrance to the Purple Springs Garden.

    It wasn''t hard to find once Ye Tian Yun reached the Gao n.

    This was especially because this marketce was called the Purple Springs Road.

    It led straight to the Purple Springs Garden. The entrance to the garden was usually quite crowded mainly because bored, curious, or unemployed cultivators sat outside the building, hoping to catch the attention of young masters and young misses of powerful ns.

    The garden was a hotspot of high-ss people, many of theming out to take a break from the hectic cultivation organized by their respective ns.

    One might think that the usual young master lived a leisurely life in the Capital City with their backgrounds.

    However, the reality is often the opposite.

    ns never give any rest to the younger generation because to them, the kids were the future forerunners, and in the cultivation world, only those who were steadfast and hardworking had a secure future.

    Powerful ns and sects would be wiped out within a single night. This was why it was hard to find a n whose members werecent towards their cultivation and background.

    This was why the Purple Springs Garden was the rxation area for the youngsters.

    Princess Xin Xue Qing was also a regr visitor, but she came disguised as a young miss of a normal ranking n, not wanting to attract too much attention on herself.

    Because of the guards and safety put on this ce, the young cultivators inside the garden didn''t have guards with them.

    To Ye Tian Yun, this was good news since he would be able to have a casual chat without anyone interrupting him.

    As for the security on the garden perimeter, this was Ye Tian Yun''s least of worries.

    He had trained himself in assassination techniques. Thus infiltration was an easy task for him.

    The only reason he was waiting for right now was to find the blind spot to enter the garden.

    ''I should first understand its structure.''

    It was still early morning; Ye Tian Yun was nning to enter the garden by evening because that was when the probability of him encountering the princess was highest.

    "Is that Third Miss!?"

    Suddenly, a shout attracted everyone''s attention, making them turn their heads.

    Soon amotion began, even attracting Ye Tian Yun''s attention.

    It had gathered a huge crowd outside the Gao n man entrance.

    And a tip of a normal carriage could be seen moving slowly through the crowd.

    "It really is Third Miss Gao!"

    "That''s rare, I have been selling things here for about one year now, and the times I have seen this carriage could be counted on one hand."

    "Indeed, it''s rare to see Third Miss Gao Suyin''s carriage."

    ''Gao Suyin?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    ''Isn''t this the girl I will get married to?''

    ''Should I try something to make the Gao''s cancel the marriage?''

 Chapter 514 - 514 | No Way To Get In?

    Tomorrow the whole Capital City would know about Gao Suyin''s betrothal to Fang Chen.

    In other words, this was thest day for Ye Tian Yun to do something to stop the marriage.

    He knew the Fang n wouldn''t budge from their decision.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan had already made up his mind, and he was not nning to back up.

    ''But what can I do?''

    Ye Tian Yun had not expected that he would encounter Gao Suyin here.

    This couldn''t even be called an encounter.

    He only saw her carriage, and she wouldn''t even know him because he was currently in disguise..

    ''It''s worth a tryˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun did have something in mind, but just as he took a step ahead, the crowd in front of him suddenly went abuzz.

    "Woah!!"

    "Is that Young Master Gao Xuan!"

    "Young Master Gao Xuan!"

    "Yes, it''s him!"

    As the crowd went wild, someone came out of the Gao n''s main entrance.

    This was a young man with sword-like eyebrows and handsome features.

    Ye Tian Yun instantly recognized him.

    The same guy who had warned him not toe to the Capital City.

    ''Hm, this guy will create trouble for meˇ­.''

    When Gao Xuan had first warned Ye Tian Yun in the Gracious Sword Sect about two months ago, Ye Tian Yun hadn''t taken it seriously, and Gao Xuan hadn''t exined everything about the situation.

    Only now he understood that Fang Chen was going to get married to Gao Xuan''s sister. And Gao Xuan must not have liked Fang Chen and didn''t approve of this marriage.

    ''Should I tell him that I don''t want to marry his sister? Wait, no, that might backfireˇ­.''

    Gao Xuan, unaware of Ye Tian Yun''s presence, came close to the carriage, chatted with his sister for a moment, and waited for the carriage to go in.

    Ye Tian Yun could let out a sigh as he saw the carriage enter the n.

    Gao Xuan, on the other hand, smiled at the cultivators standing outside and chatted with them for a moment before heading towards his business.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at his back for a moment before taking a deep breath and bringing attention back to the Purple Springs Garden.

    ''Let''s find a way to get in this gardenˇ­.''

    ˇ­

    About two hourster, Ye Tian Yun had thoroughly judged through the area, but unfortunately for him, there was no way to get inside the garden.

    There were a few Core Formation Realm guards on the perimeter, and more than a hundred Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were also present.

    It was impossible to enter without getting detected.

    ''It''s uselessˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and headed back to the Fang n.

    There was no point in wasting any more time.

    ''Should I go in Fang Chen''s attire?''

    If he went in with his identity as Fang Chen, he wouldn''t face any trouble entering the garden.''

    ''Oh, wait! I can enter the garden and then change my disguise inside the gardenˇ­?''

    This was one of the ways that Ye Tian Yun had already thought of.

    But it was too risky; this was why Ye Tian Yun rejected this idea.

    The chances of finding a ce to change his disguise was going to be troublesome.

    Ye Tian Yun knew about the garden, but he didn''t know how things were inside this ce.

    What if the whole ce was a in open field?

    What if the grass and flowers weren''t too high?

    What if there weren''t enough trees to create a blind spot?

    And there was also the risk of getting caught by the guards.

    Outside the garden, there were thousands of people going on with their lives, so it was hard for the guards to notice everyone''s work, but inside the garden, even if the guards didn''t focus on one person all the time, there would also be someone looking at them.

    This was why Ye Tian Yun didn''t straight up go in Fang Chen''s disguise.

    ''But now there''s no other choiceˇ­.''

    ''If only I could make them fall in a huge illusion - wait - illusion?''

    A young man''s face appeared in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    ''Jun Xieˇ­''

    Jun Xie was an expert in creating illusions.

    ''I told him toe to the Fang n in two months; why isn''t he here yet?''

    It was a bit surprising for Ye Tian Yun.

    He had expected Jun Xie to arrive early because Fang Chen had the knowledge and answers to all his questions.

    ''Is he ying hard to get?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''Well, it''s his loss.''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and turned back in the direction which he came from.

    He was now going to wait for Jun Xie''s arrival.

    Jun Xie would be able to easily epass everyone in an illusion, allowing Ye Tian Yun to enter the garden without any worries.

    ''I will wait for him for two days.''

    Ye Tian Yun still had a bit of time before Wang Yao reached the Capital City and encountered Xin Xue Qing for the first time.

    This was why he wasn''t willing to take big risks just yet.

    He then soon returned to his room in the Fang n as quietly as he had left earlier.

    ''Even Prime Minister Fang Yuan didn''t notice me?''

    This was Ye Tian Yun''s biggest worry here.

    He didn''t know Fang Yuan''s cultivation realm, but thetter were previous generation top geniuses of the Lower Heavens; there was no way his cultivation would be just average.

    ''I will consider myself lucky this time.''

    Ye Tian Yun had sat on his bed and began to think about any other way he could encounter the Princess.

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun sensed someoneing towards his room, and soon, there was a light knock on the door.

    "Young Master, there are two cultivators who im to be your fellow Sect Disciples. They are saying that you have called them to the Fang n. Should I bring them here, or would you like to meet them in the guest hall first?"

    "I will go to the Guest Hall." Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    ''Speak of the devil, Jun Xie, and Wu Qingwu are already here!''

 Chapter 515 - 515 | The Massacre

    ''He came right on time.''

    Ye Tian Yun thought as he headed followed the guard to the Guest Hall.

    ''Thinks will be easy with Jun Xie at my side.''

    The Guest Hall of the Fang n was situated in the southern part of the n area.

    It wasn''t very far away from Fang Chen''s room.

    Ye Tian Yun entered the room and took a seat while the guard went outside to bring Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu.

    ''I wonder if this guy''s cultivation increased?''

    Jun Xie was somewhere in the Third or Fourth Qi Stabilization Realm when hest encountered him..

    The cultivation gap between the two has be huge now.

    ''But his talentes in terms of Alchemy. That''s what I am more curious about. I hope he has progressed a bit.''

    In alchemy, there were Nine Grades, and each grade had four tiers - early, middle,st, peak.

    ''Jun Xie was a Second Grade Early Tier Alchemist if I am not wrongˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun thought.

    Just then, a faint sound of footsteps entered his ears, and he turned his head towards the door.

    Someone moved the curtains, and a young man and woman entered the room.

    ''Hm? Him?''

    Ye Tian Yun''s smile faltered as he found the guest was not the person he was expecting.

    "How are you, Brother Fang?" The young woman beside the young man asked.

    "Hm? Ah, yes, wee guys, have a seat," Ye Tian Yun gestured at the two.

    The young woman slightly nodded and then guided the young man to the seat. She, too, took a seat beside him.

    Ye Tian Yun was confused by this.

    "What happened to him? Why is he soˇ­ silent?" He asked.

    The young woman pursed her lips and lowered her gaze, "Something very bad happened."

    "Hm? What happened, Sister Bai?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Brother Xiang''s nˇ­ is no more?"

    "What!?" Ye Tian Yun stood up in shock, "How is that possible?"

    The young man and woman in front of him were precisely Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er.

    "What happened, Brother Zheng?" Ye Tian Yun gleaned at Zheng Xiang.

    Zheng Xiang sat motionless, without a word.

    "He''sˇ­ lost." Bai Qing''er replied.

    Her eyes got moistened as he spoke, "Everyone in the Zheng n was tortured to death by a very powerful enemy. Only those who were not in the Silver Mist City survived. Like the disciples of the Zheng n in the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Whatˇ­" Ye Tian Yun was confused and stumped, "Whoˇ­ who was this enemy?"

    "We don''t know." Bai Qing''er shook her head, "But we have suspicion on someone."

    "Who?" Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes.

    In his time at the Silver Mist City, he had removed the rival ns of Zheng n and even orchestrated the death of the hidden enemies. Why would Zheng n still get wiped out even then?

    ''Did the people of Devil Sect med the Zheng n?''

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips.

    However, Bai Qing''er''s reply sent him into another bout with confusion.

    "It was the Heavenly Oracle Sect."

    "The what?" Ye Tian Yun asked again, thinking he heard it wrong.

    "The Heavenly Oracle Sect." This time Zheng Xiang spoke.

    "Whˇ­ why would they kill your nsmen?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    He had never heard of any enmity between the Heavenly Oracle Sect and the Zheng n.

    "About three months ago, something big happened in Silver Mist City. Zheng n was also situated in that city." Bai Qing''er began to exin.

    "It was rumored that a Sword Saint made an appearance, and there was a huge fight between Peak Core Formation Realm experts. Half of the Silver Mist City was destroyed, killing thousands of people in an instant."

    "One of the three big ns - the Ao Ba n - was the epicenter of this fight. However, the Zheng n wasn''t harmed in this event."

    "They were lucky that they lived in the other half of the City, thus unknowingly saving themselves from the harm."

    "I am sure you would have heard of this event too, Brother Fang."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    He was one of the causes of the event.

    "What happened to the Zheng n?" Ye Tian Yun asked again.

    "I am getting there," Bai Qing''er nodded her head, "After about a week or so, once things began to settle down, a powerful group of cultivators came to the Silver Mist City."

    "These people were inquiring about a disciple who had lost his life in the Silver Mist City incident."

    "Do you know who that disciple was?" Bai Qing''er clenched her fists.

    "Whoˇ­?" Ye Tian Yun''s eye twitched as a name appeared in his mind.

    ''Qin Wentian.''

    "Qin Wentian." Bai Qing''er gritted her teeth, "This was the same guy who visited the Gracious Sword Sect before going to the Silver Mist City. We all know that he is from the Heavenly oracle Sect."

    "So, those powerful cultivators asked about him, and then they went to the most powerful n in the city - the Zheng n."

    "One thing led to another, and witnesses said that when those powerful cultivators came out, the Zheng n was in ruins, and no one in the n survived."

    "Brother Xiang got the news about three days after you had left. He was unstable, so I rushed with him and his nsmen to the Silver Mist City."

    "And when he reached the ce, the Zheng n was indeed no more."

    "I encouraged the disciples from the Zheng n to remain strong, but we all are young people? No matter what I said, it had little effect. They had lost everything. Their n, their parents, their brothersˇ­ everyone they cared about."

    "After about a month, once theypleted all the death rituals, the disciples decided to return to the Gracious Sword Sect to get strong and create the Zheng n once again. Brother Xiang also returned to the Sect, but he was not nning to sit and cultivate in the Sect."

    "So he decided to leave the Sect for good ande to you. I tried to persuade him not to because he would only be a burden on you, and the Gracious Sword Sect will give him more opportunities. But he didn''t listen."

    "So, here we are."

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and leaned back on the seat.

 Chapter 516 - 516 | The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and leaned back on the seat.

    ''Shitˇ­ it was all because of meˇ­''

    A huge wave of guilt suddenly overwhelmed him.

    The Heavenly Oracle Sect came from Qin Wentian.

    But Qin Wentian was now dead.

    And the person who killed him was Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Damn itˇ­''

    Instead of saving Zheng n, Ye Tian Yun triggered their demise.

    ''What in the world have I doneˇ­''.

    Ye Tian Yun regretted his decision to kill Qin Wentian.

    ''Even if Qin Wentian had survived and told the Heavenly Oracle Sect about everything, at least the Zheng n wouldn''t have to dieˇ­.''

    "Some things areˇ­ unavoidableˇ­."

    A voice replied in his consciousness.

    It was Wang Yao.

    "Ye Tian Yun, you don''t have to me yourself for this. This is a cultivation world. Life and death are but a part of one''s daily life."

    "You killed Qin Wentian, and that was the right thing to do. You killed him because you had to. Whatever happened to the Zheng n was not your fault. The reason all this happened is that the Heavenly Oracle Sect decided to destroy the Zheng n as an excuse."

    "Everyone in the Silver Mist City had seen the Sword Domain. This meant that there was a Sword Saint involved in this."

    "Now, how could a n with peak cultivators being in the Core Formation Realm know who that Sword Saint was?"

    "The people from the Heavenly Oracle Sect were just looking for someone to release their frustration. Zheng CLan became the unfortunate target."

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and closed Wang Yao in his consciousness.

    He slowly opened his eyes and stared in front of him at Zheng Xiang.

    Thetter was distraught and had lost the emotions in his eyes.

    ''What have I doneˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and rubbed his face.

    The three remained silent for a long time, with Bai Qing''er asionally patting on Zheng Xiang.

    After about what seemed to be an hour, Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and said, "Brother Zheng, I don''t know what to sayˇ­ butˇ­ I know who could have killed Qin Wentian."

    "Hm?" Zheng Xiang raised his head, "Who?"

    "It was a friend," Ye Tian Yun lied, "If you me him, I can bring him to you."

    "No," Zheng Xiang shook his head, "Why should I me him? It was the Heavenly Oracle Sect who should be med. My father was a middle-aged man who had experienced the cultivation world for almost his whole life. And he had been the n Leader for almost two decades. How could he not understand the severity of the situation when the Heavenly Oracle Sect knocked on the door?"

    "He definitely did not act rashly. He knew when to be humble. Still, those bastards chose to skin him alive and make him watch the death of everyone in my nˇ­ how could I me someone else for this?"

    "It was the Heavenly Oracle Sect."

    Ye Tian Yun lowered his gaze and stared at the floor.

    After a minute of silence, Ye Tian Yun asked, "Zheng Xiang, do you wish to get revenge?"

    Zheng Xiang smiled, "What kind of question is this, Brother Fang? Do you think I will be able to forget what those people did to me? Why do you think I came to you?"

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head and looked directly at Zheng Xiang, "Alright. I will give you a chance to get your revenge."

    Zheng Xiang smiled, "there is no free food in this world, Brother Fang. I will owe you everything if you can help me destroy the Heavenly Oracle Sect."

    Ye Tian YUn smiled.

    Just then, a green light blinked above Zheng Xiang.

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised with an unexpected prompt that appeared in front of him.

    [Zheng Xiang. 6 Star Favourabiulity. Feels indebted to you, will not betray you.](Fang Chen)

    ''Not many details in this oneˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun stared into Zheng Xiang''s eyes for a moment and replied, "Brother Zheng, we will get to the Heavenly Oracle Sect. But it might take a few years. Currently, you don''t even qualify to breathe in the Middle Heavens, and your enemy is one of the most powerful sects of Middle Heavens."

    Zheng Xiang nodded his head, "Brother Fang, the axe might forget, but the tree will always remember. I understand that I am too weak right now, but I will persevere and persist."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright then. I will give you a chance. It will depend on you how far you are willing to go."

    Zheng Xiang nodded while clenching his fists and jaw.

    "Wait."

    Bai Qing''er''s voice resounded.

    "What do you mean, Brother Fang?" She asked, "I know you''re the Young Master of Fang n, and the Fang n is one of the most powerful ns of the Xin Kingdom. But they are nothing whenpared to the enemy. How will we seed?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t worry too much. And I never said I was relying on Fang n regarding my im. I was relying on my own."

    Both Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er were confused by this.

    "Brother Fangˇ­" Zheng Xiang pursed his lips and said, "Why are you burdening yourself? I will be honest, the reason why I came here was because of your backing. You gave me those resources, and I was able to increase my cultivation."

    "I know I am selfish here, but Brother Fang, I don''t want to burden you. I thoughtˇ­ Fang n might have some extra resources to help me."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t worry. I never thought of you as someone selfish. And I remember what you told me about your bloodline, but I still called you here before you even knew about the Zheng n''s fate."

    "You would havee to me anyway, and now you have reason and a goal."

    "Zheng Xiang, I will help you on your path to avenge your n, but when the timees, I hope you''re there for me."

    Zheng Xiang took a deep breath and replied, "Brother Fang, trust me, even if we are the only two in the whole world and I have to kill you to survive, I will still not betray" ou."

 Chapter 517 - 517 | Just Friends

    Ye Tian Yun came out of the guest hall and gestured to the guard toe.

    It had been about half an hour since Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er had arrived. Ye Tian Yun wanted to arrange a room for them to stay in for the next few months.

    "Go, and prepare a room for these two. They will be staying in the Fang n for a long time." He said to the guard.

    Just as the guard was about to leave, Ye Tian Yun called back, "Wait."

    "Yes, Young Master?"

    "Prepare two double rooms. One for these two, and another for one more pair of friends who will visit us in future.".

    The guard nodded his head and went to arrange the two rooms.

    Ye Tian Yun returned to the Guest Hall and staring at the duo in front of him. He said, "I have made arrangements for you two. We will stay here for some months."

    Zheng Xiang frowned, "I could have stayed in a tavern. Why create trouble for yourself."

    Ye Tian Yun waved his hand, "It''s alright, don''t worry too much. The n is big, and I at least have the power to create room for you guys."

    "For both of us?" Bai Qing''er frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "yeah, wait, you will be staying here, right?"

    Bai Qing''er shook her head, "No, I need to get back to the Sect. I can''t just leave my master; too many things are still unresolved in the Sect."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian YUn scratched his chin, "Anything personal? If not, you can share. Maybe I could help you out."

    Bai Qing''er shrugged, "Nothing much; it''s just Senior Sister Yuan Shuchun."

    ''Yuan Shuchunˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun''s eyes twitched.

    That girl sure is a troublemaker.

    "What did she do?"

    Bai Qing''er shrugged, "She didn''t do anything yet, but she''s jealous of me and has a great dislike against me."

    "Huh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "She didn''t do anything, but you think she''s jealous? Are you sure?"

    Bai Qing''er nodded, "I am hundred percent sure. Believe it or not, I am very good at judging people, especially their feelings against me. And all I can see from Senior Sister Yuan is jealousy and dislike."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed, "That''s a weird talentˇ­."

    "It is," Bai Qing''er gave a wry smile, "Unfortunately, it doesn''t work on everyone."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Did it work on Zheng Xiang?"

    "Of course," Bai Qing''er smiled, "Why do you think I am still with him if I hadn''t feltfortable."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "True. But, sister-inw, what does your intuition tell you about me?"

    "Wha-what did you just call me?" Bai Qing''er looked at Ye Tian Yun with an incredulous expression; as for Zheng Xiang, he spurted out the wine that he was drinking.

    "Cough-cough," Zheng Xiang cleared his throat and said, "Brother Fang, we are justˇ­ friends."

    "Just friends?" Ye Tian Yun smiled and shook his head.

    Bai Qing''er slightly frowned but didn''t say anything.

    Ye Tian Yun did notice some sadness and disappointment in her eyes, but he wasn''t nning to pursue this topic any further, "Forget about that. Answer my question."

    Bai Qing''er frowned and said, "Honestly, for some unknown reason, my intuition doesn''t work against you."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "What do you mean?"

    "I can''t tell what you think about me."

    "Woah?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "That''s unexpected."

    Bai Qing''er nodded, "I was also surprised. But before you feel special, let me tell you that you''re not the only one whose thoughts are hard to understand."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Who else?"

    "Do you know Xiao Ming? I met him at the Heavenly League''s banquet. There isn''t much impression, but I do remember that I wasn''t able to see through his thoughts."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised at the mention of Xiao Ming.

    ''That was unexpectedˇ­.''

    "Anyone else?"

    "Yeah. There''s Gao Xuan too. He''s also hard to understand."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Really? That''s pretty weird."

    "Yes," Bai Qing''er nodded.

    Zheng Xiang suddenly asked, "Howe your intuition works against me? I thought we had a special bond."

    Bai Qing''er shrugged, "Didn''t you just say we''re just friends."

    "Yeah... I mean, that was justˇ­-"

    "It''s just intuition," Ye Tian Yun interrupted, "Don''t think too much. Intuitions are not always right, and you don''t feel them every time."

    Bai Qing''er wanted to say something, but Zheng Xiang replied before her.

    "Yeah, I told her this, but she doesn''t listen."

    Just then -

    "Young Master, the rooms are prepared."

    The guard had returned.

    "That was pretty fast," Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er were surprised.

    It had only been a few minutes when the guard left, and the rooms were ready.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Let''s go to your room. You guys need some rest."

    Bai Qing''er nodded and helped Zheng Xiang get up.

    Ye Tian Yun slightly frowned and gave thetter a pill.

    "Here, take this right now."

    Zheng Xiang nodded and popped the pill in his mouth before asking, "What was that pill for?"

    "Poison."

    "What!?"

    "Just kidding. It will help you recover from your fatigue. But you should still take some time to rest and recover naturally."

    "Oh. Thank you, and don''t scare me like that."

    Ye Tian YUn smirked at this, "Maybe if you ask before what the pill is before you eat it."

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "You gave the pill, I don''t doubt you."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "That''s not what I mean. When your mother cooks a new dish, why do you ask what it is? Because she may have poisoned it or because you''re curious."

    Zheng Xiang''s expression dimmed, but he still replied, "I would still eat it before asking."

    Ye Tian Yun was about to say something, but he suddenly noticed a death re from Bai Qing''er.

    ''Hm? What did I do now?''

    ''Oh wait... did I just give him an example of his mother?''

    ''Damn my insensitive mouthˇ­.''

    ...

    A/n: Madam Xin will be called Madam Fang from now on so as not to confuse her with another character.

 Chapter 518 - 518 | Mothers Care

    "Why is there only one room?"

    Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er asked at once.

    Ye Tian Yun replied in a matter of factly manner, "Why would you need two? This one had a huge bed. Do you guys want to y on the bed?"

    "Wha-what- what are you saying?" Bai Qing''er suddenly got flustered.

    Even Zheng Xiang looked at Ye Tian Yun from up to down, and then, putting his hand on thetter''s forehead, he said, "You don''t have a fever, but then why have you be so dense?"

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun was confused.

    ''Aren''t you guys in a rtionship? Why the fuck are you acting so much?''

    "I didn''t hear clearly, but you did tell the guard to prepare two rooms, right?" Bai Qing''er asked.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, but that''s for Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu.".

    "Hmph! We will see when theye," Bai Qing''er stormed to the other room without waiting for any response.

    "Don''t you want to stay in one room?" Ye Tian Yun called from behind, confused

    "I don''t stay close to ''just friends'', hmph!" Bai Qing''er''s instantly replied.

    An awkward silence prevailed between Ye Tian Yun and Zheng Xiang for some moments before the former cleared his throat and asked, "Brother Zheng, do you know when Jun Xie might arrive?"

    Zheng Xiang shook his head, "I am sorry, but I don''t know anything about the happenings in the sect. I don''t even remember what I was doing in thest two months."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and put his right hand on Zheng Xiang''s shoulders, "Things may not get back the same, but this is your turn to adapt and grow. The enemy is still atrge; we have a long way to go."

    "Yes, Brother Fang."

    A few minutester, Fang Chen returned to his room, but before he entered, he asked the guard to call Fang Chen''s mother, Xin Xue Yan, about something important.

    ''Let''s clear one thing first.''

    Because of the unexpected arrival of Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er, he had almost forgotten that he was currently acting as an amnesiac. This was, in fact, not negligence; rather, he did it on purpose.

    ''This is my chance to show some recovery.''

    Ye Tian Yun wanted to leave the house in Fang Chen''s disguise to understand the Capital City better, but for that, he needed to show signs of recovery.

    Using Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er as scapegoats, he will show slight recovery of his memory to Madam Fang.

    It won''t be long before he would be able to leave the house from the main exit instead of jumping over a wall.

    Knock-knock

    "I aming in."

    A woman''s serene voice called out from outside.

    "Yeah," Ye Tian YUn replied as Madam Fang, Xin Xue Yan, entered his room.

    "What happened, son?" She asked with concern written all over her face, "Is everything alright?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "yes, in fact, it''s better. If you haven''t heard yet, some of my friends from the Gracious Sword Sect havee to visit me."

    "Oh?" Madam Fang smiled, "Were you able to recognize them?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "At the beginning, it was a bit of a problem, but after some exchange, I remembered a lot of things."

    "Oh! That''s great!" A huge smile formed on Madam Fang''s face, "This is good news; my son will be able to recover soon!"

    "Yes," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Maybe a day or two more before I am ready to head out."

    "Head out?" Madam Fang frowned, "Absolutely not!"

    "Huh? Why?"

    "Fang Chen, even if you recover right now, I will not allow you to go out for another week. You need some rest."

    "But-"

    "No buts. There will be no more discussion on this."

    Ye Tian Yun facepalmed himself andid back on the bed.

    Madam Fang rolled back her eyes, "No need to overreact; I will not change my mind."

    "Alright, alright." Ye Tian Yun begrudgingly agreed.

    Madam Fang smiled, "Son, it''s for your own good. And because of the news of your marriage going public tomorrow, it''s best if you stay in the n for some time. Don''t forget you will be the center of attention for the whole Capital city."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is there really no other way? Can''t we postpone the marriage for a few months? I just turned sixteen. Who gets married at my age?"

    Madam Fang smiled, "Don''t act like a girl. Son, marriage is important for not only the Gao n but also for the Fang n."

    "Our n might seem powerful and intimidating from outside, but it''s a hollow shell. We need the Gao n as much as they need us."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "So you chose to sacrifice me?"

    "Sacrifice you?" Madam Fang frowned, "Those are harsh words, Son. You are not a sacrifice. Rather, this marriage is insurance for you. Also, thatss from the Gao n is a very virtuous girl. I am sure she will keep you in check."

    "What is that supposed to mean?"

    "Hmph! Don''t think just because you havee back from the sect I will forgive you for your deeds in this city."

    Ye Tian Yun gave a wry smile, "I have grown nowˇ­."

    ''Fuck you, Fang Chen.''

    "Anyway," Madam Fang suddenly said, "You need to get ready. The Gao n''s n head, Gao Kang, will visit youter in the evening. Try not to disappoint him."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    "I will go back now. Don''t pressure yourself too much. We''re in no hurry for you to remember everything. I don''t want you to harm your mental state in all this."

    Ye Tian YUn smiled and nodded, "Don''t worry, I will be alright."

    "Hm, you better be." Madam Fang stood up and said, "I will leave now. If you need anything, just tell the guard. Or you can also call for me."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and closed his eyes.

    *Click*

    Madam Fang closed the door after she left the room.

    Inside, Ye Tian Yun covered his face with a hand and let out a sigh.

    ''I need to set up everything before Wang Yao enters the Capital City. Where the fuck is Jun Xie?''

 Chapter 519 - 519 | Upper Heavens Prepares For The Enemy

    Unknown location, Upper Heavens.

    A group of ck-robed men was sitting on a round table, but one of them was in a red robe.

    Each of them had a number marked on their shoulders.

    The one in the red robe has the least number, indicating his higher authority.

    The number was 8.

    While the others were 16, 24, 32 and so on, till 96.

    Total of twelve individuals on the table. And they were currently in an argument..

    "Let''s attack right now!" One of them called out loud, "Why should we wait for them?"

    "No. We have already discussed this, and it''s not a good idea." Another person retorted, "You''re new to this group; you don''t understand the situation."

    "I am new!?" The person earlier felt offended, "I have been here for fifteen goddamn years!"

    "That''s still not enough."

    "How is that not enough?"

    Just then, someone besides the red-robed man waved his hand and gestured the two to shut up.

    "Number 32, Number 56. This meeting is not here for your arguments. But yeah, what number 56 said is right. 32, you''re still inexperienced."

    "Why is everyone still saying this, 16?" Number 32 frowned, "I have done the highest number of missions than anyone else in this room."

    The one sitting beside the red-robed man was number 16. He was clearly the second-inmand.

    He replied, "32, it''s not the missions that matter. Let me be direct here. Do you know who was number 32 before you joined this group fifteen years ago?"

    "It was you," Number 16 shrugged, "But you got promoted."

    "And why was I promoted? Where''s my predecessor?" Number 16 frowned.

    Number 32 shook his head, "I never asked anyone, so I don''t know."

    "That''s why you''re still a rookie in everyone''s eyes here," Number 16 replied, "Thest Number 16 was killed by the enemy. And I reced him. But because wecked one person, we recruited you. And it was a coincidence that you ranked fourth and got my position, the number 32."

    "Oh?" Number 32 frowned, "But that still doesn''t help me understand why I am still inexperienced."

    "If you survive the next mission, you will be acknowledged by everyone." Someone else replied.

    Everyone on the table turned towards the source of the voice.

    It was the red-robed person, the Number 8.

    "Young Lord, what do you mean?" Number 32 asked, "What''s the next mission?"

    "You will know soon," Number 8 replied, "For now, just know that the next mission enemy will be the strongest and most ruthless enemy you have ever encountered. That''s why I hope you survive; in fact, I hope everyone on this tablees back alive."

    "Everyone?" Number 32''s voice expressed his shock, "Everyone is taking part in this mission? Even you, young Lord? Who is this enemy? I don''t think anyone in the Upper Heavens could make all of us feel threatened unless they are from the other eight teams. I hope we''re not fighting our own men."

    "No, we''re not. And yes, you said it right. No one in the Upper Heavens can make all of us act together unless they are from our pce. But I didn''t say the enemy is from the Upper Heavens."

    "Not from the Upper Heavens?" Everyone on the table looked at each other. Some were confused, but most of them were shocked.

    Even Number 16, who was sitting beside the Young Lord, frowned.

    "Young Lord, the enemy is from the ''that'' ce!?" Number 32 almost jumped in shock.

    "No," YOung Lord shook his head, "We''re not at the level to get a mission from ''that'' ce. The enemy is from the Middle Heavens."

    "Middle Heavens?" Number 32 was confused, "Is it Emperor Ye? I don''t think there''s anyone else who can make us all act together."

    "Hmph!" Number 16 snorted, "32, that''s why everyone still calls you a rookie. The person we''re targeting this time is from the Middle Heavens. No, he''s not Emperor Ye, and no, he''s not the person who killed thest Number 16 - even though both of these people are different."

    "What? Then who?" Number 32 asked in confusion.

    "It''s their subordinate. We have received intel that the Great Ye Corps is assembling once again. Our target is their Commander - Thunder Monarch Liu Lei."

    "Oh? I have heard of him, but I was very young at that time," Number 32 scratched his chin, "Is he really that strong?"

    "He''s strong," The Young Lord nodded his head, "We might be the subordinates of the most powerful person, but that doesn''t mean we can look down on the strength of others. And everyone in this room has once exchanged some moves with the Thunder Monarch, except you, of course."

    "How is he so powerful when he''s from the Middle Heavens?" Number 32 frowned.

    The Young Lord smiled, "He''s not from the Middle Heavens. He was once the Young Master of Liu n."

    "Liu n?" Number 32 pursed his lips, "Are you talking about ''the Liu n''?"

    "Yes," Young Lord smiled.

    "Butˇ­ isn''t thatˇ­." Number 32 nced awkwardly at others.

    "Yes." The Young Lord smiled, "We both are from the same n, and Thunder Monarch Liu Lie is my Uncle."

    "Whyˇ­ did he be a subordinate of Emperor Ye then?" Number 32 frowned.

    The Young Lord shrugged, "We don''t know."

    Number 32 asked, "What is his cultivation realm?"

    "We don''t know. But fifteen years ago, he was at your level."

    "At my level?" Number 32 frowned, "Isn''t thatˇ­ too low? I mean, I am not one of the top guys around here."

    "Yes," The Young Lord nodded his head, "But that was fifteen years ago for him, and it''s current for you."

    Number 32 frowned, "How powerful could he have gotten by now? I don''t think we should be afraid of him. Middle Heavens doesn''t have as good an environment as this ce."

    The Young Lord nodded, "Indeed. But don''t forget that it''s the same ce Emperor Ye came from, and there''s only one person in the whole Upper Heavens who can suppress Emperor Ye."

    Number 32 pursed his lips, "Isn''t it because of the Emblem Of Chaos? I have read a small report on Emperor Ye; it did mention the Emblem Of Chaos."

    "It''s not the Emblems or Tokens that created him. Every generation gets those Tokens and Emblems. Why do you think there''s only one Emperor Ye? And don''t forget that he didn''t even be the Heavenly Emperor."

    "Why?" Number 32 asked.

    "You will know if you ever get the chance to wear a red robe." The Young Lord smiled, "The past isn''t muchplicated, but it''s above your pay grade."

    Turning his head towards the other, the Young Lord paused for a moment before continuing, "Let''s focus on the main agenda. The Great Ye Corps ising to the Upper Heavens. Our mission is to know the reason behind their arrival and also make this ce their grave."

    "How many people areing?" Number 72 asked.

    "Current status says forty-one people areing. But we still don''t know the exact number."

    "Forty-one?" Number 72 was surprised, "Isn''t that a lot? We might need back up."

    The Young Lord shook his head, "We won''t have any backup."

    "Hm? Why Young Lord?"

    "We''re the backup."

    "Weˇ­ are the backup?"

    "Yes."

    "Thenˇ­ who''s in the frontlines?"

    "It''s the top three," Young Lord replied, "The three most powerful teams will take the front lines. We will provide the backup."

    "Woah!"

    Everyone else at the table was surprised.

    "This is the first time I will be going as back up," Number 32 replied with a raised eyebrow."

    "Let''s hope it''s not thest," The Young Lord replied, "We may be the backup, but let me tell you one thing beforehand - we will be taking part in the battle."

    "How?" Number 40 asked.

    "Simple, the top three won''t be enough. The enemy is beyond whatever you are assuming. I am pretty sure you guys understand this face very well."

    Everyone on the table nodded their heads.

    "Is there anyone other than the Thunder Monarch we need to worry about?" Number 32 asked.

    "Yes," The Young Lord replied, "No one among the enemy is cannon fodder. From what my big brother had told me, the least powerful of them can sit on this table."

    "Ohˇ­" Number 32 pursed his lips, "So, what''s the n?"

    Young Lord frowned, "Current information says they will arrive here within the next seven days. We need to know their objective; that''s why we will be first observing them."

    "Our team won''t be taking part in the observation, but in the second phase. The second phase is the ambush. The top three teams will ambush them, and we will be the backup."

    "Why don''t we go ambush first and interrogate them?" Number 32 frowned.

    Young Lord shook his head, "You underestimate their loyalty. They are more loyal than Sleeper Cells."

    "Really?" Number 32 was surprised.

    Number 16 suddenlyughed at him, "Did you really not study about the Great Ye Corps?"

    Number 32 shrugged, "They didn''t feel much of a threat to me. I am more focused on the ''that'' ce."

    Young Lord let out a sigh, "You should never underestimate your enemy. I am half your age, but I know this."

    Number 32 shrugged, "Being too cautious can also backfire. Sometimes, we just need to be confident in our own abilities."

    Young Lord smiled but didn''t say anything. He turned towards the group and said, "We will leave in three days and prepare for the ambush. Our target is anyone whoes from the Middle Heavens. Even if it''s Emperor Ye himself."

 Chapter 520 - 520 | New Plan

    Fang Chen''s Courtyard, Fang n, Xin Kingdom. Lower Heavens.

    ''By the time Jun Xie arrives, I should focus on making arrangements for my first target.''

    Ye Tian Yun thought as he sat at a table in the room.

    It was still the second day since he had arrived in the Capital City, and the sun was about to set on the western horizon.

    ''Even though Prime Minister Fang has said that he will make arrangements for me to enter the war, I want to be in the right ce at the right timeˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin and began to assess the future.

    ''If I remember correctly, it was this war which gave God''s Legion their first recognition.''.

    ''My circumstances are a bit special, so I won''t be able to replicate their exact n, but I can still use the gist of it.''

    He closed his eyes and appeared in front of Wang Yao.

    "What happened?" Wang Yao opened his eyes and asked.

    Ye Tian Yun sat down beside him, "I need to ask something about the war. Earlier I nned to join the Crown Prince''s camp and create a path for myself to reach the Northern Battlefield three months from now."

    "But it seems that will be useless and might even backfire since Prime Minister Fang Yuan is backing me in this war."

    "Hm," Wang Yao nodded, "That''s true. If you y the wrong move, you might get abandoned by both camps. Prime Minister Fang Yuan doesn''t wish to see you in the Crown Prince''s camp, and if the Crown Prince knows about Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s push for you to be a leader in the army, he might oppose this notion and think that you''re trying to double-cross him."

    "Yes," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "That''s why I am nning to do something that the God''s Legion did in thest stages of the war."

    "Hm?" Wang Yao frowned for a moment before his eyes opened wide in shock, "Are youˇ­ are you out of your mind?"

    Ye Tian YUn shrugged, "This is the best way I got."

    "Are you nning to build ''that''?" Wang Yao asked again, doubting his own thoughts.

    Ye Tian Yun slowly nodded his head, "You''re not getting it wrong. We''re on the same page here."

    "Ye Tian Yunˇ­ have you gone senile?" Wang Yao frowned, "Do you know how much time you have in your hands?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment before replying, "At least two months, utmost three."

    "That means sixty days, Ye Tian Yun." Wang Yao shook his head, "These are not enough."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Do you have any better ideas?"

    "No, but you need to think of a simpler solution," Wang Yao frowned, "Do you know how much it took the God''s Legion to create ''that'' thing?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Seven months."

    "Exactly. Seven months, Ye Tian Yun, Seven goddamn months." Wang Yao pursed his lips, "And the God''s Legion was in a way better position than you''re."

    Ye Tian Yn nodded, "But theycked one thing."

    "What?"

    "Gao n."

    "Gao n?"

    "Yes. Theycked the support of the Gao n. The God''s Legion was in the Crown Prince''s camp - and both Gao n and Fang n were in the opposite camp."

    "What are you trying to say?" Wang Yao frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I thought you would be aware of this incident. The reason why it took seven months is not that the work is hard, rather, because there wasn''t any ce to start working."

    "Oh, yeah, I don''t remember much about Wang Yao''s time in the Lower Heavens because I was heavily injured and still integrating with the Emblem of Time at that time, but I do remember him being very agitated during those months."

    "Exactly," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It''s the Nightcrawler Surveince Network, the NSN, that controls the informationwork, but even they only found out about this whole situation when it was toote."

    "The Goa n''s main power is real estate. They control loads ofndmass, especially up in the north. Wang Yao tried very hard to get a piece of thend, and in the end, it was only because he reached an agreement with Gao Xuan he was able to get the piece ofnd he wanted."

    "Yes," Wang Yao nodded, "I have a feeling as if I know about this, but I can''t remember anything."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Doesn''t matter. I know enough for us to get started with this. Our first objective is to get that piece ofnd and have the people ready."

    "Are you going to talk with Gao Xuan?" Wang Yao frowned.

    "No," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "That will be a waste of time. Gao Xuan isn''t the center of the n just yet. It''s his father I need to focus on."

    Wang Yao frowned, "Gao Kang."

    "Yes. n Head Gao Kang will be the key for us. Once we get thend, we will start focusing on the next step."

    "Ye Tian Yun," Wang Yun frowned, "Is there really no other way? Two months are not enough to prepare ''that''."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t worry about that. Gao Xuan will help me in that process."

    "Oh?" Wang Yao frowned, "That person is quite shrewd and is always two steps ahead of others. How are you going to bargain with him? You give him an offer. He will make a counteroffer."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I understand that, but we have no other choice. As you just said, we only have two months. If Gao Xuan doesn''t agree, I will use some other tactics."

    Wang Yao smirked, "good luck. But since my life also depends on yours, I will give you a fair warning that your words are very ignorant. Gao Xuan is not someone you should underestimate. He had brains, connections, and most of all - power."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Don''t worry, he has not reached the level where I can consider him a threat. There''s still a long way to go for him."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "You do you. Are you nning to act tonight?"

    "No, not tonight."

    "Then?"

    "Right now."

    "Right now?"

    "Yes, I will go right now."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "Don''t forget you''re in someone''s disguise who now has amnesia and is heavily injured. How''s the situation outside, huh? Have they allowed you to go outside?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No, they haven''t, but I put my whole afternoon into adjusting my nning. I won''t stop no matter what they say."

    "Oh?" Wang Yao smiled, "Your call, dude. If possible, keep the consciousness open. I would like to witness the event."

    Ye Tian YUn smiled and stood up, "No. You stay here in the darkness."

    "What? You bastar- fuck, don''t run away!"

    Before Wang Yao could react, Ye Tian Yun had already left his consciousness and found himself back in the room upon opening his eyes.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the door with a light smile and began to reverse-count from ten to one.

    ''Ten''

    ''Nine''

    ''Eight''

    .

    .

    .

    ''Three''

    ''Two''

    .

    Knock-knock!

    "Youngmaster, I am Ao Jia. You wanted to meet me."

    It was a familiar voice.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Come in."

    After Ye Tian Yun''s response, the door was pushed open, and a young man in Fang n Gaurd robes walked into the room.

    The same guard whom Ye Tian Yun had met earlier today while visiting Prime Minister Fang Yuan.

    "Yes, Young Master?" Ao Jia slightly bowed.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Well, you will be my guide for the next few days. Go and prepare a carriage; we''re heading out."

    "Heading out?" Ao Jia frowned, "Young Master, Madam has said not to let you go out unless you get healed."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Don''t argue back. When I ask you a question, reply in three words - Yes, Young, Master."

    Ao Jia pursed his lips, "But-"

    "Alright, stop," Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Go back to your duty. I will look for someone else who''s willing to take a slight risk for promotion."

    rms went off in Ao Jia''s head as soon as he heard the word promotion.

    "Young Master, the carriage will be here in two minutes."

    Without waiting for Ye Tian Yun''s response, he ran off outside.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the exit speechlessly, "Here? Why do I feel like he''s literally nning to bring the carriage in here?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and stood up.

    Coming out of the room, he headed in the direction which Ao Jia went - the stables.

    Ye Tian YUn wanted to leave the n premise before the Fang Couple got wind of it.

    They would never allow him to exit the n premises, but it was important for him to leave in Fang Chen''s disguise.

    ''I just hope there isn''t much trouble.''

    He continued to stride towards the stables.

    But just as he had taken a few steps, someone called behind.

    "Fang Chen!? What are you doing outside?"

    Ye Tian Yun paused for a moment and increased his pace.

    "Hey! Hey! Come back here, you brat!" The voice got a bit louder, and Ye Tian Yun could feel footsteps getting closer.

    He knew who the owner of the voice was, but he didn''t wish to waste any time.

    He may have stopped if it was either of the Fang Couple, but the voice belonged to a young man.

    Ye Tian Yun had heard the voice when he had faked being unconscious after entering the Fang n.

    The voice belonged to none other than Fang Chen''s cousin, Fang Yunru.

    And just as Ye Tian Yun was about to turn around a corner, a hand pressed on his shoulder.

    "Fang Chen, you''re to stop right now, or I will be forced to bring you in front of Uncle and Aunt."

 Chapter 521 - 521 | Unexpected Partner

    Ye Tian Yun paused and slowly turned around.

    Pretending to be surprised, he said, "Ah, it''s Cousin Yunru, what happened?"

    Fang Yunru frowned, "Why are you not in your room?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I was just roaming around to get some fresh air."

    Fang Yunru shook his head, "Xiao Chen, don''t act smart in front of me. You''re going in the direction of stables. The only thing you will smell there is horse shit."

    "Uhˇ­" Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and replied, "It''s still better than poking your nose and smelling someone else''s business."

    Fang Yunru narrowed his eyes, "Brat, is this the way you talk to your elder brother?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Fang Yunru, I need to go, so let''s have an in-depth discussionter on how I should talk to you."

    Without waiting for a response, Ye Tian Yun turned around and headed for the stables.

    Fang Yunru narrowed his eyes and called out from behind, "Just you wait!"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and continued to head towards the stables.

    It took him some time to reach the stables because he didn''t wish to by seen by anyone else.

    The stables were the ce where the servants kept all carriages and Ferghana Horses of the Fang n.

    This was also the ce where Ye Tian Yun was going to encounter the most number of guards.

    But he didn''t need to worry anymore.

    There was a direct passageway from the stables to get to the exit of the Fang n.

    Ye Tian Yun now simply needed to enter his carriage, and then no one would be able to stop him from leaving the carriage.

    He came out from the hallway and headed towards the stables.

    Noticing his sudden appearance, the guards were caught off guard and fumbled into standing in a straight posture.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t bother with them and headed straight inside.

    "Greeting, Young Master."

    Even though Ye Tian Yun hadn''t said anything, the guards greeted him on their own.

    Ye Tian Yun simply nodded and continued forward with constant pace.

    Just as he had taken about five steps inside, he heard a guard''s whisper, "What happened to the Young Masters today? Is there something important in the stables?"

    Another guard shrugged, "There''s only horseshit. And keep your voice lower. Your tongue will one day get you in big trouble."

    The third guard suddenly said, "Maybe they are ying hide and seek?"

    "..."

    "..."

    ˇ­

    In the stables, Ye Tian Yun was able to overhear the conversation and couldn''t help but frown, ''Young Masters? Hide and seek?''

    ''Did someone else alsoe here?''

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was thinking, he suddenly noticed a familiar back standing near a carriage.

    It was the guard named Ao Jia who had gone ahead to prepare the carriage.

    Hearing footsteps, thetter turned around and was surprised, "Young Master, you are also here?"

    "Also?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Who else is here?"

    Ao Jia covered his mouth, thinking he spoke too much, and pointed at the carriage.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and went inside.

    "Youˇ­"

    He was surprised to see the person who was sitting inside the carriage.

    It was none other than Second Young Master Fang Yunru.

    "What are you doing here?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I thought you would go and tell them."

    The ''them'' were, of course, the Fang Couple.

    Fang yunru narrowed his eyes and said, "Xiao Chen, you should keep one thing in mind - I ain''t a snitch. And anyway, I am just here to keep an eye on you. This is the worst time to create trouble in the Capital City, even worse if you are going to visit those gambling dens."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I am not going there, so you don''t need to worry about anything. It''s better if you focus on cultivation. It''s bad for the future if one getscent of his potential."

    Fang Yunru smiled, "I am not going back. I will go wherever you go, Xiao

    Chen."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, and poking his head out of the carriage, he gestured to Ao Jia to move the carriage.

    "Where are we heading, Young Master?" Ao Jia asked Ye Tian Yun while feeling a death stare from the other side of the carriage.

    "Gao n."

    "Gao n? You meanˇ­"

    "Are there more than one Gao ns?"

    "No, there''s only one."

    "Then what''s the matter? I did say I want you to hurry."

    "Yes. yes!"

    Ao Jia sat at the front beside the carriage driver and then instructed thetter to headwords the destination.

    Inside the carriage, Fang Yunru stared at Ye Tian Yun for a long time.

    But Ye Tian Yun was in no mood to entertain him, so he remained quiet, analyzing the chips he had in his hand for what he was about to do.

    Once the carriage was out of the n, Fang Yunru finally couldn''t hold back and asked, "Why are you not saying anything, Xiao Chen? Why are we going to the Gaos?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You didn''t ask. And you will know soon."

    Fang Yunru rubbed his face, "Fang Chen."

    "Hm?"

    "What is going on?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Don''t act like a stranger, Fang Chen. Why are you acting like I am your enemy?"

    "Maybe because you''re poking your nose in my business?"

    "Your business?" Fang Yunru frowned, "Have you considered your own condition? What''s the hurry to visit the Gao n? I have never seen you visit that n much."

    "Oh," Fang Chen pursed his lips, "Well, there''s always a first time for everything."

    "Is there any specific reason?" Fang Yunru asked again.

    "Yes."

    "Will that create trouble for you?"

    "Maybe."

    "Then let''s head back."

    "No."

    "Why?"

    "This visit is very important."

    Fang Yunru let out a sigh upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s response, after a pause, he said, "Xiao Chen, I don''t want to know why are you visiting the Gao''s, but there''s one thing you need to consider - Your reputation and the trouble you will get into once you get back home."

 Chapter 522 - 522 | Madam Fangs Faith

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I have already taken note of that."

    "That''s good then," Fang Yunru pursed his lips, "I just don''t want you to get into big trouble. The undercurrents of the political scene were too much right now. Your one mistake might affect Uncle''s ns."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I understand."

    "I hope so."

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly said, "I forgot to ask, how did you reach the carriage before me?"

    Fang Yunru smirked, "Who told you to take the longest route? Not to forget, I am sure you were hiding from the guards and other nsmen too."

    "Ohˇ­ hmm," Ye Tian Yun slightly nodded..

    The carriage turned quiet as both of them turned silent.

    However, the Fang n was already in chaos.

    Young MAster Fang Chen had left the n.

    EVeryone knew that he was heavily injured, and Madam Fang had even warned the guards to not let him leave the n.

    But things happened too suddenly, and Fang Chen had left the n in a carriage.

    "What were you doing!?" Even Prime Minister Fang was angered. He had just returned from the Royal Pce and was very tired after a whole day''s work.

    And now Fang Chen has left the n.

    The gatekeeper guards were standing in the middle of the main hall, trembling.

    "Master, theyˇ­ heˇ­ Young Masterˇ­"

    "God damn, say something that makes sense!" Fang Yuan''s loud voice resounded in the hall.

    Much less the guards, not even the Elders had the ability to face Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s fury.

    In fact, in the whole Capital City, only two people could face angered Fang Yuan.

    And one of them just entered the main hall.

    "He really is not in his room," A worried voice entered everyone''s ears as they sensed approaching footsteps.

    FanG Yuan calmed down and looked at the front as Madam Fang entered the Main Hall.

    The maids behind her stopped outside.

    "I have sent some guards to find him," Fang Yuan assured her.

    Madam Fang had a worried expression, "What happened all of a sudden? How could the guards let him leave? Didn''t I tell Head Guard Shihong?"

    Fang Yuan pointed at the group of guards standing between them, "Ask him yourself."

    Madam Fang nced at the guards and found Head Guard Shihong at the center; with a frown, she asked, "What happened? I thought I was very clear in my instructions."

    "Madam, it was my fault." Head Guard Shihong bowed, "The carriage belonged to Young Master Fang Yunru, so I didn''t check it throughout."

    "Yunru?" Madam Fang frowned, "Is he with Fang Chen?"

    "Yes, MAdam," Head Guard Shihong nodded his head, "Young Master Fang Yunru poked his head out of the carriage. This is why I didn''t check the carriage."

    "Hm," Madam Fang''s expression calmed out, "So, Yunru is with him. Sigh, he will handle the situation."

    Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Where were they heading?"

    "Gao n."

    "Where?"

    "Master, Gao n."

    "Gao nˇ­?" The fang Couple stared at each other with an incredulous expression.

    ''That brat is trying to cancel the engagement!?''

    The same thought shed in their minds.

    Fang Yuan shook his head and rose from the ground, "I need to interfere in this personally."

    The elders in the main hall were shocked by this.

    They had no idea about the engagement; this is why they felt it was too much for Prime Minister Fang to go out and bring back Fang Chen by himself.

    Most of them weren''t worried much because the Second Young Master was with Fang Chen, but Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s reaction was a bit unexpected.

    Just as Fang Yuan was about to fly off, MAdam Fang interrupted, "No, wait."

    "What?" Fang Yuan frowned.

    "Let him be."

    "What? Do you know what you are saying?"

    "I know. But it''s his life. If he''s willing to go out even in such a condition, it''s best if you don''t stop him."

    "Whatˇ­ what are you saying?" Fang Yuan was still in the air, "Don''t you know why we''re doing this in the first ce? Is it not all for him?"

    Madam Fang frowned, "Let him make the decision himself. Whatever the oue, I will support my son. And if you go outside, don''t expect to see me."

    "What?" FanG Yuannded on the surface, "What are you saying? Are you really going to allow him?"

    Madam Fang pursed her lips, "I have made myself very clear."

    Fang Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

    "Alright, alright, alright. But if he messes up everything and gets in trouble, I won''t be saving his ass this time."

    Madam Fang nodded, "Let this be a lesson for him."

    Fang Yuan frowned, "Also, send him to me once he''s back."

    Madam Fang smiled, "I will."

    Prime minister Fang Yuan took a deep breath and let out a sigh, "Let''s hope Yunru can stop Chen''er from acting recklessly."

    ˇ­

    Unaware of themotion in the Fang n, Fang Yunru''s carriage was now getting closer to the Gao n.

    Inside, Fang Yunru and Ye Tian Yun had been silent for most of the way.

    Just then, a voice called out from outside.

    "Young MAsters, we have reached the Purple Spring Market. We will enter the Gao n soon."

    It was Ao Jia''s voice.

    Fang Yunru nced at Ye Tian Yun and said, "Xiao Chen, I just want to get one thing clear?"

    "Oh?" Ye Tian YUn turned his head towards him, "And that is?"

    Fang Yunru took a light breath and leaned forward.

    Slowly he whispered, asking, "Fang Chen, tell me that you''re not going to the Gao n to break off your engagement?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled upon hearing this, "It will depend on what the Gao n thinks."

    "What do you mean?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "As I said, I will ask for some things, and the Gao n might choose to break off the engagement, or they might bring forward the date of marriage. It all depends on them.."

    "What?" Fang Yunru frowned, "What will you ask for?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Dowry."

 Chapter 523 - 523 | Meeting Gao Xuan Again

    The Gao n was one of the Big Four of the Capital City.

    Previously the most powerful n, it had lost its glory and had now dropped to the Fourth Position in thest two decades.

    The n was headed by Gao Kang - who was more of a businessman than a politician.

    But that doesn''t mean the Gao n doesn''t have political power. Rather, in its full glory, the Gao n was infamous for having ''puppet ministers'' in the Royal Court.

    It was only during these times that the Gao n had lost its grip due to their recent decline.

    However, their business had not faced many repercussions. Especially because their business was mainly real estate.

    The Gao n had control over the vast majority ofnds..

    In fact, in the Northern Province, if you pick any random mountain, there''s a high probability that it is owned by the Gaos.

    And one such range of mountains was what Ye Tian Yun had set his eyes on.

    As the Fang n''s carriage moved through the Purple Spring Street, it burned off heads, bing the center of attention.

    "Is this Fang n carriage?"

    "Yes, and from the looks of it, this carriage appears to be Second Young Master Fang Yunru''s carriage."

    "Second Young Master? Is he heading for the Purple Spring Garden?"

    "No, no, he is most probably heading towards the Gao n."

    "Gao n? What do you think he is visiting?"

    "Who knows? These nobles y their own game. Don''t poke your nose too much in their matter or you will lose your whole face."

    ˇ­

    The appearance of the carriage had already created amotion and it escted, even more, when the carriage didn''t continue on its way, rather it turned towards the main gate of the Gao n.

    Almost everyone at the scene was surprised and continued to stretch their neck out of curiosity.

    When the Carriage turned towards the Main Gate, the guards standing at the gates were also surprised.

    One of them immediately went inside to inform the butler and Second Young Master Gao Long.

    By the time the carriage had passed through the gates, Gao Long hade out of his manor and was standing to greet the guest.

    If it were usual days, or the guest was from some other n, he wouldn''t have bothered much.

    But the carriage was from the Fang n.

    His sister was going to be married into the Fang n.

    He had to show courtesy and put on a smile while greeting the guest.

    However, inwardly, he had his guard high, even though he was quite confused right now.

    He couldn''t think of any reason for Fang Yunru to visit their n, especially just one day before the big announcement.

    Staring at the ie carriage, he slowly whispered to Butler Nu beside him, "Please inform Father about this. I have a feeling we will need him for this meeting."

    "I will inform him right now, Young Master," Butler Nu nodded and went straight inside.

    Even though the Second Young Master of Gou n, Gao Long, had lost his cultivation and had fallen from his grace, the servants didn''t dare to mistreat him.

    He still held the same prestige in their eyes.

    While waiting for the carriage to stop, Gao Long suddenly thought of something and gestured to a guard toe.

    "Inform the Fourth Young Master about this."

    The Fourth Young Master was Gao Xuan.

    He was the youngest of all his siblings, but currently, he was at the front of the session race.

    Unlike other ns, Gao n didn''t worry too much about the session because there were no other rivals in front of Gao Xuan.

    He had two older brothers and one sister.

    The Eldest Young Master was no more in this world, the Second Young Master was now crippled in an ambush, the Third Miss was going to be married off.

    This left only the Fourth Young Master at the helm of the younger generation.

    Gao Long shook his head and removing unnecessary thoughts, he stepped forward.

    The carriage came to a halt and the gates were opened as someone stepped outside.

    However, it wasn''t the person who Gao Long was expecting.

    Rather, it was Fang Chen.

    Fang Chen smiled at him and cupped his fists.

    "Nice to meet you, Young Master Gao Long."

    "Ah," Gao Long smiled and greeted back, "Haha, didn''t expect to see you, how have you been? I heard you were injured? You should be resting, why did you take the trouble toe here?"

    Fang Chen replied with a smile, "I have something important to discuss with n Head Gao, and it''s a bit important."

    "Oh?" Gao Long was a bit taken aback, "Come in then. Did Fang Yunru alsoe with you?"

    "Yeah," Ye Tian Yun nodded, and pulled up the curtain.

    Fang Yunru stepped outside the carriage and simply nodded at Gao Long.

    Even though the current atmosphere was quite jovial, however, there was a hidden tension veiled all around it.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t care much about it and taking a good look at the Gao n Manor, he turned towards Gao Long and said, "Should we head inside? I wish to meet n Head Gao urgently."

    Gao Long lightly nodded his head, "Yeah, sure. Follow me."

    The three of them headed towards the Guest Hall under Gao Long''s lead.

    The Guest hall was avish room with seats arranged at the center and exquisite decorations all around the area.

    Gao Long gestured at Ye Tian Yun and Fang Yunru to take a seat and said, "You guys enjoy the wine, I will go and call my father."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded at him with a smile and took a seat.

    Fang Yunru also quietly sat beside him.

    As Gao Long left, Ye Tian Yun lightly nudged Fang Yunru''s arm with his and whispered, ''You two were rivals?''

    Fang Yunru shrugged, ''Short of. I will exin it to youter.''

    Just then, they heard approaching footsteps and soon someone entered the hall.

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head and saw someone familiar enter the room.

    He let out a slight smile and nodded at the person.

    Fang Yunru also smiled and cupped his fists, "How are you, Young Master Gao Xuan?"

    The person who had just entered was indeed Gao Xuan.

    Gao Xuan lightly nodded, "Ah, just the usual."

    Gao Xuan frowned at Ye Tian Yun, but thetter ignored him.

    "Have a seat, Brother Xuan," Fang Yunru said.

    "Yeah, of course," Gao Xuan nodded and took a seat opposite to them, and asked, "What happened? Is everything alright?"

    Fang Yunru reassured, "Nothing much, First Brother wanted to meet Uncle Gao."

    The First Brother here was of course Ye Tian Yun. Although in private Fang Yunru called him Xiao Chen, in front of others, he didn''t try to belittle him.

    Gao Xuan turned his head towards Ye Tian Yun and asked, "First Young Master Fang, is everything alright?"

    "Yes, everything''s alright." Ye Tian Yun nodded, acting as if nothing happened.

    Gao Xuan narrowed his eyes and asked, "Your injuries seem quite serious, you shouldn''t have left the Fang n."

    Before Ye Tian Yun could respond to this, Fang Yunru replied first.

    "Well, brother Xuan, if my elder brother wishes to leave the n, no one in the room can stop him."

    Gao Xuan shrugged, "I was just thinking why is First Young Master Fang acting as if I am a stranger."

    FanG yunru thought for a moment and asked, "Have you guys met earlier?"

    Gao Xuan nodded, "Yeah, I met him a few months ago."

    "Oh?" Fang Yunru narrowed his eyes, "Are you in the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    If this was true, then Fang Yunru had to inform his uncle about this as soon as possible. Gao Xuan was going to be the next n Head of the Gao n, and if he was a disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect, then both of these parties were sure to have close ties in the future.

    And this was going against Fang n''s interests since they were enemies with the Gracious Sword Sect.

    Gao Xuan had already seen through Fang Yunru''s thoughts as he smiled, "Well, I did visit the Gracious Sword Sect to meet a friend, but that was it. I got acquitted with the First Young Master Fang there."

    "Oh?" Fang Yunru frowned and nced at the silent Ye Tian Yun and said, "Well, you know about his injuries, right? He is still in the recovering process."

    "Yeah, I guess." Gao Xuan nodded.

    Just then Ye Tian Yun suddenly smiled and said, "Or maybe I am ignoring this guy."

    Both Gao Xuan and Fang Yunru frowned at Ye Tian Yun.

    Fang Yunru was confused, while Gao Xuan didn''t show any reaction. It was as if he didn''t care much.

    Ye Tian Yun already knew about this.

    Everyone here was acting. No one was genuinely trying to act sincere.

    The Gao n hated the Fang n.

    Not only thetter had been the main reason behind Gao n''s decline, the Gao n highly suspected that the ambush which crippled Gao Long was organized by the Fang n.

    This suspicion was not a secret. Everyone in the Capital City knew about this.

    How could Ye Tian Yun think that the Gao''s were happy with his visit?

    Just then, footsteps echoed and two people entered the Guest Hall.

    The three youngsters stood up.

    While Gao Xuan quietly stepped back, Ye Tian Yun and Fang Chen cupped their fists.

    "n Head Gao."

    "Uncle Gao."

    n Head Gao Kang narrowed his eyes at Ye Tian Yun and then, noticing Gao Xuan, he frowned and said, "What are you doing here? Go back to your courtyard."

    Gao Xuan lowered his gaze and left the room.

    Gao Long gave a reassuring nce at thetter but didn''t say anything.

    This small exchange made both Ye Tian Yun and Fang Yunru frown.

    ''This is interesting.''

 Chapter 524 - 524 | Fallout

    Ye Tian Yun had noticed the subtle exchange between the Gao Family.

    Both him and Fang Yunru gave a side nce at each other with a slight smile on their face.

    In front of them, n Head Gao Kang moved and took the main seat on the table.

    Gao Long stood behind him, and the Fang n'' brothers'' took their respective seats.

    "How are you injured, Xiao Chen?" Gao Kang asked in a calm voice.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly leaned forward while replying, "I will recover soon, n Head Gao."

    Gao Kang frowned lightly, and then ncing at Fang Yunru, he asked, "What about you? How is your cultivation going on?"

    "It has improved quite a lot, Uncle Gao," Fang Yunru replied with a smile..

    "Hmm," Gao Kang nodded his head and gestured at Gao Long.

    Gao Long immediately moved and poured wine for his Father.

    n Head Gao Kang took a sip and asked, "Xiao Chen, I heard you wanted to discuss something?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, but before that, I have something to give you."

    "Oh? I wonder what?" n Head Gao squinted his eyes out of curiosity.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and took a ck box.

    This was a gift that he had prepared for n Head Gao before heading out of his room.

    To be more specific, this box was already present in the ring that Butler Liu gave him. He had already checked its contents, and this was a worthy gift.

    n Head Gao was a bit taken aback by the exquisite box.

    He moved his hand and clicked open the box and couldn''t help but exim upon seeing the contents.

    "Thisˇ­"

    Even Gao Long, who was standing right behind him, was surprised.

    The other person remaining in the room, Fang Yunru, also had his mouth open wide in surprise.

    "Is thisˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and nodded, "Indeed. This is a Thousand Year Old Ginseng."

    "Thousand Year Old!?" Gao Long and Fang Yunru took a deep breath.

    n Head Gao Kang''s hand moved, and he swiftly closed the box once again.

    He leaned a bit forward and asked Ye Tian Yun in a lowered voice, "Xiao Chen, thisˇ­ this is too precious. Did Prime Minister Fang tell you to give me?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and shook his head, "No. It''s my personal gift to you."

    "This is too precious," n Head Gao Kang pushed the box towards Ye Tian Yun, "There was no need for any gifts. And what you have brought will causemotion in the whole Capital City. It may not be of much use to you, but this will be a matter of life and death to the old ministers. You should take it back and put it in an auction. You will earn hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It''s for you. If I wanted to put it in the auction, I would have already done it."

    "Thisˇ­"

    "Uncle, please take it." Fang Yunru suddenly smiled, "Let''s mark this as a new chapter in the history of our ns. Soon we will be a family, and if you don''t deserve this gift from Xiao Chen, then no one else does."

    Gao Kang smiled, "Ah, you kids. Alright, I will take it. But I won''t let you guys leave empty-handed. Tell me, what do you want? I will do my best to help you."

    "You both may not know, but this Ginseng is very important for my n."

    "Oh?" Both Ye Tian Yun and Fang Yunru were genuinely surprised.

    "Uncle, is everything alright?" Fang Yunru frowned, "I am sorry, but I just returned yesterday, so I am not up to date with the happenings of Capital City."

    "Mother is ill," Gao Long replied, "We have prepared a Hundred Year Old Ginseng, and it will be arriving soon. But this Thousand Year Old will definitely help her a lot."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is the illness very severe? Did you call the Royal Physician?"

    Gao Long gave a wry smile, "How could we call the Royal Physician? That''s for the Xin Royal n."

    "So?" Ye Tian Yun was a bit confused.

    Just then, he felt a nudge on his leg.

    Fang Yunru was signaling him to shut up.

    Ye Tian Yun exhaled, "There should be more aplished physicians, right?"

    "Yes, I have arranged a few." n Head Gao Kang reassured him, and then staring at the ck box, he said, "Xiao Chen, I will be honest. You''re not someone I approve of, mainly because of your past deeds. But this gift has changed my opinion of you. Maybe it''s because of the circumstances; maybe it''s just the gift itself."

    "n Head Gao, don''t think too much," Ye Tian Yun replied, "In fact, if I had known Madam Gao''s health was not good, I would have brought a better gift."

    "You have already given me more than enough. The Thousand-Year Old Ginseng had miraculous life-increasing abilities and countless other health benefits."

    "Tell me, Xiao Chen, what can I do to return this favor?"

    Before Ye Tian Yun could ask, Fang Yunru interrupted, "Uncle Gao, please don''t put it like that. And you have already given us the most precious thing we could have asked for. Sister-inw is worth more than a hundred such ginseng."

    Gao Kang smiled and shook his head, "That''s a matter between Prime Minister Fang and me. And don''t put it like this; you are making it look as if we''re doing an exchange."

    "Ah, I had no such intentions," Fang Yunru immediately apologized, lest n Head Gao misunderstood.

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly said, "n Head Gao, I know, this is why I actually do have something in my mind."

    "Oh?" n Head Gao narrowed his eyes, "What is it, do tell."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and asked, "I would like you to give me the Thunder Valley in the Northern Province to my name."

    "No. Not that ce." n Head Gao Kang frowned.

    The smile on Ye Tian Yun''s face receded.

    ˇ­.

    "Why not?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "That ce is an old trade route," Gao Long, who was standing behind his Father, exined, "Even though it''s rarely used, it doese in handy."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "What''s the worry then? It''s not like I am stopping the trade route."

    n Head Gao Kang frowned, "No. This ce is not open for discussion. Ask for anything else."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "The Thunder Valley. I want nothing else. In fact, you don''t need even to give the Fang n any dowry."

    n Head Gao frowned, "It''s not about dowry. That area is important for the Gao n, economically and historically. I will not hand it over toˇ­ to anyone."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes for a moment before his expression turned normal, "n Head Gao, I don''t know why, but I find it quite funny that you consider me an outsider."

    "N..no." n Head Gao shook his head, "When did I say that?"

    Ye Tian YUn smiled, "Let''s not waste our time. I am here for the Thunder Valley, and I will leave after I have received it."

    n Head Gao Kang and his son Gao Long frowned.

    "Xiao Chen, I knew you wanted something in return when you brought the Thousand Year Old Ginseng. Tell me, what else did your Father tell you to ask for?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Do you think he would even let me get out of my room in this condition? He doesn''t know about this meeting, but he will if the meeting doesn''t go as expected."

    n Head Gao frowned, "Xiao Chen, if you think threatening me with your father''s name can get you what you want, then I should tell you that you''re too naive."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "If my Father was here, things would have surely been different, and trust me, he doesn''t interfere much in what I do. He had his own troubles keeping him busy."

    n Head Gao exhaled, "This discussion will go nowhere. The Thunder Valley will forever belong to the Gao n. And if you think I am ungrateful, then you can take back your gift."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "n Head Gao, I don''t like to get rejected; you should at least know this much about me."

    "Brat, now you''re crossing the line here," n Head Gao smiled, "You should keep your attitude in check. Not everyone is afraid of your Father."

    "We will see," Ye Tian Yun stood up, and ncing at Fang Yunru, he said, "Second brother, let''s go."

    Fang Yunru, who was taken aback by everything, stood up and followed Ye Tian Yun.

    Just as he reached the gate, Ye Tian Yun saw Gao Xuan standing outside.

    He smiled at him and turned his head towards the confused Gao Father-Son duo; he said, "You can keep both of them. The gift I gave you and your daughter."

    "Whatˇ­"

    Everyone at the scene opened their eyes wide as Ye Tian Yun left the room.

 Chapter 525 - 525 | Returning To The Fang Clan

    "What the hell was that!?"

    Fang Yunru was shouting in the carriage as the duo headed back to the Fang n.

    "Fang Chen, what you have done, ah! Damn it, why the hell did I not stop you!?"

    He was rubbing his forehead, worried about the consequences of what transpired in the Gao n.

    Ye Tian Yun was not responding to him, he had leaned back on the seat and his eyes were closed.

    "Don''t you ignore me, Fang Chen!" Fang Yunru was getting agitated by Ye Tian Yun''s behavior, "What will you say to Uncle and Aunt? Can''t you see the bigger picture here? They are doing all this for you and you went there, ruining everything!"

    "Come on, FangChen, don''t ignore me!"

    Ye Tian Yun exhaled and opened his eyes.

    ncing at Fang Yunru, he first looked at the prompt above his head.

    [Fang Yunru.. 5 Stars Favourability. Trusts you, but is not happy with the decisions you make. Is worired about you.](Fang Chen)

    "Second Brother," Ye Tian Yun said, "It''s you who''s failing to see the bigger picture here. And first of all, I have no intentions of getting married. Not because I don''t want to burden myself, but because I don''t want to create another nuisance in my life."

    "That''s the same thing." Fang Yunru gave him a stare.

    "Hm?"

    "Leave that," Fang Yunru frowned, "At least tell me why you want the Thunder Valley? In fact, why would you want anynd? Do you want to settle down there? Orˇ­ is there a secret treasure?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "There''s nothing as such. I just want it, that''s it."

    "Then why don''t you chose anything else?" Fang Yunru asked, "There must be some specific reason why you want that valley, right? It''s alright if you don''t wish to tell me, but don''t act recklessly."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and remained silent.

    The carriage remained quiet for a long time.

    "Young Masters, we are about to reach the Fang n."

    Ao Jia called out from outside.

    Fang Yunru turned at Ye Tian Yun and asked, "Xiao Chen, are you conscious of your decision? Or are you just being yful? Give me an honest answer."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him for some time before letting out a sigh and then said, "Second Brother, we must get the Thunder Valley. If the marriage breaks, I will join Crown Prince''s faction."

    "What!?" Fang Yunru stood up, "Are you mad? Don''t you dare say this in front of anyone else!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Then help me convince the Gao n. I don''t want to join Crown PRince''s faction, but I will if I see no other way."

    Fang Yunru frowned, and after a few moments of silence, he said, "Alright, Xiao Chen, I will support you in this. But only if you promise me one thing."

    "Hm? And that is?"

    "You will inform me first if you ever decide to join the Crown Prince''s faction."

    "Hm, alright."

    The carriage returned to its silence.

    After a few minutes, the carriage began to slow down.

    They had reached the Fang n.

    "Umˇ­ Young Mastersˇ­ you shoulde outˇ­."

    Ao Jia''s nervous voice entered the carriage.

    Fang Yunru frowned and poked his head out of the carriage.

    *p*

    In the next instant, he moved away from the window.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at him but was confused upon seeing the paled expression on the former''s face.

    "What happened?" He asked.

    Fang Yunru gulped, "Xiao Chen, I will keep my word and support you in whatever you say, but don''t mess it up."

    "What''s going on?"

    "Let''s get out first," Fang Yunru took a deep breath and gestured at Ye Tian Yun to move, "You go first. I will support you, but I don''t dare them to head-on."

    "Them?" Ye Tian Yun had a hunch about what was going on, so he moved and stepped out of the carriage.

    The scene informed him surprised him, even though he had half expected this to happen.

    In front of him, all the higher-ups from the Fang n were standing, including the Fang couple and Fang Chen''s birth mother, Fang Bai.

    Many elders were standing, too, including his uncle Fang Ji - Fang Yunru''s father.

    Everyone was staring at Ye Tian Yun, who had just stepped out of the carriage.

    Ye Tian Yun, having expected this scene, smiled at them, "Ah, what happened? Is someone important guest arriving today?"

    Behind him, Fang Yunru also quietly stepped outside.

    "Brat, where have you been!?" Prime Minister Fang growled.

    He was extremely displeased with Fang Chen''s actions.

    ''I am trying to improve his future, and this brat doesn''t understand anything!''

    He frowned at Ye Tian Yun, waiting for thetter''s response.

    However, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t affected by this.

    "I went to the Gao n."

    "Hm," Fang Yuan pursed his lips, "And why did you go to the Gao n?"

    "It was a simple chat," Ye Tian Yun revealed, "Not a big deal. I gifted something to n Head Gao, and then when he wanted to return the favor, I asked for something in return. However, n Head Gao went back on in words, and I returned home."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuna narrowed his eyes, then ncing at Fang Yunru, he asked, "Is that all?"

    Fang Yunru coughed, "Ahem, Uncle, this is the gist of it."

    Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes and sent a spirit message.

    <<Fang Yunru, scratch the back of your head if you Fang Chen has caused trouble.>>

    Fang Yunru scratched the back of his head, making Prime Minister Fang Yuan''s eyes twitch.

    "Alright," He said, "Come in now, let''s go to my study."

    He then nced at the elders, "Everyone, I guess we were worried over nothing. Fang Chen''s health is still a bit unstable; let''s forgive him for this time."

    The Elders had a casual chat, and everyone dispersed.

    However, not everything turned and left.

    A few of them remained.

    Fang Yuan didn''t say anything to them, and ncing at the two youngsters in front of him, he said, "You two, follow me."

    Turning around, he headed for the study room.

    Along with Ye Tian Yun and Fang Yunru, three more people followed.

    Madam Fang, Miss Fang Bai, and Second Master Fang Ji.

    Staring at the disappearing backs, Ao Jia, who had already jumped down from the carriage, but had hidden behind the carriage, slowly poked his head and gulped.

    ''Shit shit shit, will I lose my job?''

    ''God damn, I should not have taken Fang Chen with me!''

    He knew nothing would happen to Young Master Fang Chen or YoungMaster Fang Yunru, but this was not the case for himself.

    Ao Jia was just a newly hired guard. He was dispensable, and whatever happened just now was a good excuse for the higher-ups who saw him as a nuisance to kick him out of the n.

    ''Sigh, I can only leave this to fateˇ­.''

    With their shoulders dropped down, Ao Jia and the carriage driver took the carriage back to the stables.

    ˇ­

    Fang Yuan took his seat in the study room and waited for everyone to enter.

    When Second Master Fang Ji had entered, he said, "Brother, close the door and start the soundproof array."

    Fang Ji nodded and prepared the array after locking the door.

    Fang Yunru gulped and lowered his head.

    "What''s going on?" Madam Fang asked.

    She was confused by the weird actions of her husband.

    "I want to know too," Prime Minister Fang Yuan replied, and then ncing at Fang Chen, he asked, "Tell us what happened. In detail. And I want to know everything."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, as I said earlier, I gave n Head Gao a nice meeting gift."

    "What was the gift?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan asked.

    "Thousand Year Old Ginseng."

    "What!?" The adults in the room were shocked.

    Ye Tian YUn nodded.

    "Where did you get such an expensive gift?" Madam Fang asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I don''t remember. But I had it in my spatial ring."

    "What happened next?"

    "n Head Gao insisted on returning the favor because coincidentally, he was looking for a Ginseng for Madam Gao." Ye Tian YUn replied.

    "Yes," Someone from behind said.

    It was Second Master Fang Ji.

    "Brother Gao had asked my help in this matter. I have arranged a Hundred Year Ginseng, though it cost me a lot of favors."

    "Oh?" Fang Yuan frowned, "why wasn''t I aware of this?"

    Fang Ji smiled, "Big brother, you were busy with Royal Pce stuff, so I didn''t trouble you with this and handled it myself."

    "Hm, alright," Fang Yuan nodded, and then turning his attention at Ye Tian Yun, he asked, "What did you ask in return?"

    "Thunder Valley."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan frowned, "What?"

    "Thunder Valley."

    "He rejected you, right?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. He said it''s an old trade route, and the Gao n will not give it up, even though it''s rarely used."

    Prime Minster Fang smiled, "He said that?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "His exact words."

    "Alright, let''s assume this to be true then," Prime Minister asked, "What happened after that?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I simply said, it''s either the Thunder Valley or nothing."

    "Hm?" Fang Yuan nodded, "Gao Kang will never agree on handing over the Thunder Valley; I can understand this. I am sure he must have asked you to ask for something else."

    "Yeah, he did," Ye Tian YUn nodded his head, "But as I said earlier, it''s Thunder Valley or nothing."

    "Oh?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan smiled, "Then I am sure you must have yed a trump card. Tell me, Fang Chen, did you threaten them to break off the marriage?"

    "..."

 Chapter 526 - 526 | Argument

    "Fang Chenˇ­ you did not threaten them to break off the marriage, right?... right?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes.

    "Ahem," Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat, "Well, it was not a reckless decision."

    "Youˇ­" Prime Minister Fang Yuan stood up from his seat and stared at him with his eyes wide open.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t back down and stared back calmly. At least from the outside, this was the case.

    "Fang. Chen. Do.. You. Know. What. Have. You. Done?" Prime Minister Fang''s breathing quickened as he stressed each word.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "As I said, this was not a reckless decision. The Thunder Valley is important to me, and I cannotpromise with that."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan shook his head, "The Gao n will never agree on handing over the Thunder Valley. What Gao Kang told you is only half true. Do you really think the Gao n will be so petty as not to give a small valley as dowry?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What''s in the Thunder Valley?"

    "It''s their ancestralnd," Madam Fang replied, "Right?" She asked Prime Minister Fang for confirmation.

    "Hmm," Prime Minister Fang pursed his lips and said, "Well, I was not nning to tell you this, but since your mother has alreadyid out the facts, I will confirm that it''s the truth. The Thunder Valley is very important to the Gao n because the ce is their ancestralnd. If you visit now, you will still see the ruins of Gao Vige."

    "Whatˇ­." Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    He was unaware of such a thing.

    ''Then how did Wang Yao get his hands on the Thunder Valley? There is no way anyone would allow a stranger to take over his ancestralnd.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and said, "I cannot give up on the Thunder Valley. It''s a must for me."

    Madam Fang frowned, "Son, what are you saying? No one will give their ancestralnd, no matter what condition you put."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    The only way for him to get hands-on with the next target was getting that Thunder Valley.

    The enemy was in the Wu Kingdom''s army, which will march from the Northern Border, and the only point where they could be held back was the Thunder Valley.

    Ye Tian Yun must be the owner of the Thunder Valley.

    ''Should I talk to Gao Xuan?''

    A thought shed in Ye Tian Yun''s mind, but he rejected it.

    He had noticed the reaction n Head Gao had when he saw Gao Xuan in the Guest Hall.

    ''That reaction tooˇ­ from what I know, Gao Xuan was doted on by everyone in the family. Why was he treated like an outsider today?''

    It was quite confusing for him, but this wasn''t the right time to think about it.

    "Why do you need the Thunder Valley?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan asked, "Give me a valid answer."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I will go and live there."

    "What?"

    Everyone in the room turned their heads at him.

    "Why would you live there!?"

    Madam Fang was the first to react, "Why do you want to leave such a good ce and live in the wild?"

    Everyone waited for his answer.

    Ye Tian YUn shrugged, "I have my own ns. This time, I just want everyone here to trust me. There are a lot of things I need to do, and Thunder Valley is very important for my ns."

    Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Tell me your ns. I can''t help you without knowing what you''re up to. People in this room may trust you, but those at the Gao CLan do not."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I know. This is why I didn''t waste much time on them. I have already told them what I want, and I will get it, by hook or by crook."

    Prime Minister Fang narrowed his eyes, "Fang Chen, your words are not helping you here."

    Then ncing at Fang Yunru, he asked, "Yun''er, did you not try to stop him?"

    Yun''er lowered his gaze, "uncle, I was too shocked to react. Things happened too fast."

    "Too fast?" Behind him, his father Fang Ji frowned, "This is not even a good excuse."

    "Father, I-"

    "Shut up!" Fang Ji frowned, "Do you know when everyone heard that Xiao Chen had left the n, how panicked they were? The only thing that calmed us was the fact that you were with him. We put our faith in you that you won''t let Xiao Chen act recklessly. And look what happened - you were too shocked to react!"

    "But -"

    "No buts," Fang Ji got even more, angered, and then ncing at Ye Tian Yun, he said, "Xiao Chen, how many more times are you nning to put the n in a tight spot? Don''t you know why we''re doing all this? How could you take the matter of marriage so lightly?"

    Ye Tian Yun exhaled, "I have no other choice. I don''t n to cause trouble, but if I have to do it to get to the Thunder Valley, then trust me, this is not my limit."

    Fang Ji frowned and nced at Prime Minister Fang.

    Prime Minister Fang stared at Ye Tian Yun for a moment and said, "Tell me, Chen''er, how far are you willing to go for this Thunder Valley."

    Prime Minister Fang was trying to gauge the importance Thunder Valley had for Ye Tian Yun. Thetter was not revealing any ns, so he wanted to gauge how serious he was about his ''ns''.

    Ye Tian Yun had already seen through his intentions.

    With a smile, he said, "If I fail to get the Valley from the Fang n''s support, I will have to look for someone who can help me."

    "And that someone isˇ­?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "There are few in the Royal Pce. Like, the Crown Prince...."

    "Fang Chen!" Fang Ji couldn''t hold back this time, "Do you know what you''re saying!?"

 Chapter 527 - 527 | Solution?

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I know very well. Also, this won''t be myst resort. But I don''t want to get to that, that is why I want everyone in this room to support me and help me get to Thunder Valley."

    Prime Minister Fang let out a sigh and took his seat.

    He then nced at his sister, Fang Bai, who had been silent all along.

    "Sister, what are your thoughts?" He asked.

    Fang Bai stared at him for a moment and looked the other way.

    She was not nning to interfere.

    Prime Minister Fang let out a sigh, and nced at the other two for their opinion..

    Fang Ji spoke first, "This marriage is important for Xiao Chen''s future and also important for both ns. I do not want us to break off this engagement. We should try convincing the Gao n, but in the end, if nothinges up, we can only give up on everything."

    ''Hm?''

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised by this response. He had expected Fang Ji to be against everything, but it turned out to be the opposite, and he was actually supporting him!

    Suddenly, a prompt appeared above Fang Ji''s head.

    [Fang Ji. 3 Star Favourability. Is worried about your future, and if afraid of you ruining the n''s future.](Fang Chen)

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips.

    ''This prompt didn''t appear earlierˇ­.''

    Suddenly. Madam Fang''s words brought Ye Tian Yun out of his thoughts.

    "I agree with Brother-inw. However, I want this to be the veryst option. If nothinges up, we will have no choice but to break off the marriage. We need to do something to convince the Gao n."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan rubbed his forehead, "How could they give up on their ancestralnd? I don''t see any positive oue from this mess."

    He then nced at Fang Yunru and asked, "Yun''er, what do you think?"

    Fang Yunru was taken aback by this mainly because he was not expecting to have a say in this matter.

    "Ah.. uhˇ­ I.." He stuttered for a moment before getting hold of himself and then said, "I will support Xiao Chen. No matter what he desires, I will support him as long as it''s not against the n''s best wishes."

    Prime Minister Fang smiled, "So, you think breaking off the marriage is for the best wishes of the n?"

    "Uhˇ­" Fang Yunru was speechless. He hadn''t thought it through before speaking.

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun spoke at this moment, "I can assure you that it is for the best if we have the Thunder Valley. The Gao n doesn''t see its real value and only thinks of it as ancestralnd."

    After a slight pause, he added, "how about we promise them that we will not touch their old vige? It''s not like the vige is spread through the whole Valley, right?"

    "Hm," Prime Minister Fang nodded, "I thought of this too, but we need a few more options because it''s unlikely that this will be enough to convince them."

    "How about you promise them that we won''t touch the ancestral building, and Gao n doesn''t have permanently give away the Thunder Valley to us; rather, we will only take it on lease for a few years."

    The person who spoke this time was not Ye Tian Yun.

    Rather, to everyone''s surprise, it was Fang Bai, Fang Chen''s mother.

    Ye Tian Yun nced at her and saw a prompt above her hand.

    [Fang Bai. 7 Stars Favourability. You''re the most important existence to her. Period.](Fang Chen)

    ''Woahˇ­ this is even higher than Butler Liuˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun was inwardly shocked upon seeing the prompt.

    "Anything else we can add?" Prime Minister Fang asked, "I feel like another condition will be enough to help us get this deal."

    Madam Fang spoke, "How about we guarantee that Gao Suyin will be the next Madam of the Fang n, and Fang Chen will not have any concubine, ever."

    Ye Tian Yun immediately shook his head," no. We can''t promise that. Nothing is certain in the future; it''s better not to make any false promises."

    Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Why is it uncertain? You are not confident in yourself?"

    "No, that''s not the reason," Ye Tian Yun spoke directly, "I am not as interested in bing the next n Head as everything in this room thinks."

    "Oh?" Prime Minister Fang scratched his chin, "Are you nning to be a monk? You don''t want to get married; you don''t want to be n Head; you want to live in seclusionˇ­ if those are not the signs of bing an ascetic monk, then what are?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Let''s say I have bigger goals. There are many things I have in my mind that I must do, and did you forget what we discussed two days ago?"

    The Fang Couple frowned, "Were you seriousˇ­?"

    "Of course!" Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Why would I joke about that matter?"

    "What'' matter''?" Fang Bai asked.

    The Fang couple turned silent. Fang Bai asked Ye Tian Yun, "Xiao Chen, what are you talking about?"

    Ye Tian Yun bit lip, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I will take part in the Grand Spirit Hunt for the position of Young Dragon."

    "You what-!" Three shocked expressions appeared in front of Ye Tian Yun.

    Fang Bai and Fang Ji were shocked because this came as unexpected news.

    And, Fang Yunru, who was shocked because he would participate in thepetition, now had to go against his own brother.

    ''What in the worldˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "yes. But, I will not marry the Third Princess, not only because she''s my cousin, but also because, just like with Gao Suyin, I have no interest in marrying the princess."

    "Thisˇ­"

    The three of them looked at him in a shocked expression.

    "Xiao Chenˇ­"

    After a long moment of silence, Fang Bai spoke, "Do you know howplicated everything now has be? You can''t have everything. Either we convince the Gao n to give the Thunder Valley, or you take part in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "You will have to choose one of the two - there is no middle ground."

 Chapter 528 - 528 | Discussion And The Duel

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I had already expected this situation. But I will not give up on any of them."

    Fang Bai frowned, "Xiao Chen, we don''t always get what we want. This time you will have to make somepromise."

    "Compromise?" Ye Tian Yun''s eye twitched.

    There was no way he could make apromise. Both events were important for him. He could not give up on any of them.

    "Xiao Chen," Fang Ji said, "Elder Sister is right. I don''t know what you are thinking, but if you go on like this, you won''t get anything.".

    "Also, do you think anyone can go ahead and participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt to be the Young Dragon? There are many things to consider, and the most important of them is your cultivation realm. About six months are left before the Grand Spirit Hunt begins. Can you reach the peak of Qi Stabilization Realm by then?"

    "Let''s consider you did reach, tell me, will you be able to defeat all the peak geniuses of our country, including your own brother?"

    "Now. Let''s assume you did defeat them and became the Young Dragon. Do you think Xin n will agree with the arrangement? You said you don''t intend to marry the princess. Do you think anyone cares about what you say? The day you be the Young Dragon will be the day you be Son-inw of the Xin Royal n."

    "There is no escape from that. That also means the princess will be the next n madam, but let''s not forget the fact that you will already be a married person by then. And your wife won''t be some nobody, but the only miss of Gao n. Do you think the Gao n will take it lying down? You''re too naive."

    "Also, as you said earlier that you won''t marry her, this means your main aim is to take part in the Royal Bloodline Trial. Let''s assume a miracle happens, and you''re able to convince the princess out of marriage. But this will also mean that you won''t be allowed to take part in the Trial becauseˇ­ both of you must be married before the Trial begins."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is that true?"

    Fang Ji rolled his eyes, "Do I have a reason to lie? I have already put a lot of assumptions in this, and you still won''t be able to pass."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips.

    Fang Ji then asked, "Alsoˇ­ don''t you know that your brother is also taking part in the Grand Spirit Hunt. Doesn''t that mean our Cn will be aughing stock in front of everyone when they see the two future leaders of our Cn fighting desperately for the princess''s favor?"

    Seeing the frown on Ye Tian Yun''s face, he added, "Xiao Chen, we know that you don''t wish to marry the princess and are taking part only for the sake of Trial, but the people outside don''t know, and they can''t know about this. So what I just predicted wille true, and the whole Kingdom will beughing at us when the timees."

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards Fang Yunru and asked, "Second Brother, do you wish to get married to the Princess?"

    Fang Yunru, whose mind was already nk after hearing the arguments flying in the room, was taken aback by Ye Tian Yun''s questions.

    "Iˇ­ uhˇ­ uh.."

    "Yes or no?"

    "..." Fang Yunru closed his eyes and, taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and replied, "Yes."

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes, "You want to get married for the power or because you like the princess."

    Fang Yunru frowned, "What kind of question is this, Xiao Chen?"

    "Answer me, Second Brother," Ye Tian Yun interrupted, "I might consider making a change in my ns if you answer honestly."

    Of Course, he was lying.

    Fang Yunru lowered his gaze, and after a few moments of silence, he said, "I want power. Our n is one of the most powerful ns, but it''s still not the most powerful. I won''t take our n to that spot, and for that, the fastest way is getting married to Princess Xin."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "That''s it?"

    "Yesˇ­"

    "Good," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t worry about getting powerful, do me a favor and step back from the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "Fang Chen!"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan frowned, "Do you know what you''re saying?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "I know very well, and I mean every word of it."

    ncing at Fang Yunru, Ye Tian Yun asked, "Second Brother, you have all the time to think about this. And trust me when I say this, your choice will decide our future rtionship. You can choose to either you stand by me, or you choose to stand against me."

    Fang Yunru frowned, "Xiao Chen, tell me, how confident are you in bing the next Young Dragon?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I am the most talented cultivator in our generation."

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    A sudden silence enveloped the hall as the other five stared speechlessly at Ye Tian Yun.

    "Xiao Chenˇ­" Fang Ji was the first to recover, "It''s good to be confident, but there''s a very thin line between confidence and utter arrogance. You should tread carefully."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Trust me, I understand the meaning behind this the most."

    FAng Yunru asked, "Xiao Chen, beat me in a duel, and convince me. The whole Capital City knows that I am taking part in the Grand Spirit Hunt to be the next Young Dragon. If I step back for you, and on a fateful day, you end up losing the match, won''t we face embarrassment?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Fair enough. I will agree with a duel then."

    Fang Yunru nodded, "Alright. There are six months before the event begins; let''s duel five months from now. That should be enough time for you to prepare?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "No."

    "Hm? You want more?" Fang Yunru shook his head, "We can''t afford that. The reason why I am giving you five months is that after that, I need to register myself for the Grand Spirit Hunt officially."

    "I didn''t mean that," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I meant, I don''t need five months. Let''s do this tomorrow morning."

 Chapter 529 - 529 | I Will Stand Beside Him. Forever.

    "Tomorrow morning?" Everyone in the study was surprised.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and then nced at Prime Minister Fang Yuan, he said, " There''s no point in continuing this discussion. If the Fang n doesn''t help, I will take matters into my own hands."

    Ye Tian Yun stood up and headed for the exit.

    Just as he reached the door, Fang Ji moved and blocked his path.

    "Xiao Chen, don''t be reckless. Everyone in this room is worried about you, and you''re only making things difficult for us."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "No, it''s just everyone here is failing to see the bigger picture."

    "Bigger picture?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes, "Xiao Chen, show me the ''bigger picture'', and if your n is feasible, I won''t blink before supporting you.."

    Ye Tian Yun turned around and stared at his supposed Father.

    After a few moments of silence, he spoke, "I will have to disappoint you then. I can''t give anything to you, except for a promise and assurance that the Fang n will be the most powerful n in the Lower Heavens."

    "Oh?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "That''s a bold im, Xiao Chen. And it''s not something you should joke about."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "You can take it as a joke and ignore everything that has happened, or you can trust me on this and help me get the Thunder Valley."

    "Hm," Prime Minister Fang took a deep breath and signaled Fang Ji with his eyes to move.

    Ye Tian Yun exhaled and left the room.

    Everyone remained silent for a long time, and finally, Madam Fang broke the ice.

    "I will support my son. I know he''s unreasonable here, but if he wants the Thunder Valley, I will get him the Thunder Valley."

    "As for the challengeˇ­." She nced at Fang Yunru and added, "Yun''erˇ­ go easy on your brother."

    ˇ­.

    *click!*

    One by one, everyone in the room left.

    First, Ye Tian Yun left. He passed through the hallway without a word, even ignoring Ao Jia, who had returned to his post after parking the carriage.

    Then, Madam Fang took her leave, and once she stepped outside, she began calling the servants to invite n Head Gao Kang.

    Second Master Fang Ji and his son left next, the former hurried to prepare for the arrival of the Gao n entourage, while confusion filled thetter''s mind after what had just transpired.

    In the study, only two people remained - Prime Minister Fang Yuan and his little sister, Miss Fang Bai.

    Thetter rubbed her face and let out a sigh, stood up from her seat.

    Without saying anything, she then headed for the exit.

    "Bai''er."

    Prime Minister Fang called out.

    Fang Bai''s steps paused; without turning back, she asked, "What do you want?"

    "Do you want me to support Xiao Chen?"

    "Hm? Why are you asking me? You''re the n head. It''s your decision to make."

    "But you''re his mother."

    "Oh?" Fang Bai turned around and sneered, "You didn''t ask me anything when you decided to separate my son from me? Why bother asking now?"

    "Bai''er that was-"

    "Stop it," Fang Bai raised her hand, interrupting her brother, "No amount of excuses will work on me. You ruined my family, Elder Brother. I haven''t seen my husband for thest fifteen years, and my son has never called me Mother. Why do you think I should even talk to you? Trust me; if not for the fact that I was worried for Xiao Chen, I wouldn''t have even entered this room."

    Prime Minister Fang pursed his lips.

    "Bai''er, this is not the time to bring up that matter. Su Ming is doing well. Have you not heard about the rumors? He''s been enjoying his time, whoring around the whole kingdom, creating spaw-"

    "Shut up!" Fang Bai shouted. Her chest heaving up and down in anger.

    "Elder Brother, I can tolerate everything, but you should never badmouth my husband! Do you think I am dumb? I can''t see who created these rumors? It was you, Elder brother! It was you!"

    Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Nonsense!"

    "Nonsense?" Fang Bai sneered, "I don''t care what you say; I have already investigated everything. Do you know how disappointed I was when I came to know about the truth!? Why can''t you leave him alone? Why are you after his life? Haven''t you reached the peak? Why must you force him in a corner?"

    Prime Minister Fang frowned, "You want me to forgive him?"

    "No." Fang Bai said, "Why should you forgive him? He hasn''tmitted any mistake. Why should you even forgive him for nothing? You should rather apologize to him!"

    "Apologize?" Prime Minister Fang smiled.

    "Yes."

    "Hah, it''s toote, and how can you say he didn''tmit any mistake?"

    "Oh?" Fang Bai narrowed his eyes, "What was his mistake? Loving me? Caring for me? Giving me happiness?"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan smiled and shook his head, "You are blind in love. You will never understand. Su Ming had done his wrongs, but he''s not ready to ept them. To himself, he''s still a righteous prodigy, but what he fails to understand is that with every passing moment, the chances of me forgiving him are decreasing."

    Fang Bai took a deep breath, "Tell me then. You always act mysterious and never tell me anything. At first, I doubted myself, but now I am sure it''s just another trick to confuse me. Elder Brother, I don''t want to listen to the reason, and I don''t care. To me, you''re the viin of this story. You have separated me from my husband, and you have made me a stranger to my own son."

    Clenching her teeth, Fang Bai turned around and stepped out of the room.

    Halfway through, she paused for a moment, and without turning around, she added, "Elder Brother, about your earlier question on whether I support my son or notˇ­ Did you really think I would ever step back? The whole heavens may give up, but I will still stand beside my son, protecting him, loving him, and caring for him. Even if I never get to hear him call me Mother."

 Chapter 530 - 530 | Building Distrust

    [Fang Yunru. 2 Star Favourability. Angered, confused, and disappointed.] (Fang Chen)

    [Fang Ji. 2 Star Favourability. Annoyed.] (Fang Chen)

    Click!

    Ye Tian Yun entered his room and sat on the bed.

    His mind was wandering on the prompts he had noticed on his cousin and uncle''s head before leaving Prime Minister Fang''s study.

    ''Well, I can''t step back. I will show Fang Yunru another way, but if he fails to understand, I won''t hesitate to remove him from my path..''

    ''But right now, what I need to focus on is Gao n.''

    Yesterday, when he had checked Jun Xie''s ring''s contents, he noticed the Thousand Year Old Ginseng among other expensive alchemy ingredients.

    Although the spatial ring was for Jun Xie, Ye Tian Yun had ''borrowed'' a few ingredients.

    ''It''s for the greater good. Anyway, it''s not like Jun Xie urgently needs that Ginseng.''

    ''But where the hell is he? Is he not interested in growing powerful and knowing about his n?''

    Ye Tian Yun needed Jun Xie to bypass the security of the Purple Springs Garden so he could meet the Princess.

    ''If I can''t do it like this, then I will have to wait for a few more days and show signs of recovery. I think at least ten to fifteen days are needed.''

    ''Butˇ­ Wang Yao will enter the Capital City soon, and if he meets the Princess before me, it will be toote.''

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes.

    He couldn''t risk going out before ''recovering'' because this was not a one-time job.

    In Gao n''s case, he didn''t need to visit them again in Fang Chen''s disguise.

    But in the case of Princess Xin, he needed to visit the Garden regrly.

    ''Let''s hope Jun Xiees before it''s toote. If not, then he can forget about receiving my help. I am not doing any favors.''

    Ye Tian Yun moved and sat in the lotus position.

    ''Settling down in the Fang n has taken away my time from cultivation.''

    ''I still need to work on my Sword Intent. And my cultivation, too, I can''t becent after reaching the Core Formation Realm. There''s still a long way to go.''

    ''Within one year, I need to reach the Peak Of Nascent Soul Realm.''

    This wasn''t an ambitious target for Ye Tian Yun since the cultivation space would give him four years to cultivate!

    But this was just a theoretical value, not considering the fact that Ye Tian Yun won''t be cultivated all the time this year.

    Even considering the nights and then decreasing the sleep time, Ye Tian Yun would have at most six to nine months to cultivate in the whole year.

    ''Hm, still, that''s at least two years ording to Cultivation Space.''

    And if the Time Dtion Ratio changed, Ye Tian Yun will be able to get an even higher cultivation realm.

    ''From First Level of Core Formation to the Ninth Level of Nascent Soul Realm.''

    This was a long way to go.

    Eighteen Realms and seventeen breakthroughs!

    ''This will be exciting.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and closed his eyes.

    Every night he has the chance to cultivate for two days in the Cultivation Space. Wasting it would be a huge loss.

    ˇ­

    While Ye Tian Yun had begun his cultivation, anothermotion had started in the Fang n.

    n Head Gao Kang had arrived in the Fang n and with him was his Second son, Gao Long.

    The servants hurried to prepare a grand banquet while the higher-ups entertained the guests.

    Not many knew the reason behind the sudden visit, but this incident had turned many eyes at the Fang n.

    A certain pair of eyes was from the Royal Pce.

    King Xin narrowed his eyes upon hearing the news from the Eunuch.

    "Your highness, this is the fifth report we have received on this matter."

    "Hm, I understand. You''re dismissed." King Xin took a deep breath and leaned back on his throne.

    The Eunuch quietly left the hall.

    ''Fang Yuanˇ­ don''t you betray me.''

    With the developing rtionship between the Gao and Fang n, King Xin''s trust in Prime Minister Fang had started to waiver.

    In the whole Capital City, Prime Minister Fang Yuan was the person who understood him the most.

    ''He knows that I don''t like the Gao''s. Why is getting them in his faction?''

    ''Does heˇ­ know? No, that''s impossible! Everything is being carried out in secret; there''s no way Fang Yuan knows the truthˇ­.''

    ''But I can''t take any more chances.''

    King Xin narrowed his eyes.

    ''I need to increase the pace and get the sects under my control. This fucking war ruined everything.''

    ''Did the girl from Wu n really die? Or are they just creating an excuse to start a war?''

    King Xin rubbed his forehead.

    With the growing tension at the borders and distrust in the Capital City, an ominous feeling had sprouted in his heart, as if telling him that there was one variable he had yet to consider.

    ''But what is it?''

    Click!

    Just as King Xin was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard footsteps, and a eunuch stepped through the gate.

    "Your highness, Crown Prince seeks audience!"

    ''Hm?'' King Xin narrowed his eyes.

    ''What is this brat doing here? Everything is going in the wrong direction because of him.''

    "Send him in." He gestured and called Crown Prince Xin.

    A few moments after the Eunuch left, a young man entered the hall.

    He was the first-in-line to-be King, the Crown Prince.

    And right now, he had a bright smile on his face.

    However, seeing the smile, King Xin''s mood worsened even further.

    "What are you here for?" He hissed.

    If it were normal times, Crown Prince''s heart rate would have gone high because of nervousness, but not today.

    Today, he had a surprise that would definitely change his father''s opinion of him.

    "Father, I am here with a way to get the situation under control."

    King Xin narrowed his eyes, "And which one are you referring? The trouble you created or the trouble that increased because of the trouble you created?"

    Crown Prince cleared his throat and said, "Father, I have a solution to both - the war and the sect suppression!"

 Chapter 531 - 531 | Crown Prince Xins Plan

    "Hm?" King Xin frowned, "Aren''t you against the Sect suppression?"

    Crown Prince Xin smiled, "That was yesterday, Father. But now things have changed."

    "Oh?" King Xin frowned, "Tell me then, what is making you smile so much?"

    Crown Prince nodded, and taking a deep breath; he said, "Father, I think we can avoid the ongoing war and focus on the Grand Spirit Hunt - which will trigger out a n to suppress all independent organizations in the Kingdom."

    "Oh?" King Xin frowned, "borate."

    Crown Prince cleared his throat and exined, "The solution is pretty much straightforward. The Wu Kingdom will also participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "What?" King Xin frowned at the absurdity of what Crown Prince had just uttered, "Do you know what you''re saying right now?"

    Crown Prince nodded, "I am very sound and aware of what I am speaking right now. We will invite the Wu Kingdom''s top younger generation and increase the boundaries of the GRand Spirit Hunt, making it a global event.."

    "Hmˇ­" King Xin frowned, "There are a lot of problems in this. First of all, the Wu Kingdom will never agree to this. Second, this event will turn into a Xin-Wu Kingdom event instead of an open-for-all. Third, the battler for the Young Dragon may have a winner from the Wu Kingdom. And a few more minor issues which willplicate other matters."

    Crown Prince nodded, "I have noted these problems and have even solved a few."

    "The first problem - whether the Wu Kingdom will agree to this or now - well, I have already arranged a few things, the Wu Kingdom will definitely agree to this."

    "The second problem - this event will be open for all - we won''t give limited slots to the Wu Kingdom. This will make the Wu Kingdom part of the Spirit Alliance - the organization which oversees the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "Once the Wu Kingdom bes part of the Spirit Alliance, we will be able to open a whole new spywork under the guise of the Alliance."

    "And the third issue, regarding the Young Dragon - this will be our biggest bait for them. The Wu Kingdom will definitely not miss a chance to bring a princess from the Xin Kingdom to their home. Also, I don''t think anyone from the Wu Royal n will participate in this since we won''t be participating in this. They have their own pride."

    "There are a few things, like the time limitation and required resourcesˇ­ don''t worry about that. For thest two months, I have nned and assessed all possible routes to seed in this n. If this n bes a reality, it will heavily benefit us in the long term."

    "Hm," King Xin narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

    After a few moments, he asked, "Who came up with this n? I am sure you didn''t."

    "It was my hidden aide whom I have mentioned a few times earlier," Crown Prince didn''t hide much, "He''s always helping me in troublesome matters, though I don''t take his advice without considering it myself. That''s why it took about two months before I was confident enough toe in front of you."

    "Alright," King Xin nodded, "I will consider this."

    "No, Father," Crown Prince shook his head, "We cannot afford to consider anything. This matter is of utmost urgency; we need to decide it right now."

    "Can''t it wait for tomorrow?"

    Crown Prince shook his head, "No, I have already sent the people to the Wu Kingdom. It will be toote before tomorrow''s sunrise. Also, every second we wait, we''re losing a hundred soldiers at the South-East border."

    "Hm," King Xin thought for a moment and said, "Alright, go ahead. I will give the reins to you on this matter, do not disappoint me."

    Crown Prince smiled, "I will not, Father."

    "Hm, now go and make arrangements as you wish."

    Crown Prince Xin smiled and left.

    ''Father depends too much on the Prime Minister. There''s no need to waste any more time on this matter and considering the Prime Minister''s nature. I am sure he will oppose this matter.''

    ˇ­

    Unaware of the uing chaos, the Lower Heavens slowly woke up to another day.

    In the Fang n of the Xin Kingdom, Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and exhaled.

    ''My cultivation increased, but there''s still a long way to go before I reach the Second LEvel Core Formation.''

    ''Let''s see whatst night''s oue was.''

    He was referring tost night''s banquet that Fang n held for the n Head of Gao n, Gao Long.

    ''I hope he agreed, but there''s no need to worry too much. I still have a few backup ns.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and called out the maids to prepare warm water for his bath.

    Half an hourter, Ye Tian Yun stepped out in new clothes and a refreshed look, although still in Fang Chen''s disguise.

    This time it didn''t take him long before he reached the study room of Prime Minister Fang.

    "Come."

    As if sensing him, Prime Minister Fang called in Ye Tian Yun as soon as thetter reached in front of the door.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped inside, and to his surprise, Madam Fang was also present in the room. She was massaging her husband''s shoulders.

    Nodding at her, Ye Tian Yun stepped and stood in front of the couple, at the other side of the table.

    "Son, did you have your breakfast?" Madam Fang asked with a smile.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Not yet."

    "Hm, you shoulde with me then."

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun nodded, and then turning his head towards Prime Minister Fang, he asked, "What happened at the banquet?"

    The smile on Madam Fang''s face receded upon hearing his words.

    Prime Minister Fang continued to stare at him for a few moments before saying, "The Gao n disagreed. Gao Kang was in no mood to listen to anything; in fact, he has even returned the gift you gave him. There is no way Gao n will give you the Thunder Valley."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded his head.

    He had a feeling this would be the case, so it wasn''t a surprise for him.

    "What about the marriage agreement?" He asked.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan smiled, "It still stands for now but will be most likely broken in a few days. We will not be announcing the engagement to the public."

    After a slight pause, he leaned forward, and a sudden pressure enveloped Ye Tian Yun, "Happy?"

 Chapter 532 - 532 | Gaining Confidence

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What''s there to be happy about?"

    Prime Minister fang sneered, "Didn''t you wish to cancel the marriage? Now it''s done."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I never cared about the marriage. What I want is the Thunder Valley. And even if I get the Thunder Valley, it won''t be the end of the story. There''s still a long way to go for me."

    Prime Minister Fang let out a sigh, "Xiao Chen, do what you want now. This whole matter has created enough troubles for me."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What troubles?"

    "To start with, there''s King Xin. He doesn''t like the Gao n, and with the current situation, he must be aware of us getting close to them, even though he doesn''t know the reason behind it. Then there''s the Crown Prince.. That brat is still very young, but he''s ambitious. He will use this opportunity to strike hard."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "A few more months, and everything will change."

    "Oh?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Do what you want. I will be busy for the next few months. Also, focus on cultivation if you want to participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    ˇ­

    About ten minutester, the Fang Couple and Ye Tian Yun came out of the study and headed for the dining hall.

    "Big brother!"

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun stepped into the room, a cheerful voice called, and a small body ran towards him.

    This was Fang Ning, Fang Chen''s younger sister.

    As soon as she reached YeTian YUn, she jumped and gave a tight hug.

    But just as she was about tond on Ye Tian Yun, a huge hand appeared in front of her and took a hold of her face.

    "Ah!"

    She was left hanging in the air.

    "Fang Chen!"

    Madam Fang turned around to see the horrifying scene, "What are you doing!? Is this how you treat your sister!?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and moved his hand, putting Fang Ning back on the ground.

    "Sorry, that was out of instinct."

    Fang Ning stood frozen as her eyes slowly began to water up.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned but forced his expression to turn normal, and then with a stiff smile, he said, "Sorryˇ­ sister, it was my fault."

    "Hmph!" Tears began to well up in Fang Ning''s eyes as she bloated her expression into a pout.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and gave her a pat on her head, headed for the dining table.

    The others were speechless by the sudden turn of events.

    "Ah, stupid big brother! I will never talk to big brother! Hmph!"

    Fang Ning stomped her feet and took her seat on the dining table.

    Madam Fang smiled at this.

    ''EVen though thisss is angry at her big brother, she will still sit beside him.''

    The dining table was pretty huge, and only the core members of the n were allowed to sit there.

    The core members included the direct members of the n - the Fang siblings.

    This was Ye Tian Yun''s first time on the dining table with ''family members'', literally.

    In the Middle Heavens, Emperor Ye had always been busy, and for some reason, he had given a whole pce to Ye Tian Yun.

    Thus, Ye Tian Yun always ate alone at the dining table.

    ''I shouldn''t get too attached.''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and omitted the unnecessary thoughts.

    At the end of the day, he was still a human, and if he got attached to the Fang n, he was afraid of drowning in guilt since he was not their son but the one who killed their son.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t speak and continued on the empty te.

    The food was yet to be served because the remaining four people were yet to arrive in the dining hall.

    Just then, faint footsteps were heard, and soon a couple entered the room.

    Fang Ji and his wife.

    And soon, Fang Yunru also entered.

    He remained silent and took a seat.

    Fang Ji and Fang Yuan sat beside each other and chatted about political matters.

    Madam Fang and Second Madam weren''t seated at the table. They were rather standing and serving the family members.

    The Fang n, even though it had a lot of servants, didn''t have cooks for the core members of the family.

    Not that there was someone who could stopping them; rather, the MAdams to Fang n preferred to cook the food themselves.

    Even Madam Fang, Xin Xue Yan, learned to cook aftering to the Fang n.

    Click!

    Just then, the second door to the hall was pulled open, and thest member of the family entered.

    Fang Bai, Fang Chen''s birth mother.

    She didn''t say anything and simply took her seat.

    The remaining breakfast was uneventful, and things only kicked off once everyone was done with their meal.

    "Xiao Chen, let''s go."

    Fang Yunru called Ye Tian Yun outside.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and followed him; the others from the table also followed.

    Everyone reached the practice grounds in Fang Yunru''s courtyard.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned upon seeing this but didn''t say anything.

    However, Fang Ji had already noticed his expression.

    "Xiao Chen, whatever be the oue, we don''t want outsiders to know of the result," He said, "No matter what disagreement we have, to the people of the Capital City, the Fang n muse stand together."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t react and stepped on the practice area.

    Fang Yunru and he stood in front of each other by fifteen steps.

    "Xiao Chen, we will use wooden swords."

    Fang Yunru took out a wooden sword and threw it towards Ye Tian Yun.

    "Use everything you got," Fang Yunru took a deep breath and formed a fighting stance.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "If I use everything, it won''t end well for you. As for this sword," Staring at the sword, he smiled and added, "I don''t need it."

    Fang Yunru frowned, "My father always says there''s a thin line between confidence and conceited arrogance. Only those who understand the difference reach the peak."

    Siu!

    Without waiting for any response, Fang Yunru moved and shed his wooden sword at Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and just as Fang Yunru was about to reach him, he raised his index finger.

    ng!

    A sharp noise resounded, and dust rose from the ground.

    Prime Minister Fang frowned upon seeing the scene. He moved his hand, and the dust flew away.

    "Thisˇ­"

    All five witnesses were shocked upon seeing the scene.

    In front of them, Fang Yunru was trying to push back Ye Tian Yun with his sword. However, Ye Tian Yun was standing carefree with one hand behind his back and the other raised in front of him.

    The sound hade from the sh between Fang Yunru''s sword and Ye Tian Yun''s hand; to be more precise, it was Ye Tian Yun''s index finger.

    "It''s futile," Ye Tian Yun smiled and pressed back.

    Boom!

    Fang Yunru was thrown backward.

    He stumbled and bnced himself.

    "Youˇ­"

    He raised his head and stared at Ye Tian Yun in shock.

    "Sword Intent!"

    The Fang Brothers watching on the sidelines spoke in unison.

    ''Sword Intentˇ­''

    Fang Yunru mouthed these words and lowered his sword.

    Ye Tian Yun also lowered his finger.

    The duel, which was supposed to be one-sided, ended up one-sided, but for the wrong person.

    Plop!

    Fang Yunru fell on his butt and lowered his head.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    ''Did this battle give him a big blow?''

    He was not expecting this.

    To him, win or lose is a part of life. (Even though he had never lost, except against God''s Legion, of course.)

    "What happened?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and, in the next instant, appeared in front of Fang Yunru.

    "Xiao Chen, when did you learn Sword Intent?" He asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I was lucky. Now stand up, don''t be so down. This is not the end of the world."

    He moved his hand and raised it in front of him.

    Fang Yunru raised his head and stared at the hand.

    After a few moments of silence, he took hold of Ye Tian Yun''s hand and stood up.

    "I will step back," Fang Yunru said, "I won''t interfere in the Grand Spirit Hunt, but you will have to promise me one thing."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "And that is?"

    "Teach me Sword Intent."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Didn''t I just say I was lucky?"

    Fang Yunru shook his head, "It wasn''t fully luck. I have reached the Manifestation REalm of Sword Intent, but you''re clearly at the Attainment Realm. It''s just a matter of time before you reach the Sword Domain realm."

    "That means you will soon be a Sword Saint." Someone added.

    It was Fang Bai.

    Everyone else had also stepped forward and reached the two of them.

    ''Sword Saintˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    "It''s still a long journey." He replied.

    Fang Bai had a proud expression on her face, "I believe you will achieve it."

    "Haha, big brother sure will!" Fang Ning shouted.

    She had already forgotten about her anger.

    Prime Minister Fang also nodded, "Good, very good."

    Fang Ji squinted his eyes at Ye Tian Yun and said, "Xiao Chen, you should have told us about this. I wouldn''t have doubted you. Anyway, I look forward to seeing Gao Kang''s regretful expression."

    "Yes!" Madam Fang nodded, "How dare he underestimate my son!? Who does he think he is? Hmph! My son isn''t what he used to be!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled. He didn''t care about trivial matters.

    He had decided to reveal his Sword Intent because he needed Fang n to have some confidence in him.

    "Xiao Chen, what is your cultivation realm?"

    Fang Yunru asked.

 Chapter 533 - 533 | The Backup Plan

    "Xiao Chen, what is your cultivation realm?"

    Fang Yunru asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and in the next instant, he released his cultivation aura.

    "Woah," Fang Yunru was quite surprised, "Ninth Level of Qi Condensation!"

    "Good!" Fang Ji also nodded.

    Fang Bai had a proud smile upon seeing the cultivation realm.

    "Haha, my son will soon change the public view of him," Madam Fang said in a proud tone.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan shook his head, "There''s still a long way to go. He isn''t even in the top ten of the Capital City. And there are only a few months left before the Grand Spirit Hunt begins, he needs to cross a whole realm and reach the peak of Tri-Qi Realms.."

    Fang Yunru nodded, "Uncle is right," Looking at Ye Tian Yun, he added, "Xiao Chen still has a long way to go, however, if we consider his Sword Intent, things won''t be as hard as we were assuming at first."

    "No, we shouldn''t take the Sword Intent in ount," Prime Minister Fang interrupted, "Sword Intent is best as a trump card, what he needs is a high cultivation realm. Also, we can''t remove the possibility of someone else having simr Sword Talent."

    Everyone around him nodded, agreeing with his words.

    Ye Tian Yun also understood this, but he wasn''t worried at all.

    With his Core Formation Realm, right now there was no one in his generation who could even force him to use full strength.

    ''I need to reach the Fourth Level of the Core Formation Realm before the GRand Spirit Hunt begins.''

    This was Ye Tian Yun''s goal.

    ˇ­

    About an hourter, Ye Tian Yun had returned to his cultivation abode and had once again sat down to focus on cultivation.

    Fang Yunru had agreed to step back and not participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt, albeit on the condition that Ye Tian Yun teaches him Sword Intent.

    ''His talent is good, it won''t be hard to teach him.''

    What Ye Tian Yun was afraid of was wasting too much time on unnecessary stuff.

    ''I need to focus on the main nˇ­''

    Gao CLan had rejected his request to give the Thunder Valley.

    ''Should I talk to Gao Xuan?''

    Ye Tian Yun thought.

    n Head Gao Kang''s reaction upon seeing his youngest son was still fresh in his mind.

    ''But from what I know, n Head Gao was proudest of his youngest son? What was going on that day?''

    Ye Tian Yun was curious because their rtionship was important for his ns.

    ''However, there was no hostility between Gao Xuan and Gao Long.''

    Both brothers didn''t show any malice towards each other.

    ''In fact, Gao Long even gave a wry smileˇ­''

    It was highly likely that the situation between the Gao Brothers was simr to Fang Chen and Fang Yunru''s situation.

    ''This is my best bet.''

    One of Ye Tian Yun''s backup ns included the situation between the Gao Brothers.

    ''I will use their closeness as a weapon.''

    Gao Long was the former number one genius of the Capital City, but because of an ambush, he was crippled.

    But Ye Tian Yun had a way which could help Gao Long gain his lost cultivation ande out even more powerful.

    When a person is crippled, no matter if he''s a genius or a dunce, he will lose all his cultivation and his future achievements will turn bleak.

    However, that doesn''t mean all hope is lost.

    Getting crippled is the worst nightmare of any cultivator, so how could the alchemists and array masters not work on solving this?

    And with centuries of research, a solution is already in hand, however, not everyone has the right to receive the treatment.

    But Ye Tian Yun was very well aware of everything.

    In fact, at first, he thought his gift of letting Gao Xuan achieve his former cultivation would make Gao n agree with his request.

    But then, he decided not to go with that route, instead, gifted a Thousand-Year old Ginseng for Madam Gao.

    The reason was pretty simple, he didn''t wish to overdo things. If he openly helped Gao Long get back his cultivation, he would get too much attention, most of which wouldn''t be good for him.

    ''I am not here to create unnecessary troubleˇ­''

    As for the method of getting Gao Long back on his featˇ­ Well, the solution to this was a pill.

    A Third Grade Pill.

    It isn''t a big deal, but the problem is the ingredients.

    But Ye Tian Yun didn''t need to worry about them.

    Butler Liu''s spatial ring for Jun Xie had a lot of essential ingredients, and an alchemist can make plenty of those pills.

    ''The problem I am facing right now is the alchemist itself.''

    There was no alchemist with him and he couldn''t focus on searching for a trustworthy alchemist right now.

    The person I need is Jun Xie.

    But where the hell is he?

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    He had two goals right now - getting the Thunder Valley and getting close to Xin Xue Qing.

    But now both of his goals were blocked because he needed Jun Xie.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but narrow his eyes upon thinking about this.

    ''He better not dy things anymore.''

    Knock-knock!

    Just then, someone from outside the room called out.

    "Brother Fang, may we enter?''

    ''Zheng Xiang?''

    Ye Tian Yun stood up and opened the door.

    In front of him were Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er.

    "What happened?"

    Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "We are nning to roam around the city, I was hoping you could join us."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a wry smile, "I can''te with you guys, I am not allowed to go out of the Fang n."

    "Ah, yes," Zheng Xiang nodded, "How are you now?"

    Ye Tian Yun reassured, "I will recover soon."

    "Hm, alright then, we will roam around the city for some time."

    Just as they were about to turn around, Ye Tian Yun asked, "How about I send someone with you? You''re not familiar with the city, a guide will be a big help."

    "Oh?" Zheng Xiang smiled, "That would be great."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and then gestured to a guard, "Go and bring Ao Jia who guards the Study Room''s Hallway."

    "Yes, Young Master," The guard nodded and left.

    Ye Tian Yun gestured at the couple in front of him, "Come in, have a seat."

    Zheng Xiang didn''t hesitate and went in the right way, while Bai Qing''er hesitated a bit and then lightly bowing towards Ye Tian Yun, she stepped in.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at this and pushed to chairs near the bed and gestured to them to take a seat, while he himselfid on the bed.

    "Brother Fang," Bai Qing''er spoke while taking her seat, "I will be heading back to the sect soon, so I hope you take care of Brother Xiang."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Don''t worry, he will be alright here. When are you nning to leave?"

    "Hm, I was nning to leave today, but Xiang won''t let me."

    "Then don''t leave," Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "It''s better if you stay here for at least one month."

    "Hm? What will happen in a month?" Bai Qing''er asked out of curiosity.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Nothing important, I was just saying you can rx and make acquaintances in the Capital City."

    "Why bother?" Bai Qing''er shook her head, "I would rather focus on cultivation."

    "Your choice," Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    To him, it didn''t matter whether Bai Qing''er stayed in the Fang n or in the Gracious Sword Sect.

    "Young Master, you called me."

    A shout from outside interrupted their conversation.

    As they turned towards the door, Ye Tian Yun replied, "Yes,e in."

    Faint footsteps were heard as Ao Jia entered the room.

    "Yes, Young Master?" He asked with a slight bow.

    Ye Tian Yun nced at the Zheng-Bai couple and said to Ao Jia, "These are my friends, and it will be your duty to guide them through the famous spots of the Capital City."

    "Ah, sure," Ao Jia nodded and cupped his fists at Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er as a greeting.

    Ye Tian Yun nced at Zheng Xiang, "Go ahead, Ao Jia will guide you. I will apany you after I have recovered."

    "Alright, I will see youter," Zheng Xiang smiled and left the room with Ao Jia.

    Bai Qing''er also followed them, but she paused just before reaching the door.

    "What happened?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Brother Fang.." She pursed her lips and said, "Zheng Xiang is faking his cheerful attitude. Once I have left for the sect, please take care of him."

    Ye Tian Yun was inwardly surprised, ''Really? Zheng Xiang was faking it?''

    But Ye Tian Yun didn''t show it on his face, and replied, "Ah, don''t worry, I have already seen through his act, but everyone had their own way of coping up with the loss. Let''s hope he gathers himself back up."

    Bai Qing''er nodded and left the room, and soon caught up with Zheng Xiang and Ao Jia.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh and got up from his seat.

    ''I can''t meet Gao Xuan during the day, let''s go and visit the Purple Spring Garden.''

    ''Hopefully, I can find an opening today.''

    Thest time Ye Tian Yun had visited the garden with the intention to secretly enter the ce, however even after spending hours roaming in the area, he couldn''t find a blind spot in the security.

    ''Let''s see if I can get a good result todayˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and in a disguise, he left the Fang n.

 Chapter 534 - 534 | Unexpected Opportunity

    "Damn it, waste of time."

    Ye Tian Yun cursed as he slowly headed towards his room.

    It was almost evening outside, and he had just returned to Fang Chen''s courtyard.

    ''There is no blind spot.''

    This time, Ye Tian Yun confirmed it himself.

    The security around Purple Spring Garden was just too tight. Everyone and everything was under the watchful eyes of Core Formation Realm and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

    ''It would have been better if I had stayed here and focused on cultivation.''.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh as he changed into Fang Chen''s disguise.

    Shaking his head, he stepped inside his room and closed the door.

    "Wee back."

    A sudden voice froze Ye Tian Yun on the spot.

    His finger was pressing the spatial ring finger, ready to take out his sword.

    However, heposed himself because the voice was pretty familiar.

    He turned around and acted casually, "Ah, when did youe?"

    Madam Fang stared at him without speaking, "I should be asking you this."

    "Ah, hahaˇ­." Ye Tian Yun awkwardlyughed and headed towards his table.

    "Where have you been, Xiao Chen?" Madam Fang asked in a stern voice.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I was here, just roaming around. What happened?"

    Madam Fang narrowed her eyes, "Where have you been, Fang Chen?"

    She repeated the same question.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I told you already. Just roaming around, breathing some fresh air."

    Madam Fang stood up, "Fang Chen, I can see you lying from a mile away. Don''t act smart in front of me. Did I not tell you to stay inside your room for the next two weeks? You already caused havoc yesterday. Was that not enough?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "First, I wasn''t forceful. I gave the Gao n a choice, and it was up to them to decide."

    "Second, I have recovered my memories. Well, most of them. And my wounds are also healed."

    "And finally, I would rather hope that you don''t worry too much about me. It''s not like this is the first time I am causing any trouble. In fact, this time, I am trying to do something good."

    Madam Fang''s eyes softened, "Son, how can I not worry about you? You go around creating trouble, fighting with everyone; how could I focus on anything else? And don''t you lie to me. There''s no way someone can recover so fast. I am not imprisoning you. You''re a cultivator; it''s not hard for you to quietly cultivate for two weeks, is it?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "It''s not hard," He replied, "In fact, I would love to focus on cultivation for the next two weeks, but I have no other choice but to change my priorities and follow them."

    "What could have higher priority than your health and cultivation?" Madam Fang frowned, "Xiao Chenˇ­ why are you not listening to your mother?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and stared at himself in the mirror.

    The face reflected in the mirror was of someone else''s.

    Someone whom he had killed long ago.

    ''Damn it.''

    He frowned and nced at Madam Fang; he said, "Don''t worry about me. I have things to do and prepare myself for the uing future."

    Madam Fang let out a sigh and stood up.

    "Son, I only wish the best for you," She said, "If you want to go outside, go. Just take care of yourself; you can do that, right?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    "Good," Madam Fang smiled, "I will go now. Try not to create trouble for your father."

    Ye Tian Yun sat down on the bed as Madam Fang left the room.

    ''I should cultivate till midnight and then head towards the Gao n.''

    He crossed his legs and sat in a lotus position, and then, closing his eyes, he began his Cultivation in the cultivation space.

    With four times the time dtion, Ye Tian Yun cultivated for sixteen hours in the Cultivation Space before getting called out for dinner by a guard.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped outside and headed for the dining hall.

    This time, there were more people seated on the dining tab;e.

    "Xiao Chen, you didn''t tell us your friends were here," Madam Fang smiled while saying as she saw Ye Tian Yun step into the dining hall.

    It was Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er who had just returned after sightseeing through the capital city.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I forgot."

    Taking his seat, he nodded at Prime Minister Fang, who made small eye contact before continuing to stare at a piece of paper, and then turning towards Zheng Xiang, asked, "How was your date?"

    "D-date?" Bai Qing''er got flustered upon hearing this.

    "It was awesome!" Zheng Xiang smiled, "The guide you sent knew where to take us, hehe!"

    Madam Fang smiled, "Ah, you should visit the Purple Spring Garden; that''s where most of the youngsters gather."

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "The guard, Ao Jia, did mention something about this, but he said not everyone is allowed to enter."

    "Unfortunately, yes," Madam Fang nodded, "This is more because of security reasons than anything else."

    "How about I go with them?" Ye Tian Yun suddenly thought of something, "The ce is good and safe."

    Madam Fang frowned and nced at Prime Minister Fang, who lightly nodded. Clearly, he had been paying attention to the conversation going on at the table.

    Madam Fang smiled and replied to Ye Tian Yun, "Alright, but don''t create trouble."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    ''Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared.''

    Ye Tian Yun got the chance to visit the Purple Spring Garden without waiting for Jun Xie, so he didn''t waste it.

    Nothing eventful happened in the dinner, and Ye Tian Yun soon found himself back in his room.

    Closing his eyes, he resumed his Cultivation.

    About four hours in the real world and sixteen hours in the cultivation space, Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes.

    Slowly opening the door, Ye Tian Yun quietly left the Fang n Manor.

    ''I hope that guy is still awake.''

 Chapter 535 - 535 | Eavesdropping

    The Gao n was situated in the northern part of the city, just fifteen minutes of walking distance from the Fang n on a regr day.

    Since it was quite dark outside, most of the alleyways and streets were quiet, saving quite some time for Ye Tian Yun.

    Within five minutes of leaving the Fang n, Ye Tian Yun was standing in the Purple Spring Road, thendmark of the Gao n.

    ''This ce is busy as usual.''

    Even though most of the city had turned quiet, the Purple Spring Road was still bustling with crowds of cultivators and countless merchants and vendors.

    It wasn''t hard for Ye Tian Yun to quietly make his way through the crowd. And soon passing through an alleyway, he entered the Gao n.

    He had already nned this path earlier in the morning when he hade here to look for a way to enter the Purple Spring Garden..

    Even though he had failed to find a way through the security of the Purple Spring Garden, he had used the opportunity to note a way to get into the Gao n.

    ''Now, the only thing left is to find Gao Xuan''s courtyard.''

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and soundlessly sneaked through the Gao n Manor.

    Finding Gao Xuan''s room was not going to be big trouble for him, he just needed to knock out a guard, and with the help of a very good pill, he could get the truth of the guard.

    The pill, in this case, was the exact pill that he had used a few months back when he was disguised as Shu Xian, an inner court disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect and was on a mission towards the Silver Mist City but was ambushed by King Xing''s men. This pill was used to interrogate the captive who had organised the ambush.

    (A/n: refer Ch: 303 to 307)

    ''Now that I think of it, should I tell about that event to Prime Minister Fang?''

    Ye Tian Yun mused while secretly making his way through the quote hallways of Gao n.

    Just then, he noticed a pair of approaching footsteps.

    ''Guards?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and hid.

    As the footsteps grew closer, Ye Tian Yun heard them talking in faint voices.

    ''Hm? These are not guards.''

    The voices were too familiar.

    " -Why are you wasting time on me? The Gao n needs your help. I am just a cripple."

    ''Gao Long.''

    Ye Tian Yun already knew about the identity of one of them when he heard the voice, but the former''s words confirmed his identity.

    "Big Brother, I don''t have much time. After I have left, the n will be in your hands."

    ''Gao Xuan.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    The person he was looking for delivered himself!

    "No, anyway, the deal is already canceled; you won''t have to go anywhere. And do you think anyone would listen to a cripple? The only reason why I still have respect is because of my history and the family''s support. But the elders won''t ept me as the next n Head."

    Gao Xuan frowned, "Don''t worry, Brother, I have finally gotten information about how to get your cultivation back."

    "What?" Gao Long eximed, "Really!?"

    Gao Xuan replied with a smile, "Yes. This information came directly from the Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, Su Ming."

    "Sect Leader Su?" Gao Long raised his eyebrows in surprise, "How did you meet him?"

    "Hahaha, that''s a trade secret, Brother," Gao Xuan smiled, "I did a favor for Sect Leader Su, and he gave me this information as a repayment."

    "Oh," Gao Long nodded, "So, what is this information?"

    Gao Xuan let out a sigh, "I know about the pill, even some of the rare ingredients. But there''s a small problem."

    "Which is?" Gao Long asked.

    "The pill doesn''tˇ­ from the Middle Heavens. The Alchemy Hall doesn''t have the recipe, and even if they have, it won''t be easy getting a pill from them."

    "Ah," Gao Long nodded, and with a wry smile, he said, "Don''t worry too much. If we can solve my issue, it will be great. But if we can''t, even then it''s alright."

    Gao Xuan nodded, "Also, I found another thing. This one is much more interesting."

    Gao Long smiled, "Really? What''s it about?"

    "You will have to wait first," Gao Xuan grinned, "This news is very important, and it will be best if I reveal it in front of father."

    "Oh?" Gao Long frowned, "Should we wait till morning? Or do you want to visit right now? I just came from his study. He''s still awake."

    Gao Xuan smiled, "Alright, let''s go then."

    "Oh wait," Gao Long interrupted, "Don''t tell him that you were outside the n. You know his temper."

    "I won''t," Gao Xuan nodded his head before adding, "But honestly, now that everything''s over, I don''t think he will mind. Also, it''s not like anyone would have noticed me outside."

    Gao Long shrugged, "I don''t know what to say, just be careful. That Fang Chen has created a headache for father."

    Gao Xuan frowned, "Yes. But I am more confused on why he would need the Thunder Valley."

    "Of Course he''s trying to rile us up," Gao Long frowned, "The Thunder Valley is the root of our n, and he''s trying to test our limits."

    Gao Xuan shook her head, "I doubt that. He''s too busy to bother about such things."

    "Too busy?" Gao Long smirked, "You know him pretty well, huh?"

    Gao Xuan shrugged, "I told you, I met him in the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Yeah, yeah," Gao Long nodded, "You have told me many times already. Anyway, are you going to meet father like this? You know, there are guards near the study hall."

    Gao Xuan smiled, "It''s alright; we will waste more time otherwise."

    Gao Long nodded, "Alright, your choice. Let''s increase our pace. I don''t want to be the one who disturbs Father once he has gone to sleep."

    "Hmm, let''s go," Gao Xuan nodded, and both of them started to walk away faster.

    Ye Tian Yun quietly followed both of them.

    However, his mind was reying the talk between Gao Xuan and Gao Long over and over.

    ''I feel like there''s something that I am missingˇ­.''

    The conversation felt like both were talking about ''something,'' but they weren''t referring directly to it.

    ''This whole conversation was quite weirdˇ­.''

    He inwardly shook his head and followed the Gao Brothers.

 Chapter 536 - 536 | Gao Xuans Revelation

    Knock! Knock!

    "Father, may wee in?"

    Gao Long called out after knocking on the door in front of him.

    Gao Xuan was also standing beside him, while Ye Tian Yun was in hiding, eavesdropping on the whole situation.

    "Hmm."

    A light response came from the room.

    The Gao brothers took a deep breath and entered the room.

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t see what was happening inside, but he was able to overhear everything.

    "What happened?" A middle-aged man''s voice came out..

    Ye Tian Yun recognized the voice as n Head Gao Kang''s.

    "Father, I have something important to tell you."

    "It better be important. I am quite busy tonight."

    "It will be worth your time," Gao Xuan replied, "Father, I have received some important information about the Second Brother''s incident."

    Outside, Ye Tian Yun frowned upon hearing this.

    He didn''t know the truth behind Gao Kang''s incident because thetter was never a major character in his previous life.

    ''Wasn''t it the Fang n?''

    It was an open secret among everyone outside that the Fang n had ambushed the Second Young Master of Gao n, Gao Long.

    ''But if this was true then there was no way Gao n would have agreed to marry Gao Suyin with Fang Chenˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun waited for n Head Gao Kang''s response.

    The room had turned quiet because the other two were taken aback by Gao Xuan''s words.

    After a few moments of silence, Gao Long''s words were heard, "What did you find out? Last time we confirmed that it was not the Fang n. Did you find the real conspirator?"

    "Yes," Gao Xuan pursed his lips, "It is our Third Suspect."

    "Third Suspect... '''' Gao Long and n Head Gao squint their eyes, "The King."

    "Yes," Gao Xuan exhaled, "I have gathered some solid proofs. I have also tracked down the person who crippled Second Brother."

    "Oh?" n Head Gao stood up from his seat, "Where is he?"

    Gao Xuan replied with a sneer, "I am interrogating him right now."

    "Hmm," n Head Gao frowned, "What else has he revealed?"

    Gao Xuan pursed his lips and replied, "Regarding the Second Brother''s incident, I have only found out it was King Xin''s work, and he was also the one who released rumors about Fang n being the one behind all this."

    "Oh," n Head Gao Kang frowned, "Anything else?"

    Gao Xuan nodded, "Yes, but not rted to Second Brother."

    "What?"

    "It''s about the Fang n. A few months back, a few disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect headed towards the Silver Mist City, and the guy we caught, Mo Da, ambushed them on the way using the Thousand-something array."

    "Four Hands Thousand Kills Array."

    "Exactly!" Gao Xuan nodded, "This array is Fang n''s signature array, and they used it to ambush those disciples. The goal was to kill those disciples and leave clues pointing towards the Fang n."

    "Hm," n Head Gao frowned, "I remember there was a big argument regarding a mission, and the Crown Prince was nning something."

    Gao Xuan nodded, "Crown Prince and Sect Leader Su formed an alliance for this mission. This mission is one of the core reasons why the war began at a premature stage."

    n Head Gao nodded, "Yes, it was something rted to the Third Princess of Wu Kingdom, I know a few things about that. But that''s not important right now. Don''t kill that Mo Da guy. I want to present him to Fang Yuan, only then the hesitation in his heart will disappear and he will understand who his enemy is."

    Gao Xuan nodded, "King Xin pushed the Fang n to the top to break our n, and now he''s trying to destroy the Fang n so the final winner is himself. However, Father, you will have to call Prime Minister Fang here. We can''t bring Mo Da to him."

    "Hm?" n Head Gao frowned, "Does anyone else know about Mo Da?"

    "No," Gao Xuan rubbed his face, "Actually, the condition of Mo Da isˇ­ how should I put itˇ­ it''s quite weird."

    "Did you torture him too much?" Gao Long smiled.

    "No, that''s not it," Gao Xuan denied, "It''s the condition in which I met him. His limbs were interchanged."

    "Interchanged?"

    "Yes. Mo Da''s hands were reced by his legs, and his hands reced his legs."

    "..."

    "..."

    The room turned quiet.

    Outside, Ye Tian Yun bit his tongue.

    He vividly remembered his encounter with Mo Da on his way to Silver Mister City.

    ''That guy managed to stay alive?''

    This was the most surprising note for Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Next time, I won''t joke around and simply kill the enemy.''

    ˇ­

    Inside the room, it took some time for the duo to recover from their speechlessness in front of Gao Xuan.

    "How did heˇ­ survive?"

    n Head Gao asked.

    Gao Xuan shrugged, "I have no idea, but luckily we were able to capture him because I was trailing behind the Gracious Sword Sect''s entourage. This guy is the reason why I couldn''t witness the SIlver Mist City incident."

    "Oh," n Head Gao let out a sigh, "It''s alright, don''t worry about that. Rather, focus on King Xin."

    Gao Xuan nodded, "Father, I am doing everything I can, but the Xin Royal n is too tight-lipped. It''s hard to find any answers."

    Gao Long frowned, "It''s no surprise."

    n Head Gao moved towards the window and staring at the darkness in front of him; he said, "The only way to defeat the Xin Royal n is to ally with the Fang n. This was the reason behind the marriage alliance. But now, things will be a bitplicated."

    Gao Long nodded, "Yes, but in my opinion, we did the right thing. Fang Chen doesn''t deserve our Third Sister."

    n Head Gao let out a sigh, "But there was no other way."

    Gao Xuan frowned, "Father, Fang Chen is not what he used to be. He''sˇ­ someone else."

    Outside, Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes wide in shock as his thumb reached the spatial ring on his index finger upon clenching his fists.

 Chapter 537 - 537 | Encounter

    "Someone else?" n Head Gao frowned, "How much can a person change in a few months? And even if his attitude has changed, his talent is still the same. I doubt he has even reached halfway through the Qi Refining Realm."

    Gao Xuan pursed his lips but didn''t say anything.

    "I will go now, Father," He stood up from his seat, "Last few days have been pretty tiring, so I want to rest today."

    n Head Gao Kang''s eyes softened, "I know, things have been the hardest for you. Whatever happens, I will always be on your side. This reminds me, how''s your new business going? What was that thing calledˇ­ burgir?"

    "Burger." Gao Xuan replied, "It''s a hit among everyone. We are rapidly expanding and establishing new branches."

    "Good," n Head Gao smiled, "Now go and have some rest.. And attend breakfast tomorrow morning; it''s been a long time since you ate with the family."

    Gao Xuan nodded with a smile and headed for the door.

    Gao Long also stood up, "Father, I will also leave."

    "Hmm," n Head Gao Kang took his seat, "Don''t forget to close the door after you have left."

    "Yes, Father."

    ˇ­

    Outside, Gao Long and Gao Xuan headed towards their courtyards.

    "Which ce are you heading to tonight?" Gao Long asked, "Yoursˇ­ or his?"

    "His."

    "Oh, then be careful."

    "I will."

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun frowned while staring at the back of the two disappearing people.

    ''How much does Gao Xuan know?''

    Even though it was just a little, Ye Tian Yun now was slightly suspicious of Gao Xuan.

    He moved and followed behind the Gao Brothers.

    After a few minutes, Gao Long and Gao Xuan separated and headed towards their own courtyards.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at Gao Long''s disappearing back for a moment and then followed Gao Xuan.

    ...

    Gao Xuan''s footsteps quieted as he stepped closer to the courtyard.

    Behind him, Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and was ready to pull out his sword anytime.

    His n was first to subdue Gao Xuan and then have a chat with him.

    ''It sounds a bit reckless, but this is the best shot I have.''

    It was impossible to meet Gao Xuan other than this ce.

    ''I will ambush him when his guard is at the lowestˇ­.''

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun paused.

    And then, ncing at the back of Gao Xuan, he frowned.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    Without hesitation, he backed off and ran to another hallway.

    After crossing a few more hallways, he stuck his back on a wall and calmed his breathing.

    ''An arrayˇ­.''

    ''A god damn killing arrayˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun was shocked.

    There was a powerful array installed in that hallway!

    ''That Gao Xuanˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun felt he had heavily underestimated this person.

    ''But how did he get his hands on such a powerful killing array? And how does the Gao n have enough resources to keep it running?''

    This was the most surprising factor for Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Sigh, I need to find another way.''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and jumped on the roof.

    ''I hope there''s no array on the roof.''

    But that was unlikely.

    Or not.

    Because the roof was surprisingly clear.

    Ye Tian Yun even double-checked to confirm.

    ''Why the hell did he put the array in the hallway but not on the roof?''

    If an assassin was to enter, the chances of himing from the roof were more than the hallway.

    ''Weird guy.''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and headed towards Gao Xaun''s courtyard.

    However, just a few momentster, he came across another problem.

    ''The path below divides into twoˇ­.''

    The hallway below him was now heading in two directions.

    ''There are two courtyards hereˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''The only way to confirm is to check each personally.''

    He didn''t wish to be toote, or else he might miss Gao Xuan being at his most vulnerable state.

    He first headed towards the courtyard on his right, and within a matter of seconds, he reached the ce.

    ''No one''s here.''

    Ye Tian Yun squinted his eyes.

    He double-checked the whole courtyard, and the result still came out the same - there was no one inside.

    ''Who''s courtyard is this?''

    ''Nevermind, Goa Xuan should be in the other courtyard.''

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, ''Time to make a deal.''

    The second courtyard wasn''t far away. Within a few moments, Ye Tian Yun had reached Gao Xuan''s courtyard.

    ''Hm?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned upon arriving near the courtyard.

    ''There is indeed someone here.''

    He was able to sense the presence of someone, but there was one problem.

    ''There''s an illusion array.''

    ''Unfortunately for this, I am the worst opponent.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and quietly stepped inside the room.

    He didn''t need to look around because the first thing he noticed was the faint back of a person in the dimly lit room.

    ''Gao Xuanˇ­?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, and after carefully observing the room, he advanced forward.

    Before the person in front of him could react, Ye Tian Yun covered his mouth with one hand and put a knife on the neck with another.

    "Struggle, and you will die."

    He spoke.

    But then, something weird happened.

    An aromatic fragrance drifted through his nose.

    ''This personˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun gulped, and locking his targets'' meridians and vocals, he jumped back in surprise.

    He stared in surprise because this was definitely not Gao Xuan, in fact, this was not even a ''he''.

    This was a young woman.

    And when he stepped away from this young woman, she turned around.

    Ye Tian Yun saw a stunning beauty appearing in his sights.

    He was shocked.

    He looked at that slim figure. The young woman turned around. With her long ck hair parted in two, she was wearing red robes. Her eyes were a crescent shape with longshes and green pupils. She had a small face that was beautiful beyond words.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    ˇ­

    A/n: character art on the next chapter or you can join discord right now and visit the character art channel.

 Chapter 538 - 538 | The Beauty

    Ye Tian Yun blocked her vocals.

    Even in such a situation, there was not even an ounce of panic on her face.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and tried to regain hisposure.

    He strengthened the grip on his sword and said, "I am the one who will be asking. Point in the direction where Gao Xuan is, and you will live."

    The young woman smiled and pointed at her throat.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Don''t test me."

    The smile on her face spread even more, and she tapped on her throat twice..

    Ye Tian Yun gritted his teeth and moved towards her.

    Putting his hands on her soft neck, Ye Tian Yun rubbed the meridian, unblocking her vocals.

    The young woman smiled, "You acted pretty tough there."

    Ye Tian Yun''s eyes twitched, "Try to shout, and you will lose your head."

    "Why would I bother shouting?" The young woman smiled.

    Her height was up to Ye Tian Yun''s shoulders.

    ''She is of my age and doesn''t have high cultivation. I guess she''s most probably a maid.''

    What confused Ye Tian Yun even more, was that there was no prompt on her head!

    ''Why can''t I see any promptsˇ­.''

    The young woman lowered her gaze, and then, staring at Ye Tian Yun''s chest, she said, "Are you going to keep holding my neck?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and loosened the grip around her neck.

    The young woman then stepped back and sat on the bed in front of him.

    "Where is Gao Xuan?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    The young woman exhaled and pointed, "He will be here soon. Why don''t you take a seat."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What''s your name?"

    The young woman narrowed her eyes, "What kind of assassin are you?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned but didn''t say anything.

    Just then, faint footsteps were heard, and another person entered the room.

    "Let her go."

    The person said.

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "I don''t have any interest in her."

    He was lying.

    "Follow me." The person said, and staring at the young woman for a second; he left the room.

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards the young woman.

    She was no longer smiling; rather, there was a calm and graceful aura around her. Her parted hair spoke volumes of her calmness. Her flower-embroidered red dress added elegance and a noble aura around her.

    ''She''s on par with Ling Feng''er.''

    No, there was a small difference.

    Ling Feng''er had the gracefulness, and the young woman in front of him had the elegance.

    There was no doubt in that.

    Her face was extremely beautiful.

    It was a face filled with dignity.

    ''How can a maid have such grace? Is she even a maid?"

    Ye Tian Yun doubted his previous assumption.

    "Are you not going?" She asked. Her voice was soft and elegant.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and left the room.

    Just as he reached the door, he turned around and asked, "What''s your name?"

    A sweet smile formed on her face, "Gao Suyin."

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes wide open.

    ''Isn''t she the oneˇ­''

    Without a word, he left the room.

    (Author note: Gao Suyin Character art here.)

    ˇ­

    Crossing the hallway, Ye Tian Yun came to the intersection once again.

    At the other end, he saw a faint silhouette of someone gazing at the night sky.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped closer and stood a few feet away from the person.

    "Why did youe here?" This was a young man''s voice.

    Ye Tian Yun confirmed his guess.

    This person was indeed Gao Xuan, his target.

    ''But he soundsˇ­ a bit different.''

    He stared at Gao Xuan and replied, "I wanted to talk to you."

    "Oh," Gao Xuan asked, "About what?"

    His voice sounded emotionless.

    It was hard to judge his thoughts.

    Ye Tian Yun went straight to the topic, "Gao Xuan, I am here to make a deal."

    "A deal?"

    "Yes. And it''s pretty simple. You answer one question for me and help me convince your father of something. I will help you help your elder brother regain his cultivation."

    Silence once again prevailed through the courtyard.

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips curled up.

    He had noticed Gao Xuan losing hisposure for a moment.

    ''There''s a chance he will agree.''

    Ye Tian Yun felt quite confident.

    "What do you want?" Gao Xuan asked. He had already regained hisposure.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I want you to convince your father to agree with Fang Chen''s demands."

    Gao Xuan turned around and stared at Ye Tian Yun.

    After a long silence, he asked, "What''s the guarantee that you can help my brother? Also, why do you think I will even need your help in that?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Gao Xuan, it''s either you trust me, or you don''t. You might think that you don''t need my help, but consider this first: can you heal your brother in four months?"

    "Four monthsˇ­" Gao Xuan frowned.

    "You can''t." Ye Tian Yun smiled, "You will need at least six years because the solution to his problem is in the Middle Heavens. It will take you six years to have enough capability to make the Supreme Alchemy Hall of the Middle Heavens help you. Imagine the time your brother would have lost by then. Will it all be worth it?"

    Gao Xuan pursed his lips, "Thunder Valley is the ancestralnd of my n."

    "Six Years." Ye Tian Yun replied, "Give the Thunder Valley to Fang Chen for six years."

    Gao Xuan frowned, "I will have to talk to my father."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t talk. Convince him. If you seed, I will start my preparation and hand over the pill to Fang Chen in four months."

    Gao Xuan nodded, "Alright, and what''s the question you wanted to ask?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Actually, there are two of them. First, how did youe to Gao Suyin''s room? Did she call you? Orˇ­ were you going to visit her anyway?"

    Gao Xuan smiled, "She warned me the moment you put your hand around her neck. Next question?"

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Next questionˇ­ let''s leave it for the future."

    Gao Xuan shrugged, and then turning his gaze towards the night sky, he asked, "You didn''t give me any proof when I asked how can I trust you. How about I ask a simple question, and if you answer it truthfully, I will trust you wholeheartedly."

    Ye Tian Yun was taken aback by this. He frowned, "Ask away."

    Gao Xuan pursed his lips, and then, staring right into Ye Tian Yun''s eyes, he asked, "What is your name?"

 Chapter 539 - 539 | The Deal

    Tap!

    A silhouette jumped and entered the Fang n manor.

    Looking around, it slowly headed towards the northern part of the manor.

    Arriving in an empty courtyard, it slowly entered the main room through the roof window and then quietlynded on the surface, removing the mask.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    Exhaling a long breath, itid on the bed.

    ''Did I do it right?''

    The silhouette was none other than our homie Ye Tian Yun.

    He had just returned from the Gao n and was thinking about Gao Xuan''s question before their meeting ended..

    ''What is your name?''

    It was a simple question.

    But for some reason, Ye Tian Yun felt this question was very important.

    It was just an intuition. But this intuition was very strong.

    In the end, Ye Tian Yun chose his response - the truth.

    "Ye Tian Yun." He replied.

    There was a noticeable surprise in Gao Xuan''s eyes, but it didn''tst long, and he had resumed his ownposure.

    "I trust you." Gao Xuan had said, and then Ye Tian Yun left the Gao n.

    ''Trust huhˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    He could have chosen to say any name, but he told the truth purely based on intuition.

    ''Anyway, it''s not like there''s only one Ye Tian Yun in the whole world.''

    Upon closing his eyes, a beautiful face appeared in his mind.

    ''Gao Suyinˇ­''

    He immediately shook his head.

    ''It''s impossible between us.''

    ˇ­

    "He trusts us."

    In the Gao n, there were many courtyards. However, only two of them were unguarded courtyards.

    They belonged to Third Miss Gao Suyin and the Fourth Young Master Gao Xuan.

    The reason behind this was unknown, but it was n Head Gao Kang''s order.

    And currently, both of the siblings were standing in the garden in front of the hallway leading to their courtyards.

    This was the exact ce where Ye Tian Yun and Gao Xuan chatted with each other.

    "Why does he trust us?" Gao Suyin asked with a curious expression.

    Gao Xuan shrugged, "Don''t ask me. We both have the same thoughts."

    Gao Suyin nodded, "Yeah."

    Just then, a few faint footsteps were heard, and four silhouettes appeared in the courtyard.

    "What happened?" Gao Suyin nced at the four.

    "We felt you were in danger."

    "Oh?" Gao Suyin smiled, "You came prettyte. If I were really in danger, I would have been long dead."

    The Four lowered their gaze, "We were outside the Capital City. I hope things have been well."

    Gao Suyin nodded, "Don''t worry. It''s not easy to kill me."

    She then turned towards Gao Xuan and said, "You know what you need to do. Talk to Father very carefully. Wait, should I talk to him personally about this?"

    The five others, including Gao Xuan, stared at her without replying.

    Gao Suyin let out a sigh, "Haiishˇ­ I always forget that I am basically talking to myself."

    She shook her head and then gazed at the night sky with a thousand thoughts running through her head.

    After about ten minutes, she turned towards Gao Xuan and said, "I will talk to my father about this. I need to convince him to give the Thunder Valley to Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun."

    "Will you reveal his identity?" Gao Xuan asked.

    Gao Suyin shook her head, "Of course not. I don''t have a death wish."

    Gao Xuan nodded, "True. Butˇ­ I noticed one thing."

    "What?" Gao Suyin asked.

    "The Crown Prince was mesmerized by you, hahaha," Gao Xuanughed.

    Gao Suyin shook her head, "It was just because he was surprised. Thank goodness he came a few minutester, or things would have been much moreplicated."

    Then turning towards the four people who hade from outside of Capital City, she said, "You guys go back. If someone sees you, it will bring me endless trouble."

    The four of them nodded, "Yes."

    Without another word, they jumped up and disappeared into the darkness.

    Gao Xuan let out a sigh, "You should consider changing their faces."

    Gao Suyin shook her head, "That won''t be much fun. Also, it''s hard to keep them for long if they have a different face."

    Goa Xuan frowned, "Are you having trouble with me?"

    If anyone else were here, he would have thought this was a weird and out-of-context question to ask.

    But only Gao Suyin knew what this question truly meant.

    She shook her head, "Only one person is not much trouble. Go to the tavern and read the manuscript of the encounter about that mysterious person a few days ago. I am now confident that it was Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun in someone''s disguise."

    Gao Xuan nodded, "I will go right away."

    Siu-!

    He disappeared.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    Gao Suyin let out another sigh after everyone had left.

    ''Token of Realityˇ­''

    She pursed her lips.

    ''I need to increase my cultivation, or else I will go crazy because of this thing.''

    She took a deep breath and headed back to her room.

    Her room didn''t have much decoration and was quite simple.

    As sheid on the bed, a face appeared in her mind.

    ''Ye Tian Yunˇ­''

    She immediately shook her head.

    ''It''s impossible between us.''

    ˇ­

    A few kilometers away from Capital City.

    In the starry glow of dark night, a group of carriages was slowly heading towards the capital city.

    While most of the carriages were filled with goods or people, one carriage only had three people.

    If Ye Tian Yun were present, he would have instantly recognized two of the three.

    They were Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu.

    The people he had been waiting for thest two days.

    Both of them were sitting opposite each other.

    While Wu Qingwu was cultivating while sitting in a cross-legged lotus position, Jun Xie was focused on a manual in his hand. As for the third person, he was a young man who had joined them midway and hadn''t spoken a word.

    Just then, they heard a few footsteps and then a slight nudge near the curtains.

    "Brother Jun Xie, are you awake?"

    Someone called out from outside.

    Jun Xie moved his hands and removed the curtains. He smiled at the young man on the other side and asked, "What happened, Brother Fu?"

    The young man in front of him was none other than Fu Kai - the one who had taken him and his fellow disciples to the Silver Mist City a few months back.

    "Brother Jun, we are about to reach the Capital City in a few minutes. I was wondering if you would like to stay in one of my n''s taverns? It''s midnight right now. I don''t think this will be the right time to visit the Fang n."

    Jun Xie nodded, "Thank you, brother Fu, but I have already troubled you quite a lot. I don''t wish to burden you anymore."

    "Haha, don''t put it like that, Brother Jun," Fu Kaiughed, "You have helped a lot along the way. How could I not repay you? And don''t worry about implicating Fang n into anything."

    "Ah," Jun Xie pursed his lips, "Alright then, I will trouble you for one more night."

    "Good," Fu Kai nodded, "I have already sent a guard to arrange a room for you two."

    "You already sent him?" Jun Xieughed, "You knew I would agree."

    "Hahaha," Fu Kaiughed along and then nced at the third person in the carriage, "Brother Feng Yun, I have done the same for you too, hahaha!"

    ...

    A/n: Feng Yun. Ringing any bells?

 Chapter 540 - 540 | Arrival

    At the other corner of the carriage, the young man nced at Fu Kai and lightly nodded his head.

    Fu Kai frowned and then looked at the forest around them; he asked, "Brother Feng Yun, I don''t see the person who came with you. Will he also be staying with you? Or did he leave?"

    "He will look after himself." Feng Yun replied.

    "Oh, alright," Fu Kai nodded and then closed the curtains.

    Feng Yun closed his eyes and resumed his cultivation.

    Jun Xie turned towards Feng Yun and cupped his fists, "I am Jun Xie, a disciple from the Gracious Sword Sect. We haven''t talked much along the way, and know that our destination is close, I figured we should at least get acquainted with each other."

    Feng Yun stared at Jun Xie for a moment, and then, cupping his fists, he greeted, "I am Feng Yun.."

    Jun Xie smiled, "If I may ask, where is Brother Feng heading to?"

    Feng Yun thought for a moment and then said, "I am out to experience the cultivation world."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie raised his eyebrows, "Are you part of any sect?"

    "No," Feng Yun shook his head, "Ie from a very remote n."

    "Ah," Jun Xie smiled. ''These days remote ns have powerful guards?''

    He didn''t pursue the subject and changed the topic, "Well, at least you know about your n. I grew up in the Gracious Sword Sect, so I never had the chance to live the life of a young master."

    Feng Yun had an amused expression, "I can assure you that you''re not missing anything. Anyway, are you an alchemist?"

    Jun Xie nodded, "Yes. How did you notice?"

    "How can I not?" Feng Yun smiled, "With your proficiency in the illusion technique, it would be a waste of talent if you weren''t an alchemist."

    Jun Xie gave a slight smile, "It''s not much. I am an average alchemist at best."

    Feng Yun nodded, "That''s true."

    "..."

    ˇ­.

    The carriages soon reached the Capital City, and after about fifteen more minutes, they halted in front of a huge tavern.

    Fu Kai once again knocked on the carriage and called out from outside, "Guys, we have reached our destination; you shoulde out."

    One by one, the three travelers came out and stood in front of the tavern.

    "I have already made arrangements," Fu Kai said, "The servants will take you to your rooms. Let''s meet on the second floor after freshening up a bit. I am sure we all are hungry."

    Jun Xie nced at Wu Qingwu and then nodded at Fu Kai. He said, "Alright."

    Feng Yun also agreed with the arrangements.

    ˇ­

    The tavern belonged to the Fu n and was one of the biggest taverns in the capital city.

    About half an hourter, four people were having a sumptuous dinner.

    "Here," Fu Kai personally served the other three while saying, "You can stay in this tavern as long as you want; the Fu n owes a lot to your three."

    Jun Xie smiled, "Brother Fu, it wasn''t much. And most of the enemies were killed by the senior who came with Brother Feng Yun."

    "YOu still gave your best," Fu Kai smiled, "That''s the most I could have ever asked for."

    Then ncing at Feng Yun, he asked, "Brother Feng, the seniorˇ­."

    "He won''t appear." Feng Yun shook his head, "He doesn''t like to be the center of attention."

    "Alright, I won''t ask again then," Fu Kai smiled.

    "Sister-inw," He then turned his head towards Wu Qingwu and asked, "You haven''t spoken at all ever since we met. I hope you haven''t forgotten me, haha!"

    Wu Qingwu let out a calm smile, "No, Brother Fu. You''re the one who saved me in the Silver Mist City; how can I forget you."

    "Hahaha, It wasn''t much," Fu Kai sat down, and everyone began the dinner.

    "Brother Jun, will you be heading to the Fang n early in the morning?" Fu Kai asked.

    Jun Xie nodded, "Yes, I have already dyed the schedule. What happened?"

    Fu Kai gave a wry smile, "I informed my father about the situation. He wanted to meet you guys."

    "Oh," Jun Xie let out a sigh, "How about I visit your n after I have met with Fang Chen?"

    Fu Kai pursed his lips and lowered his voice. He said, "Um, actually, there''s a small problem."

    "Hm?" The three nced at them.

    "Remember when I said there won''t be much problem even if you stay?" Fu Kai said.

    "Yes," Jun Xie nodded.

    "Well, while that part is true, that''s not the whole situation. After you have visited the Fang n, it will be hard for us to meet and impossible for my father to meet you."

    "What? Why?" Jun Xie asked.

    "Politics." Fu Kai let out a sigh, "Things are a bitplicated between my n and the Fang n when ites to the political standing in the Royal Court."

    "Oh," Jun Xie frowned, "Then it''s better if I don''t meet n Head Fu at all. It won''t create any misunderstandings at all."

    "It''s your choice," Fu Kai shrugged, "I was just asking if you wished you could meet my father."

    He then nced at Feng Yun and asked, "What about you, Brother Feng? Where are you heading?"

    Feng Yun smiled, "I am a free spirit. I don''t have any destination in my mind."

    "Hahaha, that''s nice," Fu Kaiughed, "Honestly, brother Feng, I am more curious about your background. I am pretty sure it''s very powerful because your guard alone had a very high cultivation realm."

    Feng Yun shook his head, "I am no bigshot, and my background won''t matter much here."

    After a moment of pause, he asked, "Brother Fu Kai, how is your n''s rtion with the Ling n?"

    "Ling n?" Fu Kai frowned, "I will assume you''re talking about one of the big fours. Well, n Head Ling Xiaochun and my father are good friends."

    "Oh?" Feng Yun was a bit surprised, "Then I hope you don''t mind because I will be visiting the Ling n."

    "Ah, that will be wonderful," Fu Kai smiled, "Young Master Ling Yun is a good friend of mine. How about I take you to the Ling n tomorrow? I am free anyway."

    "That will be great, thank you, Brother Fu."

    "Hahaha, it''s my pleasure."

    ˇ­

    The chat in the Fu n''s Tavern continued tillte night, and by the time everyone retired to their rooms, the sun had already begun to rise.

    A new day had begun for the people of the Lower Heavens.

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and got out of the bed.

    After a few minutes, once he had freshened up, he headed for the breakfast room.

    A simr scenario yed out, but there wasn''t any worth noting discussion or argument this time.

    However, there was one slight change.

    Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er were now part of the table.

    Madam Fang had personally invited them for breakfast.

    After the uneventful breakfast, Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er followed Ye Tian Yun headed for the garden in Ye Tian Yun''s courtyard, where they started to practice.

    Just then, an unexpected name joined their ground.

    Fang Yunru.

    "Xiao Chen, I am here to learn Sword Intent." He didn''t waste any time and got straight to the point.

    His words attracted Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er''s attention.

    "Alright, show me your Sword Intent first," Ye Tian Yun said, "I have never taught anyone, so don''t have high expectations."

    Fang Yunru smiled, "I know. But any help is good enough for me."

    Saying this, he took out a sword from his spatial ring and jumped away from the group.

    Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er also stopped practicing anding closer to Ye Tian Yun; they began to observe Fang Yunru''s sword moves.

    Siu-!

    Siu-!

    Zzz-!

    Zhen-!

    Siu-!

    Fang Yunru performed his sword arts and released his sword intent on the third move.

    A sudden gust of wind exploded with Fang Yunru as the center.

    "Peak Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent!"

    Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er were surprised.

    They were also sword cultivators, and Bai Qing''er had evenprehended the Sword Intent long ago.

    Still, she was surprised because Fang Yunru''s Sword Intent realm was higher than hers.

    ''He''s talented.''

    Both of them thought.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, didn''t think this way.

    It wasn''t hard for him to point out a few ws in Fang Yunru''s sword movements.

    He raised his hand and gestured for Fang Yunru to stop.

    Sik-!

    Fang Yunru put the sword back in his spatial ring and jumped back to Ye Tian Yun.

    "How was it?" He asked.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him for a few moments before giving his conclusion, "Too stiff."

    "Stiff?"

    "Yes," He nodded, "Your sword movements are very stiff. Are you feeling some hesitation?"

    "Noˇ­" Fang Yunru frowned.

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Your moves felt stiff. But they were stiff during the whole part; rather, things only went downhill when you reached a certain stage of your sword arts moves."

    "I don''t understand," Fang Yunru frowned,

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It''s pretty simple. The first half of your sword moves were very smooth, but during the fifth move, your movement became stiff. It was as if you were hesitating inpleting the move. I feel like something is holding you back."

    Fang Yunru fell in a thought, "Xiao Chen, I think I understand what you''re trying to say, but I don''t get the hesitation part. I don''t feel any hesitation or anything that''s holding me back."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It''s not necessary that you feel it. Sometimes, it''s the body''s reflexive actions."

    "Here''s what you can do. Focus on-"

    "First Young Master!"

    A guard''s voice interrupted the discussion.

    As Ye Tian Yun turned his head towards him, the former continued, "First Young Master, there are two disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect who im to be your friends and are currently in the Guest Hall."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    ''They are here.''

 Chapter 541 - 541 | Feng Yun And The Old Man

    In the Fang n''s Guest Hall, Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu were quietly sitting in the room.

    The guard had informed them to wait here while someone brought Fang Chen to the hall.

    "This guy sure is from a big n." Jun Xie smiled and nced at Wu Qingwu. He asked, "How''s your health?"

    "I am fine now." Wu Qingwu replied..

    "You should have told me it''s hard for you to adjust to a new environment," Jun Xie frowned, "Things wouldn''t have been soplicated."

    Wu Qingwu let out a wry smile, "It''s alright."

    Jun Xie nced at her for a moment and didn''t say anything.

    Just then, they heard a few pairs of footsteps approaching the Guest Hall.

    The curtains moved, and the first person to enter the hall was Ye Tian Yun.

    He smiled at Jun Xie as soon as he saw thetter, "You''re finally here."

    Jun Xie gave a wry smile. "Things came up, dying my arrival by a few days."

    "Did something happen while you were traveling?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Well, a lot happened, but we safely arrived here."

    "Hmm, that''s what matters most." Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    While they were chatting, three more figures entered the Guest Hall - Zheng Xiang, Bai Qing''er, and Fang Yunru.

    Ye Tian Yun gestured for them to take a seat and then introduced them to Jun Xie.

    "This is my Second Brother, Fang Yunru. You can call him Second Young Master Fang."

    "These are Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er - both are our fellow inner court disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Jun Xie cupped his fists at them.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and then pointed at Jun Xie; he introduced thetter to the other, "This is Jun Xie, Core Disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect, and the one beside him isˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards Jun Xie.

    "She''s myˇ­ friend." Jun Xie replied, "You can call her Miss Wu."

    Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists at Wu Qingwu, "Nice to meet you, Miss Wu. We metst time in the Sect about two and a half months ago."

    Wu Qingwu frowned for a moment, but then her expression returned to normal as she greeted everyone back, "Hello everyone, it''s my pleasure to meet everyone."

    She took a double look at Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Where have I seen this guy?''

    She felt as if the Young Master Fang Chen in front of her was someone she was very familiar with.

    A face appeared in her mind, but she instantly rejected it.

    ''No, that guy was another Core Disciple.''

    After a while, once everyone was done introducing and getting acquainted with each other, Ye Tian Yun nced at Jun Xie and asked, "What happened on the way?"

    Jun Xie let out a wry smile, "About a month ago, we left the Gracious Sword Sect in Fu Kai''s carriage."

    "Fu Kai?" Fang Yunru frowned, "Is he the one from the Fu n, which are famous for their merchant caravans?"

    "Yes," Jun Xie nodded.

    "Oh?" Fang Yunru asked, "Are you close friends with him?"

    "Well, you can say that," Jun Xie shrugged, "We were once part of a mission escort, and we survived a few life and death situations."

    "Hmm," Fang Yunru nodded.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled while saying, "Brother Jun, you might not know but the Fu n and the Fang n don''t get along pretty well."

    "Yeah," Jun Xie nodded, "Fu Kai told me a few things about it. Anyway, along the way, we are ambushed quite a lot of times. Apparently, the goods that Fu Kai was bringing were of immense value."

    "The intensity of assassins increased, and soon came a time when we were overwhelmed by the enemies."

    "It was at that time two mysterious people helped us. Well, only one of them helped, but it was clear that he was under themand of the other."

    "The guy was clearly a young master of a power organization but wanted to keep his identity hidden so didn''t unt too much. However, the old man with him was able to take down all the enemies in an instant."

    "Wow, they must have a powerful background then," Zheng Xiang eximed.

    "What was the guy''s name?" Fang Yunru asked.

    "Feng Yun."

    "Feng Yun?" He thought for a moment and then shook his head, "I don''t think I have heard such a name among the well-known people of our generation."

    "He was most probably using a fake alias." Ye Tian Yun concluded.

    Jun Xie nodded, "Yes, that''s what I think too. Well, after the Old Man killed the enemy assassins, Feng Yun joined the caravan while the old man with him guarded the caravan."

    "We didn''t face any more assassinations, but I think that''s because the old man didn''t let the enemy get close to the caravan."

    "This whole thing happened just two days ago. And for the rest of the two days, Feng Yun joined the carriage and was with us, while the old man never showed himself again."

    "Where is this guy now?" Ye Tian Yun asked. He was curious about this unexpected character introduced in the scene.

    "I think he will visit the Ling n today," Jun Xie replied.

    "Ling n?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    The Ling n is a branch n of the Great Ling n from the Middle Heavens.

    ''Is this Feng Yun from the Middle Heavens?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Even though this was quite unlikely, it was best for Ye Tian Yun not to use his real face again, like in his meeting with Gao Xuanst night.

    ''Should I investigate him?''

    He thought.

    ''Hmm.. no, I am just being paranoid.''

    He inwardly shook his head, and then ncing at Jun Xie, he asked, "What about the Gracious Sword Sect? Did you settle everything with them?"

    Jun Xie nodded, "Yes. As long as I don''t betray the Sect, I can stay here as long as I want."

    "Hmm, that''s great," Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    Suddenly his eyesnded on Wu Qingwu, and a frown appeared on his face, "What happened to Miss Wu?"

    He asked.

    Wu Qingwu had a small smile as she replied, "It''s nothing much. I just have some trouble adjusting to different environments."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrows and, staring at Jun Xie, asked Wu Qingwu, "Did he not concoct a pill?"

    Wu Qingwu smiled, "It''s a natural condition; pills won''t help much."

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun asked Jun Xie, "What rank Alchemist are you?"

    "Mid Second Rank Alchemist."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    This was a bit low.

    The alchemy ranks are divided from one to nine, and the sixth rank is highest in the Middle Heavens.

    To concoct the pill needed to heal Gao Long''s dantian, Jun Xie was required to be a Peak Second Rank Alchemist.

    The disappointment in his eyes irked Jun Xie, "Is that not good enough?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t lie, "Yeah, it''s a few levels lower."

    "..."

    "Anyway," Ye Tian Yun didn''t worry too much, "I have a few things which will help you increase your rank."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie beamed, "That will be great!"

    Fang Yunru suddenly asked, "Did you apply at the Alchemy Hall?"

    "No," Jun Xie shook his head, "My Master is a Mid Fourth Rank Alchemist. He''s the one who evaluated my ranks."

    "Ah," Fang Yunru, "I see. I think you should register yourself with Alchemy Hall. You will get a lot of resources too to learn, and there will also be alchemy manuals avable for free."

    "No." Ye Tian Yun interrupted.

    "Why?" Fang Yunru asked.

    In his opinion, someone with Jun Xie''s talent should join the Alchemy Hall.

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "I already said that I have enough things for him to increase his alchemy rank. I don''t want him to get unnecessary attention by joining the Alchemy Hall."

    "Unnecessary attention?" Fang Yunru frowned, "The Alchemy Hall will protect Jun Xie from any attempts on his life."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "They will, but who will protect him from the Alchemy Hall?"

    "What?"

    "Exactly what you heard," Ye Tian Yun didn''t repeat himself, "The Alchemy Hall isn''t an ally. Just like the Fu and Ling n, it''s better not to involve too much with them."

    "Alright," Jun Xie agreed before FanG Yunru could argue anymore.

    And seeing him agreeing, thetter didn''t say anything else on this matter.

    "When did you arrive here? In the morning?" Ye Tian Yun asked Jun Xie.

    "No, we arrived here at midnight." Jun Xie replied, "But because it was toote, we didn''te here directly, and Fu Kai offered us some space in their n''s tavern."

    "The Crown Jewel Tavern?" Fang Yunru asked.

    "Yes," Jun Xie nodded his head.

    "Did you have breakfast?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Let''s go and have you eat something before talking about anything else."

    "Ah, don''t worry," Jun Xie gestured to stop, "The breakfast was pretty extravagant in the Crown Jewel Tavern."

    "Oh? Well, that''s to be expected," Fang Yunru shrugged, "It''s the best tavern of the Fu n and also one of the best in the whole Xin Kingdom."

    "It lives up to its name and poprity," Jun Xie reviewed.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "That''s all good. I have already prepared a room for you guys, go and have a change of robes. I have something important to discuss after that."

    "Important?" Jun Xie frowned, "What''s it about?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "You will know pretty soon. It''s one of the main reasons why I have called you here. If things go well, you''ll be one step closer to the answer you''re looking for."

    Jun Xie closed his eyes upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

 Chapter 542 - 542 | A Tip

    Jun Xie had one goal in his life - to grow powerful enough to find his father and ask him why he was abandoned by thetter?

    And in all these years, the closest he had ever been to the truth was through Fang Chen.

    And this was also the reason why he agreed toe to Capital City in the first ce.

    Exhaling, Jun Xie stood up and said, "Alright, let''s go."

    Soon the group was out of the Guest Hall and was heading towards the room.

    The room for Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu was adjacent to Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er..

    It took him just a few minutes to reach the room.

    "Someone stays in this room?" Ye Tian Yun frowned as he stepped inside the room.

    The bed was huge, and there were clear signs of someone recently sleeping on it.

    "I was here," Bai Qing''er said.

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "I thought you were just kidding back then."

    "Of course not," Bai Qing''er rolled back her eyes, and then turning towards Wu Qingwu, she asked, "Would Miss Wu like to share the room with me, or would you like to be with Senior Brother Jun Xie?"

    Wu Qingwu smiled, "I don''t have any problem. Let''s have a good time."

    Zheng Xiang let out a sigh, which was ignored by everyone else in the group.

    Ye Tian Yun suggested, "I can have two more rooms arranged for you, so everyone can have a whole room. How about that?"

    "Nah, it''s alright," Jun Xie waved his hand, "We''re not here to be a burden on the Fang n. Me and Zheng Xiang will share the other room."

    "Alright," Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Then settle down and make yourself feel at home. If you need anything, just give the guards a call. I wille in half an hour. Let''s head to the training area after that."

    With everyone agreeing on this, Ye Tian Yun and Fang Yunru left the scene while the other four stayed in the rooms.

    "Xiao Chen, should I join the practice?" Fang Yunru asked.

    Earlier, he hade uninvited, but now he didn''t wish to intrude once again.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t mind this much.

    "Sure,e and join the practice. We can continue our discussion after that."

    Fang Yunru asked, "Where are you heading now?"

    "To the Main Courtyard."

    "Oh," Fang Yunru nodded, "I am going to meet some friends. I wille to the practice groundter."

    "Alright."

    Soon both of them parted ways, and Ye Tian Yun headed towards the Main Courtyard.

    The Main Courtyard was of course the core of the Fang n where Madam Fang and Prime Minister Fang resided.

    He was going there to ask for permission regarding his friends'' stay in the n. It was just to avoid any implications; after all, these disciples were from the Gracious Sword Sect, an enemy faction for Fang n.

    ''I wonder if Prime Minister Fang will be here?''

    Ye Tian Yun wanted to inform the Prime Minister about King Xin''s plot to implicate him in foiling the Crown Prince''s mission regarding the Silver Mist City.

    ''If the Xin Royal n loses Fang n''s support, my future troubles will lessen by a lot.''

    In theing future, Ye Tian Yun was sure that he would be the enemy of the whole Xin Royal Kingdom - more specifically - he was going to be the enemy of the Xin Royal n.

    And the presence of the Fang n by their side has quite a lot of weight when ites to the oue of this situation.

    "Xiao Chen?"

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was lost in his thoughts, he heard someone call him from behind.

    Turning around, he found a familiar figure staring at him.

    "Third Aunt." Ye Tian Yun smiled at her.

    The person in front of him was Madam Fang Bai - Fang Chen''s birth mother in reality, but his Third Aunt in the current situation.

    Madam Fang Bai nodded, "What happened? Do you need anything? You could have just asked the guards, why have youe personally?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "don''t worry, my condition is much better now. I think Royal Physician Hu''s medicine did wonders."

    Madam Fang Bai smiled, "You should focus on resting. Tell me, what happened?"

    "Nothing much," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I was just here to discuss something with... the Prime Minister."

    Madam Fang Bai raised one eyebrow, "Prime Minister? Is that what you call him now?"

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat, "Ahem, that''s not the important thing. What I need to inform him is much more important."

    "Oh?" Madam Fang Bai smiled, "Let''s go then. I was also heading to meet the Elder Brother."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and followed Madam Fang Bai in the Main Courtyard.

    Unlike Fang Chen''s Courtyard, the Main Courtyard was not single floored.

    Rather, it had three floors and was the highest building in the Fang Manor.

    The first floor had the Main Hall of the Fang n, and all the important meetings with the n Elders were held here.

    The Second and Third Floors were n Head''s abode.

    The First floor also had a few extra rooms where the elders worked, like the Finance Room, Servant and Guards Management Room, and a few other department rooms.

    The whole Fang n is like a hugepany, and the Fang n elders handle all the main posts.

    Madam Fang Bai headed to the most important room of all - the n Head''s room.

    This room was different from the Study where Ye Tian Yun had previously met with Prime Minister Fang Yuan.

    That room was very private. However, this room was where the n Head had important meetings with guests from other ns, sects, and organizations.

    "Come in."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan had already sensed the two of them approaching.

    Madam Fang Bai didn''t hesitate and pushed the door open; she entered the room with Ye Tian Yun shortly after.

    "What happened?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan asked her.

    A tinge was surprisingly noticeable in his tone.

 Chapter 543 - 543 | A Heads Up And A Promise.

    "I am going out." Madam Fang Bai said.

    "No." Prime Minister Fang instantly denied.

    "I wasn''t asking."

    "I wasn''t answering. It''s an order."

    "I won''t listen. I need to go out."

    "Why?"

    "I am not telling."

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan frowned at this. ncing at Ye Tian Yun he let out a sigh and then said to Madam Fang Bai, "Sit down first. We will talk about this in a minute."

    Then turning towards Ye Tian Yun, he asked, "What happened?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I want you to meet a friend from the GRacious Sword Sect."

    Fang Yuan agreed, "Alright."

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit taken aback, "You won''t ask why?"

    "Should I?" Prime Minister Fang smiled.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I will tell you anyway. Well, do you have a subordinate with the name Mo Da?"

    "Mo Daˇ­" Prime Minister Fang frowned while thinking, "This name does ring a bell, but I don''t quite point my finger at it."

    "He was from the Third Guard Troops." Madam Fang Bai suddenly said.

    "Ah yes," Prime Minister Fang Yuan nodded, "I remember now. Yeah, so what about him?"

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards Madam Fang Bai, "Do you know where he is right now?"

    Madam Fang Bai shook her head, "Maybe, but not sure. He left the n about four months ago to visit his ancestralnd. He was supposed to return within two months, but that deadline is long over. I sent someone to check up on him and found out that he never reached his ancestral vige. Currently, he and two more are under investigation."

    "Two more?" Prime Minister Fang asked, "Were there others with him?"

    "Yes," Madam Fang Bai nodded, "Those two were left with him. They were his direct subordinates, so I didn''t bother much."

    Prime Minister Fang turned towards Ye Tian Yun, "What about them?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, I kinda know what happened to them."

    "Oh?" The other two in the room were surprised.

    "Yes," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "And whatever happened to Mo Da is the reason why I want you to meet my friend."

    "Hmm," Prime Minister Fang nodded, "I guess you won''t tell the whole thing right now. How about Ie back from the Royal Pce early today, and we three can have a chat in the evening?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Sure. But I think you would want to hear everything earlier if I tell you the second part."

    "There''s more to this?" Prime Minister Fang smiled, "Tell me what''s the second part."

    Ye Tian Yun put on a severe expression, "King Xin is involved in this."

    Prime Minister Fang and Madam Fang Bai had their eyes open wide upon hearing this.

    They looked at each other for a moment, and then, turning towards Ye Tian Yun, Prime Minister Fang asked, "Should I postpone my other meetings?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Nah, it''s alright. There''s no need to hurry in getting the details. I am just here to give a heads up that King Xin''s emotions and opinion of you have changed. And this is bad news for us. Emphasis on ''bad news''."

    Prime Minister Fang exhaled, "Hmm, I wille back, and we will talk in detail about this."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright, I will take my leave."

    Prime Minister Fang and Madam Fang Bai nodded their heads.

    ˇ­

    After Ye Tian Yun had left, Prime Minister Fang nced at Madam Fang Bai and asked, "What do you think of that?"

    "Wellˇ­" Madam Fang Bai pursed her lips, "I investigated Mo Da, and there were few suspicious signs on him. And if what Xiao Chen is saying is true, then it''s highly likely that Mo Da''s loyalty is not towards us, but to the person in the Royal Pce."

    Prime Minister Fang let out a sigh, "What is this a lie? After all, Fang Chen''s friend is from the Gracious Sword Sect. You should know what that ce thinks about us."

    "Us?" Madam Fang Bai smiled, "No. Only you. And they are not wrong."

    "Sisˇ­"

    "I don''t want to listen to any excuses." Madam Fang Bai shook her head, "I will take my leave now."

    "No, wait." Prime Minister Fang frowned.

    Madam Fang Bai paused mid-way, "What?"

    "Are you going to meet ''him''?"

    "..."

    "Tell me."

    "Yes."

    "..." Prime Minister Fang let out a sigh.

    Madam Fang Bai lowered her gaze, "Elder Brother, I received his letter."

    "Letter?" Prime Minister Fang smirked, "Is he marrying someone else this time?"

    "Hmph!" Madam Fang Bai frowned, "He wouldn''t dare."

    "Then?"

    "He''sing to the Capital City."

    "What!?" Prime Minister Fang was taken aback.

    "Yes."

    "Why is heing here?" He frowned, "Did you call him?"

    "No," Madam Fang Bai shook her head, "I told him not toe. But he said things have changed and... "

    "Andˇ­?"

    "....and he said this might be thest time I see him."

    "What?" Prime Minister Fang smirked, "Is he nning tomit suicide?"

    "Elder Brother!"

    "Alright, alright, I am just joking." Prime Minister Fang raised his hands in surrender, "What reason did he give you?"

    Madam Fang Bai shook her head, "He didn''t say anything. He wants to meet me in the Purple Spring Garden."

    "Ah, trying to rekindle some memories, I see."

    Madam Fang Bai let out a shallow smile, "What memories? All I feel is a heartache upon thinking about those times."

    Prime Minister Fang frowned, "When is heing?"

    "Tomorrow evening."

    "Tomorrow?" Prime Minister Fang smiled, "Alright, go and meet him."

    Madam Fang Bai pursed her lips, "Elder Brother, do you know when did I receive this letter?"

    "When?"

    "Before I entered this building."

    "Hm?"

    "Yes. The first thing I did after reading that letter was toe here and inform you about it. Do you know why?"

    Prime Minister Fang smiled, "Of Course I know. Don''t worry; I won''t interfere in this reunion. But be careful. I don''t want King Xin to hear about this."

    "That bastard is thest person I want to tell this to." Madam Fang Bai stood up from her seat, "I will go back to my courtyard now. I hope you keep your word."

    Prime Minister Fang smiled, "I will."

 Chapter 544 - 544 | Permission

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t return to his courtyard; rather, he went to meet Madam Fang.

    Madam Fang was on the Second Floor of the Main Courtyard, and when Ye Tian Yun saw her, she was teaching something to Fang Chen''s little sister, Fang Ning.

    "Ah, Xiao Chen?" She was at first a bit taken aback by Ye Tian Yun''s arrival, "What happened, dear? Are you alright?"

    Her first thought was simr in line with Madam Fang Bai. Thetter was also worried that something serious had happened and didn''t wish for Ye Tian Yun to exert pressure on his body, fearing his wounds may open up and his condition might rpse.

    "Nothing, I am just here to ask you about something." Ye Tian Yun replied, reassuring her not to worry about him.

    "Big Brother!" Fang Ning''s cheer interrupted the conversation as she went running into Ye Tian Yun for a hug.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and patted her head.

    Then thinking about something, he smiled at her while saying, "Let''s visit the new snack ce that opened in the Capital after a few days."

    "Oh! Oh! I know what Big brother is talking about! You''re talking about the Burger Queen pce, right?"

    "Burger Queen?" Ye Tian Yunughed, "Is this what they named it?"

    "Yes," Fang Ning nodded, and then in a regretful voice, she said, "There are a lot of crowds, and that ce treats everyone equally, so it''s almost impossible to get the burger."

    "Don''t worry," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "The owner isˇ­ a friend of mine."

    "Hmph! Big Brother, don''t you lie to me!"

    "Why would I lie to you?" Ye Tian Yun felt puzzled.

    Fang Ning crossed her arms and held her head high, "No one knows who is the owner of Burger Queen ce."

    And then lowering her voice, as if afraid that someone might overhear, she said, "And Big Brother, I heard the guards of that ce are in Core Formation Realm! So powerful! I think it''s someone from the Crimson Pavilion. Only they have such strength. Anyway, don''t lie to Ning''er. No one knows who the owner is."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I am not lying. I have met the owner, and in fact, he had personally cooked Burgers for my other friends and me. If he''s around in the Burger Queen ce, I am sure he will have enough burgers for you."

    "Really!" Fang Ning beamed, "Yay! I can finally have burgers! I can finally have burgers!"

    "Yes, you can," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "But you will have to promise me one thing."

    "What? What?" Fang Ning was too excited to care. She was going to agree with almost any condition or promise.

    "You won''t tell anyone that I know the owner. It will hurt his business, and he won''t be able to cook anything for you."

    "Oh," Fang Ning nodded.

    Then crossing her arms, she puffed her chest and dered.

    "Big Brother! Don''t you worry, I will never tell this to anyone!"

    "Good Ning''er." Ye Tian Yun patted her.

    "Ugh, Big Brother, I am not a kid, don''t pat me!" She tried to avoid, but not with her whole heart.

    Clearly, the child in her loved the pats.

    Ye Tian Yun patted her once again, "Okay, Grandma. You''re not a child then."

    "Hmph! You''re Grandma!"

    "Alright. Then what are you? Small Grandma?"

    "Hmph! Mother, see, Big Brother is bullying Ning''erˇ­" She made a pitiful face at Madam Fang.

    "Ahahaha, you brats," Madam Fang finally couldn''t hold back herughter and then smiling at Ye Tian Yun, she asked, "Son, what were you saying earlier?"

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head towards her while saying, "I have some friends from the Gracious Sword Sect who will be staying in our n for the next few months."

    "Haven''t I already met them?" Madam Fang was a bit confused.

    "Those were Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er." Ye Tian Yun replied, "Zheng Xiang will be staying here, but Bai Qing''er is nning to leave. And about half an hour ago, two more of my friends arrived here. They are Jun Xie and Miss Wu. Jun is my Senior Brother and a Core Disciple in the Gracious Sword Sect, but we both consider ourselves equal."

    "Oh?" Madam Fang smiled, "Did you arrange rooms for them?"

    "Yeah, I did."

    "Alright," Madam Fang nodded, "We will expand your courtyard and have three to four more rooms attached. And I will also add a dining hall, in case your friends don''t feelfortable eating with others in the family."

    "It''s alright," Ye Tian Yun waved his hand, "But yeah, it''s not a matter of a few days but at least till the Grand Spirit Hunt. So I think it''s better if we make these arrangements."

    "Hmm, don''t worry about this." Madam Fang smiled.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Alright then, this was it."

    Madam Fang stepped closer to Ye Tian Yun, and putting her hands on his shoulders; she said, "Son, get well soon. Your cultivation talent is finally blooming. I hope you don''t disappoint your father."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and lightly nodded.

    ˇ­

    Five minutester, Ye Tian Yun was heading back towards his courtyard.

    His destination was the practice ground.

    When he reached there, the others were already present.

    "You guys are not nning to rest for today?" Ye Tian Yun asked Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu.

    "Nah, it''s not like I was doing any work on the way. All we did was fight off a few ambushes and then rest for the whole way." Jun Xie shrugged.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Alright, let''s start practicing."

    Zheng Xiang suddenly said, "Brother Fang, I just sparred with Senior Brother Jun. I still have a long way to go. His illusions are very powerful."

    "Yeah, they are the real deal," Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    The only reason why Jun Xie''s illusions didn''t work on Ye Tian Yun was that thetter had a high spiritual range and cultivation realm.

    ''But Jun Xie''s potential is higher in Spiritual Talent.''

    "Let''s spar.." Jun Xie asked Ye Tian Yun, "I want to see how much I have improvedpared to the banquet."

 Chapter 545 - 545 | Its From Your Father

    During the Heaven''s Grace Banquet, organized by the Heavenly League under the leadership of Yuan Shuchun, Jun Xie had barged in after being informed by Sect Leader Su about someone''s breakthrough in the Attainment Realm of Sword Intent.

    After being informed by the Sect Leader that the said disciple was going to take part in the Heaven''s Grace Banquet, and there was a chance that he might join Yuan Shuchun''s League.

    To prevent this, Jun Xie sabotaged the whole banquet using his illusion technique.

    The main aim was to find the possible suspect who had broken through to the Second Realm of Sword Intent.

    And that was how he met Ye Tian Yun in Fang Chen''s disguise.

    Thetter had easily seen through his illusions, and just when Jun Xie had decided to expose him, Ye Tian Yun told him about the Liu n.

    Liu n was the biggest question mark in Jun Xie''s life, and finding the truth behind his past was his main motivation.

    Ye Tian Yun even called him by his supposed real name, but that could have been a fake.

    Fast forward a few more encounters, and they were once again standing on a practice tform.

    Albeit, this time as friends rather than strangers.

    However, this didn''t mean Jun Xie was nning to go easy on his opponent.

    In the whole generation, the person in front of him was the only one who had seen through his Illusion Technique.

    Even Jiang Yun, the former number one disciple of the Gracious Sword Sect, had to struggle when Jun Xie used his illusions.

    "Let''s spar." Jun Xie asked Ye Tian Yun, "I want to see how much I have improvedpared to the banquet."

    "Alright."

    Ye Tian Yun agreed to Jun Xie''s request.

    He also wanted to see thetter''s progress in illusions.

    Zheng Xiang, Bai Qing''er, and Wu Qingwu jumped and stood at the edge of the practice area.

    "Let''s start."

    Jun Xie took a deep breath, and in the next instant, a sword appeared in his hand, and heunched his attack.

    Within a moment, he had appeared behind Ye Tian Yun and shed his sword.

    But before Jun Xie could make his move, he suddenly felt his body getting pulled back.

    BAM!

    His was mmed on the ground.

    Suddenly, things blurred, and both Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie disappeared from the ground.

    "What?"

    The three at the edge of the practice area were taken aback by this.

    Bam!

    Just then, an explosion urred, and dust flew.

    Wu Qingwu frowned, and waving her one hand, she disced the dust from the scene, giving everyone a clear view.

    "Thisˇ­."

    The three of them were quite surprised to see the end result.

    At the center of the practice ground were Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun.

    However, there was a huge difference between their states.

    While Ye Tian Yun was standing practically unscathed and clean, Jun Xie''s state was quite the opposite.

    In fact, thetter was even bleeding from the corner of his lips.

    Clearing, he had taken quite a good beating.

    "What happened?" Wu Qingwu instantly appeared beside Jun Xie. The other two followed close by.

    Putting a pill in Jun Xie''s mouth, Wu Qingwu frowned at Ye Tian Yun, "This wasn''t a life and death battle."

    "I know," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "That''s why he''s still alive."

    Zheng Xiang frowned, "Brother Fang, what''s your cultivation realm?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and nced at the top of their heads.

    [Jun Xie. 3 Star Favourability. Trust you, but there''s still a long way to go.](Fang Chen)

    [Jun Xie. 4 Star Favourability. Trusts you and has a high opinion of you.](Yang Kai)

    ...

    [Zheng Xiang. 5 Star Favourability. Considers you his brother.](Fang Chen)

    ˇ­

    ...

    [Bai Qing''er. 2 Star Favourability. Friend of Zheng Xiang is also her friend.](Fang Chen)

    ˇ­

    [Wu Qingwu. -1 Star Favourability. How dare you hurt Jun Xie?](Fang Chen)

    [Wu Qingwu. 3 Star Favourability. She wishes to be your friend.](Yang Kai)

    ''Now is not the time to revealˇ­''

    Then ncing at Zheng Xiang, he replied, "I have reached the Qi Stabilization Realm."

    "What!?" Zheng Xiang raised his eyebrows, "Really!?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "yeah, I got lucky."

    "Wow," Zheng Xiang let out a sigh, "You''re breaking through the level as if there''s no tomorrow."

    Jun Xie asked, "Weren''t you in the first or second level of Qi Refining when you came to the Gracious Sword Sect? How long has that been? One year?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "It''s no big deal."

    Zheng Xiang rolled his eyes, "Anyway, I am going to practice my Sword Intent."

    "You also have Sword Intent?" Jun Xie asked in surprise.

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "Yeah, but I am the least talented here. After Brother Fang, it''s my Qing''er who has a good Sword Talent."

    Ignoring the pinch on his waist from Bai Qing''er, Zheng Xiang continued, "Are you nning to do more sparring?"

    "Nah," Jun Xie immediately denied, "I still have a long way to go."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and then removing a spatial ring from his finger, he handed it over to Jun Xie.

    "What''s this for?" Jun Xie inspected the ring as everyone looked at Ye Tian Yun in confusion.

    "It''s a gift." Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    "Wow," Jun Xie eximed, "So many resources!"

    Narrowing eyes at Ye Tian Yun, he asked, "Why are you giving these to me?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I called you here. Did you think I would be wasting your time from cultivation?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Well, I can''t disagree on that."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Then here''s the proof. This spatial ring contains enough resources to make you the most powerful alchemist in the whole Lower Heavens."

    "What!?"

    All four of them were shocked upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    "Strongest Alchemist in the Lower Heavensˇ­" Jun Xie shook his head, "I will need at least three times to Gracious Sword Sect''s cultivation resources to reach that level."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t you have these many resources? Anyway, the spatial is a bit special. You will find it when you explore it carefully."

    Jun Xie exhaled, "Why would you gift me something so precious?"

    Ye Tian Yun gave him a disdaining look, "I would never. The resources in this ring can make me the richest cultivator in the Lower Heavens."

    Sii-!

    The four took a deep breath upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    Richest in the Lower Heavens!

    What kind of position was that?

    It was hard to even imagine.

    And here the guy in front of them was saying that the spatial ring held enough resources to make this true?

    "Brother Fang," Zheng Xiang nearly sighed, "You''re too generous."

    "Nah, as I said, I am not as good as you consider me to be." Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    "But didn''t you say it''s a gift from you?" Jun Xie frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I did say it''s a gift. But I never said it''s from me."

    "Then from whom?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at this question and leaning a bit closer to Jun Xie; he revealed, "It''s from your Father."

    "My father!?" Jun Xie''s mind went numb.

 Chapter 546 - 546 | Trust?

    "My father!?" Jun Xie''s mind went numb.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Yes. He personally gave me this."

    "Whatˇ­"

    Jun Xie couldn''t think straight.

    Ye Tian Yun had sent an unavoidable curveball at him.

    ''My Father? Gave me this?''

    Unknowingly, the spatial ring in his hand had be his most prized possession.

    He then nced at Ye Tian Yun in confusion, "Why couldn''t he give me on his own?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "It''s for your security."

    "My security?" Jun Xie asked, "Security against what?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I don''t know, but I can tell that there''s something really powerful that''s stopping him from contacting you directly."

    "Really?"

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    No. This was bullshit.

    Jun Xie smiled while staring at the spatial ring.

    "Since he trusts you so much, I am sure you must know him personally." He asked, "Who is my father?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "He said you need to be the most powerful Alchemist in the Lower Heavens to know everything."

    "Most powerful Alchemist in the Lower Heavensˇ­?"

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "The enemies that he faces, and the people who are after him, even though he had high cultivation and background, he''s forced to be away from you or else, those people might target you."

    Bullshit. Once again.

    But Ye Tian Yun wasn''t nning to stop.

    To him, Jun Xie was an important character.

    A talented Alchemist.

    Such a person was hard toe by, and also because Jun Xie was the son of Butler Liu, Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish for him to follow the previous life''s path.

    ''This time, I need him to understand Butler Liu''s situation.''

    There was no way Butler Liu would have abandoned Jun Xie without any reason. Even during the Silver Mist City battle, Butler Liu''s care for Jun Xie was quite evident.

    ''I will get Butler Liu''s image to the positive side of his heart.''

    This was Ye Tian Yun''s aim if you know what I mean.

    "How much do you know about my father?" Jun Xie asked.

    The others were silently listening to their words.

    Ye Tian Yun exhaled, "I know quite a few things, but one thing I can tell for sure is that he cares a lot for you. Had it not been for your life was in constant danger if you were to be with him, he wouldn''t have left you to your master."

    Jun Xie nodded while asking, "When was the first time you met him?"

    "I was too young." Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I am pretty sure I was less than a day old when I met your father for the first time."

    "Reall?" Jun Xie raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Is my Father, a close friend of the Fang n?"

    "Uhˇ­ about thatˇ­ Well, I don''t think so."

    "Thenˇ­ how did you meet him?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "You will know everything in detail when the timees. For now, focus on increasing your Alchemy Rank."

    "Hmm," Jun Xie nodded, "Alright."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I will go back to my room and cultivate."

    "You won''t practice Sword Intent?" Zheng Xiang asked.

    He wanted to see Ye Tian Yun practice his sword moves so he could observe and try to get some inspiration.

    However, Ye Tian Yun had other ns.

    "I need to increase my cultivation realm for now."

    Suddenly something struck Ye Tian Yun, and then ncing at Zheng Xiang, he said, "You follow me. I have something for you too."

    A wide smile formed on Zheng Xiang''s face, "Woah, finally!"

    Ye Tian Yun chuckled and then turned towards Jun Xie; he said, "Come to my Courtyard early in the evening. I have something important to discuss with you."

    "Why not right now?"

    "Nah," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I want you to meet Prime Minister Fang, and right now he is busy, that''s why I am calling you in the evening."

    "Ah, alright. I will be there."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, and soon he left the group after bidding his farewell.

    ˇ­.

    "Here. These are for you."

    Ye Tian Yun stretched out his hand, carrying a pouch.

    A satisfactory smile formed on Zheng Xiang''s face, "Ah, this is great. With these resources, I will be able to reach the peak of Qi Condensation Realm easily."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "That''s still quite low. Zheng Xiang, for the next six months, you need to be in Closed-Door cultivation. Don''te out unless it''s an emergency, for example, if these resources have ended."

    "Hmm, alright." Zheng Xiang nodded.

    They had returned to Ye Tian Yun''s courtyard, and here Ye Tian Yun had taken out a pouch full of Qi Strengthening Pill for Zheng Xiang and handed it over to him for cultivation.

    "By the way," Zheng Xiang suddenly asked, "Did you talk to your parents? You''re telling me to cultivate here for the next six months. Won''t the Fang n mind?"

    "Don''t worry about these trivial matters," Ye Tian Yun waved his hand, "I have already discussed the situation with them."

    "Alright." Zheng Xiang nodded, "I will go and start my cultivation then. Thest few months have really taken a toll on my mental state."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips.

    He didn''t know what to say except for giving his condolences.

    The Heavenly Oracle Sect''s people had massacred the Zheng n of the Silver Mist City.

    "We will teach those bastards a very good lesson." Ye Tian Yun said to Zheng Xiang.

    "Yes." Zheng Xiang clenched his teeth.

    Even though from outside he acted all goofy and rxed, in truth, it was all a ruse to hide his anger and frustration.

    The enemy in front of him was too powerful.

    He knew his journey was going to be a long one.

    The person in front of him was the fastest shortcut he could get.

    This was why he believed and trusted Fang Chen so much.

    [Zheng Xiang. 6 Star Favourability. Life and Death Brother.](Fang Chen)

    Ye Tian Yun''s eye twitched upon seeing the prompt appear above the person in front of him.

    ''Should I tell him my real nameˇ­.''

 Chapter 547 - 547 | Ling Yun & Feng Yun

    "Zheng Xiang."

    "Yes, Brother Fang?"

    "Umˇ­ cultivate well."

    To reveal his identity.

    It was an absurd thoughtˇŞa truly absurd one.

    And Ye Tian Yun chose not to follow it.

    Under normal circumstances, his identity and background would have awed anyone, but in the current situation, it was his biggest weakness.

    And with all he had been through, trusting someone enough to tell him his biggest weakness was not easy for Ye Tian Yun.

    ''It''s not about how much they trust; it''s about how much I trust them.''

    "I will take my leave." Zheng Xiang smiled and headed back to the main room.

    As he left, a thought shed in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    ''I should get individual rooms for everyone. These people won''t have privacy during cultivation in the current situation.''

    Leaving his room, he called out a nearby guard and told the butler to prepare two more rooms for the guests and arrange maids and servants for that courtyard.

    All five of them would have food in the courtyard from now on.

    ''This will help increase familiarity between Jun Xia and Zheng Xiang. And I also won''t have to eat with the Fang couple.''

    No matter how normal the current situation seemed, YeTian Yun never forgot that he was in someone else''s disguise.

    He had personally slit the throat of this ''someone''.

    ''I shouldn''t get myself too close with the Fang n.''

    He reminded himself once again.

    Taking a deep breath, he returned to his room, and then closing the door, he sat cross-legged on the bed.

    ''Time to cultivate. I need to reach the Second Level of Core Formation by the end of this month.''

    Closing his eyes, Ye Tian Yun appeared in the cultivation space and began to cultivate.

    ˇ­

    Study Hall, Ling n.

    Ling n is one of the Big Four ns of the Capital City and is the third most powerful n in the whole Xin Kingdom after the Xin Royal n and the Fang n.

    Headed by Ling Xiaochun, the n was also the branch n of the Great Ling n from the Middle Heavens.

    Although this was not a well-known fact, the higher-ups of the Xin Kingdom knew about it.

    This acted as a warning and a buff for the Ling n. Also was one of the reasons why the Xin Royal n never antagonized the Ling n too much.

    However, today someone arrived, whom even the n Head Ling Xiaochun respected.

    It was a guest with the Token of the Great Ling n.

    He was near the age of his son, but the aura around him contained grace, and his demeanor was an altogether different story.

    "I hope you don''t mind this, Young Master. But may I know your rtionship with the Main Branch?"

    n Head Ling Xiaochen asked.

    He was a level-headed person and never acted recklessly.

    Even with the backing of the Great Ling n, he never let himself be conceited and arrogant.

    "I am Feng Yun." The young man in front of him said, "And the token in your hand is not a normal token."

    "Hm?" n Head Ling Xiaochun frowned and now began to inspect it carefully.

    After a few minutes, a light exmation escaped from his mouth as he raised his head towards Fang Yun in surprise.

    "Thisˇ­ this is Token by the n Head."

    "Indeed." Feng Yun nodded, "Heavenly King Ling personally gave me this."

    "I believe you." n Head Ling didn''t need any more proof.

    Anyone with this token was an utmost exalted guest for the Ling n. And he was sure that this was a real token, not a counterfeit.

    ''And only the n Head of the Main Branch can give out these tokens. This Young Man must have a powerful background. At least on an equal footing with our n.''

    "How can I help you, Young Master Feng?" He humbly asked.

    Feng Yun waved his hands and replied with a smile, "n Head Ling, you don''t have to be humble yourself. Consider me as a junior of your n. I will be troubling you for the next few months."

    n Head Ling Xiaochun smiled, "It''s no problem, our Ling n has enough space for Young Master Feng. I will arrange things right away."

    "Thank you."

    Just then, faint footsteps were heard, indicating someone''s iing arrival.

    "Father, may I enter?"

    A calm voice called out from outside. It appeared to belong to a young man.

    "Ah, Yun''er,e." n Head Ling Xiaochun called the person in.

    A young man pushed open the gates, and the first thing he noticed was an unknown young man standing beside his father.

    "Oh, you have guests." He was taken aback.

    ''I didn''t even sense this guyˇ­''

    "This is Young Master Feng Yun," n Head Ling Xiaochun introduced the unknown guest, "He will be staying in our n for the next few months. He''s an important guest, and I want you to take care of him."

    The young man nodded, "Yes, Father."

    n Head Ling smiled and then nced at Feng Yun; he said, "Young Master Feng, this is my eldest son, Ling Yun. If you face any trouble, you can contact him. Your room will also be near his courtyard, so you can also practice together if you get time."

    Feng Yun nodded and then, staring at the young man in front of him, he let out a smile while cupping his fists, "Brother Ling Yun, I will be in your care."

    "Brother Feng Yun." Ling Yun cupped his fists.

    n Head Ling Xiaochun asked, "What happened, Son? Do you have something important to tell?"

    Ling Yun nodded his head, "Father, I was just here for the resources that I asked for. Were you able to arrange them?"

    "Ah, yes," n Head Ling nodded, and then taking out a pouch from his spatial ring, he handed it over to Ling Yun, "These are the ones you asked."

    "Yes, finally!" Ling Yun exhaled.

    "Brother Ling Yun is an alchemist?" Feng Yun asked out of curiosity.

    Ling Yun shook his head, "No, I am more of an array guy."

    "Ah, arrays," Feng Yun nodded, "What Rank of Array Master are you?"

    "Peak Second Rank." Ling Yun smiled.

    "Ah," Feng Yun nodded, "You still have a long way to go. Since I will be troubling you for the next few months, how about I help you with arrays? I am also quite knowledgeable when ites to this subject."

    "Really?" Ling Yun raised his eyes in surprise, "What''s your rank?"

    Feng Yun shrugged, "It''s a bit high. I will tell you if you can reach within the range of about two ranks of my rank."

    "Range of about two ranks of your rank?" Ling Yun frowned.

    After a moment, a shocked expression formed on his face, "Are you a Fifth Rank Array Master!?"

    Feng Yun smiled but didn''t say anything.

    "Impossible!" Ling Yun felt it was too absurd.

    Even though Arrays were not as hard as Alchemy, it wasn''t easy for someone his age to reach the Fifth Rank.

    In fact, the most powerful Array Master in the Lower Heavens was at the Peak Fourth Rank!

    And Feng Yun was iming to be even more powerful than that person!?

    This was too absurd.

 Chapter 548 - 548 | Gao Clans Decision

    In the Capital City of the Xin Kingdom, the most renowned names in the younger generation were of three peoples.

    Fang Yunru. Ling Yun. Gao Xuan.

    All three of them had prominent backgrounds and huge cultivation potential. But a mountain can only have one tiger, and with the history of their ns, all three of them became rivals from birth.

    The three of thempeted to be the most talented cultivator of their generation, and they even shed amongst themselves to gain Princess Xin Xue Qing''s attention.

    Young Master Gao Xuan and Young Master Ling Yun were even considered love rivals because of the lengths they went to win Princess Xin Xue Qing''s heart.

    However, this was a piece of year-old news.

    Today, the three young masters rarely encountered each other. While Young Master Fang Yunru was busy with his sect, Young Master Ling Yun was busy learning Array Formations.

    As for Young Master Gao Xuan, he rarely made an appearance in public.

    It was said that after the incident which caused the Second Young Master of Gao n, Gao Long to turn into a cripple, the Fourth Young Master, Gao Xuan, had to take the reins and was now busy handling n matters.

    As for the pursuing Princess Xin, there were many other Young Masters of different ns, though very few could bepared to the Three Young Masters.

    Fang Yunru was part of the zing Dragon Sect, and Ling Yun was part of the Alchemy Hall.

    Gao Xuan didn''t belong to any sect because of his busy schedule.

    While others were only aware of his duties rted to the n, only a trusted few knew his ambition to establish an informationwork.

    He would be working hard to make this dream a possibility if it was a regr day, but today was different.

    Things were going downhill exercise his meeting with Ye Tian Yunst night.

    The first thing which troubled him was that the array system at the roof was malfunctioning. This was the reason why Ye Tian Yun was even able to enter the room without any prior warning.

    And when he told his brother and his Father about the deal, the whole talk ended up in an argument.

    Not because he failed to convince his Father, but because of what his Father asked at the end.

    "Let''s go to the Fang n." n Head Gao Kang told his SEcond son.

    "Right now?" Gao Long asked.

    n Head Gao Kang shook his head, "No. It''s something more important. I got a message from Prime Minister Fang. He wanted to meet me, and I think it''s the right time to meet him and fix the bond."

    "Fix the bond?" Gao Long frowned, "Father, don''t tell me you''re still nning to send my sister away?"

    Gao Kang pursed his lips, "It''s the best decision for her. Also, if you can get well, won''t you be here to manage the whole n?"

    Gao Long shook his head and nced at Gao Xuan; he asked, "Why are you silent? Do you agree with this marriage?"

    Gao Xuan closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "I don''t have any opinion. Honestly, I don''t think this marriage will even work. It might even end up ruining everything. The Fang n may seem strong, but they also have a number of enemies, even more than us."

    n Head Gai Kang frowned, "How is your informationwork going on?"

    "It''sˇ­ going alright." Gao Xuan asked, "What about it?"

    n Head Gao let out a sigh, "Will you be able to manage it from anywhere?"

    "Thisˇ­" Gao Xuan pursed his lips, "Father, why are you not giving a good reason behind the marriage? The whole matter just seems to be wasting everyone''s time."

    n Head Gao Kang stared at his sons back and forth, and then after a few more moments of silence, he said, "The Xin Kingdom will go through a big change in theing months. And I don''t want to ce all my bets in one faction."

    "What do you mean?" Gao Xuan and Gao Long leaned forward to listen carefully.

    "My meaning is pretty simple," He exhaled, "This marriage is important for the survival of our n. Even if Xiao Long receivers, it will take him about five to ten years to handle the whole n. And don''t you know about my injury? We have five years at most. We can''t contend against the Xin n in Five Years."

    The Gao Brothers turned silent.

    What their Father just said was indeed true.

    Even though Gao Xuan was confident that he would seed, he wasn''t sure how long it would take.

    Creating an informationwork within the city alone took him almost a whole year. Even now, his entire organization was very weak.

    Xin Royal n is a behemoth that no other n in the Kingdom can evenpare to.

    "Father, will this marriage secure our n''s future?" Gao Long asked.

    n Head Gao Kang closed his eyes, "It''s our biggest chance and also the gamble with the highest chance to seed."

    "But Father, didn''t brother say that the Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect also has a solution for us?" Gao Long asked.

    "Yes, Second Brother, he did," Gao Xuan added, "But for that pill, you will have to visit the Middle Heavens personally, and that can only happen if we have a peak Nascent Soul cultivator with us."

    "Ah," n Head Gao Kang let out a sigh, "If only I hadn''t gotten injured, maybe our n wouldn''t have declined to such a state."

    Gao Xuan stepped forward, and then putting his hands around his Father''s shoulders, he said, "Don''t worry about it, father. We still have hope. If Brother can be cured, things might get back on track before we think."

    n Head Gao Kang exhaled, "Let''s not hurry and head to the Fang n right now. We will go there in the evening."

    "Also, bring that Mo Da guy.. Let him be an apology gift from us to the Fang n."

 Chapter 549 - 549 | Manipulation

    Thete afternoon sun cast long shadows on the ground and the nting rays of the setting sun gave a warm orange tinge to the sky.

    The Capital City was heading to its calm as the evening approached.

    In the Fang n manor, Ye Tian Yun was sitting on his bed with his eyes closed, focused on his cultivation.

    Just then, he heard a light knock on the door.

    "Brother Fang, it''s me, Jun Xie."

    Jun Xie was standing outside the room.

    As asked, he hade to visit Fang Chen before evening.

    The doors were pulled open, and Ye Tian Yun appeared in front of him.

    "Come in."

    Jun Xie nodded and stepped inside.

    "This room isˇ­ better." Jun Xie couldn''t help butment.

    Compared to the guarded courtyard that he was sharing with Zheng Xiang, this one was much better.

    "We can exchange if you want." Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    Jun Xie shook his head, "It''s alright."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Your loss."

    Jun Xie ignored thest two words, and asked Ye Tian Yun, "What did you wish to discuss with me?"

    Ye Tian Yun paused and after a few moments of silence, he asked, "How close are you to the Core Disciple called Kai Yang?"

    "Kai Yang?" Jun Xie raised his eyebrows, "You know him? He was with me for a mission, saved my life a few times I think."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, he was a good friend of mine too."

    "Was?"

    "He''s missing."

    "Missing?" Jun Xie was surprised, "What happened to him?"

    "No idea. He wasst seen in a tavern near the Gracious Sword Sect. From there, he went missing."

    "Damnˇ­" Jun Xie pursed his lips.

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "He told me a few things in myst meeting with him."

    "What things?"

    "About the mission, you both were part of."

    "Hm?" Jun Xie frowned, "That wasn''t something he should have discussed."

    "Well, normally, he wouldn''t have." Ye Tian Yun said, "But do you know this mission directly affected the Fang n''s survival?"

    "What do you mean?" Jun Xie was taken aback.

    "I am talking about the assassination attempt on you and the other disciples."

    "Hmm," Jun Xie thought, and after a few moments, his eyes widened in surprise, "Ah yes, I remember now. We got ambushed by a guy called Mo Da. Yes, indeed this heavily affects your n."

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Kai Yang also told me about Miss Wu."

    Jun Xie narrowed his eyes, "What did he say?"

    "Everything." Ye Tian Yun smiled, "And I think this incident is the reason why he''s missing right now. There are many mysteries rted to the Silver Mist City incident, and since your group was directly involved in the whole plot, I think someone is targeting you."

    Jun Xie remained silent, but it was easy to notice how he was currently lost in his thoughts.

    Ye Tian Yun continued, "And there were only a few people aware of the whole mission. The Gracious Sword Sect wouldn''t bother kidnapping its own Core disciple. This is why I suspect it''s the work of the Xin Royal n."

    "Xin Royal nˇ­" Jun Xie narrowed his eyes.

    Ye Tian Yun had a serious expression on his face, saying, "I don''t know how much Kai Yang will reveal, but no matter what he says, the next target will most likely be you."

    Jun Xie gulped.

    The Xin Royal n was not a small enemy.

    And currently, he was just a Qi Stabilization Realm cultivator.

    ''Shit!''

    There was no way he could escape the Xin Royal n''s ws. At least not on his own.

    He needed backing.

    "I have a way for you to get out of this situation."

    As if hearing his thoughts. Ye Tian Yun said to Jun Xie.

    "What''s the way?"

    Jun Xie wanted to hear it.

    Truthfully, he wasn''t worried about himself. Rather, he was worried about the person who had been his maid for thest three months.

    ''She will be in big trouble if her identity is revealed.''

    The whole Lower Heavens will be shocked if they find out that the Third Princess of Wu Kingdom was living in the enemy kingdom''s capital city.

    ''She will most likely be killed.''

    With the war ongoing between the Wu Kingdom and the Xin Kingdom, it was hard to say what will happen to her if the Xin Royal n finds out about her existence.

    "The way is pretty simple." Ye Tian Yun replied, "Tell Prime Minister Fang about the assassination attempt you faced."

    "Sure." Jun Xie agreed. There was no harm in revealing the details about this.

    "And, help me with two more things." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    "What are those?"

    "I want you to help me seduce the princess of the Xin Kingdom."

    "Whatˇ­" Jun Xie felt offended, "I am not a yboy."

    "I know," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I am not asking for your tips. I want you to help me get in front of her with the help of your illusion technique."

    "Ah, that''s doable. What''s the realm of the guards?"

    "Core Formation. The highest is in the Seventh Level."

    "Seventh Level Core Formation Realm expertˇ­" Jun Xie scratched his chin and after a few moments of thoughts, he said, "Alright, I can handle them, assuming none of them have a very high spiritual sense."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "We will find this out first-hand when you use your illusions in front of those guards."

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes, "Alright. And what was the pill you were talking about?"

    "It''s the Dantian Mending Pill."

    "Dantian Mending Pill?" Jun Xie frowned, "Waitˇ­ don''t tell me itˇ­"

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It does exactly what its name says."

    "Holy shit!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "No need to be taken aback. This pill is a must for us and needs at least a peak Second Rank alchemist. How long will it take you to reach that?"

    Jun Xie took a deep breath, "Few months at least."

    "Good." Ye Tian Yun nodded, "We have enough time then. Let''s head to the study, you should reveal the facts about the assassination to Prime minister Fang."

    "Prime Minister Fangˇ­." Jun Xie frowned, "Why don''t you call him father?"

 Chapter 550 - 550 | Jun Xies Confirmation

    "Why don''t you call him father?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Maybe because I don''t want to."

    "You don''t want to?" Jun Xie frowned, "Dude, you can trust me a little bit, right?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright. I will tell you two little secrets. I am not the son of Prime Minister Fang."

    "What!?" Jun Xie almost jumped from his seat, "What the fuck are you saying!?"

    Looking to his left and right, he then leaned forward and whispered, "Prime Minister Fang is not your Father!? Who is your Father then? Don''t tell me, Madam Fangˇ­"

    "No." Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Madam Fang never betrayed Prime Minister Fang. In fact, I am not her son either."

    "Then whose son are you?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "You will find out in the future. But keep your mouth shut about this, will ya?"

    "Sure," Jun Xie shrugged and asked, "What''s the second secret?"

    "I just told you."

    "What?"

    "I am not her son either."

    "..."

    Before Jun Xie could think of an argument, someone knocked on the door.

    "First Young Master, n Head is calling you. He''s also calling Young Master Jun Xie to the study room."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at Jun Xie, "Alright, I will head there in a minute. No need to wait for me."

    "Alright, Young Master." The Guard left.

    Jun Xie stood up from his seat and said, "Let''s go."

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun also stood up, and they headed towards the study.

    Along the way, Jun Xie couldn''t help but ask, "Considering that Prime Minister is also calling me, I am sure you have told me about the assassination attempt, and I am going there to verify what you said."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. And don''t say anything about the goal behind your mission. He won''t force you to answer, but don''t let him catch any hints."

    "Alright."

    When they reached the hallway to the study, a familiar face appeared in front of him - the Guard Ao Jia.

    When they passed by him, Ye Tian Yun asked, "Did you get in trouble?"

    "Not really," Ao Jia shrugged. He didn''t wish to show the bad politics of the servants in the n to the Young Master.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, saw through his ruse quite easily.

    Taking out a token from his spatial ring, he handed it over to Ao Jia and said, "Take this. This is my token. Keep it with you in case you get into trouble."

    Ao Jia smiled, "Thank you, young master."

    The token was Fang Chen''s identity token. There were quite a few such tokens in Fang Chen''s room, and they should only be given to a very few people.

    Ao Jia felt acknowledged and proud upon receiving the token.

    Ye Tian Yun patted his head and resumed his study.

    Ao Jia froze for a second before ruffling his own hair and stepping away from Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Why the fuck would you pat me!?''

    ...

    Just when Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie were a few steps away from the study, Prime Minister Fang had already sensed them.

    "Come in."

    Ye Tian Yun pushed the door open upon hearing the Prime Minister''s call and stepped inside.

    Jun Xie followed him closely.

    "Hmm, you came." Prime Minister Fang raised his head from the pile of papers in front of him, and then ncing at the young man beside Ye Tian Yun, he asked, "You must be the Core disciple from the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    "Disciple Jun Xie from the Gracious Sword Sect greets Prime Minister Fang." Jun Xie said while cupping his fists.

    "Ah, no need to be so formal," Prime Minister Fang smiled, "How''s your stay? I hope you didn''t face any trouble here."

    "It has been a great experience," Jun Xie replied, "And a pleasure for me to stay here."

    "Pleasure''s mine," Prime Minister Fang added, "I am d you became my son''s friend."

    Jun Xie smiled, "It was fate."

    "Fate works in mysterious ways," the Prime Ministerughed, "So, tell me, Jun Xie, which n are you from?"

    "It might sound like a story, but my master actually found me near the gates of the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Oh?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "That''s quite unfortunate. I am sure your parents must have had reasons behind this."

    Jun Xie smiled, "I hope so."

    "Well, don''t worry, you''re a friend of my son, so for me, you''re no different. If you face any trouble, just knock on my door."

    "Thank you, Prime Minister Fang."

    "Haha, no need to add honorifics. Call me Uncle Fang."

    "Alright, Uncle Fang."

    "Hmm, good."

    "Uncle Fang, you wanted to see me?" Jun Xie asked. He was referring to the Guard''s request from earlier.

    Prime Minister Fang nodded, "Yeah, my son was telling me about a few things today early this morning. I wanted to hear them in more detail from you."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "The assassination attempt on us?"

    "Indeed." Prime Minister Fang nodded, "Was it really my n''s array that they used?"

    "Yes," Jun Xie nodded, "I don''t remember the exact name, but I can describe it. Well, there were three people involved in it. Two of them were controlling the array, and the third was instructing them. He was the same guy you just mentioned to us, Mo Da."

    "Oh? What kind of array were they controlling?"

    "It was a bow and arrow array. The whole valley was covered. At first, we thought there were thousands of soldiers sitting for an ambush, but it turned out to be only two masked men controlling everything."

    "Ahˇ­" Prime Minister Fang exhaled, "Four Hands Thousand Arrows Array. It''s my n''s signature array."

    Jun Xie nodded, "I heard this from Mo Da''s mouth. He told us they wanted to use the array and make the Fang n ountable for the ambush assassination. It was under the orders of King Xin."

    "Do you know where Mo Da is right now?" Prime Minister Fang asked.

    Jun Xie shrugged, "We left him for the dead. I don''t think he''s even alive anymore."

    Prime Minister Fang let out a sigh, "What about the other two men?"

    "We killed them."

    "Sigh," Prime Minister Fang let out a sigh, "Looks like all these years of loyalty amounted to nothing."

    "King Xinˇ­ didn''t do the right thing."

 Chapter 551 - 551 | Mission: Seduce The Princess, Commences!

    "Don''t let anger take hold of your thoughts," Ye Tian Yun spoke upon noticing the change in Prime Minister Fang''s expression.

    "The Fang n is not enough to contend against the Xin Royal n."

    "I know," Prime Minister Fang took a deep break and exhaled.

    After a few moments of silence, he asked YeTIan Yun, "You won''t change your demand for the Thunder Valley?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Why are we bringing that into this discussion?"

    "It''s the same discussion." Prime Minister Fang said, "Since we alone can''t defeat the Xin Royal n, we need allies. And the most trustworthy ally right now is the Gao n. We need their support, even though it doesn''t sound like much."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I have made my arrangements for the Thunder Valley. If Gao n doesn''t offer us the Thunder Valley in the next few days, we will resume this discussion from here."

    "Hmm, alright." Prime Minister Fang sighed.

    Ye Tian Yun then said, "We will take our leave now. I wanted you to hear everything from Jun Xie''s mouth and he has now revealed everything."

    "Hmm, you can go," Prime Minister nodded and nced at Jun Xie, he said, "Child, if you need anything, tell Fang Chen or you can evene to me. Don''t hesitate, consider us your family."

    "Thank you, Uncle Fang." Jun Xie replied with a sincere smile.

    ˇ­

    "What was the hurry?"

    Jun Xie asked Ye Tian Yun as they left the hallway.

    "We''re gettingte." Ye Tian Yun said, "My whole afternoon cultivation session didn''t go as I had nned."

    "Oh? What happened? Is it because of me?''

    "No. You can just a few minutes ago."

    "Then?"

    "Well, I forgot something very important rted to the task we''re about to do."

    "Hmm, oh wait, what''s the task that we''re about to do?" Jun Xie asked.

    "Didn''t I tell you about someone we need to seduce?" Ye Tian Yun nced at him.

    "There''s no ''we'' in this." Jun Xie frowned, "I have no interest in seducing anyone."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Alright, alright, Virgin Sage. Just handle the illusions well. I have already been dyed by a few days; I can''t dy it any longer."

    "Hmm," Jun Xie nodded.

    Both of them first reached Fang Chen''s room.

    "Here." Ye Tian Yun took out a pair of clothes.

    "What''s these?"

    "We will be leaving wearing these."

    "We''re going in a disguise?" Jun Xie frowned, "The guards are Core Formation Realm. I don''t think this will be of any use."

    "Oh, it will be useful." Ye Tian Yun smiled, "And it''s not like you need to go out in the open. Just try to create an illusion and leave the rest to me discreetly."

    "Hmm," Jun Xie nodded, "But why is there only one pair of clothes? Are you not nning to disguise yourself?"

    "No." Ye Tian Yun smiled, "The disguise is for you."

    ''I will go in my real face.''

    This was Ye Tian Yun''s decision.

    Today while cultivating in the afternoon, he was nning about his meeting with the Third Princess, a thought suddenly struck him.

    The Royal Bloodline Trial.

    It was impossible to enter it if someone was in disguise.

    ''How the fuck did I forget such an important detail!?''

    This was the first thought of Ye Tian Yun.

    Fortunately, he had not yet met with the princess, or else if he had been in someone''s disguise, everything would have been useless because no disguise would work at the entrance of the Bloodline Trial.

    ''I will have to be in my real face.''

    ''Ah, how the fuck did I forget something so important!?''

    And this was how his whole afternoon was ruined.

    ''Then real face it is.''

    "Here."

    Ye Tian Yun showed Jun Xie his palm.

    On the palm was a pill.

    "What''s this?" Jun Xie asked.

    "Aura Replication Pill. It will change your aura for the next twenty-four hours."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie asked, "Who''s aura will I be copying?"

    "Don''t you remember me patting that guard?" Ye Tian Yun replied, "This is his aura."

    "Why do we even need my disguise, though?" Jun Xie argued, "No one here knows me anyway."

    "They will know soon," Ye Tian Yun replied, "This aura is so that people don''t track you back if they find out about your illusions."

    "And how will they not be able to track me?"

    "Because of this." Ye Tian Yun put another pill in front of him.

    "What''s this?"

    "This one contains your original aura. Take it when things go haywire and remove the disguise. Return to your original identity. No one will stop you."

    "Hmm, fair enough."

    "Come out when you''re ready. We need to leave." Ye Tian Yun said and left the room.

    About five minutester, Jun Xie stepped outside.

    ''Hm? Where''s Fang Chen?''

    He couldn''t help but frown.

    Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

    And when he turned around, a handsome young man''s face appeared in front of him.

    He seemed one year younger than Fang Chen, but the aura was very different.

    Not only the aura but even the demeanor was also different.

    "Let''s go." He said.

    "Hm? Whereˇ­ waitˇ­ who the hell are you?" Jun Xie zoomed out of his trance.

    "I am Fang Chen." The young man replied.

    "Noˇ­. oh, wait, is this your disguise!?"

    "Yeah."

    "Damn, you don''t even need to pick lines with this look. Fang Chen, whose look is this?"

    "It belongs to a friend."

    "Who is this guy?"

    "Not important right now. Let''s go. It''s almost evening."

    Both of them headed for the exit.

    This time, instead of hiding or anything, Ye Tian Yun was moving openly because he already had a good solution for his problem.

    "Use your illusion technique; let''s not let the guards see us."

    "Alright."

    In no time, they were standing at the main door of the Fang n''s manor.

    The exit was just a hundred meters away.

    It was at this moment, the huge gates of Fang n suddenly moved to open.

    ''Did they know I was heading out?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Unsurprisingly, the gate was not opening because of him.

    But for the carriages which had arrived in front of the Fang n.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun sensed an approaching powerful aura behind him.

    "We need to run!"

    Ye Tian Yun almost shouted at Jun Xie as they ran towards the iing carriage.

    It was quite clear that the higher-ups of the Fang n, including the Prime Minister, wereing to meet these guests.

    As Ye Tian Yun passed by the carriages, he suddenly noticed who the guests were.

    ''The Gao n.''

    ''The came earlier than I had expectedˇ­.''

    He was a bit taken aback, but this was good news since he wouldn''t have to waste any more time on this.

    However, suddenly his eyesnded on thest carriage.

    ''This is not a men''s carriage.''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, and suddenly, he noticed the marking on the carriage.

    "Third. Gao." Jun Xie spoke while scratching his chin.

    Both of them were standing outside the Fang n right now, besides the entourage of carriages from the Gao n.

    "Isn''t this supposed to be the carriage of the Third Miss?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded lightly as a beautiful face appeared in his mind.

    ''It''s herˇ­. Why is she here?''

 Chapter 552 - 552 | The Commotion Outside The Fang Clan

    The gates of the Fang n were crowded.

    Many people had noticed the arrival of the Gao n''s carriages; however, what had truly marked themotion was the carriage at the end - the one which belonged to Third Miss Of Gao CLan, Gao Suyin.

    Gao Suyin, one of the three beauties of the Capital City, was visiting the Fang n with her family.

    Nosy but intelligent people in the crowd were able to deduce the reason behind this.

    "Are the Fang n and the Gao n allying through marriage?"

    No one knew who said it, but everyone in the crowd heard it.

    ANd this simple sentence sparked themotion.

    "Could it be Young Master Fang Yunru getting married to Young Miss Gao Suyin!?"

    "Yes, or why else will the Gao ne here with Third Miss?"

    Someone quipped, "But then what about First Young Master Fang Chen? He''s not married yet; how can Second Young Master be the first to get married?"

    "Oh, we all know the Second Young Master is actually one year older than the First Young Master. It''s only because of the hierarchy that they are called like this."

    "Shh. Don''t talk about this so casually."

    The person shrugged, "Alright, alright, anyway, what I said seems to be the most usible answer. In thest two days, Young Master Fang Yunru had visited the Gao n, and then n Head Gao Kang had also visited the Fang n to meet with the Prime Minister."

    "Yes, yes. The Second Young Master did visit the Gao n with the First Young Master! I am sure he went there to ask Third Miss Gao Suyin''s hand for marriage!"

    "Why can''t it be the First Young Master who''s getting married?"

    "Nah, that''s impossible." "It can''t be." "No."

    Many people shook their heads upon hearing the man''s question.

    "Why not?" Confused with the denying response, the man asked.

    "Because that''s the First Young Master Fang Chen. He''sˇ­ well you knowˇ­ he''s a geniusˇ­ but Second Young Master is more of a genius."

    "..." The man had a weird expression, "So, the Second Young Master is much better than the First Young Master?"

    "Shh!!" "Shut up!"

    Many beside him red at the man.

    The man simply half raised his hands in surrender and turned quietly.

    Just then, someone asked, "Why are we even considering the topic of marriage? With the history between Gao n and Fang n, all this is impossible. Maybe they are here for something else?"

    "Nah," A cultivator beside him replied, "The chances of this being a marriage alliance is highest. Also, no matter the history, Gao n needs Fang n to remain in the Big Four. Their state is not the same as it was two decades ago. And this also gives the reason why the marriage is most with the Second Master than the First Young Master because the Gao n will risk losing a lot in the second case since no matter how bad First Young Master''s talent is, he''s the one who will be leading the Fang n in future."

    "Yes," ANother person nodded, "Also if this was something else, I don''t think Miss Gao Suyin woulde personally. Young Master Gao Xuan would have been a better option for this."

    "Ah, true."

    The others around him agreed.

    Two young men were standing quietly in a certain corner of the crowded street, staring at thest carriage from Gao n entering the Fang n.

    "I didn''t know your brother was getting married!" Jun Xie smiled, having heard the others beside him discussing the situation.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Me neither."

    "Ah, it''s a surprise for both of us then." Jun Xieughed and they made their move towards the Purple Spring Garden.

    First, they passed through an alley where Jun Xie discreetly removed the illusion.

    "Here." Ye Tian Yun handed over something to Jun Xie.

    "A pill?" Jun Xie popped it in his mouth and asked, "What''s it for?"

    "You need to be at your best. Don''t waste your qi reserves now. We must pass through the guards."

    "Alright." Jun Xie smiled as a refreshed feeling passed through his body.

    The pill was already showing its effects.

    "I must say, the Fang n sure is rich. These pills are notmon in the GRacious Sword Sect."

    Ye Tian Yun chuckled, "Yourparison is a bit wrong. Gracious Sword Sect has tens of thousands of disciples, while the Fang n has only two young masters. Also, these pills are not from Fang n, they are from me."

    "From you?" Jun Xie frowned, "Are you an alchemist?"

    "No."

    "Then?"

    "My butler is amazing."

    "Ohˇ­"

    ˇ­

    "We are almost there. Start your illusion and make it so that no one notices us."

    Ye Tian Yun whispered.

    Jun Xie nodded.

    "What''s this ce called?" After deploying the illusion, Jun Xie asked, "And where are we going? You didn''t even tell me who the target is."

    Ye Tian Yun pointed at the street in front of him, "the road in front of us is the Purple Spring Road. It leads to the Purple Spring Garden, which is our destination."

    "And who''s the target?"

    "The Third Princess of Xin Kingdom, Xin Xue Qing."

    "..."

    "What?"

    "Youˇ­ you''re ying in the big league huh?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "We''re the same."

    "How is it the same?"

    "That Wu Qingwu."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged at Jun Xie''s speechlessness and continued to move forward.

    There were many cultivators along the way, the illusion technique was not enough, they needed to avoiding in contact with others to maintain the secrecy.

    "Hey, wait!" Jun Xie increased his pace and was now walking side-by-side to Ye Tian Yun, "So, how are you nning to seduce this Xin Xue Qing?"

    "We will see," Ye Tian Yun replied, "I am not an expert in flirting."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "But I heard a lot of rumors of you chasing skirts, Fang Chen."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I was a twelve-year-old."

    "Ah, true." Jun Xie nodded, "Anyway, the main problem right now is not how you will flirt, but how we will pass through that person."

    He pointed at the huge man standing in front of the gates of Purple Spring Garden.

    So huge that both of them noticed him from the other end of the Purple Spring Road.

 Chapter 553 - 553 | The Random Young Master And His Friend

    Ye Tian Yun frowned upon noticing the man.

    ''He wasn''t here thest time.''

    In fact, he wasn''t here for any of the times he visited this ce.

    ''That guy is covering the whole gate.''

    "I guess we will have to wait for him to move." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    Jun Xie stared at the huge walls marking the Garden, "Is that ce really a garden? It looks more like a prison."

    "It''s a garden," Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    "How about we jump over the walls?" Jun Xie shrugged.

    "No," Ye Tian Yun shook his arrays, "This Garden is for the higher-ups of the Xin Kingdom. They have arrays at those walls."

    "Arrays?" Jun Xie frowned, "who owns this garden?"

    "Them." Ye Tian Yun pointed at the gate they had just passed by.

    "Who are they?"

    "The Gao n."

    "Oh!" Jun Xie smiled, "What a coincidence."

    "Indeed."

    "So, how are you nning to cross it?"

    "We gotta wait." Ye Tian Yun said, "That''s the only way. We wait for that guy to move from the way or wait for a random Young Master toe and enter the Garden."

    "Hmm, I guess so." Jun Xie frowned.

    Both of them soon reached the main gate of the Purple Spring Garden.

    "How long can youst with this illusion?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Jun Xie thought for a moment and asked, "You got more of those pills?"

    "Yeah."

    "Then don''t worry."

    "Cool."

    ˇ­

    The huge man was standing with his back on the main gate with his hands crossed and eyes closed.

    The other guards stood there ignoring him, although no one objected to him either.

    This huge man now blocked the only way to enter the Garden.

    "How long will he stay here?" Jun Xie whispered to Ye Tian Yun.

    It had already been about fifteen minutes.

    "Here." Ye Tian Yun passed him a pill and turned towards the Purple Spring Road, "Two more minutes."

    "Hm?" Jun Xie also turned around and, noticing the scene; he smiled, "Ah, the long-awaited Young Master. I wonder who this is? It''s unlikely this is someone random considering how decorated and exquisite the carriage is."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Who cares. We just need to get into the Garden, hit on the princess, and see the response."

    "Hmm, true." Jun Xie shrugged.

    There was indeed a carriage approaching from the far end of the road, and in this carriage was a Young Master.

    But this was no random young master.

    Instead, the carriage belonged to one of the three most well-known young masters of the capital City, Young Master Ling Yun.

    And he was not alone. With him was his new friend and the Ling CLan''s mysterious guest, Feng Yun.

    "Brother Feng, do you know these walls also have arrays?" Young Master Ling Yun spoke while pointing at the walls through the see-through curtains of the carriage.

    Feng Yun nced at the huge walls, "Hmm, the arrays on this? That''s interesting. Is the Gao n really rich? You said it rankedst."

    "The ranking is just a generalized thing," Ling Yun shrugged, "They have the money, but they don''t have someone to manage it. Also, other ns invest in this Garden too; that''s why the array keeps running all the time."

    "Hmm, no wonder," Feng Yun nodded, "Well, I can''t judge the array without personally looking at it. So it''s hard to tell anything about the array unless we''re standing close to the wall."

    "Ah, yes, that''s true," Ling Yun smiled, "But Brother Feng, your knowledge on the arrays is very profound. I can''t help but feel ridiculous that I considered myself the most talented genius when it came to arrays."

    "I don''t consider ignorance a sin," Feng Yun''s lips curved into a smile, "As for being the most talented, there''s always a mountain beyond the mountain and heaven beyond the heavens. Live life with humility, the chances of reaching the peak will increase significantly."

    Ling Yunughed, "Brother Feng, I feel like I am talking to my Elder Sister whenever you speak such stuff."

    "Hmm? Why? Is it because it''s interesting?"

    "Umˇ­ wellˇ­ because it goes over my head."

    "Hahaha!"

    Suddenly, the smile on Feng Yun''s face receded, and he frowned while staring outside the carriage.

    "Hm?" Ling Yun got confused by the sudden change of reaction, "What happened, Brother Feng?"

    "Hmm, well, there''s an illusion outside. It''s either a very talented alchemist, or there''s an illusion array."

    "Illusion array?" Ling Yun frowned, "I think they have increased the security. There are rumors that the Third Princess visits the Garden these days."

    "The Third Princess?"

    "Yes, it''s Princess Xin Xue Qing."

    ''Xin Xue Qing'' Feng Yun frowned. ''Isn''t thatˇ­''

    "How is she as a person?" He asked.

    Ling Yun let out a smile, "She''s a very nice person. But she''s very cold towards people like me; it''s hard to catch her attention."

    "Oh?" Feng Yun smiled, "Why would that be? I think any girl would be interested in you? Don''t tell me you did something stupid."

    "Nah, it''s not that," Ling Yun shook his head, "It''s her game that she''s ying."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well, I will exin it to you more in detail. For now, let''s just enjoy our time in the Garden. I don''t get much free time because of the sect stuff and my cultivation, so it''s really a pleasure to visit this Garden."

    "Oh?" Feng Yun smiled, "Don''t tell me you''re not looking for the princess here."

    "Nah, she won''te here," Ling Yun shook his head, "It''s most probably a rumor that she visits the Garden. I suspect the Gao n is behind this, but I can''t understand why since they don''t need any publicity or advertising for this Garden."

    Just as Ling Yun finished, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.

    "Young Master, we have reached the garden." A servant called out from outside.

    Ling Yun smiled, and ncing at Feng Yun; he said, "Let''s go."

    As both of them stepped inside the Garden, two young men followed them, though discreetly.

 Chapter 554 - 554 | Mission: Seduce The Princess, Commences (This Time For Real)

    Purple Spring Garden is wide and open, sloping gently down to a cosmic-blue river.

    A grove of cypress pines nks us on one side, with a thicket of peaceful beeches standing guard on the other.

    Purple Blossom trees run through the garden''s center, casting ake of w shadows onto the grass. In autumn, the fiery brilliance of their leaves is a sight: scorching oranges, burning browns, and molten reds. Then they drift to the ground as silently and carelessly as an ash cloud, settling into their eternal rest.

    It was indeed a breathtaking sight and would make anyone feel rxed with its enchantment.

    Even Ye Tian Yun was surprised to see the scene in front of him. Such gardens are a rarity even in the Middle Heavens.

    [A/n: Purple Springs Garden in paragraphments and chapterments.]

    ''The person who created this garden must have an amazing eye for the colors.''

    Other than its enchanting view, the garden was known for the Purple Blossoms. The beautiful pinkish purple-leafed trees were spread throughout the garden.

    "This ce lives up its name." Jun Xie remarked.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Indeed."

    "Hmm, so how do we find the princess?" Jun Xie asked, "I don''t think she woulde here in her real appearance."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t worry, but first, let''s scout this ce. It''s better to understand the geography of this ce first."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "Alright, let''s see."

    Both of them started to move through the path.

    As for the two young men whom they had followed to enter the gardenˇ­ both parties separated as soon as they entered the garden.

    "What''s that?" Just then, Jun Xie pointed at the crowd of youngsters.

    Ye Tian Yun had also noticed the crowd.

    "Why are they grouped near a wall?"

    "They are surrounding someone." Ye Tian Yun answered.

    Jun Xie nodded, "That''s what I meant."

    "Yeah, you did." Ye Tian Yun stepped closer to the crowd.

    There were about ten young men and women, clearly from big backgrounds considering their attire and clothing.

    "Look at that!" Jun Xie nudged Ye Tian Yun''s elbow while pointing at a banner.

    Ye Tian Yun followed the direction Jun Xie was pointing at and saw a small banner.

    [Burger Queen]

    ''Burger Queenˇ­'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, remembering a certain taste.

    He gulped and then turned towards Jun Xie, "Keep this ce in mind. We will visiˇ­."

    "Hm?" Jun Xie turned towards Ye Tian Yun noticing thetter''s sudden pause, "What happened? Why did you stop?"

    But he only found Ye Tian Yun staring at someone behind him.

    Jun Xie turned his head towards the other side, and not far from them was a youngdy in violet clothes who was quietly sitting, staring at the artificial river beside them.

    "Is that the princess?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "She is."

    "Are you sure?" Jun Xie frowned, "She seems... "

    "Too normal?"

    "Yes, exactly."

    "Well, that''s the princess. She''s trying to ''keep a low-profile''."

    Jun Xie smiled, "This is a pretty stupid idea then."

    "It is." Ye Tian Yun nodded, "She should have disguised herself as a wealthy noble youngdy; no one would have noticed. But disguising as a normal girl at this ce makes her stand out too much."

    "True," Jun Xie nodded, "But I wonder why no one is approaching her?"

    "My guess is people here already did," Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Anyway, kids from big ns are not idiots. They won''t offend others without understanding the background of the other person fully well. Also, she''s a regr visitor to this ce, so I also think that there''s no one else who''s curious about her anymore."

    Jun Xie nodded, "So are you nning to talk to her, or are we going to keep on guessing?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "You wait here; I will try my luck. Keep yourself hidden and reveal me once I have crossed that tree."

    "What about the guards? Is no one watching over this ce?"

    "Nah," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "The reason why they have such security outside is that there''s no one watching over the kids in the garden, but they wille at a moment''s notice."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "But you should be careful, with all this security; it''s weird that they don''t have any countermeasures against someone trying to infiltrate through illusions."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I know. If things really get out of hand, we will simply escape. Oh, and take these."

    "Hm? More pills? I just took one, but thanks."

    "Can you create an illusion that all the seats are filled, and only the one beside her is empty?"

    "Alright." Jun Xie smiled and nodded.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped closer and headed towards the bench where Princess Xin Xue Qing was seated.

    Noticing someone''s approach, a slight frown formed on Xin Xue Qing''s forehead.

    ''No again.''

    She was in no mood to talk to anyone.

    ''The pce politics are already giving me a headache. And now here tooˇ­.''

    She didn''t turn towards the young man who calmly approached her and took a seat beside her.

    ''The whole garden is almost empty; whye here?''

    Xin Xue Qing was irked.

    ''I wonder which n this guy is from? I should talk to Eunuch Pio about this guy''s n.''

    She took a deep breath, and then without turning, she said, "The garden is pretty huge; why don''t you have a whole empty seat for yourself?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, I find you more interesting than this garden."

    "Oh really?" She inwardly rolled her eyes. This was the nth time she heard the same line.

    "Nah, not really," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I am just kidding. The main reason is all other seats are empty."

    "Huh?" Princess Xin Xue Qing froze, and then she raised her head and nced from one side to the others, starting from the seats that were all full and stopping at the face of the young man beside her.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    A breathtakingly handsome young man was sitting beside her.

 Chapter 555 - 555 | Princess Xin Xue Qing

    Princess Xin Xue Qing stared at the young man who was sitting beside her.

    This young man had a slim and tall stature with sharp brows and thin lips. Although he appeared not to be particrly handsome or heroic initially, one could sense something special about him upon careful inspection. His lips were curved, forming an inverted bow, giving the expression of arrogance and brutal aggression. His gaze was as sharp as swords, so intense that others would have felt like they were beingpelled to look away.

    But the most noticeable thing around him was the aura.

    It was majestic.

    The Princess'' intuition told her that the mysterious young man sitting beside her was royalty. In fact, the aura was even more powerful than her big brother Crown Prince Xin''s aura.

    It was too dominating.

    But she didn''t let her sway too much. Within a few instants, she calmed her mind and took hold of herself.

    Pursing her lips, she said, "Well, I guess I was so concentrated in admiring the river that I didn''t notice the arrival of others. The garden is pretty lively today."

    "My first time here," Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    "Oh?" Princess Xin was a bit taken aback, "Are you not from the Capital City?"

    "I am here for a few months."

    "Ah," Princess Xin slightly nodded, "Well, I hope you like this city."

    "I am already liking it."

    "I am not falling for that again."

    "Falling for what?"

    "The same thing. You know what I mean," A delicate frown formed between her eyebrows, "Anyway, I am here to rx, so let''s not waste any more time."

    The young man shrugged.

    The duo remained quiet for the next two minutes before he suddenly stood up.

    Princess Xin nced at him for a moment, but she brought her attention back on the river; she heard him say something.

    "Hey, just heading to that store. Do you need anything?"

    "Huh?" She was a bit taken aback and unconsciously replied, "Nah, it''s alright."

    "Don''t worry, the treats on me," The young man smiled, "I will get you something interesting."

    Without waiting for her response, the young man left, heading straight towards the crowd named [Burger Queen]

    ''This guyˇ­.''

    The Princess smiled, and after staring at him for a few moments, she turned towards the river again.

    ''Who is he?''

    ˇ­

    "What is he doing?"

    Jun Xie frowned at Ye Tian Yun heading towards him.

    To be more precise, Ye Tian Yun was heading towards the crowd surrounding the [Burger Queen] stall.

    Jun Xie was standing in the crowd because of his curiosity towards the ''burger''.

    "What''s up?" He whispered to Ye Tian Yun as they now both stood side by side.

    "It will take a little bit more time."

    "Hm."

    "Oh, Jun Xie, can you do me one more favor?"

    "Yeah. sure."

    "Buy six extra burgers."

    "..."

    "What? You just said you will."

    "Why don''t you ask me to be your butler?"

    "..." Ye Tian Yun almost said, ''Your father already is.'' but didn''t word it out, afraid of sounding rude. But he had to say something so,

    "You are not qualified yet."

    "..." Jun Xie mouthed something along the words ''Huck Eeu''

    The crowd in front of them was quiterge.

    There were about ten young masters and young misses waiting for their burger.

    Ye Tian Yun nced at the vendor who was standing on the other side of the stall.

    ''Gao Xuan?''

    The person''s face was covered, but the silhouette was familiar.

    ''Noˇ­''

    But upon careful observation, he noticed the person had a huge bulge on his chest.

    ''It''s a girl. But why is she so familiar?''

    As if noticing Ye Tian Yun''s gaze, the girl behind the stall also raised her eyes. Her hand froze, and her eyes widened in shock upon noticing him.

    Because it was all veiled behind the mask, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t figure out her expression, but he did notice the ''pause''.

    However, he didn''t mind that much since this was prettymon for him.

    Even the Princess of the Kingdom was taken aback; this was just a girl behind a stall.

    s, Ye tian Yun''s handsome face was not the reason why the girl froze.

    It was rather because of another reason.

    ''Why did he appear here in his real appearance?''

    This was quite shocking for her.

    And yes, she was aware of Ye Tian Yun''s real appearance.

    She then nced at the young man beside Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Jun Xie. I heard him entering the Fang n today. Hm, why are they both here?''

    She was curious.

    "Young Master, what would you like?" She didn''t waste any time and directly asked Ye Tian Yun.

    "Hm?" Everyone else was a bit taken aback, mainly because the stall girl asked the young man who had arrived just now.

    Ye Tian Yun was also no different; he too was surprised.

    But he didn''t think too much, and with a smile, he asked, "Prepare two of your best burgers."

    ''Oh, he needs it for himself and Jun Xie.''

    The girl smiled and began to prepare.

    "Hey, wait a second."

    Just then. Someone called out.

    It was a young man in white robes, "Miss, we have been here for thest five minutes, isn''t this stall on a ''firste-first-serve basis?"

    The girl smiled, "It is Young Master, but I am allowed to make exceptions."

    "Exceptions?" The young man frowned, "Please don''t do this, Miss. We have already waited for a long time."

    "It''s alright," Ye Tian Yun said, "I am in no hurry; give them first."

    The young man smiled, but the girl''s response made it recede, "I have already decided upon it."

    The young man frowned, but after a few moments, he let out a sigh, "Alright, give this brother his order first; it''s not the end of the world."

    Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie were a bit taken aback by his words.

    ''I was expecting some dramaˇ­.''

    ''Are all Young Masters of the Capital City this humble?''

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit curious about the young man, "What''s your name, Young Master?"

    "I am Ling Yun." The Young Man smiled, "I am from the Ling n and thisˇ­."

    He patted the shoulder of someone with him, "This is my friend, Young Master Feng Yun."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded with a smile at both of the young men.

    "We''re disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect," Ye Tian Yun said, and ncing at Jun Xie, he added, "This is my Senior Brother Jun Xie."

    "Jun Xie?" Ling Yun and, after a moment, many others, including him, eximed, "Ah, Dreamscape Supreme Jun Xie!? I didn''t expect you to meet me this early, haha!"

    Jun Xie let out a wry smile, "Haha, it''s just a fancy name someone gave me; nice to meet you; I am Jun Xie. You can call me Brother Jun."

    "Brother Jun." Many cupped their fists.

    Jun Xie smiled while asking, "Brother Ling, ah, did Brother Feng tell you about us?"

    Ling Yun smiled, "It was Brother Fu Kai. He''s a close friend of mine."

    "Ah, Brother Fu!" Jun Xie nodded, "I guess we have a lot of mutual friends."

    "Hahaha!"

    While the two were chatting, Feng Yun had his face parallel to the ground.

    His eyes were wide upon, clearly in shock and disbelief.

    ''Why is the Crown Prince here!?''

 Chapter 556 - 556 | Disappointment

    Feng Yun.

    That''s the name Ling Feng''er chose for herself.

    The reason was pretty simple. It was made from thest names of herself and her biggest enemy, Ye Tian Yun.

    And to take down this enemy, she wanted to go to the Lower Heavens.

    Everything was almost set, but just when she was about to leave, her father stopped her.

    He wanted to speak about something very urgent.

    And when she visited him, her father told her she wasn''t allowed to go alone.

    This annoyed her quite a lot; after all, she didn''t wish anyone else to know about her true intentions.

    She hadn''t even told her father why she wanted to go to the Lower Heavens.

    Finally, her father, Heavenly King Ling, couldn''t hold back and said she would fall in love with someone with no status.

    "That will never happen." She replied. She was confident in herself that she would never fall for anyone this time.

    Life wasn''t a game for her anymore. She had a goal now, and she wanted to aplish it.

    Love and romance were mere distractions.

    But Heavenly King Ling didn''t agree.

    "This always happens," He argued, "The high-status girl falls for the lower status boy. You''re already engaged, and this engagement is very important for us. It''s important not only for our n but for the whole Middle Heavens."

    "But father, what about me?" Her heartfelt heavy, "Father, why don''t you ask me what I want?"

    "Ling''er," Her father replied with a sigh, "If things were under my control, I wouldn''t have forced you in such a predicament."

    "Is it the Emperor?" She asked, "Is he forcing our n, or is it the Crown Prince?"

    "It''s someone who''s even more powerful." He replied, "And that person is our enemy. He''s the sole reason why even after all the things Emperor Ye has done, I am still with him."

    "Who is it, father?" She asked, "At least tell me who it is."

    "I can''t," Heavenly King Ling felt helpless, "The enemy will know about you if you know about him."

    "You can''t tell me anything at all?"

    "I can only say this: This marriage is very important. It''s not about our rtionship with the Ye n, but it''s about your rtionship with the Crown Prince."

    "With the Crown Prince?" She frowned, "What if I don''t want to marry him? What if I don''t want to marry anyone?"

    "This can''t happen," Heavenly King Ling let out a sigh, "No one here has a choice. Trust me; even the Crown Prince wanted to break off this marriage."

    "What!?" Ling Feng''er''s breathing quickened, "He wanted toˇ­ break off the marriage?"

    "Yes," Heavenly King Ling pursed his lips, "Emperor Ye personally told me about this."

    "I thought you both were not on speaking terms?" She frowned. She doubted her father''s im.

    "That was past." Heavenly King Ling let out another sigh, "The matters are veryplicated. This marriage is not something out of a whim. It''s a decision we came to after ten years or extensive research and analysis."

    "Ten yearsˇ­ really?"

    "I am not joking." Heavenly King chuckler self-mockingly, "The enemy we face is the most powerful existence. Marriage is the key to holding that person back."

    "It''s hard to believe," She frowned, "I can''t help but think that you''re just spouting nonsense to give this marriage alliance a meaning."

    "I am not." Heavenly King Ling pursed his lips, "If things were under my control, I would have let you be the next n Head and let you take our n to great heights. But fate has different ns."

    "How many years do I have?" Ling Feng''er asked. She was angry and frustrated.

    Life would have been much easier if the marriage was canceled.

    She would have then wholeheartedly pursued her enemy.

    But if her enemy was bound to be her husband, then she had only one way.

    ''I need to kill him before we get married.''

    In her previous life, she was so madly in love with the Crown Prince that she didn''t even bother to ask the reason behind the marriage.

    She felt as if she was the luckiest girl in the whole world.

    "Two years." She frowned upon hearing this.

    The Crown Prince had postponed the marriage to the day he sat on the Heavenly Throne in her previous life.

    ''Will it is postponed this time too?'' She wondered.

    But the most noteworthy thing was that two years were not enough.

    Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun would be unmatched in his generation after two years.

    She had to get him before that.

    ''It will take me three to four months alone to reach the Lower Heavens.''

    "Father, who is the person you want to send with me a guard?"

    "Ah, finally you understand, "Heavenly King Ling smiled, "It will be Old Ma. He will secretly guard you as long as you''re in the Lower Heavens."

    "Hmm." She nodded.

    That evening, she left the MiddLe Heavens, embarking on her adventure in the Lower Heavens.

    The journey only took a few hours since she was with Old Ma, a Saint Realm expert.

    And as fate would have it, she encountered a caravan being ambushed.

    She wouldn''t have minded if it was a normal caravan, but there was a familiar person in the carriage.

    The son of Butler Liu of Crown Prince Ye.

    Jun Xie.

    ''I should get acquainted with him.''

    And thus, she asked Old Ma to kill the ambushing assassins and save the caravan.

    After that, she joined the caravan and finished her mission.

    Unfortunately, she had one problem.

    Her social skills aren''t that great.

    After joining the carriage, and even though she sat in the same carriage with Jun Xie, there was hardly any exchange except for a few formal greetings.

    Fast forward a few hours, and she separated from the group and was now in the Purple Spring Garden with Ling Yun - a very talented boy from her Branch n.

    She wanted to nurture Ling Yun into a powerful Array Master and get acquainted with Jun Xie, who had the talent to be the most powerful Alchemist.

    These two were essentials and her first targets.

    With her extensive knowledge of Alchemy and Array Formations, it wasn''t hard for her to make these two worship her.

    Ling Yun was already worshipping and talking to her like a student.

    Jun Xie was the next target, and she could be considered lucky because she encountered him once again here in the Purple Spring Garden.

    But there was one problem.

    She had used up all her luck in this.

    Because there was someone with Jun Xie.

    Someone with whom she was very familiar.

    Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    Her mortal enemy appeared in front of her out of nowhere.

    She couldn''t believe her own eyes.

    ''Why is he here?''

    She kept asking herself.

    ''Why is he with Jun Xie?''

    ''How do both of them know each other?''

    ''If they knew each other in my previous life, then why did Jun Xie hate Ye Tian Yun so much?''

    ''What the hell is going on?''

    The Crown Prince was standing right in front of her.

    The same face! The same aura! The same voice! The same smile!

    She didn''t need to take a second look for confirmation.

    It was indeed him!

    However, there was even a bigger problem.

    She didn''t have a single thought of killing him!

    Rather, she wanted to talk to him.

    ''That''s the opposite of killing!''

    ''He''s my enemy! He''s my enemy! He''s my enemyˇ­.''

    She repeated this in her mind again and again.

    Her heart felt heavy, and no word came out of her mouth.

    Even her thoughts were disarrayed.

    But it didn''tst long.

    Things returned to normal when she heard the Crown Prince say.

    "Thank you for these."

    She raised her, regretting she hadn''t said a single worth.

    ''No, that''s the wrong regret!''

    She regretted that she didn''t kill him right now?

    ''Yes. Now you got it right.''

    She stared at his disappearing back.

    But then she noticed something else.

    Jun Xie wasn''t leaving with him.

    ''Is the burger not for Jun Xie?'' She frowned.

    ''Why does he need a second burger?''

    She understood the Crown Prince very well, and he was not a glutton.

    Suddenly she noticed something, and this shocked her even more.

    To be more specific, it angered her even more.

    The Crown Prince brought the burger for some unknown girl!

    ''Who is she?''

    She wanted to know immediately!

    ''He never even smiled at me, and he''s bringing something to eat for her!''

    A very familiar welled up in her heart.

    Jealousy.

    Something she was sure she wouldn''t feel even again.

    ''Was it because of that girl he never looked at me?''

    She couldn''t help but think.

    It was a natural thought process.

    ''Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun... ''

    She closed her eyes, and upon opening them again, a more strengthened will formed in her eyes.

    ''....I will kill both of you.''

    She now had two mortal enemies.

    And she wasn''t the only one who was angry.

    For some reason, the masked girl behind the stall was angry too.

    And she was giving a death stare to Ye Tian Yun.

    ''He''s getting married in a month, yet he''s flirting with someone!''

    The masked girl felt disappointed.

    ''Is this how the Crown Prince is?''

    She couldn''t help but sigh.

    "The new life is going to be hard."

    She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

    ''I shouldn''t be angry. To him, this marriage means nothing since he''s just in disguise.''

    Unbeknownst to Ye Tian Yun, he had disappointed the two women who would one day be the most important parts of his life.

 Chapter 557 - 557 | Strangely Interesting Person

    "Here."

    Ye Tian Yun offered the burger to the princess.

    Princess Xin Xue Qing didn''t show any shyness and held the burger.

    "Have you ever had these things before?" She asked while staring at it with a frown.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yeah, a close friend of mine once got me these."

    "Oh?" Princess Xin asked, "How do you eat this? I am afraid history will repeat when I bite from any part, and the vegetables will pop out from the opposite."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, there''s a specific way for this. Let me show you."

    "A specific way?" She frowned, "Do tell."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "See here."

    Following the exact instruction Gao Xuan had once told him in the Gracious Sword Sect, he exined it to the Princess.

    "As you can see, the thumbs and the pinkies are on the bottom. The middle three fingers on each hand are on the top. Because of this, the burger is divided visually into equal parts. If the burger is held uniformly, then its contents shouldn''t spill out of the burger''s backside."

    "Ah, so that''s how it is." Xin Xue Qing was impressed.

    It''s not usual to encounter someone who could tell how to eat a burger.

    "You must be a huge fan of this burger," She added, "You even know such tricks."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Just passing the knowledge. It''s not a big deal."

    Princess Xin thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know the girl who sells these burgers at that stall?"

    The abrupt question surprised Ye Tian Yun.

    He nced at the stall but didn''t find anything out of the ordinary.

    "No, I can''t even see her face. And I don''t think I have ever met that girl." He replied.

    Xin Xue Qing frowned, "Hmm, well, she has been ring at me ever since you came here with the burgers."

    "Oh, is she?" Ye Tian Yun shrugged it off, "Most likely a misunderstanding."

    "I hope so," Xin Xue Qing smiled, "I already have lots of troubles on my te. I don''t want another person wishing me dead."

    "Ah, you sound like you have a lot to talk about," Ye Tian Yun''s lips curled, "So tell me, Miss. What''s your addiction?"

    "Addiction?" Xin Xue Qing was amused, "That''s an interesting way of putting it. Well, I like toe here from time to time and enjoy my stay. Other than that, I like to cultivate on my own. But I don''t get much time because of my other work-rted matters."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "This garden lives up to its name."

    "Are you going to be a regr visitor to this ce?" The Princess asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    ''The fish has taken the bait?''

    "I can''t say," He replied, "I have my own work too. Today was a special case."

    "Oh?" She asked, "What''s today?"

    "Well, my intuition brought me here, as if it wanted me to encounter someone important."

    "Oh? Did you meet her?" Princess smiled with her eyes narrowed.

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards her and stared directly in the depth of her eyes; he asked, "Have I? I wonder."

    "Aish, you''re strange." Princess shook her head, but a small smile was etched on her face.

    Ye Tian Yun chuckled, "Someugh at me because I am different, but I smile at them because they are all the same."

    "Oh? What about me?" Princess Xin asked in curiosity.

    "Well, how should I put itˇ­" Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath, and once again, looking directly into her eyes, he said, "The chance of meeting another person like you is the only reason I talk to strangers."

    "Hahaha," Princess Xin Xue Qing had a sweetugh, "I must say, you''re strangely interesting."

    Ye Tian Yun handed her over a gourd of water, "Here."

    They had finished the burger, and while she drank, he replied, "And you''re gorgeous."

    Wiping the water from the corner of her lips, she smiled, "Oh really?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I wouldn''t lie on such a nice evening."

    "It''s indeed a nice evening."

    "Well, I wish it couldst a bit longer," Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and stood up.

    "Oh, you''re leaving?" Princess Xin pursed her lips.

    Ye Tian Yun gave her a genuine smile, "I can''t stay here for long. Maybe tomorrow I will make some changes in my schedule to get more time to spend on this seat. Till then, farewell, mdy."

    [Xin Xue Qing. 3 Stars. Very intrigued and interested in you.]

    And without waiting for a response, he turned around and left.

    Princess Xin Xue Qing stared at the disappearing back of the young man whom she had just met.

    This was by far the first time she had such a natural and normal conversation with someone outside of her family.

    Staring at the path through which the mysterious young man had left, she couldn''t help but want him toe back and talk more.

    ''Will hee back tomorrow?''

    She was curious and excited.

    ''I will have Uncle Lou find more about him.''

    ''Oh noˇ­ I forgot to even ask for his nameˇ­''

    She sighed.

    ˇ­

    A few moments earlier, when Jun Xie saw Ye Tian Yun leaving, he excused himself from thepany of Ling Yun and his friend Feng Yun and followed Ye Tian Yun.

    Upon reaching a blind spot, he enveloped Ye Tian Yun and himself in illusion, and to the normal eyes, both of them suddenly disappeared.

    "How was it?" Jun Xie increased his pace and came shoulder to shoulder with Ye Tian Yun, "Did it go alright?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It was alright. Oh, did you get the extra burgers?"

    "Yeah, I did," Jun Xie nodded, "I got twelve more."

    "Twelve?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Five for us, and the rest for your family."

    "Alright," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Thanks."

    "No need for that," Jun Xie shook his head, "I should have brought something for Uncle and Aunt, but I was so excited to know about my father that I totally forgot about it."

    "Ah, don''t mind that," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "They were not expecting anything anyway."

    "Well, it''s the gesture that counts." Jun Xie shrugged.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "True."

    Jun Xie suddenly frowned, "How are you nning to get out? The gates are closed. If they open on their own, things might getplicated."

    "I know," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "And we can''t wait for someone either. Let''s first check the arrays."

    "Alright." Jun Xie nodded.

    Both of them walked towards the wall and began to observe the wall.

    "Thisˇ­" They frowned upon observing the arrays.

 Chapter 558 - 558 | Heading Back To Fang Clan

    "This is moreplicated than I thought." Jun Xie frowned.

    "Indeed," Ye Tian Yun agreed, "I thought it was a simply rming array, but it also shoots poison and traps the legs of the enemy. It''s not something we can solve."

    Jun Xie let out a sigh, "Looks like we gotta wait for others."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No, we can''t. I want to get back the Fang n."

    "Why? Is there an emergency?" Jun Xie asked.

    "Yes." Fang Chen nodded, "Do you remember the Gao n carriages? Prime Minister Fang might call me out to meet n Head Gao Kang."

    "Ah," Jun Xie exhaled, "Let''s go then. I suggest we risk it and leave through the gates."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Let''s do it.

    Just as they were about to move, they heard a few pairs of footsteps approaching them.

    "It''s Ling Yun and Feng Yun." Jun Xie said.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "These are two we followed inside."

    "Yes andˇ­ never mind," Jun Xie frowned, "I guess luck is on our side. Let''s follow them and leave."

    ˇ­

    "Brother Feng, what happened?" Ling Yun was confused.

    After Jun Xie had left, Feng Yun had also requested that they head back to the Ling n.

    Ling Yun, who wanted Feng Yun to meet with more of his friends, had no other choice but toply and head for the exit with his new friend.

    Feng Yun paused, "I am not feeling well."

    "Hm? Was it the burger?" Ling Yun frowned, "I will have Gao n held responsible for this. Just say a word!"

    "No, it''s just an old illness," Ling Feng''er made an excuse, "It has nothing to with what I eat."

    "Sigh, alright."

    As they stepped closer to the gate, Ling Feng''er asked, "Where is the Fang n?"

    Ling Yun was taken aback by her words. Even the two young men hiding under an illusion were surprised.

    ''Why does he want to go to the Fang n?''

    Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie frowned.

    "It''s not far from here," Ling Yun replied to Feng Yun, "I can take you there, but do you mind telling me why?"

    "Nothing," Feng Yun smiled, "I was just curious about the disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect. Last I heard, the Fang n and the Gracious Sword Sect were at each other''s throats."

    Ling Yun shrugged, "Hm, I find that a bit odd too. Well, they were Fang Chen''s friends, and he had always been the ck sheep of the Fang n. His actions don''t reflect the thoughts of the whole n."

    "Oh," Ling Feng''er slightly nodded, "I understand."

    The gate was opened, and both of them exited the Purple Spring Garden.

    Behind them, Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie also stepped outside.

    "The carriage will be here in a minute," Ling Yun said, "I have already informed him."

    Ling Feng''er slightly nodded.

    Suddenly, her eyesnded on the file on the table beside one of the guards.

    "Is this the record of everyone who visits the garden?" She asked.

    "Yes, Young Master." The guard replied with a smile.

    "Oh?" Ling Feng''er thought for a moment and asked, "Can you show me the names of the disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    "Disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect?" The Guard bowed, "Young Master, we''re not allowed to reveal the details of the visitors."

    "Ohˇ­" Ling Feng''er let out a sigh.

    "Show him the list." Ling Yun frowned, "It''s no big deal."

    "But Young Master Lingˇ­"

    "Show it." Ling Yun''s mood was already down because of Feng Yun''s abrupt leave and now he was getting irritated by the guard.

    "Thisˇ­" The Guard turned towards the huge man who was sitting on the other side of the gate.

    The huge man exhaled, "Young Master Ling, no one is allowed to reveal the details of the visits. It''s the order from His Majesty."

    "What?" Ling Yun was a bit taken aback, "Really?"

    "Yes." The huge man nodded, "I have no reason to lie to you."

    "Ah, I wouldn''t doubt you, Uncle Lou."

    "Hmm, then you better get going." Uncle Lou hmphed, "Your carriage is ready."

    Ling Yun took a deep breath, suppressing his frustration, he gestured at Feng Yun to enter the carriage and then he too followed him.

    As the carriage left, two more young men also left the scene.

    However, both of them had serious expressions on their faces.

    "I didn''t expect them to record whoes and who goes." Jun Xie sighed.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "That was normal. But I am more curious about this Feng Yun guy. Why was he curious about us?"

    "Well, he told us himself, remember?" Jun Xie shrugged, "He was confused why Gracious Sword Sect and Fang n were together."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a sigh, "I hope this is the case. I don''t want any more trouble. Also, if someone asks you where the other disciple with you is, just tell them I am stationed somewhere else. Don''t tell them I am in the Fang n."

    "I will keep that in mind." Jun Xie nodded.

    Soon both of them disappeared in the crowd of disciples.

    ˇ­

    About five minutes after they had left, the gates of Purple Spring Garden opened once again and an ordinary-looking young woman stepped out.

    This was none other than Princess Xin Xue Qing.

    "Miss." Uncle Lou stood up from his seat, and ncing at one of the guards, he ordered, "Bring the carriage."

    "Yes, General."

    As the guard left, Princess Xin stepped towards Uncle Lou and asked, "Uncle Lou, in thest ten minutes, who else came out of the Garden?"

    "Only two people, Young Miss. Ling Yun from the Ling n and his friend with the name Feng Yun."

    "Only these two?" Princess Xin frowned, "There was another pair of boys who headed for the exit before Ling Yun and his friend."

    "But they haven''te out yet." Uncle Lou shrugged.

    ''He''s still inside?'' Princess Xin frowned.

    ''But I saw him heading for the exitˇ­''

    Just then -

    "Miss," Uncle Lou said, "Let''s go. The carriage is here."

    Princess Xin nodded and entered the carriage, though her mind wanted her to go back to the garden and find that mysterious young man.

    ''No, I am not that desperate!''

    She took a deep breath, and removing unnecessary thoughts; she sat down in the carriage.

    The carriage then headed in an unknown direction.

 Chapter 559 - 559 | The Shocking Announcement!

    "Almost there."

    Ye Tian Yun said as they reached thest turn before getting in front of the Fang n.

    Jun Xie took a deep breath, "Why is there still a huge crowd? Did something happen?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Maybe they are still here because of the Gao n''s entourage?"

    Jun Xie frowned, "Do these people have so much free time?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "It''s not like there''s anything else to do other than cultivation."

    "Hmm, true."

    Just as they were talking among themselves, amotion began among the crowd in front of them.

    "They are leaving." Jun Xie pointed it out.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    The Gao n entourage was leaving the Fang n.

    The crowd watched as, one by one, the four carriages from the Gao n left the Fang n.

    They were discussing and still giving their theories behind the visit; Ye Tian Yun didn''t bother to listen to any of them this time.

    He was rather focused on a certain carriage.

    This time it was the secondst.

    ''She''s a distraction.''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and omitted unnecessary thoughts.

    Without turning back, he said to Jun Xie, "Let''s go; we need to enter right now."

    "No, wait."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun nced at him and saw thetter pointing in the direction of Fang n''s gates.

    Upon turning his head towards the gates, Ye Tian Yun noticed some guards making a temporary stage, and beside them was a very familiar figure.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan!

    Ye Tian Yun frowned upon seeing him. ''Why is he here?''

    As if someone had heard his question, the guy said it loud.

    "Is that the Prime Minister himself!?"

    "Yes! But what is he doing?"

    "Can''t you see it? He''s going to announce something!"

    "Yes!" Someone else eximed, "I am sure he''s going to announce something rted to Gao n!"

    "I bet it''s about marriage between Young Master Fang Yunru and Third Mis of Gao n, Gao Suyin. After all, if it weren''t something so important, he wouldn''t have personallye to announce it."

    "Yes."

    Many agreed on this. While others thought the marriage between these two ns was almost impossible, after all, almost everyone knows that Fang n is one of the preparators behind the Gao n''s current predicament.

    "What''s the announcement?" Jun Xie nudged Ye Tian Yun, hoping for an answer.

    Unfortunately, even Ye Tian Yun was unaware; he did know something.

    "Whatever the announcement be, it will heavily affect my ns."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "Isn''t he going to announce marriage between-"

    "No."

    "Ok."

    Just then, the guardspleted arranging the stage.

    Prime Minister Fang stepped forward, and suddenly, his body rose from the ground andnded on the mini stage.

    ''I wonder which level he is in the Nascent Realm...'' Ye Tian Yun thought to himself.

    He didn''t pry the former''s exact cultivation; that would be putting himself at risk.

    "Citizens of the Xin Kingdom!"

    Prime Minister Fang''s qi-induced voice spread through the street. In fact, it instantly covered half of the Capital City!

    "I am Fang Yuan, n Head of the Fang n!"

    Almost anyone who heard the voice paused from whatever they were doing and waited for the announcement.

    "I announce the dawn of alliance between the Fang n and the Gao n!"

    "From today, the Fang n and Gao n will stand together, in happiness or in times of trouble. We will stand together and face the future!

    "And we will mark this alliance with an auspicious asion - a marriage!"

    As everyone waited with their bated breath, Prime Minister Fang ended the announcement.

    "Three weeks from today, the Young Miss of Gao CLan, Gao Suyin, will be the Daughter-inw of the Fang n by marrying my son, Fang Chen!"

    Whoosh!

    Whoosh!

    Woah!

    Woah!

    Loud exmations were heard all around the city!

    Young Master Fang Chen was getting married to Third Miss Gao Suyin!

    Boom!

    The news exploded in the minds of whosoever heard it, and everyone knew that this was going to be the new hot news in the Capital City!

    Within the crowd, Ye Tian Yun was a bit surprised. Somewhere in his heart, he had seen iting.

    But the one standing beside him, Jun Xie, had his mouth opened wide, jaw almost touching the ground.

    "Thi.. thisˇ­"

    He looked back and forth between the Prime Minister and Ye Tian Yun.

    A few streets away from the Fang n''s main gate, in a certain carriage of the Gao n, Gao Suyin froze upon hearing the announcement.

    After a moment, she leaned back on the seat and let out a sigh.

    ''Was this the right decision?''

    She was now doubting herself.

    ''Ye Tian Yun is more interested in the Princessˇ­.''

    ''How ironic it isˇ­ his marriage was getting fixed here, but he was busy flirting with the Princessˇ­.''

    If Ye Tian Yun heard her thoughts, he would be shocked because Gao Suyin was aware of his visit to the Purple Spring Garden!

    ''If only I could convince Father to not agree to this marriageˇ­ if onlyˇ­''

    A few streets north of her carriage, another carriage was slowly moving towards an unknown direction.

    "Hm?"

    Inside the carriage was a beautiful youngdy, but she was wearing in clothes - opposite of what her aura indicated.

    "Cousin Fang Chen is getting married? With Gao Suyin?"

    She frowned.

    "I wonder what Father thinks about this."

    A mile away from her was the Royal Pce.

    Prime Minister Fang''s announcement echoed through the hallways of the Royal Pce.

    In a certain hall, a middle was sitting with his eyes closed.

    Suddenly, a huge pressure overwhelmed the whole pce, suppressing everyone within the range.

    The middle-aged man took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

    ''Fang Yuanˇ­ you bastard!''

    Boundless anger spread through his veins.

    The man was none other than the King of Xin Kingdom, Xin Xue Jian!

    "Fang Yuanˇ­ ah, Fang Yuanˇ­ how dare you to forget your ce!"

    "I am the one who brought your n to the peak, and now you dare to instigate against me? Against you master? Hmph! Then so be it. I will show you the wrath of a King!"

    Clenching his fists, King Xin stood up and called out.

    "Eunuch Sun!"

    "Yes, your Majesty!"

    "Bring the Crown Prince here!"

    "Yes, Your Majesty!"

    ...

    A carriage was entering the Ling n when the announcement echoed throughout the city.

    "Sigh, this is not good!" Ling Yun let out a loud sigh upon hearing the announcement.

    "How is it not good?" Ling Feng''er couldn''t help but ask, "Don''t tell me you''re interested in the Third Miss of Gao CLan."

    "Nah, it''s not like that," Ling Yun shook his head, "Well, there are two reasons."

    "First, Gao Suyin is like my sister, and seeing him getting married to someone uselessˇ­ I don''t know what the Gao n is thinking."

    "Oh? Fang Chen is useless?" Feng Yun frowned. She had heard Fang Chen was part of the God''s Legion, but that was it.

    However, she was sure that Wang Yao wouldn''t keep any useless person beside him.

    "He''s good for nothing," Ling Yun frowned, "I still remember how he used to harass the young girls, especially Sister Gao Suyin, using his n''s backing."

    "I don''t understand why the Gao n even allied with the Fang n; after all, Prime Minister Fang is solely responsible for the Gao n''s miserable state."

    "Maybe this Fang Chen is not what everyone thinks he is." Ling Feng''er argued.

    "Highly unlikely," Ling Yun added, "But honestly, it''s the second that makes me sigh."

    "What''s the second reason?"

    "Fang Yunru. He is the one who should get married to that Gao n girl."

    "Why?" Ling Feng''er chuckled.

    "So that I don''t have to deal with him, and I won''t have any more rivals in my quest for the Princess!"

    "Oh? But earlier, when we mentioned the Princess, I thought you weren''t much interested in her." Ling Feng''er asked, showcasing her confusion.

    Ling Yun''s face turned serious.

    After a moment of silence, he said, "Brother Feng, the whole situation is not as simple as it looks."

    "The whole world thinks that the Three Young Masters of Capital City - Gao Xuan, Fang Yunru, and me - are chasing the skirt of Princess Xin Xue Qing to win her heart for the Royal Bloodlines Trials.."

    "This rumor would have been true a year ago, but now, things are opposite."

    "I don''t think there are many people who know this, but Gao Xuan and Feng Yunru are not my rivals, but they are my best friends. We three did start fighting with each other, but slowly we became friends, and today, I trust them with my life, and I know that they do the same."

    "Even though our ns hate each other, we slowly bonded over the years."

    "And now, out of my two best friends, none of us is after the Princess. Are you interested in knowing why?"

    Ling Feng''er was intrigued, "Why?"

    Ling Yun clenched his teeth, and with an emotionless voice, he said.

    "Because a year ago, one of them died."

 Chapter 560 - 560 | Ye Tian Yuns Reaction

    "One of them died!?" Ling Feng''er couldn''t believe Ling Yun''s words, "That''s impossible!"

    "It''s the truth." Ling Yun sighed.

    "Who was it?" She asked.

    As far as she knew, Gao Xuan became one of the powerful figures in the Lower Heavens, and the other one, Fang Yunru, challenged Wang Yao in the Grand Spirit Hunt for the chance to participate in the Royal Bloodline Trial.

    How could it be possible that one of them is already dead!?

    Ling Yun didn''t answer her query.

    "It''s not about who died," He said, "It''s about who killed him."

    "What do you mean?" She couldn''t help but ask.

    "Well, it was Princess Xin who conspired to kill my friend." Ling Yun closed his eyes and added, "I saw it with my own eyes."

    "So the remaining two of you are nning to take down the Princess?" Ling Feng''er scratched her chin.

    "You can say that," Ling Yun nodded, "But the thing is, only I am trying to take down the Princess. No one else knows about the death; only the very close family members are aware of this fact."

    "Hmˇ­" Ling Feng''er frowned, "Not even your other surviving best friend?"

    "Not even him," Ling Yun shook his head, "I would have told him, but someone stopped him. I am hiding it for his security. We don''t want the petition'' among ourselves to die down; after all, the Royal Bloodline Trial can turn a carp into a dragon!"

    "Hm, I get it now." Ling Feng''er nodded, "But I don''t think your chances of sess are very high."

    "Hm? Why?" Ling Yun was a bit taken aback by this.

    "Well, because, youˇ­ how should I put itˇ­ yeah, you aren''t interesting enough."

    "I am not interesting enoughˇ­?" Ling Yun felt offended, "What''s not interesting about me? I have the looks; I have the background; I have the talentˇ­."

    "Everyone is talented, Ling Yun." Ling Feng''er replied, "but only those who work hard on their talents seed."

    "I don''t understandˇ­. Are you saying I don''t work hard?"

    "No, I am saying you don''t work hard enough."

    "...There is no one in my generation who can match my mastery on the Array!"

    "..." Ling Feng''er raised her right eyebrow.

    "Uhˇ­ I mean in the Lower Heavens." Ling Yun added some conditions to his im.

    Ling Feng''er exhaled, "Ling Yun, you need to work hard. Your talent is average at best average. You will improve if you make proper use of your talent."

    "And how will I do that?"

    "Why fear when I am here?" Ling Feng''er smiled.

    "You? Weren''t you nning to leave after a few days?" Ling Yun frowned as they stepped in the main courtyard.

    "I was," Ling Feng''er nodded, "But I have changed my ns."

    A scene of a young couple eating a burger in the Purple Spring Garden appeared in her mind.

    She narrowed her eyes and said, "I have a few ounts to settle."

    ˇ­

    "Congrattions, Young Master!"

    "Great news, Young Master!"

    "First Young Master, hearty congrattions!"

    "All hail First Young Master!"

    "Nice catch, Young Master!"

    Exmations andpliments echoed throughout the hallway as Ye Tian Yun headed for the Main Hall.

    He was currently in Fang Chen''s disguise and had already sent Jun Xie to the other courtyard.

    The guards, maids, and other servants congratted him on his marriage. Even some elders made their rare appearance and wished him luck for the new chapter of his life.

    Ye Tian Yun could only smile and thank them till he finally stood in front of the study.

    Prime Minister Fang has already returned to the study after announcing ''death sentence to his son''.

    "Come in."

    Ye Tian Yun pushed the door open upon hearing Prime Minister Fang''s call.

    "Where were you?" Before Ye Tian Yun could speak, someone asked.

    It was Madam Xin.

    She was ring at Ye Tian Yun, beside him was Madam Fang Bai, she too was frowning at Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat, "Ahem, I had something urgent which I needed to attend."

    "Oh? Something more urgent than your own marriage?" Madan Xin narrowed her eyes.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I didn''t know they were here to reestablish the marriage agreement."

    "Oh, then what did you think they were here for?"

    "For the Thunder Valley." Ye Tian Yun said, "Did they give the Thunder Valley or not? That''s the important thing here."

    Madam Fang Bai frowned, "What about your marriage? This is a serious matter."

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "What did they say about the Thunder Valley? Please tell me."

    "They agreed." Finally, Prime Minister Fang spoke.

    "They decided to relent on your demand, but they have only given the valley to us for ten years. The agreement is already signed here."

    Prime Minister Fang threw a scroll in Ye Tian Yun''s hands.

    "This is the agreement; keep it with you when you go to im thend in the future."

    "Finally." Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I feel like I waited very long for this."

    Madam Fang Bai shook her head, "Can''t you be this happy about your marriage? Tell me, are you not satisfied with Gao Suyin? She''s graceful, virtuous, and upstanding. Many men would die to have someone like her as a wife."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, and with a shallow smile, he replied, "You already know, I will participate in the Royal Bloodline Trial. To me, this marriageˇ­ is a distraction. I have a lot of unfinished business, and have you guys not considered my age?"

    "What''s wrong with your age?" Madam Xin frowned, "You''ll be seventeen in a few months; there''s nothing wrong with that."

    [A/n: Ye Tian Yun''s current age is 15 years and seven months, and Fang Chen was one year older than him.]

    Ye Tian Yun sighed and stood up, "I will take my leave now. I need to prepare myself for the Thunder Valley."

    "Hm?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "you''re going to the Thunder Valley?"

    "Not now," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "But I will go soon."

    "The marriage ising in three weeks." Madam Xin shook her head, "You won''t be able to return in time."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "We may have to postpone the marriage then."

    "Fang Chen!" Madam Fang Bai frowned, "You should not take marriage lightly, Don''t forget, after you''re married, your destiny ties with Gao Suyin, and only in death will you part!"

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and sighed, "I never asked for this marriage. She''s the one who wishes this to happen. In fact, do you know why they came here to reform the marriage agreement?"

    "Why?" The other three had their full attention on Ye Tian Yun.

    Earlier, they were surprised by the unexpected arrival of the Gao n and were shocked when n Head Gao Kang ''pleaded'' to reform the marriage agreement and get the alliance back together. He even offered the Thunder Valley as requested by Ye Tian Yun.

    When Prime Minister Fang asked what made thetter change his mind, n Head Gao simply shrugged off the question, unwilling to answer.

    Upon hearing that Ye Tian Yun had something to do with all this, they were curious about what Ye TianYun had to say.

    "Well,st night, I visited the Gao n." Ye Tian Yun spoke.

    "What!?" The sentence was like a thunderp to the three.

    "How did you get in?" Prime Minister Fang asked.

    "Why did you go there?" Madam Xin asked.

    "Did you get into trouble?" Madam Fang Bai asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "No, I didn''t personally visit the Gao n; that would have been stupid and risky. What I did was send someone who can escape unscathed."

    "Who?" Prime Minister Fang asked.

    "A friend," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I will introduce him to you one day. Well, thing to note here is the reason why I sent that person."

    "That person has the cure for Gao Long''s crippled cultivation. He offered the cure in exchange for the Thunder Valley on a lease."

    "Oh?"

    "Yes." Fang Yuan nodded, "And never mentioned anything about the marriage."

    "This means," Ye Tian Yun added, "It was them trying to reconcile, on their own ord. And since Gao n is throwing their daughter into the pit, they should be ready to face the consequences."

    "Pit?" Madam Xin frowned, "What do you mean a pit?"

    "If the husband doesn''t love the wife, that life is no different than from a pit for the wife." Ye Tian Yun said, and without waiting for any response, he left.

    "You-!"

    "Wait!"

    Before they could react, Ye Tian Yun had already left.

    He understood the meaning of what he had just said.

    No matter how beautiful and virtuous Gao Suyin was, she was not his wife.

    Even in Gao Suyin''s eyes, she was marrying Fang Chen.

    And Ye Tian Yun was the murderer of Fang Chen!

    "She doesn''t even know my real identity. If shees to know about me, she will only hate me. I am not here to put myself on a guilt trip."

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and headed for his courtyard.

 Chapter 561 - 561 | The Guest

    Sun rose from the east for one more time, and a new day had begun for the Lower Heavens.

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes groggily and headed to the washroom to freshen up.

    Last night, he had chosen to take some rest instead of cultivating in the Cultivation Space.

    The main reason being - satisfaction.

    His biggest worries were not solved, and he was now moving forward to the next n - the reason why he wanted the Thunder Valley so much.

    One of the reasons was the deeply hidden Spirit Vein - it was found by Wang Yao and his gang of mutton heads in his previous life.

    The Spirit Vein was so dense and rich that they didn''t need to worry about any financial issues.

    ''But my condition is already good enoughˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes.

    His goal was something else.

    The Spirit Vein was just an extra prize for his goal.

    ''One week.''

    This much was the time Ye Tian Yun had to prepare himself for the Thunder Valley.

    And he wasn''t nning to go alone.

    ''Should I ask to include Gao Xuan in this?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think.

    Gao Xuan was one of those people who were always two steps ahead.

    ''I am sure he will be curious as to why I needed the Thunder Valley so muchˇ­''

    ''I will meet him tonight once againˇ­''

    It was decided then.

    -knock! -knock!

    Just then, a voice from outside called out after knocking on the door twice.

    "Young Master, you have a guest."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned and stepped outside, "This early?"

    The guard nodded, "Yes. It''s the Fourth Young Master of the Gao n, Gao Xuan."

    "Him?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    ''I was just thinking of meeting himˇ­''

    "Let''s go. Is he in the guest room?"

    "Yes, Young Master."

    Both of them headed for the Guest Hall.

    As Ye Tian Yun stepped in, the first thing he noticed was the young man, about two years older than him, was sitting with one leg on the other.

    Upon sensing Ye Tian Yun''s arrival, the young man turned his head towards the door and smiled, "Young Master Fang Chen, we meet again."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Ah, I see you have been enjoying yourself pretty well. What brought you here, Brother Gao?"

    "Well, I do have something important to discuss," Gao Xuan cleared his throat, "I will get to the point without wasting each other''s time - I am here to discuss regarding the Thunder Valley."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "Oh, I wonder what is there to discuss?"

    "Well, I know I have no right to ask what you''re nning with it, at least for the next ten years," Gao Xuan said, "But I would still ask, why were you so desperate for the Thunder Valley?"

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Well, there''s no need to keep any secrets from you, but before that, why don''t you help me out in answering a few questions."

    "Hm?" Gao Xuan frowned, "As long as it''s not the recipe of burger, you can ask."

    Ye Tian Yun chuckled, "Worry not, I have no interest in that. Actually, now that you mention the burgersˇ­ are you interested in expanding your business?"

    Gao Xuan nodded, "Of course. I don''t want to be limited in the Capital City."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "And what is it that''s dying the expansion?"

    "Well, first of all," Gao Xuan replied, "It''s the security. As tasty as the burger is, it''s actually very easy to make. If I create food branches tantly, I will end up suffering because the recipe might get leaked."

    "Hmm, I understand. It will be very bad for your business."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    ''Maybe this is why I never heard Gao Xuan''s burger business in my previous life?''

    He couldn''t help but make a guess.

    When he had first tasted the burger, it had been a surprise for him, and he had even thought about howe he never got to know about such a thing in his previous life?

    ''Hmm, if this is true, then I have the upper hand in this conversation.''

    Ye Tian Yun said to Gao Xuan, "So, it''s the security that''s troubling you?"

    "Yes." Gao Xuan nodded, "At least a Peak Core Formation guard is needed to oversee the whole ce."

    Ye Tian Yun fell in a thought.

    If it were Middle Heavens, arranging thousands of Core Formation Guards wouldn''t have any trouble, but in the Lower Heavens, Core Formation Guards were very rare.

    ''But with the Spirit Vien, it shouldn''t be a problem.''

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head and, staring at Gao Xuan, said, "If you have enough resources, will you be able to hire guards?"

    "Yes!" Gao Xuan immediately nodded, "My biggest issue is resources. I can hire some Core formation Realm guards, but they won''t be enough."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Well, I can help you in getting the resources. But first, you gotta do your part."

    "Oh?" Gao Xuan frowned, "What''s that?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Hmm, well, I have a few things to ask. Do you know someone who can make a river?"

    "What?" Gao Xuan frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t repeat himself, "You heard it correct."

    "Hmˇ­" Gao Xuan frowned, "I do know a few ns who can do the construction work."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, I guess that''s great. Other than making a river - by which I mean a water supply, I need good architects who can n streets and the housing business."

    "Oh?" Gao Xuan thought for a moment and nodded, "I can get those."

    Ye Tian Yun dimpled, "That''s good. The next thingˇ­ do you know someone who can create transport roads and other rted infrastructure?"

    Gao Xuan nodded, "I knowˇ­ but what are you nning to do to?"

    "The project is pretty big." Ye Tian Yun replied, "Help me arrange the best-qualified people for this. Don''t worry about the cost. And there''s onest thing."

    Ye Tian Yun nced at the top of Gao Xuan''s head.

    ''Where is the token of fate when I need it most?''

 Chapter 562 - 562 | The Deal

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly sighed and said, "Hmmˇ­ well, never mind. You get these people. I will help you create branches after three months from now."

    "Hm?" Gao Xuan frowned, "Three months is a long time."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "It''s still the fastest path for you."

    "That''s true." Gao Xuan nodded and stood up from his seat.

    "You''re leaving?" Ye Tian Yun stared at him, "Let''s have something to eat."

    "N-no, thanks," Gao Xuan immediately shook his head.

    "Huh? What happened?" Ye Tian Yun smiled and, standing up, he patted on Gao Xuan''s shoulders, "Don''t act so distant. We will be family in a month."

    "..." Gao Xuan flinched.

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun teased, "You don''t like your brother-inwˇ­?"

    "..." Gao Xuan cleared his throat, "Ahem, I have something urgent, so I must leave."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright, I won''t force you. I was just hoping you could have something to eat. I can''t send you out with an empty stomach."

    "I am not hungry." Gao Xuan shook his head, "I had my breakfast beforeing here."

    Growl~~~

    "..."

    "..."

    "Hahahahaha!" Ye Tian Yunughed out loud, "Your stomach says otherwise! Hahahaha!"

    "..." Gao Xuan''s face turned red out of embarrassment. He stomped his feet, "Don''tugh!"

    "Hahaha, alright, alright," Ye Tian Yun tried to calm himself down, "Juste and eat. I am not asking you to marry me."

    "Hmph!" Gao Xuan grunted and headed out.

    "Oh, you know the way?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Let''s go."

    Gao Xuan paused and stepped aside, "I.. don''t know."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright. Let''s go."

    Gao Xuan followed Ye Tian Yun towards the dining hall in the Main Courtyard.

    While they were walking, they came across many guards who greeted them.

    Staring at the back of Ye Tian Yun, Gao Xuan was lost in his thoughts.

    ''Breakfastˇ­''

    ''This will be my first time eating with the Fang nˇ­.''

    He gulped.

    For some reason, he was acting very nervous.

    And Ye Tian Yun perceived it.

    "What''s up with you?" He asked, "I didn''t think you would be an introvert."

    "I.. am not." Gao Xuan shook his head.

    "Then why are you acting so nervous?" Ye Tian Yun turned around and faced him, "I can sense your nervousness without even looking at you."

    "Iˇ­ I am justˇ­ I am just nervous about meeting Prime Minister Fang and Madam Xin." Gao Xuan rebutted.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "What''s there to be nervous about? He''s like your father, don''t think too much."

    ''Like my fatherˇ­.''

    Gao Xuan rubbed his face.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and resumed his steps, "You''re hopeless, Gao Xuan."

    "..."

    ˇ­

    The dining hall of the Fang n was much more lively today.

    With the addition of Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu, and now Gao Xuan, there were three more members on the breakfast table.

    Even though the rtionship was shallow, Prime Minister Fang treated his son''s friends as his own sons and didn''t wish to make them feel like outcasts.

    "Gao Xuan, what brought you here today?" Prime Minister Fang asked as everyone started with their breakfast.

    "Fang Chen is an old friend of mine," Gao Xuan replied, "And it''s been quite some time since we have met. And I was about to leave the capital city, so I thought ofing here before I left."

    "Oh?" Prime Minister Fang was a bit surprised, "I didn''t know you two were friends."

    ''Me neither.'' Ye Tian Yun thought.

    "Where are you heading to?" Prime Minister Fang asked Gao Xuan.

    "I am heading to the Southern Province."

    "Southern Provinceˇ­" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Is it urgent?"

    "Umˇ­ not urgent, but I don''t like to postpone my work."

    "Hmm, that''s a good habit," Prime Minister Fang nodded his head, "But it''s your sister''s marriage in three weeks, don''t tell me you won''t attend the wedding."

    Gao Xuan shook his head, "It''s not that; I will definitely be back before the wedding."

    ''If I am not in the Capitalˇ­ how will the wedding even take ce?''

    Gao Xuan inwardly sighed.

    "Hm, that''s good to know," Prime Minister Fang smiled, "However, there''s something else. I hope you can stay in the capital for at least today."

    "Hm?" Everyone at the table turned towards him.

    "Well," Prime Minister Fang revealed, "King Xin has something huge to announce. I don''t know what it is, but it will most probably affect the whole Lower Heavens."

    "Hm? Really?" Gao Xuan frowned, "What could it be?"

    "Only he knows," Prime Minister Fang sighed, "But as I said, this announcement is very important."

    "When will he announce?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    ''What kind of announcement can affect the whole Lower Heavens?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t remember something significant that happened.

    The Grand Spirit Hunt was already postponed, which was not supposed to happen.

    Even the war had already broken out, which was also not supposed to happen.

    And now, an announcement that could affect the whole Lower Heavens.

    ''What could it be?''

    Like Ye Tian Yun, everyone else was curious about it.

    "It will be an imperial edict." Prime Minister Fang said, "And it will be announced at noon."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    ''Let''s see what this announcement is all about.''

    ˇ­

    About ten more minutester, everyone had finished with the breakfast.

    As Ye Tian Yun left the dining hall, the others also followed, including Fang Yunru and Gao Xuan.

    But there was one thing that Ye Tian Yun did notice while everyone was focused on Prime Minister Fang''s words.

    Fang Yunru kept ncing at Gao Xuan for some reason.

    Not that it bothered Ye Tian Yun, but it was intended in the nce that intrigued him.

    There was no enmity or rivalry in Fang Yunru''s eyes.

    Rather, they were friendly nces with questioning intent.

    ''Didn''t the three young masters hate each other?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think as he headed towards his courtyard.

    "Young Master Fang." Just then, Gao Xuan called out.

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head, "Oh, Brother Gao? Are you leaving already?"

    "Well, I already had breakfast. I shouldn''t trouble you anymore." Gao Xuan forced a smile.

    Ye Tian Yun chuckled, and putting his hand around Gao Xuan''s neck; he asked, "Didn''t you just say we are meeting after a long time? I thought you would want to spend more time in the Fang n."

    Gao Xuan''s ears turned red as he immediately pushed away Ye Tian Yun''s hands and stepped away from him.

    "This is inappropriate, Young Master Fang." He frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his head, "What are you acting so sissy for?"

    "Waitˇ­ don''t tell meˇ­ you''re interested in men?"

    "ˇ­" Gao Xuan was speechless while others looked at him suspiciously.

 Chapter 563 - 563 | The Secret

    "I am not." Gao Xuan hmphed and turned around.

    "Bruh, I am just kidding," Ye Tian Yunughed and tapped at the side of Gao Xuan''s arm, "Come, join us for practice."

    "...Alright." Gao Xuan agreed, albeit begrudgingly.

    "Brother Gao, why are you acting so weird?" Zheng Xiang couldn''t help but ask. Gao Xuan was indeed acting weird today.

    "Hm?" Gao Xuan nced at him, "Nothing, just my mind is not at one ce."

    "Oh, something troubling you?" Zheng Xiang frowned.

    Gao Xuan shook his head, "It''s not much, just a few n troubles. Nothing to worry about."

    Ye Tian Yun quipped, "Oh, this reminds me, are you really going to the Southern Province? What about the part we talked about?"

    "No, I am not going," Gao Xuan shook his head, "My n won''t let me leave for the next few weeks. As for the thing we discussed, don''t worry about that. I will get back to you by noon."

    "Hmm, alright." Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    And then, pointing at Jun Xie, he said, "Also, Gao Xuan, this is my friend Jun Xie. I almost forgot to introduce you guys."

    "Hello." Gao Xuan nodded at Jun Xie.

    Jun Xie smiled, "Nice to meet you, Brother Gao."

    "And this is Miss Wu." Ye Tian Yun said, "She''s also a good friend."

    "Miss Wu." Gao Xuan cupped his fists.

    Wu Qingwu also greeted back.

    "Let''s get on the field. We''re already here." Ye Tian Yun said as he led them towards the practice grounds.

    ˇ­.

    About ten minutester, the group was practicing ording to their own cultivation techniques.

    While Jun Xie had taken an empty room for himself to focus on his alchemy, Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er were practicing sword moves with each other.

    Ye Tian Yun was helping Fang Yunru in his Sword Intent.

    And the final two, Gao Xuan and Wu Qingwu were sitting under a shed at the side of the practice grounds.

    "Brother Gao," Wu Qingwu broke the ice as she asked, "Are you not nning to take part in the practice?"

    "Unfortunately no," Gao Xuan replied while staring at Ye Tian Yun and Fang Yunru''s sword spar, "I don''t want to be all sweaty and sticky with practice because I have some more ces to visit."

    "Ah," Wu Qingwu nodded, and following Gao Xuan''s gaze, she couldn''t help but ask, "Are you also a Sword Cultivator, Brother Gao? You seem to be observing the spar very carefully."

    "No, I am not a sword cultivator." Gao Xuan shook his head, "I prefer de. It''s much faster, lighter, and easy to use than Swords. I am just observing the level of Young Master Fang''s sword intent."

    "Hm, he''s very powerful," Wu Qingwu frowned while observing the spar, "He''s very good at hiding his cultivation. I am sure his cultivation is in at least Qi Stabilization Stage, but he only shows one realm lower."

    "Oh?" Gao Xuan smiled, "How can you say for sure?"

    "I am very sensitive to Qi," Wu Qingwu said, "Not many know of this fact, but I can tell if someone is hiding their actual cultivation. Of course, I not genius enough to gouge the actual cultivation, but I can tell if it''s being hidden or if it''s the real cultivation."

    "Hmm, I get it," Gao Xuan nodded.

    "Yeah, and considering his age and talent," Wu Qingwu said with a thoughtful expression, "My guess is that he''s nearing the peak of Qi Stabilization Realm. But I cannot say this to be a fact."

    Gao Xuan smiled, "What about you, Miss Wu? You also seem very talented."

    "I am just a normal girl," Wu Qingwu sighed, "I don''t like to be in the limelight.

    "Hm, same here." Gao Xuan said, "I also don''t like to be the center of attention. That''s why I keep a low profile for most of the time."

    ˇ­.

    While the two chatted, Ye Tian Yun and Fang Yunru continued to practice.

    About five minutester, Gao Xuan called out, "Young Master Fang."

    "Hm?" Both of them their attention towards him.

    "I should get going." Gao Xuan said, "I need to arrange the people we talked about. Should I return at noon?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Sure, let''s meet at noon."

    "Good. Let''s meet at noon then." Gao Xuan smiled and headed for the exit.

    Fang Yunru suddenly put the sword back in his spatial ring and said to Ye Tian Yun, "I need to talk to him about something, be right back!"

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun nodded as Fang Yunru followed Gao Xuan.

    ˇ­

    Near the Main Courtyard, just as Gao Xuan was about to head for the main exit, Fang Yunru caught up to him.

    "Brother Gao!"

    "Hm?" Gao Xuan froze. Then slowly turning around, he asked, "What happened, Young Master Fang Yunru?"

    "..." Fang Yunru rolled his eyes, "Come on, Gao Xuan, since when did we start to talk so formally? Tell me, what''s going on?"

    "Nothing''s going on." Gao Xuan shook his head.

    "Nothing?" Fang Yunru frowned, "Dude, it''s been over a year. One whole fucking year! And you''re saying nothing''s going on?"

    "What are you talking about, Young Master Fang Yunru?" Gao Xuan frowned, acting confused.

    "Aish," Fang Yunru exhaled a long breath and slowly spoke, "Gao Xuan, tell me what''s going on? Everything was alright, and then one day, you started acting like a stranger. Tell me, did I do anything that offended you?"

    "No," Gao Xuan shook his head.

    "Did I do anything that''s making you act like this?"

    "...No."

    "Then, why are you acting like this?" Fang Yunru frowned, "Not only you, but even Ling Yun is also like this. He''s also not talking to me properly. If you both don''t tell me what''s the issue, how will we rectify it?"

    Gao Xuan pursed his lips, "Young Master Fang, circumstances have changed. My big brother is crippled, and everything hase on my shoulders. I can''t afford to dilly dally among friends like before. I have a whole n to run."

    Fang Yunru frowned, "No one is stopping you, but is there a need to ghost me? And what''s with Ling Yun then? Also, don''t tell me you suspect it''s my n that crippled your brother?"

    "I don''t know anything about Ling Yun," Gao Xuan added, "And if you will now excuse me, I have many matters to handle.

    Without waiting for any response, Gao Xuan left the building.

    ˇ­.

    The gates of the Fang n opened, and a carriage headed outside.

    It attracted many gazes full of interest and curiosity.

    "Is thatˇ­"

    "It''s Fourth Young Master Gao Xuan''s carriage!"

    There was only a slightmotion because the carriage didn''t stay there for long; it had long left the street.

    Inside the carriage was Gao Xuan, and he was awfully quiet.

    His mind was reying the words he had just spoken with Fang Yunru.

    Closing his eyes, he let out a long sigh.

    ''Brother Yunru, I wish I could tellˇ­. I wish I could tell you what happened a year ago.''

    ''But I can''t risk your life. If you hear the truth, I am sure you will do something recklessˇ­.''

    ''I hope one day you forgive this elder sister for hiding the truthˇ­.''

 Chapter 564 - 564 | The Royal Edict!

    The Capital of the Xin Kingdom was lively afterst evening''s surprise announcement by Prime Minister Fang.

    However, many were discussing and pitying Gao n for their ''despearate'' decision to save themselves from getting kicked out of the ''Big Four'' ns.

    But this news wasn''t going to be the only thing that paused everyone in the city.

    In fact, in thete morning, rumors suddenly began to circte that King was going to announce something huge today.

    No one knew how and who started it, but within a span of an hour, almost everyone in the Kingdom was anticipating the announcement.

    Some said King Xin would speak himself. Others said it would be a Royal Edict, but no one had the confirmed answer.

    They could only wait for the announcement.

    And as they waited, there was a crowd outside of the Royal Pce.

    With every passing moment, the crowd continued to grow exponentially, and by the time sun reached directly above its head, there was a huge sea of people waiting for the announcement.

    It was not that they would miss the announcement if they didn''t personallye here, but because they wanted to witness the edict with their eyes.

    It''s not every day that King Xin gave a Royal Edict. In fact, in thest two decades, this was going to be his second Royal Edict!

    As the crowd waited in anticipation, the gates of the Royal Pce slowly opened up.

    The huge gates slowly opened, and on the other side of the gates, the crowd saw a single man standing.

    It was a young man with a very distinct figure and handsome face.

    "Crown Prince!"

    "It''s Crown Prince!"

    "Crown Prince Xin!"

    It didn''t take long for the cultivators within the crowd to identify the young man.

    With a smile on his face and his head held high, the Crown Prince slowly stepped forward towards the crowd.

    And with each step, the cheer amongst the crowd started to get louder and louder.

    "Crown prince!"

    "Crown Prince!"

    "Crown Prince!"

    One might believe that the cheers were heard throughout the Capital City, though this was untrue because the city was just too huge.

    Crown Prince Xin Xue Feng smiled and raised his hand, silencing the crowd with a mere gesture.

    "Everyone, I am your Crown Prince, Xin Xue Feng!" His Qi-induced voice was heard till the veryst man in the crowd.

    In fact, it was heard throughout the Capital City!

    Unlike Prime Minister Fang, the Crown Prince wasn''t restraining himself.

    In fact, he was even using an artifact to make his voice louder so that he could get more and more people''s attention.

    And he did.

    Even Ye Tian Yun and his group paused their practice upon hearing the voice.

    It felt as if the Crown Prince was standing right beside them in the practice ground!

    "Citizens of the Xin Kingdom," The Crown Prince spoke, "Pay respects to the Royal Edict!"

    As he said, a royal scroll flew out of his hand, and with that, a majestic aura spread throughout the city, suppressing anyone facing it.

    Almost everyone in the city had a sudden urge to kneel!

    Though the case was a bit different in the Fang n''s practice ground.

    There was only one person who felt the pressure - Fang Yunru.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned upon noticing this.

    ''Bloodline Pressure.''

    There was bloodline pressure within the Royal Edict!

    ''How pathetic!''

    Ye Tian Yun felt disdain towards the Xin Royal Family for using such a cheap trick.

    A Bloodline Pressure is an inherent aura within the descendants of a powerful cultivator.

    It''s not used much because it signifies it''s used in a bad light and is an indirect way of telling the world that they are superior.

    In the Middle Heavens, no one used Bloodline Pressure, not even Emperor Ye, rather such a thing was frowned upon.

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, and putting his hands on Fang Yunru''s shoulder; he removed the suppressing Bloodline Pressure.

    As for the rest, Jun Xie was nonchnt. Clearly, Butler Liu''s bloodline was much more powerful than the Xin Royal ns.

    Zheng Xiang also didn''t show any change in expression, making Ye Tian Yun remember the fact that once the former had mentioned something about his bloodline.

    Wu Qingwu also didn''t show any difort, though there was indeed a frown on her face. She also had a bloodline simr to the Xin Royal n since she was the princess of the enemy kingdom.

    But the one who surprised Ye Tian Yun most was Bai Qing''er. This youngdy was even more nonchnt! In fact, she was looking at others in confusion.

    Clearly, she hadn''t even felt the presence of pressure!

    ''What kind of bloodline is it?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think. It was obviously the most powerful amongst the group!

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was mulling over his thoughts, the pressure began to decrease, and a voice was heard throughout the Royal Capita;!

    "My citizens!" This was a middle-aged man''s voice, "Hear my Edict!"

    It was King Xin!

    "With this edict, I announce the end of our war with the Wu Kingdom!"

    BOOM!

    His words were like a thunderp to the people of the capital.

    But before they could react, King Xin dropped another bombshell.

    "I do not want any more innocent lives to be lost in the ravages of war. Thus, the Crown Prince hase up with an agreement with the Wu Kingdom."

    "And that is, it will be the younger generation who will decide the result of this war!"

    "And the battlefield for this will be the Grand Spirit Hunt!"

    "So hear, my Edict, anyone below the age of twenty is wee to take part in the Grand Spirit Hunt!"

    "Six months from now, the Wu Kingdom and Xin Kingdom''s younger generation will go against each other and decide the future of the kingdom!"

    "Unlike the past matches, everyone can participate! No matter what your background will be!"

    "In six months,e to the Barren Lands!

    "Rise to the challenge, prove yourself and cement your status in the eyes of the people of Lower Heavens!"

    "And the most talented young manˇ­. Shall be my son-inw and marry my daughter, Xin Xue Qing!"

 Chapter 565 - 565 | One Edict Made Everything Worthless?

    The announcement shocked the whole Lower Heavens!

    It only took a few hours, and everyone in the Lower Heavens had heard of the contents within the Royal Edict!

    And while King Xin had given his Edict, King Wu at the Wu Roya n had also given out a Royal Edict.

    And thus, with mere words, the two men had causedmotion throughout the Lower Heavens!

    The war that was raging and taking thousands of lives every day was stopped just with the words of the two Kings.

    The Grand Spirit Hunt was not just bigger; it had more participants and was now going to be more brutal than ever!

    And the most noteworthy thing was to be the Son-inw of the Xin Royal n!

    Son-inw of the King!

    That''s a status on par with the Crown Prince!

    Almost everyone was surprised by the Royal Edict, and every tavern, street, and house was talking about it.

    If there could be somewhere which was silent, it was Fang Chen''s courtyard.

    Upon hearing the Royal Edict, Ye Tian Yun had called off the practice and returned to the courtyard.

    Sitting on his bed, he had a huge frown on his face.

    The Royal Edict had directly affected his ns!

    The war was very important for Ye Tian Yun!

    It was the sole reason why Ye Tian Yun hadn''t spoken much against the marriage with the Gao n, just because he wanted to get his hands on the Thunder Valley.

    And now, just with a recorded message, the Thunder Valley had be useless for him.

    If the war wasn''t going to happen, then the enemy was not going toe from the north, and if he was not going toe, then there was no need to invest time and effort in the Thunder Valley!

    With a mere Royal Edict, all Ye Tian Yun''s preparations had turned into nothing.

    In fact, his whole work on assuming Fang Chen''s disguise was now useless.

    The only reason why he was still in Fang Chen''s disguise was that he wanted to participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt and also get his hands on the Thunder Valley using the Fang n''s background.

    Just yesterday, he had finallypleted his first step - getting the Thunder Valley, and now, all of the work was for naught.

    "What to doˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long sigh.

    In his previous life, such a thing had never happened.

    Everything took ce one by one, first the Grand Sprit Hunt, then the War, then the downfall of Fang nˇ­.

    But now, two of the aforementioned events had already changed andbined together.

    "Fuckˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun rubbed his face and closed his eyes.

    He now had to think of a way to get out of all this.

    ''Looks like Fang Chen needs to disappearˇ­.''

    ˇ­.

    Royal Courtroom, Xin Kingdom.

    After the Royal Edict, all ministers had rushed to seek an audience with the King, but thetter was in no mood to entertain anyone.

    He had not even replied to Prime Minister Fang''s requests, let along other ministers.

    With the empty throne, the Ministers of the kingdom silently sat on their seats, waiting for the King to show up and let them speak to him.

    As usual, the camps were divided into two - on one side was Prime Minister Fang, who had a deep frown on his face, and on the other was Cron Prince Xin''s faction.

    Crown Prince''s expression was the opposite - he had a smug smile on his face as he feasted upon the uneasiness of his opponent''s face.

    ''This time, it''s my win, Fang Yuan.''

    Crown Prince smiled inwardly.

    Last evening, his father, the King, had called him to his courtyard and told him to finalize the agreement with the Wu Kingdom, and within one night, while his enemy was sleeping soundly, he had formed a n to get huge merit.

    ''Last night was fully worth it.''

    The smile widened even more as the satisfaction he felt was a huge boon to his confidence.

    ˇ­

    In the Gao n, n Head Gao Kang had a deep frown on his face.

    Unlike other big n heads, he didn''t hold any political power.

    He was a businessman, and he knew how to run it.

    And the Royal Edict had directly affected him.

    Not many knew, but Gao n also had otherpanies, like the weapon factory and armor-making drills.

    With the sudden end to war, the Gao n''s whole investment in the weapons market had suddenly disappeared.

    The weapons were now not going to be used by the army - this meant all the money spent was now noting back.

    ''Is this his revenge?''

    n Head Gao Kang couldn''t help but sigh.

    Even though the general popce was not aware of his n''s weaponry business, how could the King not be aware of all this?

    And considering how unexpected the Royal Edict was, he had a strong feeling that the King was targeting him.

    Just yesterday, Prime Minister Fang had announced the alliance between Fang and Gao n, and out of nowhere, the very next day, King Xin revealed a huge announcement which made the Gao n suffer a tremendous loss.

    Taking a deep breath, he let out a long sigh.

    ''I wonder how Fang Yuan is handling this situation? The risk he tookˇ­ was too much.''

    ''There doesn''t seem to be a chance of truce now. I will have to go all out.''

    ''Xin Xue Jianˇ­. You have now forced my hand.''

    n Head Gao closed his eyes and called out.

    "Guards, bring Gao Long and Gao Xuan to me, right now!"

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes.

    Getting up from his bed, he cracked knuckles and went out of the room.

    After thinking and reorganizing his thoughts for thest one hour, he had finallye up with a way to recover from the sudden blow from the Royal Edict.

    ''I better make my invested time useful. I won''t let all this hard work go to waste.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and headed for the main courtyard.

 Chapter 566 - 566 | The Loss And The Solution

    Ye Tian Yun came to the main courtyard to meet with Madam Xin.

    The reason was pretty simple: he had to discuss the edict and the things rted to his new n.

    First, he had to confirm if Princess Xin still had a choice to reject the winner of thepetitiation, and secondly, he had to convert the Thunder Valley into an even more important asset.

    ...

    It wasn''t hard to find Madam Xin. She was on the second floor of the main courtyard, discussing something with her sister-inw, Madam Fang Bai.

    And on herp was her daughter Fang Ning, sitting quietly, listening to them chatting.

    Suddenly she noticed something and a huge smile appeared on her face.

    "Brother is here! Brother is here!"

    She shouted as she jumped from her mother''sp and ran towards Ye Tian Yun, hugging thetter''s legs.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at her and patted her head. He asked, "Did you get the burger I sent yesterday?"

    "Yes, yes!" Fang Ning nodded, "Big Brother Jun Xie gave me not one, but two!!"

    She said while making a hand signature of ''V'' with her index and middle finger.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Did you like them? I will bring more for you if you do."

    "Yes! Yes!" Fang Nine nodded, "They were so tasty! Muuah!!!"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Oh? Alright, I will get more burgers for you today."

    "Yay!! You''re my best brother!!!"

    "...I am your only brother."

    "Hahahaha!" Fang Ningughed, "Still, you''re the best!"

    Ye Tian Yun patted her head once again and stood up.

    Madam Xin and Madam Fang were smiling at them, and upon noticing him standing up, Madam Xin asked, "Son, what happened? What brought you here?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and replied, "You heard the Royal Edict, right?"

    "Yes."

    "Do you know what the King meant by thest part?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Will Princess have the choice to reject the winner?"

    Madam Xin nodded, "Of Course. That is not something a Royal Edict can change. It was a rule made by our ancestors. Also, if she didn''t have a choice, wouldn''t that mean she''s just a sacrificial pawn for the family? Well, she''s not."

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    One of his doubts was resolved.

    In his previous life, the Princess had fallen in love with Wang Yao by the time the Grand Spirit Hunt started.

    But Wang Yao was not powerful enough to win the Grand Spirit hunt.

    Still, Princess Xin chose Wang Yao, over the real winner Fang Yunru, because of her love.

    Wang Yao was then given a year''s time to prepare for the challenge, and with Xin Royal n''s secret help, he was able to increase his cultivation and reach the peak easily.

    In the end, Fang Yunru was defeated by Wang Yao, and thetter went on to marry the Princess and take part in the Royal Bloodline Trial.

    ''Looks like I will still have to focus on seducing the princess.''''

    Ye Tian Yun sighed to himself.

    Because of the chances of the Princess rejecting the winner, Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to take a risk and create trouble for himself lest the princess rejects him at the very end.

    Now all that remained was the Thunder Valley. Even though his original n was now scrapped, there were still more options that came in his vision when all other paths were closed.

    "What happened, Son?" Seeing a worried expression over his face, Madam Xin couldn''t help but ask, "Is there something troubling you?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Nothing, just wanted to know, when willˇ­ the meeting in the Royal Courtroom ends?"

    "Hmm, I can''t say for sure," Madam Xin frowned, "But it should be over by now. It''s already been three hours since the Royal Edict. I think your father will be back soon."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I will wait for him in the study then."

    "Hmm," Madam Xin nodded as Ye Tian Yun turned around and left.

    "Big Brother, don''t forget the burgers!" Fang Ning shouted from behind.

    "I won''t." Ye Tian Yun smiled at her before leaving.

    "Yay!!"

    ˇ­

    In the study room of Prime Minister Fang, Ye Tian Yun took a seat and quietly waited for thetter''s arrival.

    About twenty or so minutester, the gates of the study were pushed open, and Prime Minister Fang stepped inside.

    "Oh, you were here?" He was surprised to notice Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You''re too tense. You didn''t even notice me, unlike the usual."

    "Hmm," Prime Minister Fang let out a long sigh and leaned back on his chair at the other side of the table.

    "This Royal Edictˇ­ gave me an unwanted headache."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, all headaches are unwanted."

    "Hm, hm," Prime Minister Fang asked, "What are you here for? I already have too much to handle. If it''s not an emergency, we can discuss itter."

    "How much did Gao n lose in this?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Hm?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Why are you interested in that?"

    "Just asking," Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Aren''t they allies?"

    "Hm, well, Gao Kang lost the most because of this Royal Edict. He has a weapon business, and he had invested a lot in the business because of the War."

    "What about you?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Iˇ­ have also invested."

    "How much?"

    "Aˇ­ lot."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun sighed, "On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the situation?"

    "Ten." Prime Minister Fang didn''t hesitate in his reply.

    "So you invested too much."

    "Yes."

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Well, I have a solution for this, but tell me first, will the marriage agreement still go on? Even the Thunder Valley?"

    "Of course," Prime Minister Fang leaned forward, "King Xin has shown his disapproval and made us suffer a huge loss."

    "Actually, everything is because of the Crown Prince, and I was aware of what he was nning to do. But King Xin has told me that he wouldn''t agree to this n because it would increase the significance of the Sect in the Kingdom, which is against what he wants."

    "But yesterday, with the announcement of the marriage, King Xin felt betrayed and thus chose to agree to the n, even though he knew that if the Royal Edict were passed, it would lead to huge losses for not only the Gao n but also the Fang n."

    "In a way, this is King Xin trying to punish our n for allying with the Gao n."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "So, are you regretting your decision now?"

    "Hell no," Prime Minister Fang sneered, "I am just disappointed in King Xin. Even though I had seen thising from far away, I still can''t believe he would be so narrow-minded."

    "But even though I don''t regret this, the Fang n is going to face a huge financial crisis."

    Ye Tian Yun leaned back on his seat upon hearing Prime Minister Fang''s words.

    And after a long moment of silence, he said, "What if I give you a way to recover the losses? Will you help me with my one request?"

 Chapter 567 - 567 | The Deal.

    A/n: In thest few chapters, I have once again started to use Madam Xin instead of Madam Fang for Fang Yuan''s wife. This was to avoid confusing her with Madam Fang Bai, who is Fang Yuan''s sister and Fang Chen''s mother. Now back to your favorite story:

    ...

    "A way to recover the loss?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Son, do you know how much loss we have made?"

    "I don''t." Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "But I can assure you that I have a way to recover the losses."

    "Oh?" Prime Minister Fang scratched his chin, "Well, let me hear it then. As for the help you need, I will help you with my full capacity, even if your n to receive the losses isn''t feasible."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "That''s good to know. But before that, I want you to put a soundproof array in the room, lest someone overhears my words."

    "Hm, I will." Prime Minister Fang stood up and went to the cupboard at the side of the room and turned on the soundproofing array.

    "It''s on now. You can speak freely." He said.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, the solution is pretty simple: I know the location of a Spirit Vien."

    "A Spirit Vein?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "No, that won''t be enough. Our n has plenty of low-grade Spirit Viens, but even they are not enough. Your vein will be like a drop in the ocean."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "What ifˇ­ it''s a High Tier Vein?"

    "A high-Tierˇ­." Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Do you know what you are saying?"

    "I know very well." Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    "A high-tier vein can create all-out war among the sects and ns across the Lower Heavens." Prime Minister Fang said, "And you''re saying you know of such a thing? Don''t give me false hopeˇ­."

    "It''s not a prank," Ye Tian Yun shook his head before adding, "I know the location of the High Tier Spirit Vien. Prepare your most loyal guards and send them with me to the destination."

    "Hmˇ­" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "What about your marriage?"

    "Marriage?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Is that even important now?"

    "It is." Prime Minister Fang nodded, "It''s a matter of even more significance now."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Well, you will have to choose. Either do the marriage or get the High-Tier Spirit Vein."

    "Thisˇ­" Prime Minister Fang pursed his lips, "Putting everything in order will take me a week. Will you be able to return within two weeks?"

    "Highly unlikely." Ye Tian Yun replied, "The problem is to find the High Tier, Spirit Vein. I only know the rough location, and I won''te here soon since staying near the vein will help a lot for my cultivation."

    "Hmmˇ­" Prime Minister Fang nodded, "Alright, give me a week. I will discuss with you when I have understood the whole situation. Now, tell me what your request is?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I need your connections to help me save someone."

    "Hm?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "What happened? Is everything alright?"

    "It''s nothing to worry about," Ye ITan Yun replied, "But the main problem is, the person I need to save is in the Wu Kingdom."

    "In the Wu Kingdom!?" Prime Minister Fang was taken aback, "Howe you know someone from that kingdom?"

    "It was just a fateful meeting. Anyway, this person is very talented, that is why I need him. In the future, he will either be my friend, or he will be my worst enemy." Ye Tian Yun said, "I want to try him getting back on my side. If that doesn''t work, I will have to nip the bud before it blooms."

    "Hm, alright," Prime Minister Fang nodded, "I will help you arrange people for you."

    "Hmm, I just need enough to get into the Wu Kingdom. I will handle the rest." Ye ITan Yun said.

    "What? Absolutely not!" Prime Minister Fang shook his head, "I will not allow you to go to the Wu Kingdom. If your identity gets leaked, you won''t be able toe back alive."

    "Oh, don''t worry about that; I will have my arrangements."

    "No, I am not discussing this with you. I am stating a fact." Prime Minister Fang crossed his arms while saying, "How about I send some guards to save him? I have a few people in the Wu Kingdom who owe me some favors. They will dly help you."

    "That won''t do," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I need to save him and his n personally so that I can make a direct connection with him."

    "But.."

    "This is my request." Ye Tian Yun spoke, "And in return, you''re getting a High-Tier Spirit Vein!"

    "Fang Chenˇ­" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "If I''m getting the High Spirit Vein at the cost of risking your life, I don''t need it."

    "No," Ye ITan Yun shook his head, "I must go to the Wu Kingdom. It''s important for me."

    "Oh?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Do you insist on this?"

    "I insist very much."

    "Hnˇ­ then how about you listen to my one request?"

    "Hmmˇ­ what is it?"

    "Well, promise me that you will marry the Third Princess of Gao n."

    "... I can''t promise that." Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "There is no need to intercross my and that youngdy''s life. The oue won''t be good since I feel nothing towards her. To me, the youngdy is just a stranger."

    "She will be your wife in three weeks." Prime minister Fang said, "And you can''t avoid this. If you fail with this, you won''t be able to get into the Wu Kingdom."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is thatˇ­ a threat?"

    "No, it''s a fact." Prime Minister Fang said, "Because you will need the Gao n''s help to cross the border, in these times, only they can help you secretly cross the border. In these times, all trade routes between the two countries are blocked; this is why you must have a good rtionship with the Gao n."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I will see."

    ''Why can''t this marriage be avoided?''

    He couldn''t help but inwardly sigh at this.

    "Good." Prime Minister Fang smiled, "Now go and focus on your cultivation. You will be long married by the time the Grand Spirit Hunt arrives; you will have to represent the Fang n in the event alongside your cousin Fang Yunru."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I also have the Royal Bloodline Trial to attend."

    "Aish, yes, that too." Prime Minister Fang frowned.

    Clearly not liking the idea of Ye Tian Yun being part of the cultivators vying to be King Xin''s son-inw.

    "You know my aim is only the trial, not the princess or her n." As if reading Prime Minister Fang''s thoughts, Ye Tian Yun replied.

    "We will see." Prime Minister Fang sighed.

    "Alright." Ye Tian Yun stood up from his seat, "I will get going now."

    "Hmm, take care."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and left the study hall.

    Staring at the closed door, Prime Minister Fang Yuan let out a sigh.

    ''I need to meet with Gao Kang today.''

    ...

    A/n: Yty in this chapter:

 Chapter 568 - 568 | Back To The Purple Spring Garden

    "You know my aim is only the trial, not the princess or her n." As if reading Prime Minister Fang''s thoughts, Ye Tian Yun replied.

    "We will see." Prime Minister Fang sighed.

    "Alright." Ye Tian Yun stood up from his seat, "I will get going now."

    "Hmm, take care."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and left the study hall.

    Staring at the closed door, Prime Minister Fang Yuan let out a sigh.

    ''I need to meet with Gao Kang today.''

    ˇ­

    It waste noon by the time Ye Tian Yunv returned to his room.

    ''Gao Xuan didn''teˇ­''

    He remembered their agreement and Gao Xuan''s words that everything would be arranged by noon.

    ''The Royal Edict must have affected the Gao n too.''

    "Should I visit the Purple Spring Garden today?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t hold any particr interest, nor was he looking forward to meeting with Princess Xin.

    ''I wonder if I was able to leave an impact on her?''

    He didn''t have any experience flirting.

    So his goal was a bit harder for him to achieve. However, he was not considering his own looks.

    ''There''s still an hour left before I need to go to the Purple Spring Garden, I should use it to cultivate.''

    In the whole day, he had not cultivated at all.

    ''One hour will give me four hours to cultivate.''

    ''With one more week in cultivation, I might have a breakthrough.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smile at the thought of this.

    No matter how powerful or old a cultivator is, the feeling of breakthrough is always filled with excitement and anticipation.

    "Let''s start."

    He closed his eyes and appeared in the Cultivation Space.

    Without any dy, he started to focus on his cultivation.

    ˇ­

    The sun had half-disappeared by the time Ye Tian Yun finished his cultivation session.

    ''Let''s get to the princess again.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a long breath and exhaled.

    Opening his door, he left for the guest courtyard to meet with jun XIe.

    When he arrived, the first thing he noticed was the construction work going on throughout the ce.

    ''Madam Xin has already started working on this.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and after inquiring about the guard on duty, he found out that his friends were temporarily in the courtyard near the practice grounds.

    This courtyard was different from others as it only had a single room, and the decorations were also bare minimum.

    One could easily describe the whole ce in one word as ''Simple''.

    The first ones he encountered were Bai Qing''er and Wu Qingwu sparring with their swords.

    They stopped upon noticing Ye Tian Yun''s arrival.

    "Young Master Fang," Bai Qing''er cupped her fists, "What happened?"

    "Nothing, I am here for Jun Xie." Ye Tian Yun replied, "Is he still busy ying with the herbs?"

    "Yes," Wu Qingwu was the one to reply, "He hasn''te out since morning."

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun smiled at thetter''s dedication.

    "Are you heading out?" Wu Qingwu asked.

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I am heading out, and I need Jun Xie toe with me."

    "Have a seat, I will call him," Wu Qingwu smiled and headed for the room at the far end of the courtyard.

    "WHere''s Zheng Xiang?" Ye Tian Yun asked Bai Qing''er.

    "He has gone for closed-door cultivation."

    "Oh, that''s good." Ye Tian Yun nodded, "But if hees out, tell him to meet me and not go for six months of closed-door cultivation as previously nned."

    "I will." Bai Qing''er nodded.

    Just then, Jun Xie walked out of the room, and after a little chat with Wu Qingwu, he asked Ye Tian Yun, "Are we going today too?"

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    "Alright, butˇ­" Jun Xie paused for a moment and said, "It''s not my ce to ask, but are you sure with this? You''re getting married in three weeks."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t worry, I have everything under control."

    "Hm, alright." Jun Xie nodded, "Let''s go then."

    Saying farewell to the two youngdies, both of them headed out.

    ˇ­

    Twenty minutester, they were standing inside the Purple Spring Garden.

    This time, they had gotten lucky and entered the Garden when a random young master''s carriage had arrived.

    Though this one was someone else, not Young Master Ling Yun, whom they previously encountered.

    Ye Tian Yun had now already changed his face back to his original appearance and headed for the location where he previously encountered Princess Xin.

    ''Let''s go.''

    Just like yesterday, the scenery and the environment were still the same.

    Ye Tian Yun soon reached the [Burger Queen] stall run by the girl.

    But then the smile on his face froze when he noticed the chair was empty.

    ''She didn''te today.''

    If Princess Xin didn''te, it meant the day was wasted.

    ''I don''t have unlimited time now. I will be leaving for the Thunder Valley in a week, and then I also need to leave for the Wu Kingdom. I need to make as deep an impression of mine on the Princess as I canˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and headed for a seat.

    He wanted to wait for some time for the Princess, but from what he knew about her meeting with Wang Yao, there were clear indications that she didn''te regrly, and if she arrived, she would always be there in the Garden when the western horizon drowned half of the sun.

    ''But today, I need her to make an exception.''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Since Princess Xin was busy today, and if she still came to the Garden, Ye Tian Yun was sure that he had seeded to a certain degree.

    And just as he took his seat, he noticed someone - someone he would never think to encounter in this Garden.

    Madam Fang Bai, Fang Chen''s mother, was in the Garden!

    ''Why is she here?''

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he noticed Madam Fang Bai in disguise seated on a chair not far from them.

 Chapter 569 - 569 | Love Beyond Years

    Madam Fang Bai had woken up early today and had a huge smile on her face.

    And this was news for the whole Fang n.

    From the lowest servant to Prime Minister Fang, everyone knew that Madam Fang Bai rarely expressed her emotions, much less had a huge grin on her face.

    In the whole n, only two people were aware of the reason behind this - Prime Minister Fang and herself.

    Since Prime Minister Fang was busy with his work, even Madam Xin was unaware of the reason behind her happiness.

    In the afternoon, earlier when Fang Chen visited the main courtyard, Madam Xin was chatting with Madam Fang Bai.

    "Sister, what''s the matter today?" Madam Fang asked, "Is there something special? Share it with me too. The Royal Edict was pretty depressing."

    "Yes, today is a special day!" Madam Fang Bai''s smile widened even more as she revealed, "I am going to meet him!"

    "Him?" Madam Xin frowned, and suddenly, a name came to her mind, "You meanˇ­."

    "Yes." Madam Fang Bai grinned like a little girl, "Su Ming ising to the capital!"

    "What?" Madam Xin immediately had a worried expression, "Why is heing here? Does your brother know about this? Won''t he get into trouble?"

    "I told this to my brother, don''t worry," Madam Fang Bai smiled, "And he said there''s no problem, and just told me to be careful."

    "Hm," Madam Xin frowned, "You should be careful. Even though your brother is angry at my brother''s Royal Edict, if he says something to your brother about Brother-inw Su Ming, he will be forced to act."

    "Hm, I understand," Madam Fang Bai nodded, "But I didn''t wish to hide the news of this meeting from my brother. Actually, I would rather have both of them sit at a table, and sort things with each other."

    "I wish." Madam Fang let out a sigh, "It''s toote for them. Brother-inw Su Ming hates your brother''s guts."

    "Sigh, if only I were strong enough to oppose my brother in those days," Madam Fang Bai sighed, "He wouldn''t have joined King Xin''s camp, and things wouldn''t have gotten soplicated."

    "Yes." Madam Xin nodded, "My brother used my husband and the whole n as a shield and made him do the dirty work. Now, almost every n hates the Fang n."

    "At least the Gao n is not like this." Madam Fang Bai smiled, "They are the only ones who are aware of the truth. If they weren''t, I don''t think Gao Kang would have agreed to form an alliance."

    "Yes, we were fortunate in this case." Madam Xin smiled, "I hope this alliance works out. Because my brother is now showing his fangs at the Fang n, it''s only a matter of months before things get troublesome. And after the Royal Edict, we got a big punch in our guts."

    "Hm," Madam Fang Bai nodded, "Sister-inw when Brotheres back from the pce, you should talk to him."

    "I will," Madam Xin smiled, "He needs me more than anything right now. Even though I know he will act nonchnt and won''t show much worry about the loss we have suffered in the investment, inside, he''s almost at the edge of breaking down."

    "You know my brother the best." Madam Fang Bai smiled, "My brother has always been the strict kind, and he puts the n first. That''s why he has always supported King Xin."

    "I wish my brother understood this," Madam Xin sighed, "My husband has sacrificed too much for him. He has sacrificed his own son."

    Madam Fang Bai lowered her head upon hearing this.

    They both turned silent, remembering the day which changed their whole lives forever.

    "Brother is here! Brother is here!"

    A sudden shout from Fang Bai distracted them, and upon raising their heads, they found Ye Tian Yun entering the room.

    ˇ­.

    About one hourter, Madam Fang Bai left the Fang n in disguise.

    Contrary to the rumors, Madam Fang Bai was actually a powerful cultivator herself.

    She was in the Nascent Soul Realm!

    With her cultivation prowess, it wasn''t hard for her to leave the Fang n. In fact, in the whole Xin Kingdom, only the Grand Elders level experts in the power sects and ns could hold her back.

    But even with such battle prowess, she never went to the Gracious Sword Sect to meet with her lover Su Ming because of one main reason - the Xin Royal n.

    As much as she hated Xin Royal n, she didn''t wish trouble for her own n because of her actions.

    ''I wonder if he will recognize meˇ­''

    She smiled blissfully, looking forward to her meeting.

    Thest two days were hard to pass. Every second, the only thing that was in her mind was this meeting.

    ''I hope he isn''t angry with me.''

    This was her main worry.

    She remembered the letter she once sent to Sect Leader Su Ming about the arrival of their son at the Gracious Sword Sect.

    She had mentioned Fang Chen and had asked him to take care of their son.

    But the thing that worried her was that she didn''t write anything about her feelings or how her life was going on in the letter.

    She didn''t wish for Su Ming to act recklessly.

    King Xin always had his eyes on them.

    ''That bastardˇ­''

    She hated and felt disgusted by the mere thought of the King.

    ''I should increase my pace.''

    Taking a deep breath, she began to move faster.

    Her destination was Purple Spring Garden.

    This was the exact garden where she had met Su Ming for the second time.

    As she smiled upon reminiscing about the meeting, she had already reached her destination.

    Unlike Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie, Madam Fang Bai didn''t need to worry about the Arrays and the security ced on the walls.

    Without hesitation, she jumped over the walls and soon found a ce to sit.

    Currently, she had disguised herself in the same clothes, look, and age in which she met Sect Leader Su Ming years ago.

    And just as she had taken her seat, she noticed a handsome young boy, around the age of fifteen, staring at her out of curiosity.

    ''Who''s he?''

    She felt a bit curious but didn''t think much.

    She was more excited about her meeting with Sect Leader Su Ming.

    Taking the spot from that time, she took a seat.

    ''Luckily, this was empty.''

    It was as if fate was with her. Without any hups, she had arrived at the spot.

    Now the only person left was Sect Leader Su.

    Where was he?

    Madam Fang Bai smiled and waited.

    She had waited for almost sixteen years; being impatient was the least of her worries.

    And she didn''t have to wait for long when she heard the voice she had been dreaming of hearing.

    "You''re here."

    A young man appeared in front of her.

    The same face, the same smile, the same aura.

    It was the same Su Ming from two decades ago.

    He, too, was in the same disguise.

    They both stared at each other for a long time.

    Neither of them was willing to speak, for they wanted to etch this moment deep in their minds and make it an eternal memory.

 Chapter 570 - 570 | Love Beyond Years (II)

    After what seemed like a second, but in reality, it was fifteen minutes. Madam Xin couldn''t hold herself back, and she jumped into Sect Leader Su''s embrace.

    This was a reunion after sixteen long years!

    "I missed you so much."

    She felt a lump in her throat as her eyes became moist.

    Excitement, relief, satisfaction, happiness, content, pleasure, tionˇ­

    Tens of emotions welled up in her head as Sect Leader Su tightened the embrace.

    "Me too. I missed you more with every passing second." Sect Leader Su whispered in her ears, "Your smell, your breath, your heartbeatˇ­ I missed your whole existence."

    Both of them were unwilling to leave the embrace, but in the end, they had to.

    Sect Leader Su moved his hands, and putting his hand on Madam Fang Bai''s chin, he raised and leaned forward.

    His lips were sweet; her lips were soft and pillowy against his.

    It was like opening up their soul, tasting, feeling, and seeing every color of the rainbow in their own sensual way, almost like catching a smile in a bottle, its softness, its sweetness.

    It was a passionate kiss.

    Parting the lips was harder than separating the embrace, but they had to because by now, they were attracting too much attention.

    "I have a lot to say." Madam Fang Bai smiled, "And lots of questions."

    Sect Leader Su smiled, "Speak your mind, I have all the time in the world for you."

    "Hur hur, still the same sweet talker," Madam Fang Bai lightly punched his chest and then moved to take a seat.

    "How have you been these years?" She asked, "Life must have been hard on you."

    "Yes," Sect Leader Su didn''t hide anything, "But I kept myself distracted with work and cultivation."

    "Hm, I heard about your distraction, hmph!"

    "What have you heard?" Sect Leader Su smiled, "Don''t tell me you believe in those rumors your brother spread."

    "What do you think?"

    "You would never." The smile on Sect Leader Su widened, "You would never believe such rumors."

    "Hn, that''s right. You''re lucky to have such a good wife."

    "Indeed I am, hahaha."

    "Husband," Madam Fang Bai said, "I never believed those rumors because I know you''re not such a man. If only we were a bit more talented, maybe we wouldn''t have to be separated from each other for long."

    "Sigh," Sect Leader Su exhaled, "I don''t want to hide anything from you, but I am powerful enough to level the whole country. However, I was bound by my duties and had no choice but to remain low and act indifferent to the whole situation."

    "...what?" Madam Fang Bai was surprised, "What is your cultivation now?"

    "It''s pretty high," Sect Leader Su smiled, "It''s higher than Half-Saint."

    "Really?" She was surprised, "Then why didn''t you visit me? You know I couldn''t leave the capital. With your cultivation, was it hard to secretly visit me?"

    "I didn''t always have the ability." Sect Leader Su said, "Actually, when I returned from the Middle Heavens, I was in a heavily injured state, and my cultivation has regressed back to the Nascent Soul Realm. It was only two months ago that I got the chance to recover my cultivation."

    "Whatˇ­ how did you injure yourself?" Madam Fang Bai asked in a worried tone.

    "It was rted to one of the missions my master gave me. It was supposed to be a normal mission, but someone leaked the information, and we ended up facing the whole Upper Heavens."

    "What? How did you get out of that situation!?" Madam Fang Bai''s face turned pale.

    "It was my master."

    "Your master? But isn''t heˇ­."

    "No, not my master from the sect," Sect Leader Su shook his head, "It''s the one from the Middle Heavens."

    "Middle Heavens?"

    "Yes." He nodded, "That year, your brother supposedly killed me when I tried to meet Fang Chen, but fate had other ns, and I was rescued by one of the most powerful people in the whole Middle Heavens, and he took me under his wing."

    "Who is he?" She asked.

    "He''s an expert surnamed Liu. He''s actually from the Upper Heavens, but at that time, he was in the Lower Heavens to find someone."

    "Oh?" Madam Fang was intrigued by the story, "Who was he looking for?"

    "Empress of the Great Ye Empire."

    "Empress Ye?" Madam Fang widened her eyes, "Why was he looking for her? Waitˇ­ don''t tell me their case is simr to oursˇ­"

    "No, no." Sect Leader Su shook his head, "It''s quite the opposite. Actually, that man is a very close friend of Emperor Ye Tian Xuan, and in those days, Empress Ye had suddenly disappeared. So he was in the Lower Heavens to look for clues when he encountered me."

    "In the end, he found nothing rted to the Empress, but he took me to the Middle Heavens. There, he nursed me and helped me reach the cultivation realm I have today.

    "After I had recovered, I had two choices, to return or to grow stronger in the Middle Heavens. I chose the obvious. I joined Emperor Ye''s army, the Great Ye Corps. And within two years, I became one of the core figures andmander of one of the most powerful battalions."

    "Wowˇ­" An expression full of pride formed on Madam Xin''s face.

    "Hehe, it''s nothing to be surprised about," Sect Leader Su smiled, "There are many battalions. I just got lucky.

    "Well, anyway, the army was in the Upper Heavens, mainly because there was information that Empress Ye was held captive in the most powerful organization within the Upper Heavens."

    "Whatˇ­. Really? But why?"

    "No one knows, but honestly, this was just half true."

    "Half true?"

    "Yes." Sect Leader Su sighed, "And we found the real truth in myst mission. My battalion''s objective was to infiltrate the enemy and find the real truth, but as soon as we reached the objective, we were ambushed by the whole Upper Heavens."

    "It was only because of Emperor Ye, Heavenly King Wang, Heavenly King Ling, and General Liu''s intervention that we were able to get out of the situation. But the reinforcements came a bitte, and I was quite injured by then."

    "Aishˇ­ why did you go on such an important mission?" Madam Fang Bai frowned, "And why did Emperor Ye not heal you? What was he doing for thest sixteen years?"

 Chapter 571 - 571 | Anger

    "It''s not his fault." Sect Leader Su shook his head, "It''s his grace that I am even alive today. And let me tell you, the person I call master, General Liu, is also from a n of powerful alchemists. He tried a lot to help me recover, but it took him sixteen years to find a solution to this. The solution is not ready to be implemented, but there''s an emergency, and I have been summoned to the Middle Heavens."

    "Waitˇ­" Madam Fang Bai frowned, "YOu''re going back to the Middle Heavens!? But what about your condition? Why can''t they leave you alone? Have you not sacrificed enough?"

    Sect Leader Su smiled, "Don''t worry, I will be back soon. I will recover, and I will return, and we will stay together, forever."

    "Butˇ­"

    "Aish, why do you worry so much?" Sect Leader Su smiled, "I was thinking of not telling you about this, but in the end, I just wanted to let it all out. As for my condition, don''t worry, I can still force my cultivation to return to its peak, although for just a little time. But I think that will be enough to get out of a desperate situation."

    "How long will I have?" Madam Fang Bai''s eyes watered, "I have just met you, and you''re leaving againˇ­ can''t you stay here for three more weeks?"

    "Aish, youˇ­" Sect Leader Su sighed, "I told you, I will be back. Now tell me, what''s with Fang Chen? I heard he got injured when returning from the Sect. Is that true?"

    "Yes, he did." Madam Fang Bai nodded, "But he has recovered now. And you''re not up to date yet. He''s actually getting married."

    "What!?" Sect Leader Su frowned, "My son''s getting marriedˇ­. And I am thest person to knowˇ­."

    Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Who decided upon this marriage?"

    "It was my brother."

    "What?" Sect Leader Su was irked, "Who is he to decide!? He ruined my life, and now he wants to use my son for his own benefit!?"

    "No, it''s not like that.ˇ­"

    "Why are you siding with him? Sect Leader Su frowned, "Fang Chen doesn''t even know who his real father isˇ­ and now he''s also getting married. Who will be my Daughter-inw? She better be a good girl."

    "She''s a virtuous youngdy." Madam Fang Bai smiled, "And my brother is not using Fang Chen. Rather, he''s trying to save the whole n."

    Sect Leader Su shook his head, "By ruining my son''s life."

    "No one is ruining Fang Chen''s life. This is all for him." Madam Fang sighed, "Actually, it''s King Xin who''s the issue here. He''s now targeting the Fang n."

    "Of Course that son of bitch will do that," Sect Leader Su cursed, "He and your brother are the main preparators behind our condition. Actually, it''s good. If these two snakes fight each other and die, I won''t have to dirty my hands."

    "Su Ming!" Madam Fang Bai frowned, "One of them is my brother."

    "Sigh, why are you still siding with him?" Sect Leader Su frowned, "He''s the reason why your own son doesn''t call mother. Why are you still defending that man?"

    "My brother had no choice." Madam Fang Bai sighed, "For thest sixteen yearsˇ­ no, from the day my brother supposedly killed you, he has apologized thousand times. And do you know, when you returned alive and became the Sect Leader, my brother wasn''t angry; rather, he came to inform me about the truth?"

    "It''s hard to believe thisˇ­." Sect Leader Su shook his head.

    Fang Yuan had always hated him. There was no way Fang Yuan would be happy for him.

    "I know it is hard to believe," Madam Fang Bai sighed, "But do you think my brother would have left you alone if he didn''t wish you to be alive?"

    "I have had a fair share of assassination attempts ever since I came back." Fang Yuan sighed, "And they were all sent by Fang Yuan."

    Madam Fang Bai sighed, "I wish I could make you see the truth. Even though I have hated my brother, over the years, I have slowly understood his side of the story."

    "Alright, I will believe you." Sect Leader Su lied, "But tell me, when is Fang Chen getting married?"

    "Three weeks from now."

    "Three weeks?" Sect Leader Su frowned, "Is this the reason why you were asking me if I can stay here for three more weeks?"

    "Hm," Madam Fang Bai nodded, "Will you?"

    "I can''t." Sect Leader Su shook his head, "And trust me, I really wish I could. But right now, the Middle Heavens is my duty and my priority."

    "Sigh, at least see you soon before you leave." Madam Fang Bai pursed her lips, "Will you?"

    "..."

    No reply came.

    Confused, Madam Fang Bai raised her head and nced at her husband, "will you? Hmˇ­ what happened?"

    To her surprise, Sect Leader Su was looking in a certain direction.

    ''Two teenagersˇ­''

    ''Do they know each other?''

    She thought and asked, "Who is he?"

    Sect Leader Su had his mouth opened in surprise as he continued to stare at the young man.

    To be more specific, he was looking at a young boy on the far end of the Garden.

    Bewildered by his reaction, Madam Fang Bai nudged Sect Leader Su''s arms, bringing him out of his daze, "What happened? Do you know that young man?"

    "Yesˇ­" Sect Leader Su nodded, "What is he doing here?"

    "I don''t know," Madam Fang Bai shrugged, "He might be from some n, though I don''t recognize him. Do you know who he is?"

    "Yesˇ­" Sect Leader Su thought for a moment and said, "Let''s go; we should greet him."

    "What?" Madam Fang Bai frowned, "Greet him? Is he a bigshot? He appears very normal to me."

    "No, focus your spiritual sense on them." Sect Leader Su said.

    ''Focus my Spiritual Sense on them?'' Madam Fang Bai frowned for a moment and then did as asked.

    Suddenly, something weird happened.

    The faces of the two young men began to change.

    ''It was an illusion!?''

    She was surprised. ''Who are these talented young men?''

    As the illusion disappeared and her spiritual sense revealed the real faces of the young men, she couldn''t help but feel surprised.

    ''Isn''t thatˇ­''

    Because Madam Fang Bai recognized one of the young men.

    He was the same one who kept ncing at her when she had first arrived at her. And in his eyes, there were no evil intentions, rather, just surprise and curiosity.

    "Who are they? How do you know them?" She asked again.

    "Well, I know both of them personally." Sect Leader Su replied, "The one on the right is a Core Disciple at my sect and the son of Master Liu, the man to whom I owe my life. His name is Jun Xie."

    "And the one beside himˇ­." Sect Leader Su took a deep breath and exhaled, "He''s the most talented genius in the Middle Heavens, Son of Emperor Ye, and most likely, the future Heavenly Emperor, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun!"

    "This...." Madam Fang Bai was speechless upon hearing her husband''s words.

 Chapter 572 - 572 | Surprise...

    A few minutes ago...

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised upon noticing Madam Fang Bai.

    She was in disguise, but he noticed her aura and upon focusing his attention on her, a prompt appeared above her head, confirming his guess.

    ''Why would shee here?''

    He couldn''t think of an answer and when he saw that Madam Fang Bai had noticed him ncing at her again and again, he stepped away and took Jun Xie with him to a seat on the other side of the Garden.

    "I don''t see the princess." Jun Xie said as they took a seat.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Me neither. But let''s wait for some time."

    "Alright," Jun Xie didn''t mind, and putting his hands behind his head, he rxed on the seat.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t pay further attention to Madam Fang Bai and sat there waiting.

    Just then, he noticed someone looking at him, and upon turning him a little, he made eye contact with the girl on the other side of the [Burger Queen] stall.

    ''Who''s she?''

    Ye Tian Yun was quite curious.

    Not because of the eye contact, but because this girl was among the few on whom the prompt didn''t appear.

    The first person who escaped the prompt was Bai Qing''er, then there was Gao Xuan, and in the Middle Heavens, he crossed paths with Ling Feng''er. She didn''t have any prompts above her head.

    Emperor Ye too didn''t have any prompts, and when he returned to the Lower Heavens, one of the first people he encountered, the girl from the Nightcrawler Surveince Network too, didn''t have any prompts on her.

    And then, in the Gao n, when he infiltrated their n and encountered the mysterious girl who turned out to be Gao Suyin, she too didn''t have any prompt above her head.

    And yesterday, the girl behind the stall, too, didn''t have any prompt above her head.

    ''There was another oneˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly remembered the young man beside Young Master Ling Yun.

    ''That guy also didn''t have any promptsˇ­.''

    ''What was his name... ah, yes. Feng Yun.''

    In his previous life, he had never heard of someone called Feng Yun.

    ''I guess he''s an insignificant figureˇ­.''

    This was the reason why Ye TianYun didn''t pay much attention to thetter.

    ''I am more curious about the reason why Token of Fate doesn''t work on everyone.''

    ''Should I ask Xiao Ming?''

    That seemed to be the only option.

    Xiao Ming was one of the previous holders of Token Of Fate.

    ''Hm, Yuan Shuchun might have already told Xiao Ming about the Token Of Fate.''

    He doubted Yuan Shuchun would hide anything from Xiao Ming. This was mainly because in this life, Xiao Ming didn''t go till the end of his betrayal and stepped back at the crucial time.

    This was the reason why there was still a chance for Yuan Shuchun to forgive Xiao Ming.

    ''Why bother about themˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun sighed.

    It was a waste of time to think about the past. His chapter with Xiao Ming was now closed, and now, Xin Xue Qing set his next.

    ''There won''t be any trial which can stop me from taking down Xin Xue Qingˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun never liked this girl.

    Her being Wang Yao''s wife and being God''s Legion''s founding member was just a small portion of the reasons why he didn''t like Xin Xue Qing.

    The truthˇ­ was much moreplicated.

    She was one of the reasons which led to Ye Tian Yun killing the girl who showered him with her genuine love, Ling Feng''er.

    And there was a reason why he never talked about this memory.

    It was just too painful.

    Those days were his first encounter with Fang Chen''s schemes.

    Yes, Fang Chen was also involved.

    In God''s Legion, Wang Yao was thest to arrive in the Middle Heavens because he was too busy enjoying the glory of ruling the Lower Heavens.

    The first ones to arrive were Shi Yan and Fang Chen, and leading them was Xin Xue Qing.

    And the reason why came was pretty simple: Emblem Of Luck.

    In the God''s Legion, Fang Chen was the only person who didn''t have any Emblem or Token, and if he were fateful enough, the Emblem of Luck would have ended up in his possession instead of Ye Tian Yun''s.

    s, those three heavily underestimated the Crown Prince of the Great Ye Empire and lost in the trial.

    "Broˇ­."

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun felt a nudge on his hands, bringing him out of his stupor.

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun nced to his side and saw Jun Xie staring in a certain direction.

    As Ye Tian Yun followed his gaze, Jun Xie said, "why does that guy look so familiar?"

    The guy in question was a young man, a few years older than them, and was currently moving across the Garden.

    ''Hm?'' as ye Tian Yun followed the direction of his movement, he noticed something interesting.

    ''This guy is going to meet Madam Fang Baiˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun was curious, and because this person had his back facing them, both Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie couldn''t see his face.

    "Who could it be?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun thought of something and focused on the young man, and suddenly, a smile formed on his face because a prompt appeared above thetter''s head.

    But it onlysted for a moment because when he read the contents of the prompts, many questions formed in his mind.

    [Su Ming. 6 Star Favourability. Dearly loves his son and is willing to give his life for him](Fang Chen)

    [Su Ming. 4 Star Favourability. Has boundless respects for the Great Ye Family, and anyone rted to Emperor Ye and Butler Liu.](Ye Tian Yun)

    ''Sect Leader Suˇ­''

    This was a surprise for Ye Tian Yun.

    He hadn''t expected to encounter this man here.

    ''And he''s here to meet Madam Fang Baiˇ­.''

    ''...is this a reunion?''

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin.

    And just as he had thought, Madam Fang Bai suddenly jumped into Sect Leader Su''s embrace, and the couple soon began to kiss each other.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and fell in a thought.

    ''Why is he here?''

 Chapter 573 - 573 | Ye Tian Yuns Choice

    In Ye Tian Yun''s previous life, Sect Leader Su and Madam Fang had never met with each other once they separated after Fang Chen''s birth.

    But today, both of them were standing in front of Ye Tian Yun and were showcasing their love for each other to the whole world.

    This was quite surprising for Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Did she forgive him or something?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think more about the situation.

    Sect Leader Su was known for sleeping around a lot and being forceful with women.

    This was the reason why he had a lot of descendants, and among them was Fang Chen, whom Ye Tian Yun killed about a year ago and was normally disguised as.

    If this was all trueˇ­ Why was Madam Fang Bai still in love with this man?

    ''Is love blind?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think.

    Due to the distance between him and the couple, he couldn''t hear what they were talking about, it was quite evident that they were not fighting and arguing.

    Rather, Madam Fang Bai seemed very worried and concerned about whatever Sect Leader Su was telling her.

    ''Now that I think of itˇ­'' Ye Tian Yun frowned, ''Wasn''t his cultivation in the Great Saint Realm when I met him with Butler Liu? That easily made him the strongest cultivator in the whole Lower heavens. Why didn''t he reunite with his family?''

    ''With his prowess, everything could have been handled pretty easily and he could have reunited with Madam Fang and his sonˇ­''

    ''Was it because he didn''t love them and was busy whoring around?''

    ''But that doesn''t seem to be the case, because his love for Madam Fang is quite clearˇ­ Don''t tell me this information was also wrong?''

    Ye Tian Yun sighed and looked around in the Garden.

    He didn''t forget the main aim of his arrival in the Purple Spring Garden.

    ''She''s still not hereˇ­''

    He sighed.

    "It''s Sect Leader Su! Or his son! Because they both look so alike. I bet that guy is Sect Leader Su''s son. I did hear my master mention that Sect Leader Su has a son who is in the Capital City."

    Jun Xie whispered in shock and surprise.

    "It''s Sect Leader Su himself." Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    "Are you sure?" Jun Xie frowned, "I don''t think so. Why would Sect Leader Sue in disguise to meet a young girl."

    "Coughˇ­" Ye Itan Yun cleared his throat, "If you put it that wayˇ­."

    "No, he''s not a pedophile," Jun Xie frowned, "My master once told me that Sect Leader Su only loves onedy in the whole world. And thatdy is in the Capital City."

    "Oh waitˇ­" Something dawned upon Jun Xie, "Is thisdyˇ­ his daughter? Maybe he doesn''t have a son, but a daughter! And he''s here to meet her!"

    "Noˇ­" Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "He has a son. And that youngdy, like him, is also in disguise. She''s actually someone you had recently met."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "Who is she?"

    "That''sˇ­ Madam Fang Bai."

    "Woah!" Jun Xie was surprised, "Your Aunt!?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, not rifying everything.

    "Damnˇ­" Jun Xie sighed, but then he suddenly frowned, "Wait, then who''s the son? I didn''t see Madam Fang Bai''s sonˇ­."

    "Her son''s name is Fang Chen."

    "Ah, Fang Chen." Jun Xie nodded.

    But in the next instant -

    "That''s you!"

    "Yesˇ­ and no." Ye Tian Yun sighed, "I will exin it to you in the future. For now, let''s go."

    "Go?" Jun Xie frowned, "Don''t you want to meet your father?"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "That manˇ­ is not my father. Neither is Madam Fang Bai, my mother. I am telling you, the whole truth is much moreplicated than you might think. Let''s get away from here. I don''t want them to notice me."

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was about to move.

    "Toote." Jun Xie spoke.

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun and raised his head.

    And to his surprise, Sect Leader Su was looking directly at him in shock.

    After saying something to Madam Fang Bai that surprised her too, the couple stood up and stepped towards Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie.

    "There areingˇ­."

    "I can see that." Ye Tian Yun sighed.

    Things were going to beplicated now.

    And with Jun Xie beside him, if Sect Leader Su greeted him with the real identity, Jun Xie might get confused and ask some questions he isn''t supposed to ask.

    ''But on the other handˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun felt like he should reveal something to Jun Xie.

    After all, thetter was Son of Butler Liu.

    This fact alone changed the reason how Ye Tian Yun viewed him.

    ''But then, things might getplicated if he asks about Fang Chen.''

    After all, Ye Tian Yun had murdered Fang Chen in the forest. Now disguised as his enemy, Ye Tian Yun was living thetter''s life.

    ''One day, this will be revealed anywayˇ­.''

    He inwardly sighed and chose not to send a spirit message to prevent Sect Leader Su from revealing the truth.

    ''This incident will let me see Jun Xie''s allegiance.''

    As he thought in a daze, Sect Leader Su and Madam Fang Bai arrived in front of them.

    "Hello," Sect Leader Su cupped his fists, "I apologize for disturbing you, but I can''t help bute here and greet you, Crown Prince."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and stood up while cupping his fists, "It''s been a few months; how have you been, Sect Leader Su?"

    Sect Leader Su smiled, "Ah, as expected of the most talented cultivator of the new generation, you saw through the disguise. ! Your highness," He put his arms around Madam Fang Bai and said, "Your Highness, meet my wife, Fang Bai."

    "It''s an honor to meet you, Crown Prince Ye." Madam Fang Bai also cupped her fists as a greeting.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Oh, you don''t have to be so respectful. But if I may ask, why are you both in disguise? Is something troubling you?"

    While Ye Tian Yun and the couple were exchanging their greetings, Jun Xie, on the other started to get confused the more he heard the conversation.

    ''Crown Prince Ye?''

    ''Meeting after a few months?''

    ''Your highness?''

    ''Who are they talking about? He''s their son, not a Crown Prince of some Empire!''

 Chapter 574 - 574 | Jun Xies Confusion

    Jun Xie was confused.

    And he had many questions.

    Because he remembered one more thing.

    ˇ­

    "Why don''t you call him father?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Maybe because I don''t want to."

    "You don''t want to?" Jun Xie frowned, "Dude, you can trust me a little bit, right?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright. I will tell you two little secrets. I am not the son of Prime Minister Fang."

    "What!?" Jun Xie almost jumped from his seat, "What the fuck are you saying!?"

    Looking to his left and right, he then leaned forward and whispered, "Prime Minister Fang is not your Father!? Who is your Father then? Don''t tell me, Madam Fangˇ­."

    "No." Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Madam Fang never betrayed Prime Minister Fang. In fact, I am not her son either."

    "Then whose son are you?" Jun Xie asked.

    ˇ­

    ''He said he''s not the son of Prime Ministerˇ­ and he''s saying he''s not the son of Sect Leader Suˇ­ who''s his father thenˇ­.?''

    Jun Xie wanted to ask questions right away, but then he suddenly noticed the presence of Sect Leader Su and Madam Fang Bai, both of them conversing politely and respectfully with ''Fang Chen.''

    ''What''s wrong with these twoˇ­.''

    He sighed.

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun patted him on the shoulder and said to the couple, "This is my friend, Jun Xie," He added, "I don''t know if Sect Leader Su knows, but he''s a disciple of your sect, the Gracious Sword Sect."

    Sect Leader Su smiled and said while staring at Jun Xie, "Of course I know. I think this brat is the one who didn''t recognize me yet."

    Jun Xie smiled, putting his questions at the back of his head. He said, "Sect Leader Su, how can I not recognize you? It was just that I was too surprised to encounter you here all of a sudden."

    "Oh?" Sect Leader Su smiled, "Well, then you should greet your aunt."

    Jun Xieughed, "I am already acquainted with her, Sect Leader!"

    "Hm?" Sect Leader Su was a bit taken aback, and ncing at Madam Fang Bai, he asked, "You two know each other?"

    "Yes," Madam Fang Bai nodded, "I was about to tell you, but I didn''t even get a chance. And not only do I know Jun Xie, but he''s also staying in the Fang n and is a close friend of our son!"

    "What!?" Sect Leader Su was shocked, "Really? What a coincidence!"

    "It was a chance meeting in the sect," Jun Xie smiled, "And now I am on a journey to look for my n, so I thought of leeching off of Fang Chen while I prepared myself!"

    He scratched the back of his head in an embarrassedugh.

    Madam Fang Bai shook her head, "How can you be leeching off? I am quite d that he at least has a friend. In fact, ever since he got admitted into the GRacious Sword Sect, his attitude and cultivation have increased a lot."

    Sect Leader Su smiled, "well, he earned his rewards. And I am so proud of him!"

    After a slight pause, Sect LEader Su couldn''t help but ask, "Your Highness, do you also know my son?"

    Ye Tian Yun paused, and as Jun Xie stared at him, he replied, "Well, not that much. I am here on a not-so-public visit to the Lower Heavens."

    "Ah, I am d you''re at least acquainted." Sect Leader Su smiled, "I could have never imagined that."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, it was fate."

    Jun Xie suddenly asked, "Sect Leader Su, if you don''t mind, may I ask why are you here? With your status and cultivation, I don''t think there''s a need for you to disguise yourself."

    Sect Leader Su sighed, "Well, I have my circumstances. It''s not a big secret, and I wouldn''t have been in any trouble if I came here without any disguise, but my wife would have faced unnecessary trouble."

    Fang Bai sighed, "And my brother too. These days King Xin is acting strange and has been targeting my brother and his allies. If my husband were toe here as the Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect, King Xin would have gotten another reason to belittle my brother in the Courtroom."

    Jun Xie sighed, "The political matters are asplicated as ever."

    Sect Leader Su smiled, "It''s true. But at the end of the day, only the strong have a say."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Indeed. No amount of politics can oppose the absolute suppression from cultivation."

    Sect Leader Su agreed and said, "On that note, Crown Prince, is GEneral Liu here?"

    ''General Liuˇ­''

    Jun Xie suddenly frowned.

    ''Liuˇ­''

    A pendant''s image shed in his mind.

    And he nced at Ye Tian Yun, now even more questions.

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly sighed, ''I bet Jun Xie noticedˇ­. Sigh, why can''t this be just a normal day?''

    But his outward expression showed calmness, "Butler Liu is not here; what happened?"

    ''...Butler Liu?'' Two more questions formed in Jun Xie''s mind.

    "Ah, I was just asking, Your Highness," Sect Leader Su replied, "He will be leading us on our mission this time, and since in ourst meeting he visited the sect with you, I thought he''s still in the Lower Heavens."

    "Oh, I am on my own mission for now," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "What''s the mission about, if I may ask?"

    The matter of the Great Ye corps was kept very secret, and even Ye Tian Yun had no ess to the mission and other details.

    And Sect Leader Su''s reply agreed with this statement, "My apologies, your Highness. But I am not allowed to reveal any details, at least not until you have officially be a part of the corps."

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "That''s a long way to go. Half-Saint Realm will take a few years."

    ''A few yearsˇ­.'' Sect Leader Su and Madam Fang Bai were shocked, ''Ah, he isn''t called the most talented for no reasonˇ­.''

    In the previous generation, when Emperor Ye broke through to the Half-Saint Realm at the age of 27, he had shocked the whole world and had be the closest cultivator ever to reach the level of Heavenly Emperor in this era!

    Though it was broken in Ye Tian Yun''s previous life by him when he reached the Half-Saint Realm at the age of 22, right now, however, all this is the supposed future, and no one knows about it.

    This was why the couple was surprised, as for Jun Xieˇ­

    ''He sure can bluffˇ­.''

    He didn''t believe a word of it.

    He knew Fang Chen''s cultivation was in the Qi Condensation Realm, and to reach the Half Saint Cultivation Realm, thetter won''t need a few years, but a few decades.

    After chatting for a few more minutes, the couple took their leave.

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Well, this was interesting."

    He then nced through the garden, and as expected, the Princess was still not here.

    ''A few more minutes and it will be past eveningˇ­ I should wait until then. After all there''s one more issue to resolve.''

    The meeting may not have given him much information, but it did trigger something in Jun Xie''s mind.

    ''He better think about it and ask me the questions.''

    This was what Ye Tian Yun wanted.

    Since he had decided to change the approach and let Jun Xie be aware of the truth, Ye Tian Yun wanted to see the whole matter to the end and let Jun Xie be mindful of the situation.

    ''At the end of the day, he will either go back to his sect, or he will stay by my side.''

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t perturbed by any of the situations.

    If Jun Xie chose to leave, Ye Tian Yun wouldn''t bother much.

    In fact, if he even revealed the truth behind Fang Chen''s death, Ye Tian Yun would only feel disappointed, but his ns wouldn''t failpletely.

    He still had one more backup n that he was yet to use, and this n was the most powerful one - his own background!

    The only reason why he wasn''t yet using this as the main priority was that this was too much attention-seeking.

    ''And it will be a messy matter since I will have to officiate the wedding of Princess Xin Xue Qing and me.''

    But if Jun Xie chose to stay with him and keep everything a mutual secret, Ye Tian Yun would help him with whatever he could.

    ''Also, there''s that thing tooˇ­.''

    The Token of Fate.

    It was finally going to be in the real us.

    He sat back on the seat and nced at Jun Xie.

    Thetter had been silent ever since Sect Leader Su and Madam Fang Bai left. He was lost in his thoughts as a deep frown had formed on his head.

    And as Ye Tian Yun nced at the top of his head, a prompt appeared in the next instant.

    [Jun Xie. 3 Star Favourability. Confused by the words he heard, he now has a lot of questions that need answers.]

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and asked Jun Xie, "What happened? Why are you so silent?"

    Jun Xie didn''t reply and was still lost in his own thoughts.

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "I guess you have a lot of questions to ask. Ask away; the princess is not here yet; we still have some time."

    Jun Xie froze and then slowly turned his head towards Ye Tian Yun. He stared at thetter for a long time; And then organizing his thoughts, questions, and focus, he asked.

    "Whoˇ­ are you? Fang Chen? Crown Prince Ye?"

 Chapter 575 - 575 | Truth (I)

    "Whoˇ­ are you? Fang Chen? Crown Prince Ye?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled upon hearing this question.

    Without beating the bush, he answered without hesitation, "I am Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun."

    "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yunˇ­." Jun Xie frowned. The name felt familiar, but he couldn''t point out where he had heard of this name.

    "Are you from the Middle Heavens?" Jun Xie asked, "And where''s Fang Chen?"

    "Yes, I am from the Middle Heavens. It shouldn''t be hard to guess since the Lower Heavens only have two crown princes, and none of them are Ye." Ye Tian Yun replied, "As for Fang Chenˇ­ he''s dead."

    "Fang''s dead!?" Jun Xie took a deep breath, "Howˇ­?"

    Ye Tian Yun said in response, "I killed him."

    "Youˇ­ killed himˇ­" Jun Xie frowned, a hint of anger appearing in his eyes, "When did you kill him? It shouldn''t be recent since you knew I wasing, and you alsoˇ­ waitˇ­ you knew about me ever since we met in the banquet at that timeˇ­ that means, you had already killed Fang Chen by then."

    "That''s correct." Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I encountered him when I was trying to infiltrate the Gracious Sword Sect."

    "Youˇ­" Jun Xie gritted his teeth, "You killed him, used his disguise, and now you''re even eating at the same table of your victim''s family! Don''t you feelˇ­ ashamed!? Don''t you feel any guilt?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I would be lying if I said yes. Fang Chen was not a random person I encountered. It was a fateful day, because Fang Chen is a huge enemy of mine."

    "Enemy?" Jun Xie frowned, "How is he your enemy? He''s just a young master of a n in the Lower Heavens, and you''re the Crown Prince of the Great Ye Empire, am I right?"

    "Well, I won''t go into the details," Ye Tian Yun replied, "But he was someone I wouldn''t have left alive at any cost. Jun Xie, there are many things which you''re unaware of, and Fang Chen was someone who was responsible for the death of two of my closest people."

    "Twoˇ­?" Jun Xie frowned.

    "Well, I won''t tell you the details on how and when," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "But one of them was your father."

    "My father!?" Jun Xie was taken aback, "How can he harm my father? Don''t tell me you can''t tell me the details? Is someone stopping you?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No one''s stopping me. But honestly, it''s just not worth it. But you can trust me on a few things; if Fang Chen were alive, you wouldn''t be his friend right now, you wouldn''t have any clue about your father, and you definitely wouldn''t have received the spatial ring which your father prepared."

    Jun Xie frowned, "Why should I trust you?"

    "You don''t have to," Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Jun Xie, let me make this very clear before you start judging and making decisions - it''s not me who needs help, but it''s you. Also, why do you think I would reveal anything to you about your father or give you that spatial ring?"

    "To use meˇ­ against my n?"

    "Bah!" Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Don''t overestimate yourself. To me, your status and standing mean nothing. I did it because of two reasons - I owe too much to your father, and the second reason is I don''t want you to go around aimlessly looking for your n."

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "Crown Prince Ye, are you pitying me?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "There''s nothing to pity you for. You''re a grown-ass young man with good talent. Your n is still alive; you have high cultivation talent and huge potential as an alchemist. You also have someone you love and who loves you back. Why should I pity you? Just because you don''t know who your father is? No, that''s not enough to earn my pity."

    "Then?" Jun Xie asked, "You gave me those two reasons, but were they enough for you to help me this much?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Not both, but the first reason - your father. He''s the only reason why I even consider you, even though I promised myself not to trust anyone in my life."

    "You said you have known my father since the day you were bornˇ­" Jun Xie said with a lowered gaze, "Is he rted to the Great Ye n?"

    "Kind of," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "You see, our fathers are like brothers. But officially, your father is my Butler."

    "Butlerˇ­." Jun Xie''s eyes twitched.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t underestimate your father. Earlier I didn''t used to think much about him either but in recent monthsˇ­ I know for sure that he''s hiding his real identity."

    "He''s hiding?"

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I don''t know the reason why, but for that same reason, he couldn''t take you to the Middle Heavens when you were injured a few months ago."

    "What!?" Jun Xie was even more surprised, "What do you mean? My father actually came to see me!?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Yeah. Weren''t you injured in the Silver Mist City? How do you think you were able to recover so fast? How do you think you even survived that attack?"

    "Thisˇ­" Jun Xie opened his eyes wide in surprise, "Wasn''t it because of the pendantˇ­ wait! How do you know about Silver Mist City? Did my father tell you?"

    "No," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Why would he tell me if I was there too. I witnessed everything with my own eyes."

    "Youˇ­" Jun Xie ended up even more confused, "Were you not in the Gracious Sword Sect?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I wasn''t. I was with you the whole time."

    "Whatˇ­ but I didn''t see youˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and without any other word, he put the palm of both hands on his face and rubbed his face. He then moved them and turned his head towards Jun Xie.

    "Youˇ­ youˇ­ you are Kai Yang!?"

 Chapter 576 - 576 | Truth (II)

    "Youˇ­ youˇ­ you are Kai Yang!?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t say anything and repeated his actions. And when he once again nced at Jun Xie, a shocked expression appeared on his face.

    "Shuˇ­ Shu Xian!?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t be too agitated, or you will lose control over the illusion."

    "Yeah.. yes." Jun Xie rubbed his forehead.

    A lot of memories suddenly shed in his mind.

    After a few moments of silence, he nced at Ye Tian Yun and asked, "You killed Shu Xian and then disguised as him to join the entourage to take part in the missionˇ­ter, you faked his deathˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Ah, your observation skills are finallying to use. But why do you assume this is the exact truth?"

    Jun Xie clenched his teeth, "I am sure this is the truth because when I saw Shu Xian''s corpse, I could easily tell that the corpse was at least a day old. I felt something was wrong, but I didn''t bother much."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Good. Well, now you know. As for Kai Yang, do you remember when you both separated in the Silver Mist City?"

    "Hm?" Jun Xie thought for a moment, and soon his eyes were wide open in another shock, "Don''t tell meˇ­ the Kai Yang who came back was you!?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah. I needed Kai Yang to infiltrate the group once again, so I targeted him. And before you go all righteous, let me be clear that Kai Yan wasn''t a normal guy, he is part of a big n from the Middle Heavens, and that nˇ­ has a bad history with my n."

    Jun Xie frowned, "That''s just your way of justifying the murdersˇ­."

    "Nah," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I don''t need to justify anything to anyone. I didn''te here to be a righteous hero. I have my goal, and I will go to any lengths to get them. I was never supposed to be the good guy in the first ce."

    Jun Xie exhaled, "What was your goal?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I was there to kill Xiao Ming, but because he had something precious, I had to create an opportunity and catch him off guard at the right moment."

    Jun Xie sighed, "After I was unconscious... How did my father appear in the Silver Mist City?"

    "The pendant, of course," Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Your pendant broke, and it alerted your father. And at that time, he was with my father, so both of our fathers arrived in the Silver Mist City in an instant."

    "Ohˇ­" Jun Xie turned his head towards Ye Tian Yun, "What did my fatherˇ­ say when he met me."

    "He was extremely worried," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "And only calmed down when you got out of danger."

    "Then why didn''t he wait for me to wake up? Don''t give me the ''You were not ready'' bullshit."

    "Nah." Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It''s quite the opposite, I think. He''s the one who wasn''t ready to face you. Also, I think people from the Heavenly Oracle Sect were alsoing, so they had to take leave."

    "Crown Prince Ye-"

    "You can call me Brother Yun," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Even though we''re not rted in blood, you''re still my brother. Even though I didn''t care much about you when I first met you in the sect, but with time, my opinion of you has changed. You''re a level-headed and calm person, and that is the reason why I wanted you toe to the Fang n and cultivate with me."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie asked, "Then, when were you nning to reveal the truth? Do the others also know of this?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "In the whole world, you''re the only person who knows the truth. Even our fathers are unaware of my identity as Fang Chen, though they do know that I am in the Lower heavens."

    Jun Xie nodded, "That feels good to hear, but Crown Pr- I mean, Brother Yeˇ­ What about the Fang n? What if one day they hear the truth? What about Sect Leader Su and Madam Fang Bai? Fang Chen was their son, right? And you killed him. What will they do when they hear the truth?"

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Jun Xie, parental love is the only love that is truly selfless, unconditional, and eternal. But one can''t roam in this world considering his enemy''s parent''s feelings. I can''t change the past, nor do I regret it. Killing Fang Chen was something which I would have never hesitated to do."

    Jun Xie stood up, "But still, what will you do if they ever know the truth?"

    "I will fake Fang Chen''s death once I am done with my work in the capital. After that, Fang Chen will be officially dead," Ye Tian Yun replied, "They will never know the truthˇ­ Unless you choose to tell them."

    "I am not a snitch," Jun Xie replied, "But I don''t know if I will be able to stay with you any longer. You may be close with my father and have a huge backingˇ­ but I am unsure if I can stand by someone with morals like yours."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "There is no evil and no good. There is only power, and those who are weak seek it. You can choose to leave and go your own way; I won''t stop you."

    After a slight pause, Ye Tian Yun added, "And you don''t have to feel like you owe me something. The spatial ring belonged to you from the start. I can even tell you a bit more about your father, and you can go on your own journey to meet him."

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "Two days ago you said Kai Yang gave you the information about King Xin; that was clearly a lie since you''re Kai Yang. And you never trusted any of your friends enough to reveal the truth."

    Ye Tian Yun also stood up from his seat, "Well, you can take it however you like. The first thing I cleared with you was that I am not interested in begging you to stay with me. You''re a grown-ass man, and you can make your own decisions. As for me, well, you will have to excuse me. The person I have been waiting for so long has finally arrived."

    Without waiting for any response, Ye Tian Yun stepped forward and headed in a certain direction.

    Jun Xie followed thetter''s gaze and saw Princess Xin Xue Qing looking around as if searching for someone.

 Chapter 577 - 577 | Lets Go Home

    A/n: Resuming daily updates. 2ch/d minimum.

    ...

    Princess Xin Xue Qing had a busy day.

    From her own cultivation issues to saving her brother from trouble, and then with her father''s royal edict as the cherry on the top, she was as busy as she could get.

    However, this was not the whole truth.

    If she had noted carefully, she would have observed that this day was no different any other day.

    All her days go by like this, with her being busy in royal pce schemes, cultivation, and helping her brother take down the Crown Prince.

    What made this day different from the rest was the unique feeling she had when she woke up.

    To be more specific, it was a desire, a wish. It was something she wanted to do right away.

    And that was to visit the Purple Spring Garden.

    Why, you ask?

    No reason. It was just that she wanted to be in the garden.

    In fact, there was a reason. It was just that she wasn''t willing to ept it.

    The whole day, a certain young man''s face and his words were in her mind.

    ''What the hell is happening?'' She was confused and frustrated, ''I met him only once!''

    It was the young man she met yesterday in the Purple Spring Garden.

    ''This is someˇ­''

    She couldn''t help but think, ''I can''t stop thinking about himˇ­''

    At first, she thought, was it a crush?

    ''Nah, I have no time for that.''

    ''It must be curiosity.''

    Just curiosity.

    Yeah.

    Definitely curiosity.

    Nothing more.

    And now, with tiredness creeping over her, she stepped in the Purple Spring Garden.

    Yesterday, she had asked a servant to find out the details of the visitors. She was merely intrigued by the young man she met. But to her surprise, the information she got was not what she was expecting at all.

    The young man she described to the servant was never in the Purple Spring Garden?

    It was weird.

    She had thought most of the night.

    Even with her tight schedule and high-profile life, sometimes there were a few things that made her curious, and she wouldn''t stop thinking about them.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    She let out a long breath as she looked from one corner to the other.

    The purple Spring Garden was as busy as it could get.

    ''What''s happening? Why are many peopleing here?''

    Usually, the whole Garden barely had thirty to fifty young people, but today, all the seats across the garden were filled.

    Except for one.

    ''It''s the same oneˇ­''

    She thought.

    ''....it will be weird if I meet that guy again.''

    She was somewhat expecting herself toe across that mysterious young man.

    ''...I am asking for too much.''

    She sighed once again and headed for the seat.

    Just as she was about to take a seat, she suddenly felt someone approaching from the side.

    Frowning, she turned her head, and in the next instant, her eyebrows moved apart as the frown changed into surprise.

    "Youˇ­"

    "We meet again, Young Lady."

    It was the same young man whom she was so curious about.

    "What are you doing here?" She couldn''t help but ask.

    The young man shrugged, "Waiting."

    "Oh? For whom?" Princess Xin Xue asked while taking the seat.

    The young man gestured to the seat and asked for permission, "May I?"

    Surprisingly, she nodded, and the young man sat on the other half of the seat.

    "I am waiting for a gem."

    "A gem?" The Princess stared at him, "Are you expecting a gem toe to you walking?"

    The young man nodded, "Indeed."

    "..." Princess put one leg on the other, her elbow on the knee, and the hand on her chin, "You seem materialistic."

    "Maybe," the young man shrugged with nonchnce, "It''s in the eye of the beholder to see the real beauty."

    As if understanding what he just said, the Princess asked, "I would like to test this real beauty you speak of. When is this gem nning to arrive?"

    "She''s already here." The young man smiled.

    "Oh?" The princess looked around, but there was nothing out of the ordinary, "Where is she?"

    The young man smiled while gazing into the depths of her eyes, "I am looking at my gem."

    "..."

    ˇ­...

    Outside the Capital City.

    Sect Leader Su stood at the peak of a mountain and stared at the vast capital city.

    ''If only I weren''t ordered toy lowˇ­ I would have leveled this whole city to the ground.''

    As his lips curled up, he nced to his side.

    Madam Fang Bai was sitting beside him with her head on his shoulder.

    After leaving the Purple Spring Garden, both of them hade here, and now Sect Leader Su was about to depart for the Middle Heavens.

    "When will you return?" Madam Fang Bai asked.

    Sect Leader Su sighed, "I don''t know. The matters of the Middle Heavens are out of my bounds."

    "Take care of yourself, dear." Madam Fang Bai pursed her lips, "When youe back, take me to the sect with you."

    Sect Leader Su smiled, "Of course. I will take Fang Chen with me too."

    Aplicated expression formed in Madam Fang Bai''s eyes, "I am afraid of how he will react upon knowing the truth."

    Sect Leader Su narrowed his eyes, "Don''t worry, I will make him understand."

    Suddenly, he frowned and looked in a certain direction.

    Someone with a boundless aura was swiftly approaching them.

    Madam Fang Bai also sensed and raised her head; she too frowned while staring in that direction, "Why is he here?"

    Sect Leader Su put his thumb on the spatial ring.

    Just then, Madam Fang Bai put her hand on his arm, "At least listen to him."

    "Hmph!" Sect Leader Su snorted.

    After a few moments, a figure appeared and stood in front of them, staring at the couple without saying anything.

    Sect Leader Su stared back, and after a long silence, he spoke, "Fang Yuan, don''t test me."

    Prime Minister Fang looked at him and then nced at his sister.

    After a few more moments, he said, "Let''s go home."

    A boundless aura surged from within Sect Leader Su, "She doesn''t need to listen to you."

    Prime Minister Fang frowned, "I wasn''t talking to her."

    "What?"

    "I was talking to both of you. Let''s go home."

    Without waiting for any response, Prime Minister Fang turned and flew towards the Fang n, leaving behind the couple speechless and dumbfounded.

 Chapter 578 - 578 | A Chance To Reconcile?

    In the Xin Kingdom, it was not a secret that Fang n and Gracious Sword Sect were bitter enemies of each other.

    And almost everyone was even aware of the reason behind this enmity.

    It all began about two decades ago, between the two uing geniuses, the Core Disciple Su Ming of Gracious Sword Sect and the Young n Head of Fang n, Fang Yuan.

    And the core of this enmity was Fang Yuan''s sister Fang Bai.

    Su Ming and Fang Bai met each other due to fated coincidences and fell in love at first sight.

    However, the then Crown Prince, Xin Xue Jian, who was a close friend of Fang Yuan, was also in love with Fang Bai, though thetter never reciprocated his feelings.

    This led to Fang Yuan, who at that time needed Xin Royal n''s help to keep his newly risen to power Fang n safe, to force the separation between Su Ming and Fang Bai, by hook or by crook.

    One thing led to another, and as they both grew famous, their rivalry too became quite apparent.

    It was said that Prime Minister Fang Yuan hated Sect Leader Su Ming''s guts, and both of them would fight to the death if any of them appeared in front of each other ever again.

    And today, the same Prime Minister Fang Yuan, who had once left Su Ming to die, was now inviting him to the ''home'', going as far as calling it Su Ming''s home too.

    Something was amiss!

    Something was definitely amiss!

    Madam Fang Bai got worried, but as Sect Leader, Su Ming didn''t think too much.

    He took Madam Fang Bai with him.

    "Dear, you should leave," Fang Bai gulped, staring at Su Ming with a worried expression, "I don''t know what my brother is trying to do, but he will never invite you to the Fang n on his own ord."

    Su Ming let out a smile, "Don''t worry. Are you not confident in my abilities?"

    "Butˇ­" Fang Bai sighed.

    Truthfully, she knew there was no need to worry about her husband''s safety. But she also didn''t wish to see him and her brother fight each other.

    For the first time in her life, her brother had allowed her to meet him.

    ''Is he really going back on his promise?''

    Anxiety in Madam Fang Bai''s mind grew with every passing moment.

    About five minutester, both of them reached the Fang n.

    They headed straight to the balcony of the Second Floor Main Courtyard Building.

    Fang Yuan was standing on the balcony, and as the couplended, he gestured to them to follow him.

    Just then, the gates of the room were pushed open, and Madam Xin also stepped in with a worried expression.

    Clearly, she was already aware of the situation.

    Only upon seeing that things were still calm did she sigh in relief.

    "Sit." Prime Minister Fang Yuan gestured at Sect Leader Su.

    Sect Leader Su stepped forward and took a seat. Madam Fang Bai also followed and sat beside him.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan stared at her for a moment, and then he also took a seat right in front of them.

    Madam Xin also stepped forward and sat beside her husband.

    The two couples were now facing each other as an ufortable silence prevailed over the hall.

    After some time, Sect Leader Su couldn''t hold back, "Why have you called me here?"

    Prime Minister Fang replied, "Well, is this not your home?"

    "My home?" Sect Leader Su snorted, "This is the ce which held my wife captive for all her life."

    Madam Fang Bai lowered her head upon hearing these words.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan shook his head, "This ce was never a cage to her, and never was she ever mistreated. This n is hers as much as it is mine."

    "So why didn''t you let here with me?"

    "I thought you were not worthy." Prime Minister Fang Yuan said, "And I was right. But over time, you have changed and achieved the level of being worthy for my sister."

    Sect Leader Su narrowed her eyes, "Are you saying Xin Xue Jian was on this level at that?"

    "No." Prime Minister Fang replied, "King Xin was never worthy of my sister. I would have never let him marry my sister."

    Sect Leader Su frowned, "That''s bullshit. Why don''t you stop beating the bush and tell me what''s going on?"

    "It''s not bullshit. And I had my own reasons not to separate both of you. Actually, I was never even nning to talk to you about this if you hadn''te to the Capital on your own ord."

    Sect Leader Su smirked, "Is this an apology?"

    "You can take it like that," Prime Minister Fang shrugged, "But honestly, I let the bygones be bygones on the very day you appeared. I knew that you were alive, and when you came back, you still had the same dedication and love for my sister. How could I not give in? I chose to give up pursuing you, but I was not going to allow my sister to be with you. This was because King Xin had begun to act rampant, but because of my unstable n, I had to be at my side and keep my thoughts and actions in check."

    Sect Leader Su smiled, "And you thought that on the day I visit, you will invite me to your home and say sorry then we will both be close brothers-inw."

    "Yes." Prime Minister Fang Yuan nodded.

    "...Are you fucking kidding me, Fang Yuan?"

    "I am not." Prime Minister Fang shook his head, "I have a lot to say, and I know I don''t deserve your forgiveness. I will not give a heartfelt speech or words. I just want us to give each other a chance to reconcile."

    "A chance to reconcile?" Sect Leader Su narrowed his eyes, and after a few moments, a smirk appeared on his face, "I will give you a chance to reconcile."

    "Hm?" The other three in the room stared at Su Ming as he continued his words.

    "I want you to reveal the truth regarding Fang Chen. To himˇ­ and to your wife."

    ...

    A/n:

    From now on, I will asionally add a few trivia regarding the characters appearing in the chapters.

    Here''s for today: If you haven''t noticed, the future has already changed. In the previous timeline, both of these characters never talked to each other and Fang Chen never had a chance to reconcile, also, he didn''t have a distrust of King Xin because of the assassination attempt on the gracious sword sect''s entourage (silver mist city arc) was sessful. And that broke thest string of forgiveness Su Ming had for Fang Chen.. (there were only three survivors, who were left as witnesses: yuan shuchun, xiao ming, and jun xie.)

 Chapter 579 - 579 | The Truth - Each With Their Own Troubles

    "I want you to reveal the truth regarding Fang Chen. To himˇ­ and to your wife." Sect Leader Su slowly put forward his condition.

    Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Alright. But will that make Fang Chen like you?"

    Sect Leader Su narrowed his teeth, "At least he will know how much of a hypocrite you are."

    "...What truth are you talking about?" Madam Xin asked in confusion.

    Madam Fang Bai pursed her lips and looked at her brother. Sect Leader Su lightly smirked and gestured with his eyes to Prime Minister Fang to speak up.

    Madam Xin didn''t know that Fang Chen was in fact, not her birth son. Rather, he was Su Ming and Fang Bai''s son.

    Prime Minister Fang sighed.

    Before deciding to meet Sect Leader Su, he knew that this conversation woulde up. At that time, he had thought he would be able to tell the truth to his wife, but now he was hesitating.

    He was feeling guilty, but this was not the main reason. Rather, he was now worried about how bad it would affect the rtionship between Fang Chen and Madam Xin, who considers the former her son.

    Taking a deep breath, Prime Minister Fang closed his eyes and said, "It''s the truth about Fang Chen."

    "About Fang Chen?" Madam Xin narrowed her eyes, "What about him?"

    "He''s not your son." Prime Minister Fang didn''t beat the bush and directly came to the point, "He''s Bai''er''s and Su Ming''s son."

    Madam Xin froze for a moment and then stared at Prime Minister Fang wordlessly.

    Prime Minister Fang''s heart faltered. No matter how cold and calcting he was against his enemies, but in front of his wife, thest thing he wished for was to disappoint her.

    And now, he knew things were going in the worst possible direction.

    But he was not nning to back down. Keeping the truth in his chest for all these years had always given him a lot of worries. Every time he looked at Fang Chen, he dreaded this very moment when he would have to tell the truth to his wife.

    ''I must set myself free from this.''

    Prime Minister Fang kept his eyes closed as he continued, "Sixteen years ago, you were not the only one in the house who was pregnant. Bai''er was also pregnant. But I couldn''t let this news be leaked. Partially I didn''t like Su Ming, but mostly it was me being afraid of King Xin''s reaction."

    "And coincidentally, both of you gave birth to your sons on the same day. But there was one problem. Our son wasˇ­ born dead. And I, who was already stressed about your pregnancy, and King Xin''s reaction, switched the babies. I didn''t hide it from Fang Bai, but I had to hide it from you.

    Fang Chen is not our son. Rather, we are his uncle and aunt."

    The hall turned silent.

    Sect Leader Su''s smirk had receded, and a tinge of surprise was visible on his face.

    He was surprised that Fang Yuan would reveal the truth on his own ord.

    ''...Does he really wish to reconcile?''

    Sect Leader Su just considered it.

    Asking to reveal the truth was just the first step. His forgiveness was not easily earned.

    Besides him, Fang Bai had lowered her gaze and was staring at the floor.

    For sixteen years, she had watched her son call someone else'' mother''. It had pained her a lot, and many times she had almost spilled out the truth to Madam Xin.

    But every time, she stepped back at thest moment.

    Not because she didn''t wish to, but rather, she couldn''t go through this decision.

    Growing up as an orphan, Madam Fang Bai has rarely received any love in her whole life. Even though they cared a lot about her, her two brothers were busy establishing a foothold for the family.

    Andter, her lover had a lot of hard times because of her. Then, even her son was separated from her.

    However, after a few months of Fang Chen''s birth, when her eldest brother Fang Yuan brought her to the main n, she officially met with her Sister-inw, Madam Xin.

    Before meeting her, she loathed Madam Xin and was fully ready to reveal the whole truth, but the first meeting alone changed everything.

    Madam Xin didn''t have the airs of a princess; rather, she was just like her. A simple youngdy who cared a lot about her family. In fact, in some cases, Madam Xin was much better than her. Not only was she very calm and caring, but she also taught a lot of things to Fang Bai.

    And now, sixteen years have passed.

    In Fang Bai''s heart, Madam Xin held the position of not only a sister-inw but something more than that.

    Madam Xin was like a mother she never had.

    And as her eldest brother spoke the truth, with every instant, Madam Fang Bai didn''t feel any satisfaction; rather, she felt anxious, afraid, and worried.

    She was afraid her sister-inw might not like her anymore. She was scared that she was about to lose someone very close.

    Sect Leader Su had sensed her disarrayed emotions. He moved his hand and tightly held hers.

    The three of them waited for Madam Xin''s response.

    And the person in question was simply staring at her husband, who had his head lowered and eyes closed.

    After a long silence, she spoke her mind.

    "I knew about this." She spoke, stunning the others in the room.

    "What!?" All three of them turned their heads towards her in shock and surprise.

    "I knew about this." She repeated herself in a calm tone, "But I chose what I saw fit - I chose to treat Fang Chen like my own son. And even if he knows the truth, I will still treat him like my own son."

    "Youˇ­" Prime Minister Fang couldn''t help but ask, "And why didn''t you confront me about this then?"

    Madam Fang Bai replied, "Maybe because of Fang Chen, or maybe because I am selfish, I don''t know. He was already a grown-up. And if I had told him, he would have hated both of us. I couldn''t make myself speak up and chose to continue to treat him like my own son."

    "But Sister-inw, why didn''t you tell me?" Fang Bai asked.

    Fang Yuan frowned, "You aren''t the one who told her about this?"

    "No, of course not." Fang Bai shook her head.

    Madam Xin said, "It was not her."

    "Then who?"

    "My brother."

    "Your brotherˇ­ King Xin!?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan opened his eyes wide.

    "Yes."

    "That... bastard!" Prime Minister Fang rubbed his face, "Sighˇ­."

    "King Xin knew?" Sect Leader Su frowned, "How did he find out? Didn''t Fang Yuan say he was keeping it a secret from him?"

    Prime Minister Fang nodded, "I was. But a few years ago, he summoned me and said that he knew the truth about Fang Chen. However, he didn''t seem angry or annoyed with this; rather, he was nonchnt. He even promised me that he wouldn''t tell this secret to anyone unless I agreed to reveal it."

    "Then why did he reveal everything to Sister-inw?" Fang Bai asked.

 Chapter 580 - 580 | King Xins Schemes; Sect Leader Sus Decision

    "Then why did King Xin reveal everything to Sister-inw?" Fang Bai asked.

    "It was to sow discord." Madam Xin was the one who replied, "Fang n''s influence was increasing at an unprecedented pace and was almost rivaling the Xin Royal n. My brother started to feel insecure about this, and thus used the most powerful weapon he had against my husband - the truth about Fang Chen."

    "He personally told me about this. And having lived half of my life in the same pce as him, it didn''t take long for me to see through his intentions. He wanted to use me to create a huge drama and would have most likely stripped my brother of his position as punishment for ''deceiving the world.''

    So, I did the best thing a wife could do. I didn''t bring it up unless my husband felt ready to talk about it. I continued to treat Fang Chen like my own son; in fact, I treated him with even more love and care because I felt guilty about him. He was already twelve years old, and if he got to know such things, he might take the wrong step.

    I didn''t wish to ruin my family." Madam Xin ended her confession, "It was my selfish desire to keep my family together."

    Prime Minister Fang sighed.

    Su Ming pursed her lips, "Sister-inw, thank you for taking care of my son."

    Madam Xin smiled, "Sister-inw? I don''t know if I desire any respect from you."

    "No, I have always respected you," Sect Leader Su replied, "I would never me you for anything that happened between Fang Yuan and me."

    Fang Bai also nodded, "Yes, Sister-inw. The reason why I never told you the truth is that I couldn''t make myself too. I was afraid I would lose your love and care, and you would hate me for taking away Fang Chen."

    Madam Xin shook her head, "You were overthinking, Sister-inw. You''re one of the people whom I hold very close in my heart. I will never stop caring and adoring you."

    Fang Bai almost teared up at this, "Thank you so much, Sister-inw."

    Sect Leader Su cleared his throat, "Fang Yuan, I have a few more things to ask."

    "Ask away." Prime Minister Fang replied. Revealing the truth has actually lifted the biggest burden in his heart, and now he didn''t care much about whatever Su Ming had to say. He would just speak truthfully.

    "You said that you wanted to reconcile for a long time," Sect Leader Su asked, "Then why did you always create trouble for me? You have spread rumors about me being a sex fiend; you have also targeted some of my talented disciples over thest few years. You were against my alliance with the Crown Prince, and there was also an assassination attempt, though Jun Xie told me that King Xin orchestrated it.

    Honestly, the only reason why I agreed to step into your n was because of Jun Xie''s words. After hearing the truth behind the assassination ambush, I felt something amiss."

    Prime Minister Fang replied, "I am not the one who started the rumors regarding you. Most of them were started by King Xin himself. Last few years, he has been secretly targeting me, and now it has reached the point where I can''t keep on ignoring his little schemes."

    Sect Leader Su frowned, "Are you trying to me everything on King Xin? Because you could have stopped him if you knew he was doing all this."

    "I didn''t know," Prime Minister Fang said, "I only came to know about this very recently. In fact, it''s from your inws."

    "My inws? You meanˇ­"

    "Yes." Prime Minister Fang nodded, "It''s from the Gao n. Their youngdy will marry your son."

    "And who are you to decide that?" Sect Leader Su narrowed his eyes, "What was Fang Chen''s opinion on this?"

    "I am the one who he considers as his father." Prime Minister Fang replied with a deadpan expression, "And this marriage is important for not only Fang Chen, but also for the Fang n."

    "You are using him as a pawn." Sect Leader Su narrowed his eyes.

    Prime Minister Fang shook his head, "Not really. Maybe in the future, I will show you the reason why this marriage is important. Oh, actually, this marriage also had an indirect rtion with your sect."

    "My sect?" Sect Leader Su frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

    "This marriage will one day save your sect," Prime Minister Fang said, "It''s hard to exin, but I will show you in a few months. As for Fang Chen, he didn''t like the idea of this marriage, but he will understand soon."

    Sect Leader Su sighed, "You need to cancel this marriage."

    "No." Prime Minister Fang rejected the proposal, "I am not going to listen to you on this matter. And my patience is also running out. This is how far I can talk about reconciliation. If you wish for both of us to rekindle our bond, you are always wee."

    Sect Leader Su took a light breath and stood up.

    "Hm?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "What happened?"

    "I will think about it." Sect Leader Su said, "For now, I will have to take my leave."

    "You''re leaving?" Madam Fang Bai was surprised, "Why?"

    Even Prime Minister Fang was taken aback by Sect Leader Su''s sudden words, "What happened? Why don''t you eat something? And you haven''t even met Fang Chen?"

    "It''s alright." Sect Leader Su replied, "I wasn''t nning to stay for long. I need to resume my journey."

    "Where are you heading?" Prime Minister Fang couldn''t help but ask, "Are you preparing for the Grand Spirit Hunt?"

    "My sect will handle that," Sect Leader Su said, "I have something more urgent to attend."

    Prime Minister Fang shrugged, "I don''t know if you have heard or not, but this time the Wu Kingdom will also be participating in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "Oh?" Sect Leader Su frowned, "Looks like things are going to be messy in theing months."

    "Yes." Prime Minister Fang nodded, "This is why you should not leave your sect for too long. King Xin is nning to strike big and hard."

    "Don''t worry about that," Sect Leader Su smiled, "I have everything covered."

    "Oh, and what about Fang Chen?" Prime Minister Fang asked, "Why don''t you wait for some timeˇ­."

    "No need," Sect Leader Su shook his head, "You don''t need to tell anything to Fang Chen."

    "What!?" The other three were taken aback.

    "You heard it right," Sect Leader Su smiled, "Fang Chenˇ­ should remain as the son of Fang Yuan and Madam Xin. He should continue as the First Young Master of the Fang n."

    "What?" Prime Minister Fang stood up with a frown, "What''s up with this abrupt decision? What do you want?"

    "It''s nothing serious." Sect Leader Su shook his head, "We will discuss this when Ie back."

    As Sect Leader Su said this, he also sent a spirit message to Prime Minister Fang Yaun.

    <<Well, I will be honest. I am heading to the Middle Heavens, and I... don''t know if I will be able to return safely. I just wanted to see your resolve. I am satisfied with what you have said. I can about my wife more than the enmity between you and me. If we tell Fang Chen the truth, and I don''te back, we will only be making his life worse.. So, please take care of my son for some more time.>>

 Chapter 581 - 581 | T&C To Kill Wang Yao?

    Unaware of the confusing oue and decision by Sect Leader Su, Ye Tian Yun, and Jun Xie was now heading back to the Fang n.

    Ye Tian Yun had taken another step in his quest of getting closer to the Princess.

    ''This should go on for another weekˇ­''

    He thought as they slowly headed for the Fang n.

    Jun Xie on the other hand had not spoken a word. After knowing the truth behind Ye Tian Yun''s real identity and many more things, he needed time to assess himself.

    Ye Tian Yun understood this fact and thus didn''t say anything on the way.

    They soon reached the Fang n, and each of them headed for their own courtyard.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped inside his room, washed his face, changed his robes, and after a few minutes, he began to cultivate.

    Closing his eyes, he appeared in front of Wang Yao.

    Wang Yao, who was hanging upside down on a tree, was startled to fall by Ye Tian Yun''s sudden appearance.

    "Damn you, Ye Toian Yun!" He groaned, "Can''t you tell me before you jump in here?"

    Ye Tian Yun rolled back his eyes, "This is my ce; you''re the one who has barged in."

    Wang Yao frowned, "As if I had any choice. Anyway, why have youe here?"

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "I want to ask about the Wang Yao who will soon appear in the Capital City. How and when did hee to the city previous time?"

    "Hm?" Wang Yao frowned, "Are you nning to kill him? I would advise against it."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Wang Yao won''t die that easily. He has the System. I will have to make a fool-proof n to kill him."

    "Hm, that''s a valid thought," Wang Yao nodded, "I remember how he was able to escape from almost impossible situations. Sometimes a powerful cultivator would intervene, sometimes a natural urrence will happen, or sometimes the enemy would do something stupid."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah. That guy is literally a cockroach. It''s as if there''s a huge armor around his life, increasing his power while also protecting him from dangers. That''s why I need to n very carefully."

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and replied, "He wille here for the Fu n''s Annual Auction G to buy a good weapon."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "That''s great. Let''s kill this son of a bitch and end the whole farce once and for all."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yeah. His death would annoy a lot of people. Specifically those sitting in the Upper Heavens. They might personallye and hunt you down. But it''s alright, let''s kill this son of bitch first."

    "..."

    "What?" Wang Yao frowned, "Why are you suddenly staring at me like this?"

    "Why would the people of Upper Heavens be annoyed by Wang Yao''s death?"

    "Who knows," Wang Yao shrugged with an innocent expression.

    "..."

    "..."

    "Tell me."

    "..."

    Ye Tian Yun rubbed his face, "Let''s not joke around."

    "Alright," Wang Yao smiled, "Well, the thing is pretty simple - Wang Yao is just as important as you are to the people of Upper Heavens. If you want to kill him, you will need to destroy the Emblem System."

    "Huh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How will I destroy that?"

    Wang Yao replied, "Emblem Of Chaos. That''s the only way."

    "Emblem of Chaos?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "That''s with Shi Yan. Wang Yao from the future had it, and when I killed him, it chose Shi Yan while the Emblem of Time came to me. It looks like I will have to kill Shi Yan."

    "Oh, no!" Wang Yao shook his head, "Why would you kill him?"

    "Why not?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "He''s my enemy."

    "But you can''t kill him if you want the Emblem of Chaos." Wang Yao said, "The Emblem has already chosen its Holder for this generation. Even Wang Yao waited for about twenty years to snatch the Emblem of Chaos from Shi Yan."

    "Twenty years?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "That''s a long timeˇ­ We don''t have that much."

    "That''s why, take my other suggestions, you should -"

    "No."

    "...let me finish first."

    "I know you want to say that I should befriend him." Ye Tian Yun said, "Well, that is not happening."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "You don''t have a choice then. To destroy the System, you need Shi Yan. And in the whole God''s Legion, this person was the most trustworthy. If Wang Yao wasn''t a jealous idiot, Shi Yan would have helped him fight off even stronger enemies."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Shi Yan''s talent would make anyone jealous. If I am not wrong, his n should begin to decline in a few months, and over the next few years, he will reach the worst part of his life - with no more friends, family, or anyone."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes. That is what made him a cold-blooded killing machine. Even though it made him powerful, the real truth was, it actually depreciated his potential. If he hadn''t lost the will to live, Shi Yan would have long surpassed Wang Yao in terms of cultivation and battle prowess."

    "Waitˇ­ do you want me to save Shi Yan''s n?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "And befriend him?"

    "Exactly." Wang Yao nodded, "This is your best option. Shi Yan is a simple guy and doesn''t desire anything. He only wishes to protect the people he cherishes. And trust me, if he lives up to his potential, you will have a very powerful ally with you. And you will need allies for your enemies in the Upper Heavens."

    Ye Tian Yun remained silent.

    He had already talked to Prime Minister Fang about arranging a way for him to get into the Fang n and save a n.

    That was just a half-truth. He was nning to get the Emblem Of Chaos from Shi Yan. But if what Wang Yao said is true, he will have to change his ns and give Shi Yan a chance to redeem his future mistakes.

    After a long silence, he asked Wang Yao, "Shi Yan''s enemy is the most powerful organization in the Lower Heavens, the Crimson Pavilion. How did he defeat them in my previous life? I remember that there was no information regarding this incident, no matter how much my informants looked into it."

    ˇ­

    - When Wang Yao came from the future, he once mentioned that Shi Yan had betrayed him. However, today we havee to know that the truth was the way around.

    - Wang Yao in Ye Tian Yun''s consciousness refers to the young Wang Yao by his name rather than ''me'' or ''I'' because the young Wang Yao is the transmigrator, while he is the actual Wang Yao.

    - Crimson Pavilion (first mentioned in Ch10) is the most prominent and the only organization which is outside of the control of the two kingdoms.

    - Sect Leader Su has received intel from Butler Liu about the sudden change in the enemy movements(chapter ), and that is the reason why he came to meet Fang Bai - because this meeting might be hisst. In the old timeline, there was no intel or enemy movement; that is why Sect Leader Su didn''te to meet Fang Bai.. And which enemy movement am I talking about? Refer Ch454, Ch466, Ch519.

 Chapter 582 - 582 | A True Friend

    "Shi Yan didn''t outright destroy the whole Crimson Pavilion," Wang Yao said, "He infiltrated their sect, rose in ranks and made them submit to him. And then he used the Crimson Pavilion on itself, and soon, the whole organization disappeared."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "They disbanded?"

    "Kind of," Wang Yao nodded his head, "To be more specific, Shi Yan integrated their force under himself. He became their new leader and created his own organization. But he didn''t showcase it too much."

    "Still, howe my informants never found out about this?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Wang Yao smiled, "Well, it was because Shi Yan''s people were loyal to him, but in public, they worked as a part of the God''s Legion."

    "Ah," Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "That''s what I was assuming because many powerful figures were suddenly bing subordinates of the God''s Legion before they came to the Middle Heavens."

    Wang Yao asked, "Do you remember when Fang Chen, Xin Xue Qing, and Shi Yan came to the Middle Heavens to take part in the Immortal Pavilion''s Trial?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "How can I forget? Those three were the dark horses of thepetition. Even though they failed to get the Emblem Of Luck and Emblem Of Soul, they sessfully conspired the death of Ling Feng''er."

    Wang Yao frowned, "Yeah, you did tell me about this. Those three never mentioned it to me about this. Maybe they didn''t think it was important."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, let''s not dwell in the past. I will think about what to do with Shi Yan. I think the first tragedy that happened in his life was right before the Grand Spirit Hunt, and if we follow the old timeline, the Grand Spirit Hunt should have started in two months. That means, in two and half months, someone very close to Shi Yan will face her demise."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yeah. Keep that in mind and n ordingly."

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Hmm, but for now, I need to increase my cultivation. I don''t think I have much to do for the next week. I should focus on cultivation. With the help of Emblem of Time, I will be able to cross to the next level."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yeah. Oh, don''t forget about the Fu n Annual Auction G. You can''t kill Wang Yao right now, but you can hurt him."

    Ye Tian Yun smirked, "Of course, I won''t let a good chance go to waste. After the auction, Wang Yao won''t dare to step in the Capital City."

    ˇ­

    In an unknown mountain valley, Xin Kingdom.

    BOOM!

    [Congrattions, Host. You have sessfully killed a 5th Level Qi Refining cultivator and gained 15 Kill Points!]

    [Congrattions, Host. You have sessfully killed an 8th Level Qi Refining cultivator and gained 24 Kill Points!]

    .

    .

    .

    .

    "Nice!" A young boy around the age of fifteen sat on the top of a huge tree while staring at the countless prompts appearing in front of him, "I will be able to get another breakthrough soon."

    "System, how many caravans do I need to destroy? Killing Spirit Beasts is much more work. But these merchants are the easiest targets."

    [Host, you need 413 more Kill Points to breakthrough to the 2nd Level of Qi Condensation Realm.]

    ''Great.'' The young boy smiled, ''I will soon be powerful enough to take care of myself. One month left for the Fu n Auctionˇ­ I will have enough money and the cultivation realm by then.''

    ˇ­

    Back in Fang n, Guest Courtyard.

    A new guest courtyard was ready, and the disciples from Gracious Sword Sect and Wu Qingwu now had a personal room for themselves.

    In a certain room, Jun Xie sat on a chair with his hand on his chin, thinking about his conversation with Ye Tian Yun in the Purple Spring Garden.

    ''What should I doˇ­''

    He was now in a dilemma. To trust this imposter, who was also the Crown Prince, or to leave this n and go back to his sect.

    His heart wanted to stay, but his consciousness wanted him to leave.

    ''Sighˇ­''

    Just then -

    Knock! Knock!

    "It''s me."

    A sweet and calm voice entered Jun Xie''s ears. With a slight frown, he replied, "Come in; it''s open."

    After his response, the doors were pushed open, and a youngdy entered the room.

    "This one''s nice." She said while looking from one corner to the other.

    Jun Xie''s frown deepened, "What do you need, Miss Wu?"

    Wu Qingwu pouted, "Come on, can''t you be a bit more weing?"

    Jun Xie didn''t reply, and seeing his silence, Wu Qingwu walked up to him, and putting her hand on his shoulder, she asked, "What happened, Master?"

    Jun Xie''s eye twitched, "You know you don''t have to call me that. You''re not my maid. Why can''t the people around me be real? You, and that Crown Princeˇ­ all trying to fake themselves."

    Wu Qingwu frowned, "Fake? Why would I fake myself in front of you?"

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes, "Just stopˇ­ and leave. I already have too much to think about, and you''re now annoying me."

    Wu Qingwu shrugged, "Alright. It''s not like I cared about you so much that I came here as soon as I heard from Brother Zheng that you seemed a bit down. I will go to my roomˇ­ and won''t annoy you anymore."

    Without waiting for any response, she walked off.

    Jun Xie rubbed his face, and turning towards the departing figure; he called out, "Hey, wait! Don''t go."

    Wu Qingwu paused, and then turning around, she crossed her arms and said, "Oh? And why should I listen to you? You say leave, and I have to leave. You say stop, and I have to stop? It''s not like I am yourˇ­. Maid."

    Jun Xie sighed, "Take a chair and sit. Stop acting like a child."

    Wu Qingwu pursed her lips, "I will, but you will have to tell me what''s worrying you so much."

    Jun Xie lightly nodded, "Alright, I will. Now, take a seat, will you?"

    Wu Qingwu smiled, and taking another chair; she sat beside Jun Xie, "Alright. Now tell me."

    Jun Xie stared at her for a moment and then said, "Well, tell me, if your close friend was someone else in disguise from the very beginning, would you still have the same trust in him after finding out the truth?"

    ˇ­.

    Wu Qingwu thought for a moment before replying, "Xie, it will depend on a few factors. First, tell me, do you feel betrayed by himˇ­ or her?"

    Jun Xie shook his head, "It''s not betrayal. It''s justˇ­ I feel like this person doesn''t trust me enough, as much as I trust him."

    "Xie, a friend is someone who can see the truth and pain in you even if you''re fooling everyone else. Your friend must have his own reasons. And you''re saying that he was someone else in disguise? Tell me, who is the guy you befriended first, the guy in disguise, or the guy whose disguise he was in?"

    "I befriend the guy in disguise."

    "Hm, and did he tell you the truth, or did you find out on your own?"

    "Well, it was due to the circumstances. But you can say that he told me the truth."

    "Oh, and final question, is he nning something against your interests?"

    "No." Jun Xie shook his head, "I think the only help he has asked is using my illusion technique in his goals. But this isn''t a big deal. I am sure my technique wasn''t the only way for him to get out of his situation."

    "Ah, well, then you have your answer.." Wu Qingwu smiled, "Why lose such a friend? It''s not about the identity or face; it''s about the nature of your friend."

 Chapter 583 - 583 | Breakthrough & The Offense-Arrays!

    "Nature of the friend?" Jun Xie frowned.

    "Yes." Wu Qingwu nodded, "I know which friend you''re talking about. Didn''t he give you that spatial ring? Wasn''t that from your father? If that person wanted to take advantage of you, he would have never given you that spatial ring. Also, your father trusts him enough to give such a precious spatial ring to him so he can give it to youter. Now tell me, why do you even need to doubt him?"

    Jun Xie nodded, "Hmm, my head feels much clearer now."

    Wu Qingwu smiled, "Great, now don''t be so grumpy, ande out. It''s a nice evening, can''t we go for a walk?"

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes, "Have you forgotten your identity? Do you think no one will recognize you?"

    Wu Qingwu lightlyughed, "Who said I would go out of the n? Juste to the garden; the Fang n is quite big."

    Jun Xie thought for a moment and shrugged, "Alright."

    ...

    Time passed, and soon it was midnight.

    Ye Tian Yun pushed the doors of his room open and walked out.

    A few minutester, he was outside the Fang n after easily evading the guards and servants in the n.

    ''Let''s goˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun moved towards the exit of the Capital City. Still, in disguise of Fang Chen, he was moving ahead with a very swift pace.

    ''I need to find a good spotˇ­.''

    A few minutes ago, while cultivating, he suddenly had an epiphany and broke through the Second Level of Core Formation Realm!

    ''It was a nice unexpected surprise!''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled as he headed out of the Capital City. He was looking for a secluded ce to practice and stabilize his cultivation realm.

    He tried to do this in the Cultivation Space, but in the end, he decided to go out in the open. He also wanted to see the capabilities of his Sword Intent.

    ''From now on, my goal will be to one-shot my enemies. Wang Yao is like a cockroach. If he isn''t killed within one shot, he will somehow manage to survive. The System is the main enemy here, but I don''t know if I will be able to hold myself back from killing Shi Yan when the timees. So it''s best to assume the worst.''

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun passed through many familiar streets. He passed through the purple spring road, the Gao n, and the Purple Spring Garden.

    The exit that Ye Tian Yun was looking for was in the Ling n''s district.

    The Capital City was divided into several districts, and major organizations controlled these regions, helping the imperial guards oversee the whole capital city.

    Ye Tian Yun had no interest in Ling n; he only wanted to use the exit.

    ''Hm?''

    While passing by, Ye Tian Yun noticed a carriageing out of the Ling n. He only nced at it and continued to move forward.

    Soon, the exit was visible, and without stopping, he directly went past it.

    About twenty minutester, Ye Tian Yun found a secluded open area in the forest at the outskirts of the Capital City region.

    ''There''s no one to disturb hereˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun had already confirmed this with his spiritual sense.

    Without dying anymore, his aura burst out, and heunched his attack on a huge rock in front of him.

    BOOM!

    The rock, which was like a small mountain, instantly turned into smithereens.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    ''I didn''t take the noise caused by all this into ountˇ­''

    ''Anyway, it''s not like I need to hide.''

    Without fretting over it anymore, Ye Tian Yun resumed his practice and began to use his Sword Intent and then his sword technique.

    About half an hourter, he suddenly stopped and frowned.

    Turning his head in a certain direction, he clicked his tongue.

    ''Why do people need to travel thiste in the night?''

    A carriage was swiftly approaching his location.

    Exhaling, he jumped up and sat on a treetop and disguised his aura.

    He was nning for the carriage to cross, and then he would resume his practice.

    ''Should I just go and find another ce?''

    As he was musing over his thoughts, the carriage had already reached the open ground.

    ''Hm? Isn''t thatˇ­''

    This was a familiar carriage,

    It was the same one he sawing out of the Ling n.

    ''Talk about coincidencesˇ­''

    As he shook his head, the carriage, on the other hand, came to a sudden halt, making him frown.

    Slowly, the door of the carriage opened, and a young man walked out.

    "This is the ce you were talking about?" The young man asked someone.

    Another young man poked his head out of the carriage, and looking around; he nodded, "Yes. This ce is pretty far and secluded. No one will disturb our practice here."

    "Good." The first young man nodded, "You can leave now. I will practice on my own for some time."

    "Alright," The guy in the carriage shrugged, "If you get into trouble, you can light the beacon to call for help. Even though we are pretty far, the beacon will alert me if something goes wrong."

    "I will keep this in mind."

    "Okay then, I won''t disturb you anymore." The guy in the carriage closed the carriage gates andmanded the driver, "Let''s go!"

    The carriage moved and soon disappeared in the direction of the Capital.

    On the treetop, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but frown at this.

    ''What in the worldˇ­''

    His practice spot was now gone.

    He had already recognized these two people. One of them was Young Master Ling Yun, and another was his friend Feng Yun - he had met both of them in the Purple Sprint Garden yesterday.

    Feng Yun was currently standing in the ground, while Young Master Ling had left with the carriage.

    Shaking his head, Ye Tian Yun turned to move. Arguing with the guy would waste more of his time, so it was best to just look for a better spot. The mountain range was vast, so Ye Tian Yun wasn''t bothered to fight over a single spot.

    But suddenly, something happened that made him freeze on the spot.

    The guy on the ground, Feng Yun, suddenly moved his hands and a circr disc formed in his hand.

    It was a purple disc and looked like an Array-inscription. Moving his hand, Feng Yun threw the disc away from himself.

    BOOM!

    A huge crater formed on the ground, leaving a shockwave throughout the area.

    On the tree-top, Ye Tian Yun stared at the scene in shock.

    Ba-dum! Ba-dum!

    ''Offense-Arrays!?''

    This was something he hadn''t thought or seen in a long, long time.

    Ye Tian Yun calmed himself and frowned at the young man on the ground.

    Adjusting himself back on the tree branch, he began to observe quietly.

    "Offense-Arrays is not something one would see more often.

    Arrays are normally used as stationary spirit-stone run systems with different applications - from cooling the room to attacking a whole army.

    But all of them are Defense-Arrays. Even attacking a whole army is not Offense-Array because, first, it''s used as a defense and can''t be used directly in wars or ambushes.

    However, Offense-Arrays are a bit different. They can be moved and can be your weapon."

    As Ye Tian Yun recalled these words, Feng Yun created another disc and threw it on the ground.

    BOOM!

    ''Who is this guy?''

    He was suddenly very interested in Feng Yun.

    To be more specific, he was interested in the Offense-Arrays.

    Not because he wanted to learn them, but becauseˇ­ these arrays were not something any random person would know.

    ''Because there are only two people who should know about these in the Lower and Middle Heavens.. The Sect Leader of the Supreme Alchemy Hallˇ­ and her disciple, Ling Feng''er.''

 Chapter 584 - 584 | Getting To Know Each Other

    "Brother Yun, I''m going to the Supreme Alchemy Hall!"

    "Hmm."

    "Don''t miss me too much, okay? Leave that part to me!"

    "..."

    "Anyway, I heard you''re preparing for the Immortal Pavilion Entrance Trial? It''s still two years, I am sure you will be unstoppable by then."

    "Yeah."

    "So, Brother Yun, I figured that if I learn Alchemy and Arrays, I will be able to help you a lot in the future! My Master is also very good to me, but I don''t know how long I will be staying in the Sect."

    "Focus on improving yourself, I don''t want burdens."

    "Burden? Me? Hmph! I, Ling Feng''er, will show you how talented I am! But honestly, Brother Yun, will you miss me?"

    "...maybe."

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as a blurry conversation reyed in his mind. One of the many buried conversations that he didn''t feel himself to be ready about.

    He sighed and jumped up from the tree.

    His movements instantly alerted Feng Yun, who had a shocked expression on his face.

    Immediately a huge illuminated circle formed behind his back as he took a fighting stance, "Who are you!?"

    Ye Tian Yun raised his hands to show he had no bad intention, "I am Fang Chen; we met yesterday."

    "Fang Chen?" Ling Feng''er frowned, "Ah, the guys who bought ten burgers?"

    "Umˇ­ yeah."

    "What are you doing here?"

    "Well, I was practicing, and you showed up." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    "Hm? Isn''t it the opposite? I am the one who''s practicing, and you''re the one who showed up."

    "I was here before you came with Ling Yun. Anyway, that''s not the point; I am actually more interested in the thing you have behind your back."

    "This?" Ling Feng''er frowned, "Why do you want to know?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "This is the second time I see these. Thest time I saw it, I was too young, and to my surprise, I encountered this thing again, so I am curious."

    "You encountered someone using these?" Ling Feng''er narrowed her eyes, "Who?"

    "It was a powerful young woman," Ye Tian Yun replied, "But she had an eye patch."

    ''Master?'' Ling Feng''er was a bit taken aback, "You sure?"

    "Well, yeahˇ­ an eye patch is hard to miss."

    "Hmm," Ling Feng''er light nodded, and then moving her hands, she brought the illuminated circr disc to her side and exined to Ye Tian Yun, "This is called an Offence Array."

    "Offense Arrayˇ­" Ye Tian Yun had an ignorant expression as he asked, "How do they work?"

    Ling Feng''er shrugged, "Well, it''s in the name - these are Offense Arrays, and you can throw them to attack someone or something."

    "I understood that," Ye Tian Yun replied, "I mean, how do they really work?"

    Ling Feng''er thought for a moment and said, "You will have to reach Level 7 Array Mastery to understand the basics to this."

    "..Level 7ˇ­" Ye Tian Yun''s eyes twitched.

    The highest level was Level 7. And Ye Tian Yun had never touched a scroll of Arrays, much less reached that level."

    Ling Feng''er smiled, "I have never been a teacher, so I can''t exin you in simple words. This is the reason why this knowledge is not somon. Without reaching Level 7 in array mastery, it will be impossible for anyone to understand anything about these arrays."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "What''s your level?"

    "It''s not enough."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yn frowned, "What do you mean?"

    "Whatever it is, it''s not enough." Ling Feng''er then asked, "Anyway, are you nning to practice here? I can go and look for a different ce."

    "Nah, it''s alright," Ye Tian Yun replied, "I am just very curious about this Offense Array. Do you mind telling me who taught you? I have never heard of a Level 7 Array Master."

    "My master," Ling Feng''er replied, "She is one of the most powerful Array Masters in the whole world."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Most powerful in the worldˇ­ is she from the Middle HEavens?"

    Ling Feng''er narrowed her eyes, "...No."

    "What! Wait, don''t tell me she''sˇ­ from the Upper Heavens!?"

    "I don''t know," Ling Feng''er shrugged.

    "Ah," Ye Tian Yun light nodded, "How did you learn so much, so fast? You''re my age, and you''re already at Level 7."

    Ling Feng''er shrugged, "Maybe I am very talented."

    "You areˇ­" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Are you from the Upper Heavens?"

    "No," Ling Feng''er shook her head.

    "Middle Heavens?"

    "Why are you asking so many questions?" Ling Feng''er frowned, "I don''t think we know each other very well."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Aren''t we doing that? You know a lot about me; I am also trying to do that."

    "I know a lot about you? Why am I not aware of that?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Tell me what''s news for you in this: I am Fang Chen, Scion of Fang CLan, Disciple of Gracious Sword Sect, A wastrel who likes to have fun and use his background to suppress others."

    "...I guess you have a point."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well then, you''re Feng Yun. Are you from the Middle Heavens?"

    "...Yeah." Ling Feng''er nodded.

    "Oh? Which n?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    "I am not from a significant n." Ling Feng''er replied.

    "Oh," Ye Tian Yun didn''t doubt it much. He hadn''t heard of any Feng n among the major ns in the Middle Heavens.

    After a moment of thought, Ye Tian Yun asked, "Are you rted to the person I met a few years ago? The person who also used these Offense Arrays."

    Ling Feng''er thought for a moment and shook her head, "Not yet."

    She meant she wasn''t rted to her Master in this timeline, but Ye Tian Yun didn''t know of this and thought about it literally.

    "Are you trying to say someone from an insignificant n in the Middle HEavens has be Level 7 Array Master at the age of whatˇ­ sixteen?" Ye Tian Yun smirked at Ling Feng''er with an expression of a cat who had caught her prey in her ws.

    Ling Feng''er was unperturbed, "You can believe in what I say or not. It''s up to you."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright, I will trust you on this. But I must say, you''re quite possibly the most talented Array Master in the whole world."

    Ling Feng''er nodded, "True."

    "...."

 Chapter 585 - 585 | The Enemy In The Upper Heavens

    After a few more minutes of conversation, Ye Tian Yun bade farewell to Ling Feng''er, not forgetting to invite her to the Fang n.

    A Level 7 Aray master is something he wouldn''t wish to miss.

    ''I wonder why this guy was never famous in the previous timeline?'' Ye Tian Yun was curious about this. However, considering how rxed Feng Yun was, even with his low cultivation, it was most likely that someone tricked and killed him for the secrets of Offense Array.

    ''That guy is either very dumb, or he''s very reassured.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled as he reached another open patch of field.

    Without any further dys, he resumed his practice and especially focused on his only cultivation technique - One Sword For All.

    As the sun was about to rise, Ye Tian Yun returned to the Fang n a few hourster.

    He didn''t go out again for the rest of the day and resumed his cultivation.

    ˇ­

    An Unknown Town, Great Ye Empire, Middle Heavens.

    Step!

    A middle-aged mannded in front of a tavern and pushed open the gate.

    As he stepped in, the tavern, which was bustling, suddenly turned quiet.

    There were about thirty customers inside, and they were staring at him.

    After a small silence, the tavern suddenly went buzzing with shouts,ughs, and greetings.

    "AH! It''s BRother Su!" A man with a wine gourd in his hand and dazed eyes called out, "You took your time, Brother!"

    The middle-aged man smiled, "Xiao Lou, you came early?"

    "Commander Su, wee!"

    "Brother Su Ming, how is your sect?"

    "Brother Su, long time no see!"

    "Ah, Brat, how were you all these years?"

    As the barrage of questions and greetings came, Sect Leader Su, or if we call by his name, Su Ming, cupped his fists to everyone at the tavern and began to greet them back.

    After a while, he asked, "Is General Liu here too?"

    "Yeah, he''s upstairs." Xiao Lou replied. He was one of the Commanders and was Su Ming''s long-time friend.

    "Oh? Then excuse me, everyone," Su Ming smiled, "I should go and greet him."

    "I think it would be better if you wait for the General toe down," Someone said.

    It was an old man with a long white beard.

    "Oh? Is he busy, Commander Cai?" Su Ming asked.

    "Yes," The old Commander Cai nodded, "He''s discussing the n with his majesty, the Emperor."

    Su Ming was surprised, "His majesty is here!?"

    "Yes," Old Commander Cai nodded, "I think he might be joining us this time."

    "He will be joining us?" Su Ming frowned, "Ah, who is the enemy?"

    "We don''t know yet," Old Commander Cai shook his head, "But there''s a chance that the Upper Heavens is going all out against us this time."

    "All out?" Su Ming gulped as his eyes shimmered in excitement, "Looks like I will be able to go all out!"

    "Oh,e on," Xiao Lou rolled his eyes, "Leave some for us too."

    Just then -

    "Commander Su, pleasee upstairs. His Majesty has asked for your presence."

    A calm voice sounded through the tavern, making everyone pause.

    Commander Cai nodded at Su Ming and gestured to him.

    Su Ming smiled at him and headed for the second floor.

    As he pushed open the door at the end of the stairway, a much cleaner hall appeared in his sight.

    Although it was clean, it was also pretty simple. And at the center of the hall was a huge table on it was a huge brownish parchment, and two men were around the table.

    "Your Majesty. General." Su Ming cupped his fists at the two men.

    Butler Liu nodded, "Come in, Commander Su. How was your journey?"

    Su Ming smiled, "It went without a hitch."

    As he came to the table, he saw that the parchment was a huge map!

    "Is thisˇ­"

    "Yes." Emperor Ye nodded, "The Upper Heavens."

    "Your Majesty, isn''t Upper Heavensˇ­ unmappable?"

    "It was." Emperor Ye smiled, "But we have sessfully created the First Map Of Upper Heavens!"

    Su Ming took a deep breath and exhaled, "Who created this?"

    He was so overwhelmed that he forgot to use the honorifics.

    "It was Sword Saint Yuan Xuming." Butler Liu replied this time, "For thest two decades, he has been leading the information circle we have in the Upper Heavens to put everything on this map."

    "Sword Saint Yuan Xuming?" A frown formed on Su Ming''s face, "I apologize, General, but isn''t Sword Saintˇ­."

    "Don''t worry about that," Butler Liu waved his hand, "It was all a ruse created by his Majesty to pave the way for Sword Saint Yuan. Both of them are not actually wishing to kill each other."

    "Ahˇ­" Sect Leader Su sighed, "So all this was for this map?"

    "Indeed." Butler Liu nodded.

    "How can I help, General?" Su Ming asked.

    Butler Liu didn''t reply but turned his head towards Emperor Ye.

    Emperor Ye moved his hand and pointed at a certain part on the map, "You will be leading your toon and ambushing your target here in exactly one month from now."

    "Hereˇ­" Su Ming stared at the map for a few moments and then asked, "Your Majesty, this.. May I know who the target is?"

    "It''s my brother." Butler Liu replied, "The important part is, you need to bring him alive."

    "Bring him alive?"

    "Yes." Emperor Ye nodded, "Brother Liu, give him the details."

    "Yes, your majesty," Butler Liu nodded and then gave a scroll to Su Ming, "Here. Don''t open this with others and don''t show it to anyone. You will get another er when missions are distributed, but you don''t have to follow that one. This scroll is your real mission."

    "Don''t have to follow thatˇ­." Su Ming recalled something, and a shocked expression formed on his face, "Did someone betray us again!?"

    "No," Butler Liu shook his head, "It''s the enemy. Only your toon will be going on this mission. The rest will face the actual enemy - quite possibly one of the only two people who can go on par with his Majesty."

    "Who is the enemy, if I may ask?"

    Butler Liu pursed his lips and nced at Emperor Ye.

    Emperor Ye sighed, "It''s my wife and Ye Tian Yun''s mother, Empress Ye."

 Chapter 586 - 586 | A New Deal And Gao Xuans Three Questions

    It waste afternoon when Ye Tian Yun opened the gates of his room.

    He was busy cultivating in the cultivation space ever since he came back to the Capital City after practicing at night in the forest.

    Just a few moments ago, there was a knock on the door, and a guard had called out.

    "First Yung Master, Young Master Gao Xuan is here to meet you."

    Ye Tian Yun pulled open his door and followed the guard to the guest hall.

    ''He came for nothingˇ­'' While passing through the hallways, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think about the Royal Edict given by King Xin.

    ''I wanted to build a City in the Thunder Valley, but it''s now useless. The war between Wu and Xin Kingdom will now not happen.''

    Luckily there was still use of that Thunder Valley.

    ''The high-tier Spirit Vien, which would have earlier helped him to finance his n on building a city, was now going to be incorporated into helping Gao Xuan strengthen his information organization.''

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded his head and pushed open the door of the Guest Hall.

    Stepping in, he turned on the Soundproof Array, and sat in front of Gao Xuan, who was currently focused on reading something on a parchment.

    Notincing Ye Tian Yun''s presence, he raised his head and stood up.

    "How are you, Brother Fang Chen?" Gao Xuan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and cupped his fists while greeting back, "It''s the same old, what about you?"

    "Nothing much," Gao Xuan shrugged while sitting down on the seat, "I got busy with the n stuff due to the Royal Edict, rest is alright."

    "Ah, yes." Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded his head, "The King sure is angry about my marriage to your sister."

    "Hm?" Gao Xuan frowned, "Why would he be angry? The Royal Edict was to prevent any more war between the two kingdoms. How could this have anything rted to our n''s alliance?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "You don''t have to act so ignorantly. It was a loss for both our ns because the whole investment in the weaponry is now useless."

    "..." Gao Xuan remained silent.

    Ye Tian Yun wasn''t expecting any response, "And now, both of our ns are in big trouble."

    "...Yeah," Gao Xuan nodded, "But I am sure this is but a minor setback to the Fang n."

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun nodded, "And I am sure Gao n is on itsst straw."

    "..." Gao Xuan.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I wonder how your n is nning to recover from the loss?"

    "Don''t bother yourself with these insignificant worries, Brother Fang," Gao Xuan changed the topic, "We should rather discuss the help you need regarding the construction workers."

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun stared at him for a moment before asking, "So, did you find any people?"

    "That''s the reason I am here for, Brother Fang," Gao Xuan sighed, "Things happened, and I couldn''t use my resources to gather those men. It will take a few more days to settle down the trouble in my n."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "It''s alright, there is a change of ns. We don''t need construction workers now."

    "What?" Gao Xuan frowned, "You don''t need them?... why?"

    "As I said, there was a change of ns."

    "Butˇ­ then what about our deal?"

    "Oh, the deal about me helping you create the branches for the Burger Queen?" Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while asking.

    "....Yes."

    "Of course, it''s now off." Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Since I don''t need those builders, why should the deal go on?"

    Gao Xuan frowned, "Butˇ­ that''s unfair! We had a deal, and now you don''t need my help; you''re calling the deal off?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Not exactly. How about I suggest a few changes in that deal?"

    "A few changes?"

    "Yeah," Ye Tian Yun nodded his head, "Instead of those builders, why don''t you give me something that really matters."

    "And that isˇ­"

    "Information." Ye Tian Yun said.

    "Informationˇ­" Gao Xuan narrowed his eyes, "What kind of information? I am sure the Fang n is better at getting the required information than my n."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Who said I needed information from your n?"

    "...Then?"

    "Nightcrawler Surveince Network."

    "..." A little surprise shed through Gao Xuan''s eyes for a moment, and soon everything returned to normal, "That''s a long boring name, what''s it about?"

    "Well, you can judge the name, after all, it''s you who decided on it." Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, I am interested in thiswork. I will help you grow it, and you will give me ess to all the information that you have."

    "Oh?" Gao Xuan thought for a moment and asked, "And what if I say no?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "I will just say well yed, and we will go our separate ways."

    ''...and then the whole Great Ye n will descend on you.'' He thought but didn''t say it.

    "How can you trust me? You don''t seem like a person who would trust anyone so easily." Gao Xuan asked.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "Well, you''re kinda true. But that doesn''t mean I can''t take a risk. Just consider this a business transaction, and you don''t seem like a person who would betray your business partner."

    "...Alright." Gao Xuan thought for a moment, "But I would like to ask you three questions. If you answer them honestly, you will have my trust."

    "Sure," Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "But choose your questions carefully."

    "Alright," Gao Xuan thought for a moment and asked, "How did you find out about the Nightcrawler Surveince Network?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, let''s say, one of my subordinates told me about your organization and even a few rules about it."

    Gao Xuan narrowed his eyes, ''Someone in Middle Heavens knows about my organizationˇ­!?''

    "Second question," He paused for a moment before asking, "Now, would you please tell me, what do you think of my sister?"

    Ye Tian Yun stared at Gao Xuan for a moment and replied, "I don''t think of her."

 Chapter 587 - 587 | Ye Tian Yuns Way Out

    "I don''t think of her." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    Gao Xuan''s eyes twitched upon hearing this, and clearing his throat, he asked, "Since you''re aware of the informationwork, then you should know that I have been keeping tabs on you. Recently I have received a tip about you, which is not yet married so I don''t know how much of that is true. And if it''s true, I would like you to exin your actions, and if it''s not true, I would like you to tell me it''s not true."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "...Alright."

    A thousand possibilities shed through his mind. And all seemed quite possible because he would never underestimate the information gathering skills of Gao Xuan and his organization.

    ''Did he find out about my identity? About me being an imposter? About Fang Chen''s death? Or is it about me and Wang Yao?... What if it''s about my rebirth?''

    "Hm, so here''s my third question," Gao Xuan stared at the table in front of him for a long time in silence before asking, "What is going on between you and Princess Xin Xue Qing?"

    "..." Ye Tian Yun almost facepalmed.

    ''Am I overestimating him? What kind of useless question is thatˇ­''

    After a long sigh, Ye Tian Yun replied, "Well, as of right now, there''s nothing going on."

    "Why are you meeting her in the Purple Spring Garden then?" Gao Xuan asked in a weird tone.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned. ''Why is he saying as if he''s feeling hurtˇ­ ohˇ­ didn''t he have a crush on the Princess? Ah, my bad dude, but I can''tpromise on this matter.''

    "I am getting myself acquainted with her." Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    "Do youˇ­ like her?"

    "No." Ye Tian Yun shook his head.

    Gao Xuan slightly smiled, "Okay. You have earned my trust."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What? What if I lied in a question?"

    "You didn''t." Gao Xuan smiled.

    "...Hmm, that''s an interesting intuition."

    Gao Xuan stood up from his seat, "It is indeed very helpful in these situations. Well then, if you need any help, just send someone to the new Xuan Tavern in the Western District of the City."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "You started a tavern?"

    "Yes," Gao Xuan smiled, "It will be open for business from tomorrow."

    "Ohˇ­ I thought it''s already open," Ye Tian Yun said, "Maybe I would havee to your tavern tonight for dinner."

    "For dinner?" Gao Xuan''s eyes shed, "Alright,e and have dinner at my tavern. You will also get to be the first person to taste my new dish."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "What''s it called?"

    "French Fries."

    "French Fries?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "What''s French?"

    "It''s just a name," Gao Xuan shrugged.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "interesting name. Alright, I will visit the tavern with my friends after a few hours."

    "Oh, you won''t being alone?" Gao Xuan frowned.

    "I wasn''t nning toˇ­ wait, is the dish a big secret? I won''t bring anyone else if you don''t want to."

    "Nah, it''s alright, it''s alright." Goa Xuan shook his head, "Bring them along."

    Ye Tian Yun also stood up from his seat, "Sure. By the way, will you be free five days from now?"

    "Free? What happened?" Gao Xuan frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment, "Well, I was nning to bring you along for something. If you''re busy, then it''s better for you to skip it."

    "No, I am free." Gao Xuan. ''I have all the time in the world forˇ­''

    "That''s great!" Ye Tian Yun smiled, interrupting his thoughts.

    "I will take my leave then."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and gestured to him to move forward.

    Both of them headed towards the exit of the Fang n.

    "By the way," Along the way, Gao Xuan asked, "Have you met my sister yet?"

    "...Not officially." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    Gao Xuan exhaled and continued to move forward, "You know, I was really surprised when you said you don''t even think about my sister. Aren''t you both getting married? You know this matter is very serious."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Brother Gao, I have many other things to focus on. Why would I waste my time thinking about someone I have never even met?"

    Gao Xuan pursed his lips, "What do you think of this marriage, Brother Fang? Are you agreeing to this marriage?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I would rather not answer this question, Brother Gao. This marriage was never up to me to decide, my opinion in this matter, technically, doesn''t even matter."

    "...But you must have felt something?"

    "Sigh, what do you think I felt when I found out I was going to marry a youngdy whom I barely know? And don''t you know my reputation? Anyway, if you wish for me to be honest, then listen, the Fang n and the Gao n are ruining your sister''s life. I don''t know about the future, but right now, I don''t even think about her."

    ''...and never will. Because she''s marrying Fang Chen, and I am not Fang Chen. I am Ye Tian Yun. After my business in the Lower Heavens is done, ''Fang Chen'' will identally die and your sister will be a widow.''

    This was Ye Tian Yun''s n as of this moment.

    Even though Gao n''s Third Young Miss was extremely beautiful and had the charm of an elegant and virtuous youngdy, Ye Tian Yun still wouldn''t allow himself to get too close with her. After all, she doesn''t even know his real identity, and will quite possibly hate him forever if she came to know of the truth.

    ''I will just keep my distance so she doesn''t feel a big loss when ''Fang Chen'' dies.''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded to himself.

    On his side, Gao Xuan remained silent for the remaining distance.

    ˇ­

    Author/Trivia:

    - Even though he had many branches of taverns, Gao Xuan''s informationwork bases were mainly in the taverns of different ns and sects, or even at random ces. He did use his own taverns to strengthen his informationwork but never used them as a base of the Nightcrawler Surveince Network.. This was why no one ever suspected the declining Gao n''s Fourth Young Master Gao Xuan to be its master.

 Chapter 588 - 588 | The Gap Between Them

    It was evening when Ye Tian Yun stepped out of his room once again and headed for the Guest Courtyard.

    He wanted to meet Jun Xie and see what thetter had decided upon after learning about the whole truth.

    ''I wonder if he leftˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun knew that there was a high chance that Jun Xie might have left already.

    ''Considering his character, he must have been in a dilemma of what to do. Now I will see for myself what he chose.''

    Ye Tian Yun exhaled as he passed through the newly constructed Guest Hall.

    ''They are not hereˇ­''

    Boom!

    He suddenly heard the faint sound of someone falling at a distance.

    ''They are in the practice ground.''

    The noise wasing from the practice ground, not far away from these courtyards.

    Ye Tian Yun changed his course and soon reached the courtyard.

    In front of him were Zheng Xiang and Jun Xie - both of them currently in an intense sword battle.

    ''Zheng Xiang still has a lot to learn.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but chuckle at the scene in front of him.

    He then looked around and soon found an empty seat.

    He stared at the two young men sparring on the stage while sitting on the empty bench.

    After a few minutes, Ye Tian Yun said, "So you decided to stay, huh?"

    His voice was very low, just barely enough for someone sitting beside him to hear.

    "Yeah." Someone replied.

    Ye Tian Yun turned his head and smiled, "You will never regret this decision, Jun Xie."

    Jun Xie shrugged. "Its no use regretting now."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded as both of them turned towards the spar on the tform.

    "Since how long is this spar going on?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Half hour."

    "Damn, Zheng Xiang''s too weak right now." Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Jun Xie chuckled, "But that grin on his face reeks of confidence."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes upon hearing this, "Show him the reality; he will see the truth of this world."

    Jun Xie smiled, "Alright."

    Snap!

    As soon as Jun Xie snapped his finger, the scene in front of them suddenly changed.

    Now, there was only Zheng Xiang standing frozen on the tform because of the sudden change.

    He had his eyes wide open, and then as he slowly nced around, he soon located Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie smiling at him.

    "Youˇ­" A bad premonition dawned upon him.

    "This was all an illusion!?"

    He couldn''t believe his own eyes.

    ''Senior Brother Jun Xie is so powerful!?''

    Here he thought he was almost toe-to-toe against Jun Xie, but now he found out that everything around him was just an illusion, and the real Jun Xie was sitting on a bench, watching him hit the air with his sword.

    Zheng Xiang sighed and rubbed his face in embarrassment.

    "Come here," Ye Tian Yun called him, "You still have a lot to learn, don''t be discouraged just because of this."

    Zheng Xiang''s shoulders were slumped as he walked and sat beside them.

    "That was pathetic," He had his face covered with his hands, "If this were a real battle, I would have long lost my life."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "True."

    Zheng Xiang exhaled a long breath and leaned back on the bench. "How could the illusion be so powerful? This is not the first time I have faced someone with an illusion technique, but this one was on a whole different level."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "You''re learning from the best; you should treasure this chance."

    Zheng Xiang frowned and asked, "Senior Brother Jun, what should I do to identify if I am in an illusion or in reality?"

    Jun Xie thought for a moment and replied, "Well, there are a few basic things that you can look for, but none of these give an urate answer.

    The first is shadows. Shadows in an illusion are the hardest to create and manage. Matching them with the body movement, direction of light, and even the dimensions of the shadowˇ­ such things make it harder for a cultivator to master the illusion technique.

    This wasn''t the problem in my situation, though, since I had already mastered the shadow creation phase.

    The second thing you can do is increase your Intent level - be it sword, spear, saber, or any other weapon. If you can reach the Domain Realm, no illusion will work on you."

    "No illusion?" Zheng Xiang was surprised, "Doesn''t that mean you''re powerless if a Sword Saint appears?"

    Jun Xie smiled, "Well, everyone is powerless against a Sword Saint. But if you''re trying to say against the Sword Domain - against them, you don''t need tricks, but raw power.

    Therefore, even if you have the Sword Domain, you would have most likely been defeated by me."

    Zheng Xiang frowned upon thinking about it, "I practiced with Brother Fang, but I couldn''t feel any improvement in the sword cultivation."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "One-time practice won''t help much. What you need is consistency. If you can focus consistently on the Sword Cultivation while also increasing your cultivation, it won''t be long before you enter the big boys league."

    Zheng Xiang chuckled, "Big Boys league? It''s still a long way. I will try to improve tho. Don''t want to be a burden."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, keep thatst part in mind. If I feel you''re being a burden, I won''t be including you in major ns."

    "Major ns?" The other two got curious.

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Well., we will be heading somewhere after five days from now. Both of you shoulde; it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you people."

    Zheng Xiang and Jun Xie nodded, "Alright, five days it is then."

    Ye Tian Yun paused for a moment and added, "But today, we''re heading somewhere else."

    "Oh, where?" Zheng Xiang asked.

    "Gao Xuan has opened a tavern; we will visit him tonight."

    "Gao Xuan?" Jun Xie frowned. He hadn''t officially met Gao Xuan yet.

    Ye TIamn Yun nodded, "Heˇ­ will be a good ally in the future, and he''s making a dish today, so let''s have dinner at his tavern."

 Chapter 589 - 589 | The Sixteen-Year-Old Grave

    In the other part of the Fang n, while the trio was discussing the dinner, Prime Minister Fang returned to the n from the Royal Pce.

    A huge frown had ceased on his head as he headed straight for the study room.

    Madam Xin, who had already noticed the arrival of her husband, brought some cold water and took it to the study room for him.

    "Here." She ced the ss in front of Fang Yuan.

    Fang Yuan lightly smiled at her, "Thank you, but I am in no mood to drink anything right now."

    Madam Xin sighed, "I understand, it''s alright. Thest few days have been pretty stressful for you, but don''t worry; I will stand by your side no matter what trouble we might have to face."

    Prime Minister Fang rubbed his eyes, "I honestly don''t deserve ady like you. I have deceived you for so many years, yet yesterday you said that you knew about the truth. I know you were lying, but I was genuinely afraid that you would never forgive me."

    Madam Xin slightly smiled, "Yuan, not everything in that was a lie. I may not have known who the parents of Fang Chen were, but I did know that I am not the birth mother of Fang Chen.

    My brother, the King, didn''t tell me everything. He just gave me a light hint and nted a seed of suspicion. At first, I was very stressed and troubled, but in the end, I thought it through and chose to trust you.

    I know you would never betray me, Yuan. And whatever happened in those years, I am sure there woulde a day when you would tell me everything on your own. And that day came yesterday, although Su Ming did push you a bit to reveal everything."

    Prime Minister Fang nodded, "Yes, and he came at the right time. Still, I am really sorry for deceiving you all these years. During those times, I couldn''t bear to tell you that our newborn was dead before he came to this world. That was a grave mistake, and to this day, I regret my decision. And in a moment of stress, I changed the babies."

    Madam Xin caressed Prime Minister Fang''s shoulders and said, "Yuan, I would be lying if I said I had forgiven you. But I can''t bear to see you in any pain. Fang Chen is no different than my own son to me, and I hope this goes on, at least till the day Su Ming returns."

    "I don''t know how Fang Chen will react to the truthˇ­." Prime Minister Fang''s face was full of worries.

    Madam Xin gave a light smile, "However he reacts, he will always be our son."

    Prime Minister Fang raised his head, and staring into his wife''s moistened eyes; he said, "Let''s go."

    "Hm? Where?"

    "Juste with me."

    He touched Madam Xin''s hands, brought her in his embrace, and flew out of the window,

    Siu! Siu!

    Both of them disappeared in an unknown direction.

    After about five minutes, Prime Minister Fangnded with Madam Xin, who had her arms around his neck.

    "Where is this?" She asked as they separated.

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan didn''t say anything and holding his wife''s hand, he said, "Come."

    After walking through the trees for a few moments, they soon reached a thatched old house.

    An old man was sitting outside the house, leaning back on a rock, smoking some kind of pipe.

    Upon noticing the unexpected guests, his eyes showed his surprise, "Young Master?"

    Prime Minister Fang Yuan smiled, "Uncle Han, I hope I didn''t interrupt your rest."

    "Ah, what rest? That''s the only thing I do," Old man Han smiled and then bowed at Madam Xin, "Young Lady, how have you been?"

    Madam Xin paused for a movement, and soon a smile appeared on her face, "Uncle Han, you have been here all this time? Weren''t you nning to roam the whole world?"

    Old man Han''s wrinkled face formed a smile, "Mydy, this ce is my world. This is the old Fang n house. I still remember the day when Young Master Fang Yuan was born; this whole ce wasn''t the jungle it''s right now; rather, it was a n full of cheerfulness and joy."

    Madam Xin frowned, "Didn''t you say that nothing from the old Fang n remains."

    "That was only the half-truth," Prime Minister Fang said, "Except for these ruins, there''s only a graveyard at this ce."

    "A graveyardˇ­?"

    "Yes." Prime Minister Fang Yuan nodded, "Let''s go."

    The trio stepped into the ruins of Fang n, and under the lead of Prime Minister Fang, they soon reached the far end of the n.

    Unlike other ces, this was the cleanest and well-kept. Even the grass and weed were finely cut. It was as if they had suddenly stepped inside a garden.

    Albeit, this wasn''t a garden, but a graveyard.

    And there was only one grave.

    Madam Fang frowned, "Only one grave?"

    Prime Minister Fang nodded, "The only one that matters."

    "Whose grave is it?" Madam Xin was surprised, "This is very clean; Uncle Han works very hard on this ce."

    Old man Han smiled and shook his head, "I don''t manage this ce, mydy. Young Master cleans this ce."

    "Huh?" Madam Xin was surprised, and ncing at Fang Yuan, she couldn''t help but ask, "By you?"

    "Yes, Mydy," Old man Han replied instead, "For more than sixteen years, a young master has been visiting this graveyard. He cleans this ce and mourns."

    "Almost sixteen yearsˇ­." Madam Xin gulped, and as her eyes suddenly moistened, she asked in a trembling voice, "Is thisˇ­."

    "Yes." Prime Minister Fang tightened his grasp around her hand, "This is the grave of our son. Every day for thest sixteen, I have sat in front of him, trying to build up my courage to tell you the truth."

    "My sonˇ­." Madam Xin''s legs weakened as she kneeled on the ground, tears streaming down from her eyes, but her gaze fixated on the little mound in front of her.

    A mother who has lost her child feels defeated and painful as she weeps over the unfortunate reality that she is helpless against the relentless currents of fate.allnovelfull

 Chapter 590 - 590 | For The Invitation

    "Let''s go."

    Ye Tian Yun stood up and gestured at Jun Xie.

    They were chatting for thest few minutes, and as the sun had begun to set, Ye Tian Yun knew it was time to head to the Purple Spring Garden.

    "Where are you going?" Zheng Xiang, who was unaware of the daily visits to the garden, couldn''t help but ask.

    "Purple Spring Garden." Ye Tian Yun said, "I need Jun Xie''s help to get in. We will be back in an hour or so, be ready by then. Oh, and tell the two youngdies too, we will all be going to Gao Xuan''s tavern."

    "Alright," Zheng Xiang nodded, "I will practice my Sword Technique in the meantime. Senior Brother Jun''s illusion technique is my biggest nemesis."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "You will get there. As Fang Chen said, be consistent."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, well, let''s go." ncing at Jun Xie, he added, "Tell Miss Wu about the dinner at the tavern too."

    "Alright."

    "Head to my room when you''re ready. We will then head to the Garden."

    Jun Xie lightly nodded as Ye Tian Yun left the scene.

    "Why does he need to go back to his room?" Zheng Xiang asked in confusion.

    "He''s not going there as Fang Chen." Jun Xie replied.

    "Ah, got it." Zheng Xiang nodded lightly, "Welp, I will go and tell Qing''er about the dinner."

    "Hmˇ­" Jun Xie lightly nodded, and they both headed for the other two rooms in the courtyard.

    ˇ­

    Jun Xie hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door.

    "It''s me."

    Zheng Xiang had already gone to Bai Qing''er''s room, and they were discussing dinner at Xuan Tavern.

    Faint footsteps slowly approached the door as Jun Xie waited on the other side.

    Click!

    The doors were pulled open, and a breathtaking face appeared in front of Jun Xie.

    "What happened?" Wu Qingwu was surprised to see Jun Xie.

    ''This is the first time he came to my ceˇ­.''

    "Umˇ­" Jun Xie cleared his throat and said, "Brother Fang''s friend has invited us for dinner. Would you like to join us?"

    Wu Qingwu smiled, "All of us are going?"

    "Yeah."

    "Alright," She smiled, "When are we leaving?"

    "After an hour or so."

    "Oh, that''s enough," She thought for a moment and asked, "Is it a banquet or just a dinner?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Fang Chen never said anything about a banquet, so I guess it''s okay to assume that it''s just a simple dinner."

    "Hmm, what do you think I should wear?" She put on a thoughtful expression, "Why don''t you help me choose a dress?"

    "Umˇ­ Fang Chen is waiting for me, and we need to leave in a few minutesˇ­."

    "Oh,e on, it will only take a few minutes."

    "...Alright."

    ˇ­

    The Main Courtyard, Fang n.

    Tap!

    Prime Minister and Madam Fangnded back on the balcony of the second floor.

    Supporting his wife, he helped her sit on a chair and gave her a ss of water to drink.

    "It must have been a shock to youˇ­." He sighed, "Have some rest for tonight. I will wrap up my work in some time ande back to you."

    "Un."

    Prime Minister Fang caressed and consoled her for a few minutes and then left the room.

    He went directly to Madam Fang Bai''s courtyard and called her out, "Xiao Bai..."

    "Hm?" Madam Fang Bai stepped out and was confused upon seeing the worried expression on her brother''s face, "What happened, Elder Brother? Is everything alright?"

    "...it''s not." He sighed, "I finally had the courage to tell her the whole truth and even brought her to the ruins of Fang n."

    "Ruinsˇ­ the graveyard!"

    "Yesˇ­" Prime Minister Fang sighed.

    "I will go right now!" Madam Fang Bai moved, "How is she?"

    "She''s not good, and she needs you right now."

    Madam Fang Bai pursed her lips, "I understand, but how about you postpone your work for today and be with her?"

    "I wille in a few minutes."

    "Alright." Madam Fang Bai nodded and directly flew towards the balcony of the second floor.

    Prime Minister Fang closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

    ''She''s a strong woman. I am sure she won''t fallˇ­.''

    Regaining hisposure, he left for his study room.

    After a few minutes, just as he was about to sit in the study room, there was a knock on the door.

    "...Come in." He said.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped in, still in Fang Chen''s disguise.

    "What happened?" Prime Minister Fang asked.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What happened to you? Did something happen?"

    "...no, nothing happened, just reminiscing the old years," Prime Minister started to arrange the papers on the desk, "I am a bit busy at this moment, tell me why you havee here?"

    "Oh, I just wanted to let you know that I will be leaving the city after five days."

    "Hm?" Prime Minister Fang thought for a moment and asked, "Will you be able toe back before the marriage?"

    "...I can''t say for sure."

    Prime Minister Fang pursed his lips, and after a lengthy silence, he said, "You can go, but try toe back in time. I don''t want the alliance to get embarrassed in front of the whole world because of your dy."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I understand. Also, I will be going outter tonight for dinner. Do you want to join?"

    "Hm? Where?" Prime Minister Fang was a bit taken aback by this.

    "You know Gao n''s Fourth Young Master, Gao Xuan? Well, he has invited me to his new tavern for dinner and has even told me to bring along friends and family, so I was just asking if you have time forter."

    Prime Minister Fang thought for a moment and then nodded, "Alright, when are you nning to leave?"

    "In an hour."

    "Alright, if your mother agrees, then I willeˇ­.. No, waitˇ­" An idea suddenly dawned upon Prime Minister Fang, "Why don''t you invite your mother yourself? Her mood is quite off right now; maybe this dinner might help her improve it."

 Chapter 591 - 591 | Unexpected Encounter

    "Did you two fightˇ­?" Ye Tian Yun looked at Prime Minister Fang in suspicion.

    "...A fight?" Prime Minister Fang''s eye twitch. He cleared his throat and said, "No, nothing like that. It''s just, she might be angry at me about something, so I need your help to lighten up her mood."

    "...Hmm, alright, I will be invited." Ye Tian Yun nodded and left the room.

    Prime Minister Fang leaned back on his seat while staring at the closed door.

    ''I hope she agreesˇ­ this dinner might work as a good distractionˇ­.''

    ˇ­.

    Ye Tian Yun left the study hall and headed for the second floor of the Main Courtyard.

    ''Looks like the Fang n invested too much in war weaponry, and now even the n Leader is under stress.''

    Even though Ye Tian Yun told Prime Minister Fang that there was a way out of this situation, thetter was still under stress.

    ''Wait, don''t tell me the reason why the couple fought was that Prime Minister Fang didn''t tell Madam Xin about the investmentsˇ­.''

    He soon reached the second floor while thinking about the possibilities and reasons for the fight.

    Pushing open the door, he entered the main hall and found Madam Xin and Madam Fang Bai sitting at the table.

    They were both surprised upon seeing Ye Tian Yun.

    Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, was even more shocked because he could see that Madam Xin was actually crying!

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and slowly walked over to them.

    "What happened? Whyˇ­ are you crying?" He asked. It was hard to judge his thoughts from his tone.

    Madam Xin smiled, "It''s nothing, son, we were just reminiscing the old days."

    "...Old days?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Why is everyone reminiscing about the old days at the same time? Tell me, is it about the investment in the war?"

    "No, it''s nothing to worry about, son," Madam Xin shook her head, and with a smile, she asked, "Tell me, son, do you need anything?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Gao Xuan''s invited us for dinner. I was hoping if you andˇ­ himˇ­e with me tonight."

    Madam Xin patted on Ye Tian Yun''s head, "Alright, son. Your father and mother wille with you."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    ''Father and Motherˇ­''

    Here those two words from Madam Xin gave a weird feeling to Ye Tian Yun.

    Madam Xin suddenly asked, "What about your aunt? You should invite her too."

    Before Ye Tian Yun could reply, Madam Fang Bai shook her head, "No, I will be a bit busy today. And if I go, I will only be the third wheel and make things awkward for you and my brother, Sister-inw."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged. "You can join me at the second table. My friends from the sect are alsoing with me."

    "No," Madam Fang Bai shook her head, "And it''s better if you don''t bring any more people. He just invited you out of formality; I am sure he wouldn''t like it if you invite the whole Fang n with you."

    Madam Xin also nodded, "Yeah, son. Are you sure he wouldn''t mind your father and meing with you?"

    "Um, most likely not."

    "... It''s better if we don''t go." Madam Xin sighed, "Gao Xuan will soon be your brother-inw. I don''t want you to give him the impression that you''re trying to take advantage of his hospitality."

    "Hmˇ­" Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright, if you say so."

    Madam Fang smiled, "Son, don''t worry about me, just go and have a good dinner. And be a good boy, don''t forget that you and Gao Xuan will soon be part of a new family."

    "Yesˇ­" Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I will go now; I have a few things to do."

    "Hm, alright." Madam Xin smiled.

    ˇ­

    Ye Tian Yun left the Main Courtyard, and in ten minutes, he was in his courtyard, waiting for Jun Xie after removing his disguise.

    It took a few more minutes for Jun Xie to arrive.

    "What took you so long?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    Earlier he thought it would be him who was going to bete, but it turned out that it was the other party.

    Jun Xie sighed, "Choosing the right dress for a young woman is the hardest thing to do."

    "..." Ye Tian Yun.

    ˇ­

    The Purple Spring Market was bustling as usual when Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie passed through it.

    "...And then she rejected the eighth dress saying it wasn''t good looking on herˇ­"

    Jun Xie rubbed his face while adding, "And I was like, Damn woman, just wear whatever you like!"

    "Ahahaha," Ye Tian Yun chuckled, "You guys are getting along very well, huh?"

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes, "Not really. I avoid having unnecessary thoughts and try to look at the bigger picture. This is not a novel, Ye Tian Yun. She''s a princess of the biggest kingdom, while I don''t even know who my parents are. This is real life. Only trouble wille if we ever got together."

    "Not a novel, huh?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, aren''t you living your life as the main character of a novel? Mysterious past, a princess as a maid, the most talented cultivator as a friend, and there''s also your alchemy talentˇ­"

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes, "I''m sure she hates us because technically, she''s out hostage. Anyway, forget it. It''s time for us to get in the Garden, be ready.

    "...Yeah."

    Both of them smiled as a carriage passed by and soon was right in front of the main gates of the Garden.

    ''Hm? What''s going on?'' Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie suddenly frowned.

    Because the carriage didn''t halt and passing through the entrance, it went in the Garden!

    Both of them nced at each other and hurried towards the entrance.

    "Who''s carriage is this?"

    Even the Princess wasn''t allowed to have her carriage enter the Garden, but this carriage went directly inside.

    And as both of them stood at the side, waiting for the person in the carriage to step out, the carriage''s door was opened by the guard.

    A young man stepped out.

    Both Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie were surprised to see this person.

    ''Crown Prince Xin!''

 Chapter 592 - 592 | Crown Prince Xins Questions

    Ye Tian Yun had a thoughtful expression as he watched the Crown Prince step out of the carriage and head inside the garden.

    "What''s he here for?" Jun Xie asked with a frown.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Who knows, maybe he''s also here to rx? I am not much surprised, to be honest."

    "Hm, Brother Fang, what do you think of him as a person?" Jun Xie asked, "You know,st time I met him in the Old Royal Pce a few months ago, he double-crossed us by organizing the ambush."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "You can call me Brother Ye, and isn''t King Xin the main preparator?"

    "Yeah, he is, but his son must have been an aplice. Or else, how did we get ambushed even though the routes were changed."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "You don''t have to hold a grudge against this guy; it''s just not worth it."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "Nah, what I hate most is betrayal, and this guy betrayed us. We lost half of the entourage in that incident. Those disciples have families, you know?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Almost everyone has someone who loves them, but that doesn''t mean we should stop killing our enemies. So, stop acting like an ignorant child. This world has never been a peaceful ce."

    Jun Xie sighed, "But still, I am kind of disappointed in this guy. I genuinely thought he was a good person."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Now that''s kinda stupid. That guy was nning to kidnap a young girl through you, and you thought he was a good guy, but when he betrayed you, he''s not a good guy anymore.

    Brother Jun, no one in this world is good or bad - it''s just a matter of interest."

    "You sound like a sage." Jun Xie replied.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, then listen to my preaching - maybe you might ascend someday."

    "Ascend to the realm of deceit?"

    "..."

    ˇ­

    The Purple Spring Garden was surprisingly airy today. There were very few people in the garden.

    When Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie reached the usual ce, they were also surprised by the scene.

    "Is something happening today? Why do I only see like five people, including that Burger Queen girl." Jun Xie asked.

    "Five people, but I still don''t see the princess."

    "And the Crown Prince. Wasn''t he just ahead of us? Where did he disappear to?" Jun Xie looked around with a thoughtful expression.

    Ye Tian Yun also looked around while replying, "Well, let''s roam around first. Oh, and keep the illusion running, no matter what happens."

    "Alright."

    ˇ­

    As both of them roamed through the garden, they soon reached a pretty distant area and encountered the person they had met earlier - Crown Prince Xin.

    "I kinda knew we were going to run into him." Jun Xie said.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "That was kinda natural. Actually, I wanted to meet him of my own ord. Just want to test something out."

    Just as Ye Tian Yun was about to step forward, a shout from behind surprised them.

    "Brother, you''re here?"

    They turned around, and to their surprise, it was Princess Xin Xue Qing.

    ''Family Drama Alertˇ­'' Jun Xie whispered as he and Ye Tian Yun stepped to the side.

    "Third Sisterˇ­" The Crown Prince frowned at his sister as she walked to the seat and sat beside him.

    "I didn''t know you liked toe here, Elder Brother." Princess Xin Xue Qing said.

    The Crown Prince rolled his eyes, "Nah, why would I like toe here? I wouldn''t havee if not for you."

    "Hm? Why would youe here to meet me?" Xin Xue Qing was confused.

    "No, not to meet you, but to meet your little friend.

    "My friendˇ­"

    "Yeah, the guy who you have been getting too close to."

    "..." Xin Xue Qing, "I have met that guy for likeˇ­ three times?"

    The Crown Prince shrugged, "Doesn''t matter. Did you forget what we discussed? I don''t want you to get into any love drama. And the Grand Spirit hunt ising; did you somehow miss the Royal Edict by Father? You will be a marrieddy in about eight months, so it''s better if you start behaving like one!"

    Xin Xue Qing frowned, "Brother, how can you even think about me falling in love with someone? I have loads of better things to do."

    The Crown Prince rolled his eyes, "I am more worried about the guy because you might try to kill him too."

    "..." Ye Tian Yun.

    "..." Jun Xie.

    Xing Xue Qing''s expression scrunched, "What do you mean by that? I am not a murdering maniac."

    The Crown Prince gave a disdainful expression, "You know yourself better. Last year it took me three months to settle the whole matter. If you try to kill this guy, too, things will be much moreplicated. You don''t understand that the whole political scene is in a very delicate situation at this moment, and thest thing I want to hear is you creating trouble for me."

    Princess Xin Xue Qing frowned, "Brother, past is past, and that guy isn''t dead yet, is he? He''s still alive and well."

    Crown Prince Xin sighed, "Well, I don''t care about him. He''s just a weak dog from a shitty n. To be honest, I am surprised you failed to kill him. Was it really that hard?"

    Princess Xin shrugged, "I guess it was his lucky day. He survived from three stabs through his heart and getting thrown from a cliff."

    The Crown Prince exhaled, "Sigh, let''s forget about that and focus on the current topic. What is the name of this guy you''re meeting? Which n does hee from? And howe you''re not suspicious of him? There is never a record of him entering the garden, and neither does anyone know him."

    "What about the burger girl? She did talk to him one day. They seem to know each other." Princess Xin said.

    "...She doesn''t know him. So you will have to tell me. What''s his name?"

    "..." Xin Xue Qing.

    "What happened? Why are you silent."

    "Umˇ­ Iˇ­ I don''t know."

    "You don''t know? Not even his nameˇ­?"

    "Yeahˇ­ I don''t know his name."

    "...."

 Chapter 593 - 593 | Fu Clan Auction House

    "How could you not know his name?" Crown Prince Xin frowned, "You both have been talking with each other for likeˇ­ three days? And you don''t even know his name? Wait, does he know you?"

    "Noˇ­ he never asked."

    The Crown Prince sighed, "This guy is pretty fishy. I think he''s trying to get close to you because of your status. I should meet him personally today."

    Xin Xue Qing, "No, there''s no need to meet him."

    "I wasn''t asking your permission." Crown Prince Xin gave her a look.

    "And I wasn''t suggesting." Xin Xue Qing frowned, "This is my life, so let me live it."

    "No, it''s not your life. You''re part of the Xin Royal n, and you must y your role. As for this guy, I will talk to him. If he doesn''t get the idea of what''s going on, a little taste should be sufficient."

    Princess Xin shrugged, "Well, this guy must be a good thief, or must have a very good cultivation technique since he was able toe and go from this garden as he pleased."

    "...Or he was part of the Gao n." Crown Prince Xin added with a straight face, "Don''t forget they are the ones managing this garden."

    "...." Xin Xue Qing frowned but didn''t say anything.

    "So, where do you usually meet?"

    "At my usual seat," Xin Xue Qing shrugged.

    "...And where is that?"

    "It''s in the central area."

    "...let''s go." Crown Prince Xin stood up and gestured at the Princess to lead the way.

    Xin Xue Qing stood up, and after a slight pause, she asked, "You didn''t tell me what you were doing here."

    "Umˇ­ I lost my way back."

    "..." Xin Xue Qing.

    "..." Ye Tian Yun.

    "..." Jun Xie.

    ˇ­.

    When the pair of siblings stepped back into the central area, they attracted a few pairs of eyes for a moment, but it wasn''t as much as the usual attention they would get outside of the garden.

    And both of them preferred the current situation.

    "Why are there so few people today?" Princess Xin Xue Qing couldn''t help but ask.

    The Crown Prince smirked, "They must have gone to close door seclusion. Bing the Son-inw of the King is not something that they would take lightly."

    Princess Xin sighed, "It''s pretty deste today."

    "But your new friend isn''t here. Is he usually thiste?" The Crown Prince frowned.

    "I don''t know," Princess Xin shook her head, "But he is usually here when the timees."

    ˇ­

    A few trees away from them, Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun were staring at the pair.

    "Are you nning to go?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Not worth the risk. If I go out, that guy will most likely put someone on our tail. Your illusion technique will be revealed, and both of us will get into unnecessary trouble."

    "Yeah," Jun Xie nodded, "That''s what I am thinking right now."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the siblings for a few more seconds and then turned around, "Let''s go. This was a waste of time."

    Jun Xie agreed, and they soon left the Purple Spring Garden.

    The Crown Prince''s arrival was unexpected for Ye Tian Yun, and he didn''t wish to meet him, at least not in his real appearance.

    Outside of the Garden, Jun Xie asked, "Should we head back to the n?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Let''s head to the Fu n''s Auction House. I have something to tell him."

    "Alright, but what about the illusion? You want to keep it going?"

    "Nah, you can remove it at a blindspot. I will just cover my face." Ye Tian Yun said.

    Jun Xie paused for a moment and said, "Wait a sec, I have an idea."

    He immediately ran to the nearby stall, threw a few gold coins, and returned to Ye Tian Yun with two packets.

    Since this was all an illusion, the vendor was not aware of what had just happened.

    "Here, put these on." Jun Xie said.

    "Robes?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright."

    There were different types of robes in the cultivation cover. The most prevalent, however, was the one that covered a person''s identity because there was also extra clothing to cover the lower portion of the face.

    "This is good." Ye Tian Yun smiled as both of them put on the robes.

    "Let''s go now." Jun Xie thought for a second, "You know the way?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Nah, we will ask someone. The first thing you need to do is find a spot to remove the illusion."

    "Alright."

    ˇ­

    About thirty minutester.

    Fu n Auction House, Eastern District.

    Boasting itself to be the biggest Auction House in the whole Xin Kingdom, this ce belonged to the Fu n - one of the biggest merchant ns.

    "We are here to meet with Fu Kai. I think he''s the one in charge here." Ye Tian Yun said.

    Jun Xie nodded, "You are looking for something to buy?"

    "Nah, I am looking for a person." Ye Tian Yun added, "This person is the biggest hindrance in my ns."

    "Oh? Is he also from the Middle Heavens?" Jun Xie asked.

    "Well, technically yeah. But he grew up here in the Lower Heavensˇ­ with his parents."

    "..." Jun Xie rolled his eyes at him, "You don''t have toe with that burn."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Let''s get in."

    As they both walked to the reception, a youngdy greeted them, "Hello sir, how may I help you?"

    "I am looking for Young Master Fu Kai." Jun Xie said, "I am his friend."

    "Ah, please have a seat." The receptionist gestured towards the nearby seat and added, "I will call Young Master Fang Kai in a few minutes."

    "Thank you," Jun Xie smiled and took a seat with Ye Tian Yun sitting beside him.

    After a few minutes, a young man came toward them.

    "Ah, Brother Jun, I had a feeling it was you, haha!" It was Fu Kai. He had a huge smile as he walked towards them.

    Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun stood up.

    "Brother Fu, how have you been thesest few days?" Jun Xie smiled.

    "Ah, it''s been alright. Sorry I couldn''t visit the Fang n. The annual auction is next month, so I have been pretty busy ever since that day. What about you?"

    "My days were pretty chilled," Jun Xie smiled, and then gesturing at Ye Tian Yun, he added, "Young Master Fu Kai, this is my friend from the sect. And we need your help in finding someone. Do you mind if we can continue this chat privately?"

    "Sure, let''s go to my office." Fu Kai smiled and nced at Ye Tian Yun; he cupped his fists, "Nice to meet you, I am Fu Kai."

    Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists as a greeting.

    Fu Kai lightly nodded, "Follow me."

    Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun followed him to the room at the end of the hallway.

    Gesturing them to take a seat, Fu Kai asked, "So, who is this person you want me to look for?"

    Jun Xie nced at Ye Tian Yun, beckoning him to speak.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and said, "Before the start of the Annual Auction, a young man of our age wille to sell a few things. His name is Wang Yao.. I want you to inform me, as soon as he reveals his name."

 Chapter 594 - 594 | A Lost Bet

    "Wang Yao, huh?" Fu Kai lightly nodded, "I will keep that in mind. Anything else I can help you with?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Do you mind sharing the current most valuable item in the auction?"

    Fu Kai chuckled, "Nah, that will be revealed three weeks from now."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "No problem, I just asked that on a whim. We will wait for three weeks."

    Fu Kai smiled, "Thank you, it would be my pleasure to see you in the Annual Auction."

    ˇ­

    After a few more minutes of a casual chat. Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie left the Fu n Auction House.

    "What happened?" As they crossed the street, Jun Xie asked Ye Tian Yun.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You know very well I mean, why were you in a hurry to leave? As soon as he said he wouldn''t reveal the item, you were in a hurry to leave."

    "Well, in my defense, I must say I don''t have any more good impressions of Fu Kai."

    "Hm? That came out of nowhere. You don''t like him just because he followed the rules? You do know that he''s just one of the many young masters in his n, right?"

    Ye Tian Yun stopped for a moment and then said, "You''re right. I take back my words and rephrase them - I don''t have any more good impressions of the Fu n."

    "..." Jun Xie frowned, "Is it very important for you to know about the item?"

    "No, I couldn''t care less about it." Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What irked me was the day they were nning to reveal the main attraction for the Auction. They are revealing itˇ­ on the day of my wedding."

    "Oh, do you meanˇ­"

    "Yeah, they are trying to steal the limelight from the Fang n."

    "And you care about that?"

    "No. I just don''t like these little games, especially when they are at my expense."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie asked, "Since we''re on this topic, what are your thoughts on marriage? You know, with you being in disguise and the real guy being long dead, how are you going to deal with that Gao n girl?"

    "I won''t."

    "What do you mean you won''t?" Jun Xie couldn''t help but ask, "Don''t tell me you''re nning to run away from your own marriage?"

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Honestly, I don''t even care. It''s not a big deal for me to get married. I will just have ''Fang Chen'' killed in an ident and go back to the Middle HEavens."

    "Then what about your wife?"

    "... You''re phrasing it wrong. Gao Suyin thinks she''s marrying Fang Chen."

    "Yeah, but you won''t feel hurt at all?"

    "Oh,e on, Jun Xie. Grow up, will ya?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I don''t care about this. Do you really think I am here for romance and getting close with a random girl? I canˇ­ I can find hundreds of Gao Suyin in the Middle Heavens; it''s not like there''s ack of good-looking youngdies out there; stop making mountains out of molehills."

    Jun Xie sighed, "Alright, alright. I won''t bother with your stupid life decisions, but onest question - what if, listen carefully, what if you fell for her? Orˇ­ you did the deed?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "First answer, I won''t. The answer for the second one is, I won''t."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Thoughts so. After all, you''re not even an adult yet."

    Ye Tian Yun muttered, "I will be in a few months."

    Jun Xie couldn''t help butugh, "I can''t help but think, what are you even here for, Fang Chen?"

    "That''s Brother Ye for you." Ye Tian Yun said, "Stop calling me Fang Chen; I am not a big fan of this name."

    "What did this guy do to you?" Jun Xie asked, "Honestly, you''re the son of the most powerful man. You''re the highest level boss among all the young masters of the world; why would youe here personally? If I was at your ce, I may have chosen to use my n and kill all my enemies at once."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "That would have been the best choice, to dig your own grave."

    "How? Do your enemies have the power to confront your n?"

    "No," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It''s the Ye n which would have killed me. Jun Xie, you''re still living in a bubble. Once you understand the true nature of the people around you, you will change - for better or for worse. And, trust me, to survive, being the son of the most powerful person is not enough."

    Jun Xie asked, "I wonder how powerful MY father is. Since you know him, you must have an idea about his cultivation realm, right?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and shook his head, "He never mentioned the exact cultivation, but I can assure you that it''s higher than half saint realm."

    "Really!?" Jun Xie was surprised, "Here, that''s the peak cultivation, isn''t it?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Half Saint is reachable. Honestly, if you make use of your talent and potential in alchemy, you will be able to go way higher than that."

    "...I don''t even know the names of cultivation realms higher than the Saint Realm."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "You will know when the timees; for now, focus on reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm."

    Jun Xie frowned, "That will take at least a year."

    "A year?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "No, that''s too long. It would be best if you reached the Foundation Establishment Realm before the Grand Spirit Hunt. I didn''t befriend you to be a burden on me."

    "What!? Are you kidding me?" Jun Xie frowned, "Foundation Establishment is not a walk in the park. And it would be best if you worried about yourself rather than me. How about we race who reaches the Foundation Establishment Realm first?"

    <<Sure.>>

    "You sound confident, but you''re - wait, what was that?"

    <<I said sure. Let''s bet who reaches Foundation Establishment Realm first.>>

    "..." Jun Xie.

    <<What?>>

    "Are you fucking kidding me!? How old are you? How did you cultivate so fast!? Is the Middle Heavens really that good? Fuck!"

    <<Woah, Woah, calm down. Middle Heavens is good, but you''re expecting too much. The true answer is that it depends on the cultivation talent, and not gonna lie, I kinda count as a genius in that regard.>>

    "...."

 Chapter 595 - 595 | Bai Clan, Upper Heavens

    Oracle City, Heavenly Oracle Sect, Middle Heavens.

    The third biggest city in the Middle Heavens, Oracle City is the home to the Heavenly Oracle Sect.

    Known as the ''Capital of North'', the Oracle city is also the secondrgest in terms of poption, just behind the Imperial City.

    In a certain tavern, a group of men was sitting around a table, chatting softly.

    "When will the Commander arrive?"

    "He should arrive soon."

    "Will heplete the mission, or will hee here first?"

    "Does that even matter?"

    "Nah, but I wonder what the mission is? I heard that he''s here to assassinate someone important? It must be one of the Elders of this sect, orˇ­ maybe the new Head Elder? This guy is a nuisance, the old one was better."

    "True, the old one was a bit more sensible. This new guy is just too arrogant. I am lowkey hoping he''s the target."

    Just then -

    Creakˇ­

    The doors of the tavern were slowly opened, and someone covered in ck robes from head to toe stepped inside.

    He gazed at the table of these men for a few moments and then stepped towards them.

    The men at the table froze when this person gazed at them, but in the next moment, a smile blossomed on their faces. One of them even stood up from his seat and added one extra chair from the nearby table.

    The ck-robed man didn''t say anything and took the seat.

    After a few more moments of silence, the ck-robed man finally spoke, "how have you people been? It''s been almost two decades since Ist saw some of you."

    "Aishh, Commander Su, I can''t believe you still have that intimidating aura."

    "Yeah, Commander Su, don''t tell me you were busy in secret missions all this time?"

    Su Ming smiled inwardly, and said, "Well, I was just waiting for the call. Nothing much happened."

    One of the men asked, "Commander Su, we all have been well, in fact, most of us were even in touch with each other. If only you had told us about your real identity, we would have paid you a visit once in a while."

    Su Ming rolled his eyes, "We have already talked about this so many times. I am a man with humble origins, why are you guys more focused on me than on the missions?"

    "Um, Commander Su, since the topic of missions is already here, do you mind telling us about our next target?"

    "Well, it''s a youngdy from the Bai n."

    "Bai n? Isn''t thatˇ­"

    "Yeah, This mission is pretty tough. The Bai n is one of the twelve God ns of the Upper Heavens. And in this mission, our first target is the Bai n''s Young Miss, Bai Qian''er. She''s the second daughter of the Bai n head."

    Someone asked, "Commander Suˇ­ are we really going after the children now?"

    "Nah," Su Ming shook his head, "This is not our main mission, it''s just one of the objectives in the mission. Our main mission is to bring an all-out war between the Bai n and the Zheng n."

    "Bai n and Zheng nˇ­ Commander Su, I don''t think we even need to interfere in this case. Two decades ago, after that incident, I don''t think these two ns would ever reconcile. And to be honest, I am surprised why they haven''t killed each other in a dog fight."

    Commander Su smiled, "Just focus on the mission. This mission is personally given by his majesty."

    "His majesty!?"

    "Commander Su, who is the real target this time?"

    "It''s Zheng n''s n Head - Zheng Juxing. Let''s go, we only have a month for this mission."

    "Yes!"

    "Um, Commander Suˇ­"

    "Yeah?"

    "Have you taken out your target in the Heavenly Oracle Sect?"

    "...Why do you ask?"

    "Nothing, it''s just, I was curious."

    Su Ming thought for a second and replied, "The mission was canceled. There''s no need to waste time here."

    "Oh, then Commander Su, who was the target?" Someone else asked, "My bet is on the new Head Elder."

    "Mine too."

    "Nah, I think it was one of the other Elders."

    Su Ming smiled at them and after a long thought, he said, "My target was neither of them."

    "Hm? Then?"

    "It was the whole Heavenly Oracle Sect. I guess it was their lucky day."

    "...!!"

    ˇ­

    Two dayster.

    Bai n, Upper Heavens.

    One of the Twelve God ns, and one of the most powerful ns at that, the Bai n was among the absolute peaks of the world.

    In the main hall, there were hundreds of men standing, all at either side of the hall - like a royal courtroom.

    And at one side was a high tform, with a huge throne on it.

    On this throne, sat a middle-aged man.

    Everyone in the hall was silent and they were staring at a person standing in the middle of the Main Hall.

    This person was covered from head to toe in red robes, and there was an embroidery of a dragon coiling around him.

    "Why are you here, Dragon Envoy?" A voice thundered, making the whole hall tremble from its pressure alone.

    But the person at the center of this pressure, the Dragon Envoy, didn''t even flinch.

    He stared back at the middle-aged man on the throne and spoke, "We have received information from the Middle Heavens - someone will target your Second Daughter."

    There was no change in the expression of the middle-aged man, "What''s the need to inform this? My n doesn''t need anyone''s help. And those rats from the Middle Heavens? Let theme, this ce will be their graveyard."

    The Dragon Envoy remained silent for a moment before saying, "n Head Bai, the Empress doesn''t wish for you to repeat your mistakes. Your pride will only harm you. Your daughter is the only direct descendent left, the Empress has great interests in her."

    n Head Bai frowned, "Boy, don''t forget this is my house. You will be long dead before your Empress can react. Just go back to that hell. And tell that Empress of yours, I have no interest in betrothing my daughter to her bastard son."

    "Watch your words, n Head Bai!" the Dragon Envoy hissed, "You should be grateful that your daughter is getting a chance to marry the Crown Prince of the Heavens. If you continue with your ways, you will lose everything, just like how you lose your wife and your firstborn!"

    BOOM!

    In an instant, the Dragon Envoy was squished into a paste.

    The middle-aged man, n Head Bai, raised his head and stared at the ceiling. He slowly said, "I don''t like to repeat myself. The Bai n stood at the peak of the world before your Empress was even born. Just because we don''t interfere in your dirty matter, doesn''t mean you can throw that dirt on us too."

    "Go and tell this to your Empress: My daughter will marry whoever she wishes. Neither she nor the Bai n will ever again be the pawns of her schemes. This war is yours, do not drag my n in your mess - go and fight Emperor Ye Tian Xuan on your own, this time I won''t block him. Thest time I helped you people, my family was used as a pawn. Not this time, and not ever again will such a thing repeat."

    As he spoke, the bloody mess on the floor began to slowly move and reconnect - from the flesh, bones and every single drop of blood converged, and soon, the Dragon Envoy was standing with no wounds, fully healed, living, and with intact robes.

    He stared at the Bai n Head intensely and after a few minutes, his body slowly faded.

    He had left the hall.

 Chapter 596 - 596 | Xuan Tavern (I)

    Rewinding the time, we came back two days ago when Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie left the Purple Spring Garden and went back to the Fang n. From there, they were going to visit the Xuan Tavern.

    Xuan Tavern was in the Southern District, at quite a distance from the Gao n.

    It was already the talk-of-the-town because of its grandness and majestic appearance, and its background - the Gao n - had directly made it one of the most prominent ces in the Southern District, even if this ce wasn''t open to the public yet.

    The rising three-story-high, this building wasn''t the highest, but it already had its own appeal to it, which attracted gazes and turned heads of passersby who couldn''t help but pause and admire the whole building.

    Still, the most important thing that made this restaurant important was that this ce was going to treat everyone equally - from beggar to king, all were equal. With cheap yet tasty food, such as its signature dish ''Burger'' and even some full te dishes, many people were waiting for the next day - the day when this ce would open to the public!

    The first floor was fast food-rted, which included the Burger and another yet-to-be-revealed dish.

    The second floor was for the full-te main course, and the owner, Young Master Gao Xuan, had hinted that a special main course was designed, and it would be the most unique in the whole Lower Heavens!

    The third floor was a private area for the young master and other staff members.

    Simr to the one they (Gao Xuan) had in the Gracious Sword Sect, this restaurant also had a see-through ss wall on the third floor.

    And in the main hall was a huge table with a big seat on the other side and two normal seats on another side.

    But the seats were empty because the person who was supposed to upy these was standing close to the ss wall, facing the outside world, observing and waiting.

    The person was a youngdy and had her arms crossed in front of her.

    Her eyes were staring straight at the end of the main road as if waiting for someone.

    She wasn''t even blinking, afraid she might miss something.

    Just then, the door opened, and a young man walked in.

    "I knew you were here, Third Sister." The young man smiled and took a seat at the nearby couch.

    "What happened, Second Brother?" The youngdy, Gao Suyin, asked without turning around.

    "You know what it is. Father doesn''t want you to roam around for the next few weeks. It''s doesn''t look good for a youngdy who''s about to get married to roam around the city." Gao Long sighed.

    "Oh?" Gao Suyin smiled, "How am I supposed to work then?"

    "Like the usual way?" Gao Long shrugged, "He just doesn''t want you to be in your real appearance."

    "Hm," Gao Suyin nodded, "I understand that, but today, I just don''t feel like it."

    "You don''t feel like it?" Gao Long frowned, "Yin''er, you have been acting strangely for thest few days, I know it''s most probably because of the marriage, but you need to understand that we don''t have any choice in this matter."

    Gao Suyin frowned, "Couldn''t this whole ''grand n'' wait for one more year? I would have prepared everything by then."

    "It could have, but that bastard King is acting too weird. Father is afraid he might try something against youˇ­ or Gao Xuan."

    "Sigh, if only Fang Chen hadn''te to the Capital City." Gao Suyin sighed, "This whole farce of a marriage wouldn''t even be discussed."

    Gao Long nodded, "True, but he came. Anyway, that''s something we can''t change, and now, marriage is inevitable. Just don''t appear in public for the next few weeks, alright?"

    "Alright," Gao Suyin smiled, "But I can''t believe he sent you all the way just to say this, Brother. Doesn''t he know that I prefer to work behind the scenes rather than be in the spotlight?"

    "He knows this very well," Gao Long nodded, "But it''s just these rituals and stuff. You know how seriously this matter of marriage is taken, right? He just wishes you to be cautious."

    "I know." Gao Suyin replied.

    "Alright then, I will take my leave." Gao Long stood up.

    "You just came for this?" Gao Suyin frowned, "Why not wait for some more time?"

    "Hm? What for?"

    "Why not have dinner here?"

    "Here?" Gao Long frowned, "This ce is ready to serve food?"

    "It is," Gao Suyin nodded, "And today, some guests will being. I would love it if you could join them."

    "Oh? Who are they?" Gao Long couldn''t help but ask.

    Gao Suyin smiled, and unfolding her arms; she pointed at the far end of the main street, "Them."

    "Hm?" Gao Long moved and stepped beside his sister, gazing at the two carriages entering the main street, his lips curled up, "Fang n?"

    "Yes," Gao Suyin nodded, "Young Master Fang and his friends are here for dinner."

    "You invited them?"

    "Un."

    Gao Long smiled, "Alright, I will have dinner with him."

    "Really?"

    "That''s the least I can do," Gao Long shrugged, "And didn''t you say there''s someone in fang Chen''s circle who might cure the poison inside me?"

    "Yes." Gao Suyin nodded, "But it will take some time. He said the Dantian Mending Pill, even though it isn''t a high-tier pill, it''s the mostplicated to refine in its category."

    "That''s normal." Gao Long smiled, "And it''s already been three-four years since I got into this state. A few more months is no big deal."

    Gao Suyin smiled and lightly nodded.

    ˇ­

    The carriages on the main road slowly moved towards the station and stood in front of the newly built tavern.

    As it came to a halt, a small crowd formed around it, as many curious eyes stared with interest.

    The gates of the first carriage were slowly opened, and a young man walked out.

    "Young Master Fang Chen!"

    ...

    A/n: Sorry for my sudden absence. This will be myst break till we finish this goddamn story. No matter what happens, you will get 1ch/d at least.. The usual will be 2ch/d, more if this book earns.

 Chapter 597 - 597 | Xuan Tavern (II) Meeting With Gao Long

    "Young Master Fang Chen!"

    Light exmations came from the crowd upon seeing the first young master of the Fang n, Fang Chen.

    This was natural. After all, he was the current hot topic of the whole city after the announcement of the alliance by marriage between Fang Chan and the Gao n.

    "He''s hereˇ­ at the Xuan tavern?"

    "Don''t tell, he''s here to meet Young Master Gao Xuan?"

    "No, he''s here to meet the King. Dumbass, who else will hee here to meet?"

    "Hey, I was just voicing out my thoughtsˇ­"

    ˇ­.

    As the crowd spected, argued, and watched, Ye Tian Yun, disguised as Fang Chen, stepped on the surface.

    Two more young men soon followed him, both of them in dashing robes.

    These two were Jun Xie and Zheng Xiang.

    As they stepped out, the second carriage''s gate also opened, and out came two beautiful youngdies, instantly attracting the gazes of everyone present at the scene.

    Just as the group of five reunited, the gates of Xuan Tavern were slowly opened, and a young man walked out.

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit taken aback.

    He was expecting to meet Gao Xuan, not his elder brother, Gao Long.

    Gao Long smiled at them and walked towards them.

    His appearance didn''t create muchmotion because many were already aware of him being present in the tavern, having seen his carriage arrive here a few minutes ago.

    "Wee," Gao Long added while cupping his fists, "Brother-inw."

    Ye Tian Yun cupped his fists in return, "We meet again, Brother Gao."

    And then, gesturing at his friends, he introduced them, "These are my close friends, Jun Xie, Zheng Xiang, Bai Qing''er, and Miss Qing. All are part of the Gracious Sword Sect. And guys, this is Second Young Master of Gao n, Gao Long."

    (E/N: Miss Qing= Princess Wu Qingwu)

    Gao Long greeted them by cupping his fists, and they reciprocated.

    "Come in, let me be your guide to this tavern." Gao Long said, gesturing at the five to follow him inside.

    As this group of six went inside the carriage, the crowd couldn''t help but talk among themselves.

    "So they really epted this marriage? I still can''t believe itˇ­"

    "Yeah, Third Miss Gao is a fairy who has descended on this mortal ne, and Fang Chenˇ­ hmph! What else does he have except for a good background?"

    "I know, right! This is so infuriating."

    "Hey, you two! Keep your mouth shut!"

    "What? Are we saying anything wrong?"

    "No, but you will have everyone here killed! And in this world, the background is enough for a person to make his own destiny. So, shut up and get lost from this ce!"

    ˇ­

    While there was stillmotion going on outside the tavern, within the Xuan Tavern, there was a pin drop silence.

    Gao Long guided the guests through the whole tavern, showing them everything on the first floor, and then they headed toward the second floor.

    The first floor mainly had circr tables with seating for four at once. There were about twenty to thirty such seats.

    The second floor, on the other hand, was much morevish and decorated.

    "This is for a full-course meal." Young Master Gao Long said as they stepped inside the huge hall.

    On one of the sides was a huge curtain.

    "Beyond that is the kitchen area." He exined, "This kitchen is on the lower floor too."

    After everyone was seated, he added, "The floor above is staff-only. We will take a tour of the kitchen after dinner."

    "That would be great," Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    "So, how have you been since west met?" Gao Long asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, there was a small breakthrough in my cultivation. Other than that, nothing worth mentioning happened."

    "Oh? What about your marriage announcement?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "As I said, nothing worth mentioning happened."

    Gao Long frowned but chose to ignore Ye Tian Yun''s remarks, "What about the Royal Edict?"

    "Ah, thatˇ­" Ye Tian Yun sighed, "That thing did annoy me for some time."

    "Oh? May I ask why?"

    "Well, one of the reasons was that it targeted our ns'' alliance."

    "Hm?" Gao Long was surprised upon hearing these words.

    ''Prime Minister Fang told him about the loss?''

    This was surprising because it wasmon knowledge that Fang Chen wasn''t normally included in the core n matters.

    ''Prime Minister Fang must have started to groom him to be the next n Head.''

    Unaware of Gao Long''s thoughts, Ye Tian Yun continued to speak, "Well, there is one more reason, but this is a bit personal. Just think that I suffered a simr loss, but it was my private loss."

    "Oh?" Gao Long smiled, "Now I am quite curious about it."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged. This was literally their first official meeting. ''Did this guy really think I would tell him everything?''

    Taking a hint, Gao Long changed the topic, "Are you nning to take part in the Grand Spirit Hunt?"

    "No," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I have better things to do."

    "Really?" Gao Long couldn''t help but smirk, "Like? I am sure epting the reality is not one of them."

    "What do you mean, Young Master Gao?" Zheng Xiang narrowed his eyes.

    Gao Long shrugged, "Well, it''s up to you how you interpret my words, but what I am saying is, Fang Chen still has a long way to go. And honestly, I feel like this is the right decision because he won''t lose face for the Fang n and my sister."

    "Are you- " Just as Zheng Xiang was about to argue with him, he suddenly felt a nudge on his leg and turned silent.

    "You are right, Young Master Gao Long." Ye Tian Yun smiled, "But one shouldn''t throw stones at other people''s houses when their own is made out of ss."

    Gao Long narrowed his eyes, and after a few moments of a staredown, he sighed.

    "Fang Chen, you''re different from what I have thought. I shall be the first to apologize for my rude behavior. It''s just I am not satisfied with how my sister must marry for this alliance to work out."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Indeed, this is troublesome."

    "Troublesome?" Gao Long scratched his chin, "Aren''t you the one who wanted this marriage to happen so desperately?"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Since when? I honestly had no say in this whole matter."

 Chapter 598 - 598 | The Dinner

    "I came back from the sect, and the next day I was told about the marriage," Ye Tian Yun frowned, "And you''re saying that I was the desperate one?"

    Gao Long shrugged, "Yeah, it was you who wanted to get engaged, but this was more than a year ago. Your wish was, however, rejected by both of our ns. But because of some reasons, this marriage is now happening."

    "Oh, really?" Ye Tian Yun found it hard to believe Gao Long''s words.

    Fang Chen was not a normal kid. He calcted everything and would never want to have any limelight. And asking for an engagement with Gao n''s Third Miss would have definitely made him the center of attention.

    Ye Tian Yun inwardly sighed and changed the topic, "I guess I was being childish. Anyway, I don''t see Young Master Gao Xuan. Is he not here?"

    Gao Long pursed his lips, "He will be here soon. Why don''t we have some dessert first?"

    "Sure," Ye Tian Yun shrugged.

    He had already lost interest in conversing with Gao Long.

    ''It''s not like I want to marry your sister. Once I am done with my work, I will just fake my death and disappear. She''s marrying Fang Chen, not Ye Tian Yun.''

    Ye Tian Yun thought to himself.

    He knew his thoughts were a bit delusional, but when it came to marriage and interpersonal rtionships, Ye Tian Yun was quitecking in this field.

    While Ye Tian Yun was silent, Jun Xie and Gao Long were conversing.

    Zheng Xiang didn''t say anything because he felt Gao Long was disrespectful towards Ye Tian Yun, whom he respected a lot and considered thetter a brother.

    "Oh, here they are." Gao Long smiled as one of the maids came over to the table and handed over the brochure.

    "You should try the new thing, it isn''t the main course, but I think you would love it once you try." He suggested.

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun stared at the list, "Is it this one? French Fries?"

    "Yeah," Gao Long nodded, "They are my favorite. Though, I don''t rmend too many of them."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Let''s try it then."

    Gao Long then said, "And the main course, well, except for the quality cook, the dishes are not unique ones. My brother hasn''t finalized the new dishes yet, or I would have definitely rmended that."

    "Oh, then what do you rmend for now?"

    "Hm, right now? Well, I say this oneˇ­"

    ˇ­.

    Agreeing to Gao Long''s rmendation, Ye Tian Yun and the others chose their respective dishes.

    About five minutester, the curtain behind moved, and a maid brought a te of French Fries.

    "Ah, I can never get over this smell!" Gao Long smile.

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit taken aback upon tasting them.

    "It''s potatoˇ­"

    "Yeah," Gao Long smiled, "But that''s not the only unique thing. It''s this!"

    He then moved his hand on one of the bottles on the tes and squeezed out a reddish paste right beside the french fries on the te.

    "This is called Sauce." He said, "Dip the tip of your french fries and take a bite."

    Ye Tian Yun followed, and upon tasting, a smile formed on his face.

    "It''s not the tastiest thing, but it''s a bit addictive," He assessed.

    Jun Xie also nodded, "Yeah, this is unique. I think the saltiness and crispness are what makes this whole thing stand out."

    Gao Long smiled and asked, "How about you, my youngdies?"

    "It''s definitely something I would want to have asionally." Bai Qing''er said.

    Wu Qingwu also nodded, "It''s good."

    "Yes." Zheng Xiang only said one word.

    Gao Long smiled lightly at him for a moment, and then he too began to eat his French Fries.

    Just as he took the first bite, he suddenly frowned.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    But not focusing too much on his thoughts, he continued to have the French Fries.

    "These and the burger are called Fast Foods." Gao Long started, "It''s mainly because they can be made fast, and in great numbers, at once. And another reason is that it''s less messy than a full meal."

    "But these are not much in amount. You have noticed that too, right?"

    As Ye Tian Yun nodded, Gao Long added, "It''s to bring in more customers, and another reason is that having too much of these, especially French Fries at once, will make you averse from them."

    ˇ­

    They finished the French Fries and talked some more about the iing Grand Spirit Hunt.

    A few minutester, the main course was brought in.

    It didn''t take long before it was served, and the guests began to eat.

    "It''s tasty." Ye Tian Yunmented after his first mouthful, "The dishes are quitemon ones, butˇ­ the taste. It''s unique and worth it."

    Gao Long smiled. He had yet to start his dinner, and upon hearing YeTian Yun''sment, a thought appeared in his mind.

    ''Wait till you eat my sister''s hand-cooked food.''

    His sister, Gao Suyin, was the best cook that he knew of, and if someone asked him who would be the best cook in the Lower Heavens - he wouldn''t even think before naming his younger sister.

    ''And this bastard will get to enjoy her cookingˇ­''

    No one knew or would believe if they heard that the main reason why Gao Long was dissatisfied by the marriage agreement between Gao and Fang n was that he wouldn''t be able to eat her sister''s hand-cooked food daily after she got married.

    ''Sigh, she only started to cook for me a year agoˇ­ now I only have three weeks left before she goes to the Fang nˇ­.''

    Gao Suyin''s cooking had made Gao Long a food enthusiast - albeit only for her sister''s cooking.

    In simple words, he was ''Gao Suyin''s Cooked Food Enthusiast.''

    Inwardly sighing, he moved his chopsticks and put the first bite in his mouth.

    As soon as the food touched his tongue, a frown appeared on his face.

    ''Thisˇ­ this is not normal cooking...''

    ''This is Suyin''s cooking!''

    ''She cooked this dinner herself!?''

 Chapter 599 - 599 | Ye Tian Yuns Wish To Each Such Food Every Day

    About ten minutes after the first bite, Ye Tian Yun had finished off the whole te.

    ''Who cooked this?''

    He was very curious.

    The food was simply too delicious.

    Even as the Crown Prince of the Great Ye Empire, he had never had such delicious food.

    "I would like to meet the cook." Ye Tian Yun spoke immediately after everyone finished their meal.

    "Uhˇ­" Gao Long was suddenly at a loss for words, "Um, I don''t think that''s a good ideaˇ­"

    "Oh? Why?" Ye Tian Yun was confused by his response.

    "Umˇ­ myˇ­ my Fourth Brother said he wanted to keep the cook a secret." Gao Long bbered whatever came to his mind.

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "That''s quite unfortunate. Maybe Gao Xuan will introduce him to meter."

    "Yeah, he might." Gao Long lightly nodded. ''I am sure he will flip out when the truthes outˇ­''

    Zheng Xiang suddenly asked, "What if it''s Gao Xuan who''s cooking this time too?"

    "Nah," Gao Long denied, "Gao Xuan isn''t here. If he were, he would havee out personally since he''s the one who invited you."

    "Yeah, I thought so." Zheng Xiang nodded.

    "By the wayˇ­ from your words earlierˇ­ Do you mean to say you have eaten the food personally cooked by him?" Gao Long asked.

    "Yeah," Zheng Xiang nodded, "It was a few months ago. He invited me, Qing''er, and Brother Fang to his restaurant and cooked Burger for us."

    "Oh reallyˇ­?" Gao Long was surprised.

    ''When did she go to the Gracious Sword Sect? Wait, this also means she has already met with Fang Chen? I should talk to her about thisˇ­''

    "Yeah, we were lucky to be one of the first people to have his cooked burgers." Ye Tian Yun said.

    Gao Long smiled, "He does cook tasty ones."

    ˇ­

    After a few more minutes of discussion, Ye Tian Yun and his friends took their leave from the Xuan Tavern.

    Gao Long bid them farewell and sighed upon returning back to the second floor.

    He then went straight to the kitchen area.

    Inside the kitchen, there was only one person!

    "I was right," Gao Long frowned upon stepping in, "Suyin, you''re the owner of the tavern; why are you cooking? Didn''t you hire and train many cooks recently?"

    Gao Suyin smiled while replying, "It''s no big deal, Brother, and I sent the cooks back home for today."

    "Oh? May I ask why did you do that?"

    Gao Suyin shrugged, "Well, I was feeling bored."

    "Bored?" Gao Long sighed, "You could havee out as Gao Xuan."

    "Nah, couldn''t do thatˇ­" She shook her head.

    "Hn? Why?"

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips, and after a few moments of silence, she said, "Brother, it''s in cooldown."

    "So early?"

    "Yeah," Gao Suyin nodded, "I have been using it too much in thest few days. Even the number of clones has increased. I thought it was manageable, but then most of its power got spent when the clones felt strong emotions."

    "Ah, so how long is this time''s cooldown?"

    "I don''t knowˇ­ maybe a week?"

    "A week?" Gao Long nodded, "That''s alright. As long as it''s back before your marriage, there isn''t a big problem."

    Gao Suyin shook her head, "No, Brother. The situation is a bit moreplicated right now. Fang Chen asked me to meet him five dayster. I might be heading somewhere with him."

    "What!? No!" Gao Long frowned, "Absolutely not! You two are getting married, can''t you both wait for three more weeks? Oh wait, does he know the truth?"

    "No, he told Gao Xuan to apany him."

    "Hmˇ­ I don''t know what to sayˇ­." Gao Long frowned, "What if there''s another cooldown when you''re with him? Won''t Gao Xuan disappear?"

    "Yesˇ­" Gao Suyin sighed.

    "It''s better you don''t go." Gao Long said, "Don''t take unnecessary risks. We don''t know how Fang Chen will react - and to be honest, I think he will most likely try to snatch your Token."

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips, "I don''t know what to doˇ­"

    Gao Long scratched his chin, "Do you wish to go with him?"

    Gao Suyin sighed, "That''s the problem. I don''t know what to doˇ­"

    "Well, the cooldown won''t end, so don''t waste your time thinking about all this, alright?" Gao Long replied.

    "Yeah."

    ˇ­

    Inside the Fang n carriage, which had just left the Xuan Tavern, was YeTianYun.

    While Jun Xie and Zheng Xiang were discussing the food, Ye Tian Yun was also thinking about it, but he wasn''t very vocal about his thoughts.

    The food was indeed quite memorable.

    ''It was so good that I even wanted to poach the cook and bring him with me to the Middle Heavens. The cook was able to make such simple dishes into heavenly cuisinesˇ­''

    ''I wish I could eat such food every dayˇ­''

    Other than the food, there was one more thought in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    ''Where was Gao Xuan?''

    He had a strong feeling that Gao Xuan was in the building, but he didn''t show himself for some reason.

    ''I wanted to bring him along to the Thunder Valley.''

    It was just a whimsical thought, but for some reason, Ye Tian Yun felt like he should bring Gao Xuan with him.

    ''Well, I guess now he won''t be joining me on the trip.''

    Ye Tian Yun then focused on his next steps.

    He was nning to go into closed-door cultivation for the next few days.

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Zheng Xiang suddenly nudged him from side and asked, "Brother Fang, what do you think?"

    "Huh? About what?"

    "About what Brother Jun just said. Should I also apany you guys on the trip?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Of Course. That''s a must. But before that, I will show you something tonight. Head to my courtyard after we reach the n, I will join you guys soon after having a word with Prime Minister Fang."

    "Oh? Now I am curious, what''s it that you wish to show us?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "A way to increase your cultivation faster.. It''s not yet confirmed, but if my hunch is true, then from tonight, your whole life is about to change."

 Chapter 600 - 600 | Their Origins

    "A way to increase our cultivation speed?" Zheng Xiang was surprised, "Really?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Why would I lie? BUTˇ­ as I said, I am not sure if it will work or not."

    Jun Xie frowned, "Will it help in alchemy? Remember the pill you wanted? The Dantian Mending Pill? It''s quiteplicated, and I think it will take some more time than we had earlier expected."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I understand. Well, it might help you with the alchemy too. We will know once I have confirmed everything."

    Zheng Xiang sighed, "This is good. My cultivation iscking a lot, and if this goes on, I will end up as a burden on you guys."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Well, it''s true that you''re currently very weak, but if you make the right use of your bloodline, you might catch up."

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "I hope so!"

    "Bloodline?" Jun Xie frowned; he was unaware of Zheng Xiang''s bloodline ability, which helped him in improving his cultivation base.

    "Well, it''s nothing much," Zheng Xiang didn''t hide anything, "My bloodline is somewhat special, and because of it, I never face any bottlenecks. In simple words, as long as I have enough cultivation resources, I will be able to break through to the next stage."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie smiled, "You''re the second person whom I have met that can do this. But, aren''t you from a normal n? Your n was in Silver Mist City, right?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "Yeah, but I was adopted. My adoptive father found me in an injured state when I was less than a year old. Anyway, who''s the other person with such a bloodline?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "You''re talking to him."

    "Talking to himˇ­ waitˇ­ what!?" Zheng Xiang had his eyes open in shock, "Really!?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "It''s not that big of a deal, to be honest. It''s just something that I chose not to reveal to anyone."

    "Damn!" Zheng Xiang was speechless.

    Even Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    "I thought I may have something that can help me catch up with you guys!" Zheng Xiang sighed, "Not that I am not happy for you, Brother Jun, but it''s just, I really thought my bloodline may have made a difference."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "You don''t have to worry about me. I am an alchemist."

    Zheng Xiang pursed his lips, "Why are you going after alchemy? You could have easily reached the peak of Tri-Qi Realms by now if you had chosen to focus on cultivation."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "I am almost a Level Three Alchemist. It''s not official yet, but I am sure I am the youngest Level Three Alchemist in the Lower Heavens."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    ''Indeedˇ­ but the Lower Heavens is not the whole world. There''s the Middle Heavensˇ­ there lives a genius who reached Level Three when he was just twelveˇ­''

    A familiar ''friendly'' face appeared in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and cleared his thoughts.

    He didn''t wish to ruin his mood by thinking about a useless enemy.

    "Senior Brother Jun, since we''re talking about bloodlines, I must tell you''re not the first person whom I have encountered who has this bloodline."

    Ye Tian Yun nced at him, "There''s someone else?"

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "Indeed. And we all know her very closely."

    "Hm? Who?" Jun Xie frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun already guessed in his mind.

    "Bai Qing''er?" He said.

    "Yes!" Zheng Xiang smiled, "How did you guess her name, though?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Do you remember the Royal Edict?"

    The other two nodded.

    "Then you must also remember the pressure everyone felt? That was bloodline pressure. It''s a despicable trick and something that''s frowned upon by powerful sects and ns. Well, the more powerful your bloodline is, the less pressure you will feel."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "Is that why many people had bad expressions while I didn''t feel much pressure?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, that''s precisely what happened. And the reason why I guessed Bai Qing''er has the bloodline is that she didn''t feel any pressure. Clearly, her bloodline is more powerful than King Xin''s."

    "Woah! I didn''t notice thatˇ­." Zheng Xiang was amazed by this observation.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, now we have three people with powerful bloodlines. And another coincidence is that you two have never met your parents. Did Bai Qing''er know about her n, or is she adopted too?"

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t know much about Bai Qing''er''s background, but he did know a few things, like the fact that she was actually an orphan.

    "Um, actually, I don''t know if I am the right person to say this, but here it goes - she doesn''t remember her past." Zheng Xiang sighed, "The oldest memory she has is of her mother''s face and a gift her mother gave her."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    Jun Xie nced at Ye Tian Yun and asked, "My father is from Middle Heavens, right?"

    "Umˇ­ not quiteˇ­." Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "He''s in the Middle Heavens, but I don''t think that''s his birthce. If you possess the same bloodline, thenˇ­ there''s a possibility that you are from the Upper Heavens!"

    "Upper Heavens!" Jun Xie gulped.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "And same goes for Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er!"

    Zheng Xiang frowned, "Brother Fangˇ­ no, I am not from the Upper Heavens."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun was taken aback, "What do you mean?"

    "I will never consider myself to be a part of the Upper Heavens," Zheng Xiang said with a solemn expression, "To me, the Zheng n in the Silver Mist City was my home, and it will forever be my home. And the goal of my life is vengeance!"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "What if your real parents were forced to leave you?"

    Zheng Xiang shrugged, "Why does that matter? My adoptive father took care of me more than anyone else."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Well, that''s true."

    Exhaling a long breath, he added, "Well, I won''t speak more on this topic, but if you ever meet your real parents in the future, Zheng Xiang, I want you to listen to their side of the story. No parent would abandon their child."

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "I will try."

    Then turning towards Jun Xie, he asked, "Brother Jun, what will you do if you ever meet your father?"

 Chapter 601 - 601 | Madam Xins Hunch

    "Iˇ­" Jun Xie lowered his gaze, and after a long moment of silence, he said, "I don''t knowˇ­ I don''t know how I will react. For my whole life, I have hated him, but recently, my opinion of him is changingˇ­ Maybe I will do what Brother Fang has just said. I will listen to his side of the story."

    Zheng Xiang smiled, "Alright, then today, I promise you guys - I will definitely give my parents a chance if they are alive. And I hope they are because I have a lot of questions to ask."

    Just then, the carriage came to a halt.

    "Young Master, we have reached home."

    A guard from outside called out.

    ''Home, huh?'' Ye Tian Yun smiled while shaking his head.

    A few momentster, all three of them were standing out, and the two youngdies were also stepping out of the carriage.

    Ye Tian Yun turned towards Jun Xie and Zheng Xian, "Come to my courtyard after a few minutes. I will go ahead and have a chat with Prime Minister Fang. Meanwhile, you can bring Miss Wu and Sister Bai back to the Guest Courtyard."

    "Alright," Jun Xie replied, while Zheng Xiang nodded.

    Ye Tian Yun bade them farewell and headed for the Main Courtyard...

    It was past dinner time, and Ye Tian Yun wanted to meet Prime Minister Fang and inform him about his n for closed-door cultivation and the nned visit to the Thunder Valley after five days.

    It wasn''t long before he found Prime Minister Fang. Unlike usual times, thetter was sitting on a cushion on the Second Floor, with Madam Xin sitting beside him.

    As Ye Tian Yun approached, he was able to hear their discussion, loud and clear.

    "....is right," Madam Xin said, "This design is really good, what do you think?"

    Prime Minister Fang nodded, "Yes, it''s pretty exquisite. But there''s too much golden design. It might seem a bit extravagant!"

    "What extravagant? Hmph! It''s my son''s wedding, and you want me to send normal flyers to invite everyone?" Madam Xin pouted.

    Prime Minister Fang rolled his eyes, "Of course not, it''s just, we don''t need to act so high and mighty, do we?"

    "Sigh, it''s just one wedding," Madam Xin frowned, "It''s the first wedding in the next generation. I don''t know what you want to say, but I want my son to have the best!"

    Prime Minister Fang sighed, "You think I don''t want that? Sigh, alright, let''s go with this one!"

    "Yay!" Madam Xin''s face instantly lit up with joy, "You''re the best!"

    "I know," Prime Minister Fang smiled, "We will have invitation cards ready in a few days. How is everything else going on? Have you decided on the dancers and other decorations?"

    "I am still looking for the best," Madam Xin smiled, "As I said, for the next five days, I will n everything and start with the arrangements!"

    Prime Minister Fang couldn''t help but smile upon seeing the excitement in Madam Xin''s eyes, suddenly his expression faltered, and he turned his head towards the door.

    The door was pushed open, and a young man stepped inside.

    "Xiao Chen!" Madam Xin smiled, "You''re back? How was the dinner, son?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It was good. Really good. You should havee with me. You would have definitely enjoyed it."

    Prime Minister Fang shrugged, "I told you to talk to your mother about this."

    Madam Xin rolled her eyes, "You twoˇ­ how can we go with us? You''re the one who was invited. It will look bad, and don''t forget that the other party is our future inws!"

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "I should have asked them to pack some foodˇ­ ugh, it was so tasty that I totally forgot about this."

    "It''s alright, son," Madam Xin smiled and moved her hands, gesturing at Ye Tian Yun, "Come here, first. And look at this."

    Ye Tian Yun walked over and saw different types of exquisite scrolls in red, green, and yellow colors.

    "Are theseˇ­"

    "Yes," Madam Xin grinned, "These are samples for the wedding invitation! Which one do you like?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and pointed at the one which Madam Xin had chosen earlier; he said, "This one is quite good."

    "I know, right!" Madam Xin nodded with a proud expression, "You have good taste."

    Prime Minister Fang rolled his eyes, "Alright, alright, anyway, what happened, Xiao Chen? Are you here just to talk, or is it something else?"

    Ye Tian Yun took a breath and said, "I am here to discuss two things. One, I will be going into closed-door cultivation for the next five days, and secondly, once I am out, I will be leaving the n to visit the Thunder Valley."

    "Hm? But sonˇ­ your weddingˇ­" Madam Xin frowned.

    "I know, but I must go to the Thunder Valley."

    Prime Minister Fang thought for a moment and said, "Well, if you promise me that you aren''t running away from the marriage, I will allow you to go."

    Ye Tian Yun cleared his throat and said, "I am not running away."

    Prime Minister Fang nodded, "Alright, I will prepare Golden Ferghana Horses for you. Are you nning to go alone?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No, I will be taking the other four with me."

    "Oh, alright," Prime Minister Fang smiled, "I will have the horses arranged."

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Alright, you guys continue, I will take my leave."

    Madam Xin smiled, "Have some rest, son. And good luck with your cultivation."

    "Thank youˇ­" Ye Tian Yun smiled and, giving a light bow, he left the room, heading for Fang Chen''s courtyard.

    Madam Xin stared at the door through which Ye Tian Yun had left. Her smile had receded and her eyes had dimmed.

    It didn''t take long before Prime Minister Fang noticed something amiss.

    "What happened?" He asked.

    Madam Xin sighed, "I think he knew the truthˇ­"

    "What?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Why did you think that? Su Ming promised he won''t reveal the truth to him, at least not yet."

    Madam Xin sighed, "It''s not about thatˇ­ it''s just my gut feeling. Have you noticed one thing?"

    "What?"

    "Ever since Xiao Chen returned from the sect, not once has he called me Mother or referred to you as Fatherˇ­"

    "...."

 Chapter 602 - 602 | I Had Everything But Parental Love

    Ye Tian Yun stepped out of the Main Courtyard and paused.

    Staring at the night sky, he couldn''t help but let out a sigh.

    The conversation between Madam Fang and PrimE Minister Fang just before he entered the second floor replied in his mind.

    ''I shouldn''t have heard those wordsˇ­''

    No matter how much Ye Tian Yun tried to steel his heart but hearing the doting words of Madam Xin and Prime Minister Fang, Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but feel unfortunate.

    He had the world''s most powerful background, and he was also a genius, but there was one thing hecked - parental love.

    Emperor Ye was always busy in his own quests and fights and had rarely interacted with Ye Tian Yun.

    As for his motherˇ­ Ye Tian Yun didn''t even remember her face.

    Even though he felt extreme anger if someone cursed her, he didn''t even remember how she looked.

    And looking at how lucky Fang Chen was, he couldn''t help but feel jealous and was even slightly angry at Fang Chen.

    ''That dumbassˇ­ he was one of the most intelligent people of his generation, yet he failed to notice how much everyone around him loved him; instead, he hated the Fang n to the coreˇ­.''

    In the previous timeline, Fang Chen, with the help of Wang Yao and Crown Prince Xin, had destroyed the Fang n - beheading Prime Minister Fang with his own sword.

    ''And here, the Fang Couple is actually excited for their son''s marriage, who actually isn''t even their son; he''s their nephew.''

    ''Prime Minister Fang knows this for sureˇ­ and despite the reports, he actually loves Fang Chen, rather than hating Fang Chen.''

    ''It''s pretty clear nowˇ­ Fang Chen got manipted by Xin Royal n. Since it''s pretty clear that King Xin doesn''t like Prime Minister Fang.''

    Rubbing his face once, he resumed his steps and headed for Fang Chen''s courtyard.

    ''I need to be strong. At the end of the day, this nˇ­ is not my home, and it never will be. The Fang couple will hate me to the core if they ever be aware of the truth, and i can''t even fathom the reaction of Fang Chen''s real parentsˇ­.''

    ''Sect Leader Su will most likely betray the Great Ye Corps once he knows that I have killed the real Fang Chen.''

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and cleared his mind.

    ''It''s not the time to focus on unnecessary thoughts.''

    There were many more important things to do, and Ye Tian Yun wanted to focus on them. Like Xin Xue Qing, the Thunder Valley, Shi Yan, and so onˇ­

    ''But before all these, let''s increase some firepower.''

    By firepower, he meant the cultivation of the four who were currently in the Guest Courtyard.

    Because he had the Token Of Fate, Ye Tian Yun was able to see the favourability other people had towards him.

    And even Wu Qingwu, with whom he barely interacted, had Four Stars Favourability.

    Zheng Xiang had Five Stars, while Jun Xie had the highest, Six Stars Favourability; he considered Ye Tian Yun as his brother.

    It was only Bai Qing''er whose favourability he couldn''t see. But in her case, Ye Tian Yun was going on his gut feeling, and it told him that Bai Qing''er was trustworthy.

    ''I wonder why I can''t see the favourability of these peopleˇ­''

    Bai Qing''er, Gao Xuan, the Girl he met in the NSN base, Gao Suyin, the burger girlˇ­

    ''There definitely is a reason behind this, but only Gao Xuan was famous in my previous life, the rest were nobodiesˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and paused for a moment upon looking ahead.

    He had already reached Fang Chen''s courtyard.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun headed for the hall.

    His courtyard also had a hall, but he rarely used it. He was mostly in the bedroom.

    In the hall, Jun Xie and Zheng Xiang were chatting with each other. And just by overhearing a few words, it became apparent that they were discussing the illusion technique and the spar they had earlier today.

    It looked like Zheng Xiang was hellbent on cracking the illusion technique.

    ''There are no shortcutsˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled as he entered the hall.

    Noticing the arrival, Zheng Xiang and Jun Xie turned their heads towards him, and thetter asked.

    "What is your cultivation realm, brother fang?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Higher than yours."

    "..." Zheng Xiang frowned, "WIll I ever be able to catch up with you?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, I had a very good head start. You will have to cultivate a lot to not be a burden in the future."

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "I understand. And this is why I am quite excited; what is the thing you wanted to show us, brother?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "This."

    As soon as the word left his mouth, a scroll appeared from the spatial ring.

    He put the scroll on the ground and unfolded it.

    "A painting?" Zheng Xiang frowned.

    "It''s beautifulˇ­." Jun Xie couldn''t help but be amazed at this painting.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "This is not a simple painting. It''s like a spatial ring, but even living beings can enter this space."

    "Oh? What''s it called?" Ye Tian Yun''s words had put Jun Xie and Zheng Xiang''s attention fully on the painting.

    "Nine Heavens Painting!"

    "Wow, the nameˇ­."

    "Kinda edgy."

    "Yeah..."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I got it from an ally, who is not an annoying nemesis. Let''s get into this; I will show you something."

    Jun Xie gave a wry smile, "How are we supposed to enter this?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Leave that to me. This painting is bound to me. And taking you guys is the first step of the total two. If we canplete the second step, you guys will be able to increase your cultivation at a very fast rate."

    Zheng Xiang rubbed his hands together while saying, "Let''s get on with it then!"

    Jun Xie nodded.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and raised his hand; he snapped his finger.

    Siu!

    All three of them suddenly disappeared, leaving the painting on the table.

 Chapter 603 - 603 | Cultivating Inside The Painting

    Inside the Nine Heavens Painting.

    "Uhˇ­" Zheng Xiang opened his eyes, and looking at the scene; he couldn''t help but frown.

    Rubbing his eyes a few times, he doubted he saw it right, and his doubts echoed with Jun Xie''s words.

    "It''s whiteˇ­" Jun Xie said.

    "Yeahˇ­" Zheng Xiang frowned, "I was expecting a huge sceneryˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun chuckled, "We may have good scenery here in a week or two."

    "Sceney or not, I don''t have any problem." Jun Xie said, "But this ceˇ­ feels normal."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah, but as I earlier said, this is only the first step, and even this step is not yetpleted."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You will understand. Leave the rest to me, and wait for a few moments." Ye Tian Yun smiled and disappeared from the painting space.

    Jun Xie shrugged and said while sitting cross-legged on the white surface, "Let''s wait for him then."

    Zheng Xiang nodded and sat beside him.

    ˇ­

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes, he was back in the room.

    He then took the Painting back to his room without folding it.

    Then locked the door and sat beside the Painting on the bed.

    He then closed his eyes and tried to take the Painting with him to the cultivation space.

    Upon opening his eyes, he found himself in the cultivation space.

    But to his surprise, there was someone else beside him - Wang Yao!

    "What are you doing here?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Of course I will be here. Especially if you bring others to this space."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You knew?"

    "Of Course. I know whatever happens in this space since I am a part of the Emblem Of Time."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Hmm, so, is there any problem with me bringing others?"

    "No, as long as they stay in the painting." Wang Yao said. "This space is for you alone, and it will repel others. But yeah, the Painting is a loophole. They can cultivate inside the Painting and also enjoy the benefits of this cultivation space."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Same benefits, or will there be a few disadvantages?"

    "Of Course, there will be a few drawbacks." Wang Yao nodded, "But I don''t know yet what the problem will be."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "How did Wang Yao increase the cultivation of God''s Legion? He didn''t have cultivation space; did he use anything else?"

    "He used the Nine Heavens Painting."

    "What?" Ye ITan Yun was taken aback, "Really?"

    "Yeah," Wang Yao nodded, "But not this one. This is just a cheap copy of the actual Nine Heavens Painting."

    "..."

    "Don''t believe me?"

    "ruytrtyytytBah! Fuck the system," Wang Yao rolled his eyes, "The system was always trying to use you. It''s way more powerful than you think and could have given you a better option. The real Nine Heavens Painting does have scenery in it, but the most important thing is time dtion. It can increase the passage of time by three times, tripling the God''s Legion''s time they had for cultivation."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Tripling? So, the Emblem is still more powerful than the Painting?"

    "Of course!" Wang Yao shrugged in a matter-of-factly way, "Emblems directly aid the people in cultivation. Emblem of Time, Emblem of Luck and Emblem of Soul - they aid the person in cultivation."

    "What about the Emblem Of Chaos?" Ye Tian Yun frowned."

    "Umˇ­ that''s a bit different." Wang Yao said, "It does help in cultivation, but in a different way. Also, unlike the Emblem of Tume, this one doesn''t need external factors like the Painting to share it''s ability."

    "And trust me, this ability is very important for you."

    "What is the ability?" Ye Tian Yun was curious."

    Wang Yao smiled, "Don''t be hasty. You will know once you have gained Shi Yan''s trust and awakened his Emblem."

    "Awakened?"

    "Yes." Wang Yao nodded, "The Emblem of Chaos works differently, and since Shi Yan is not aware of its presence, it won''t be easy for him to awaken it. In the previous timeline, he awakened it at the age of eighteen because he was at the lowest stage of his life."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Does this Emblem need strong emotions to simte?"

    "Nah," Wang Yao shook his head, "Don''t think too much about it right now. Everything will be clear when you meet Shi Yan."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged and then went inside the Painting.

    Wang Yao also disappeared and went back to the ck space.

    ˇ­

    Inside the Painting, sensing Ye Tian Yun''s arrival, the other two opened their eyes.

    "How did it go?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It worked. Now cultivation here for one night, and you will know what I am talking about."

    "Alright." Jun Xie shrugged,

    Zheng Xiang asked, "But there is no Qi in hereˇ­."

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes, "Don''t you have Qi Strengthening Pills?"

    "Yeahˇ­ but aren''t theyˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun interrupted him, "Don''t worry about the pills, just cultivate."

    Zheng Xiang sighed, "You better ask for my help in the future. I don''t want to feel like I am leeching off you."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Well, Zheng Xiang, just focus on cultivation. Just know that you won''t be any help unless you reach the Foundation Establishment."

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "I will cultivate nonstop!"

    Ye Tian Yun jumped andnded a few hundred meters away, "Let''s cultivate."

    Zheng Xiang also stood up and jumped a few hundred meters away.

    All three then focused on cultivation.

    Zheng Xiang was digesting Qi Strengthening Pills and practicing his sword arts, while Jun Xie was busy with his alchemy.

    As for Ye Tian Yun, he was focusing on increasing his cultivation and targeting to reach the stage - the Third Level of Core Formation Realm.

    It wasn''t going to be easy, but with the help of cultivation space, he was definitely going to save a lot of time.

    Time went by, and they had now cultivated for eight hours.

 Chapter 604 - 604 | Answers

    The trio was cultivating in the Nine Heavens Painting for thest eight hours now.

    While Jun Xie and Zheng Xiang were quite confused at how this ce was going to help them in increasing their cultivation, Ye Tian Yun just said to wait and watch.

    With no other choice, they could only focus on their own cultivation.

    As for Ye Tian Yun, he too was focused on his cultivation. The reason why he chose to stay in the painting instead of getting out and cultivating in the Cultivation Space was that he wanted to see the time dtion in the Nine Heavens Painting.

    Another reason was that Jun Xie and Zheng Xiang wouldn''t be able toe out of the painting on their own, and right now, they were unaware of the time dtion. After eight hours, they would think that night had passed, and Ye Tian Yun wanted to witness the amazement on their faces, the same expression which he, himself, had when he first got out of the Cultivation Space.

    ''I hope the time dtion is good enough, or else it won''t be much helpˇ­''

    And as eight hours went by, Jun Xie stood up.

    After stretching his body, he then nced at the other two, and after a moment, he said, "Should we go out?"

    Zheng Xiang was too focused on cultivation thus missed his words, but Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and stood up.

    "Let''s go." Ye Tian Yun said, then ncing at Zheng Xiang, he added, "Xiang,e if you want to see something crazy."

    Zheng Xiang frowned a bit and opened his eyes.

    "It''s already morning?"

    He was so focused on cultivation that he didn''t even notice the passage of time.

    Jun Xie nodded, "Yeah, it''s been eight hours since we came here. I guess it''s early morning outside."

    "Ah, let''s go out then. Cultivating under the rising sun at dawn is the best." Zheng Xiang stood up.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and disappeared for a moment.

    The first thing he needed to do was bring the painting out of the cultivation space.

    ''Even though it will expel them out if they were to appear here, who knows if they will sustain any injuries from thisˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun appeared back on his bed and then went back to the painting.

    "Let''s go."

    Without waiting for any response, he took the other two out of the painting with him.

    "Hm?" First thing Jun Xie and Zheng Xiang noticed was the change of location.

    "Howe we came to a bedroom from a hall?"

    "It''s my bedroom." Ye Tian Yun said, "I bought the painting here to avoid any unnecessary trouble."

    Jun Xie nodded, but suddenly he sensed something and frowned.

    Moving towards the window, he pulled the lock and pushed them open.

    "Huh!?"

    The scene in front of him surprised him.

    Even Zheng Xiang was taken aback.

    "It''s still nightˇ­"

    Indeed. It was still night, and the moon was shining bright in the night sky.

    "It looks like it''s still midnightˇ­" Zheng Xiang said.

    Jun Xie lightly nodded, "But didn''t we spend eight hours cultivating? Howe only four hours have passed outside?"

    Suddenly, something dawned upon the two, and they immediately turned their heads towards Ye Tian Yun in surprise, "Time dtion!?"

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "Yes."

    "Is it because of the Painting?" Zheng Xiang was amazed.

    And so was Jun Xie, "How does this thing even work?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "It''s quiteplicated, anyway; you understand what I was talking about, right?"

    The other nodded.

    "The cultivation time I have literally doubledˇ­" Zheng Xiang took a deep breath, "I might be a high-tier Qi Stabilization Realm cultivator by the Grand Spirit Hunt!"

    Jun Xie agreed, "Indeed. This painting will help us immensely. I think it won''t be long before I seed in refining the Dantian Mending Pill."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "How long do you think it will take? Any guesses?"

    Jun Xie thought for a moment and said, "About three months of real-time in the paintingˇ­ that means six months."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "That''s good."

    "By the wayˇ­" Jun Xie paused for a moment and asked, "Is this pill for Gao Long?"

    "Hm? Yeah," Ye Tian Yun revealed, "I offered this pill in exchange for the Thunder Valley."

    "Ohˇ­" Jun Xie nodded.

    "Brother Fang, you should have exchanged it with something else," Zheng Xiang frowned, "I don''t like that Gao Long guy."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Don''t worry, the Thunder Valley we got in exchange for that pill is worth more than Gao Long''s."

    "Really?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    "What is it in that valley?" Jun Xie asked, "You even agreed to the arranged marriage just to get the valley."

    Now that Jun Xie knew Ye Tian Yun''s real identity, he found it weird that Ye Tian Yun agreed to marry some unknown youngdy just for a Thunder Valley.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, at first I was nning to use that valley in the War, and it was a very important chess piece for me. But that Royal Edict put all my ns to waste."

    "Life is unpredictable," Jun Xie sighed, "But why didn''t you cancel the marriage after everything was done?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Well, even though my ns were now useless, there''s still something very precious in the Thunder Valley. And the marriage agreement is against the will of both the bride and the groom, so there was no way of canceling it."

    Jun Xie frowned, "What about faking your death?"

    Zheng Xiang was taken aback by these words, "Faking your death? Are you kidding me, Brother Jun? Why would he fake his own death?"

    Jun Xie smiled at Ye Tian Yun and shrugged, "Why don''t you ask him?"

    Zheng Xiang made a weird expression, "I am confused. What''s there to ask? I mean, to fake death just to escape from the marriage? That''sˇ­ a heartless and scummy thing to do. Death is not a small matter, guys. Have you thought of what will happen to Prime Minister Fang and Madam Xin?"

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Don''t worry, Xiang. I am not nning to fake my death." And ncing at Jun Xie, he added, "In a month or two, I n to head to the Wu Kingdom, and without Prime Minister Fang''s help, it will be impossible to cross the border, especially in these times."

    Jun Xie was surprised, "Why do you want to go to the Wu Kingdom?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I need to befriend someone. This person has something which is very important to me."

    Zheng Xiang scratched his chin, "I will being with you, right?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Unless you want to stay here and cultivate, you will being with me."

    Zheng Xiang rubbed his hands, "Alright, just tell me when we need to leave."

    "What about the Thunder Valley?" Jun Xie asked, "Isn''t that your first destination?"

    Ye Tian Yun agreed, "Yes. We will leave after five days."

    "What about the girls?" Zheng Xiang asked, "You won''t be inviting them to the painting?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and sighed, "I am not sure. This painting is very precious. I wouldn''t have brought you in it if I didn''t trust you."

    While saying, his gazended on the prompts above their heads.

    [Jun Xie. 5 Star Favourability. He trusts you a lot and considers you a brother.]

    [Zheng Xian. 6 Star Favourability. Because of his mental state due to the loss of his foster parents, and your timely help, he considers you as his big brother and trusts you wholeheartedly.]

    ''Big brotherˇ­''

    Zheng Xiang was actually one year older than Ye Tian Yun.

    In fact, Ye Tian Yun was one of the youngest geniuses of this generation, and the only person who was simr to his age was Wang Yao.

    Still, Ye Tian Yun''s current mental age was around twenty-three. He didn''t feel weird when he read the ''big brother'' part.

    Just then -

    "Why don''t you trust them?" Zheng Xiang''s question brought him back to reality.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, I don''t interact much with them. In fact, except for a slight formal exchange, there''s nothing much."

    Zheng Xiang lightly nodded, "True."

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "Well, you''re right. Maybe in the future, if you trust them, you can include them, but right now, it''s not worth the risk."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I thought you guys would want them toe."

    "No." Zheng Xiang shook his head, "Even though I love Bai Qing''er, I don''t want to make you ufortable by inviting her to the painting. Also, if you don''t trust her, then she shouldn''t even be in this discussion."

    "Same for Wu Qingwu, except for the love part. Weˇ­ are just friends." Jun Xie said.

    Ye Tianan Yun scratched his chin, "Well, at least you guys are not simps. And to be honest, this time dtion won''t work unless I am the one using this painting. It''s useless with others. But still, I don''t want to take unnecessary risks."

    Jun Xie smiled, "All three of us understand the value of this painting. And among us, only you will be the one to talk about the painting to others. Zheng Xiang and I won''t even say the word-painting."

    Zheng Xiang nodded with a serious expression, "Guys before thighs."

    Jun Xie agreed, "Pals before Gals."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Bros before- "

    ˇ­

    A/n: Sorry for the inconsistent uploads in the month of November. But with writing having an adverse effect on my health and this book not earning anything, I find it quite hard to keep myself motivated. I don''t want to drop this book, so I am nning to decrease the release rate to 1ch/d.. Ty for your support and I hope you are there with me till the end of Ye Tian Yun''s journey.

 Chapter 605 - 605 | Meeting Again In The Garden

    Xin Xue Qing frowned.

    Today, her mood wasn''t right. She was rarely happy, but today, she felt angered and annoyed at almost everything.

    Why?

    Well, she did have an answer to this.

    It was all because of yesterday evening.

    The person she was supposed to meet never came. She felt like she had been stood up by him.

    ''How embarrassing!''

    And all this happened in front of her brother, the Crown Prince!

    ''And now he''s gonna taunt me for this for next few months.''

    Since morning, he had already taunted her at least twice. Just thinking about it made her angry.

    But she didn''t dare to be angry at the Crown Prince. She would rather be angry at someone else than be angry at her brother.

    She knew how scary her brother really was.

    ''A monster in human skinˇ­''

    This was also the reason why she was never much ambitious. She rather focused on being a good sister and helping him with his ns.

    But putting all this aside, right now, she was angry. Many maids and eunuchs had already suffered because of this in thest few hours.

    ''I will go and teach that guy a lesson!''

    She swore to herself.

    ''How dare he note?''

    She was frustrated.

    And so, when the evening had just set, she left for the Purple Spring Garden.

    This time though, she made sure the Crown Prince was not nning to ruin her day, and luckily, thetter was busy meeting with the Fu n about the items for the Annual Auction.

    ''They are nning to snatch the limelight from Fang n on Fang Chen''s wedding by announcing the main item on that day?''

    She mused while sitting in the carriage.

    She was aware of the wedding between Fang Chen and Gao Suyin in theing three weeks.

    ''This Fu n is just too cheap.''

    Not that she had any feelings for the Fang n, but trying to snatch limelight from someone on their wedding day was a pretty low blow.

    ''But who cares? It''s not like the Fang n ever even cared about me.''

    Prime Minister Fang was her uncle in rtion, and Fang Chen was her cousin.

    But she rarely had any contacts with any of the two, much less someone else from the Fang n.

    She closed her eyes and brought her focus to the current issue.

    ''Even though that guy is handsome, I must ask for an exnation!''

    ˇ­

    About twenty minutester, Xin Xue Qing stepped inside the garden.

    ''Did Ie early?''

    She frowned.

    Because of all the frustration and annoyance she had suffered throughout the day, she just couldn''t wait toe here and release her anger on that guy.

    ''Ughˇ­ I hate this! Now it will look like I am desperate for attention!''

    However, now that she was already here, there was no need to overthink such stuff.

    Heading inside, she directly went to her usual seat and sat there quietly.

    Staring at the flow of water, she waited.

    After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly noticed that someone was approaching her from the corner of her eyes.

    But as annoyed as she was, she didn''t turn her head to look who it really was.

    She continued to stare at the flowing stream, showing her indifference.

    The young man approached her and sat beside her.

    The princess frowned, but just then, a spicy smell wafted through her nostrils.

    Her curiosity made her nose scrunch, but she still didn''t turn around her head.

    ''Hmph! I will not talk!''

    "Here." The young man nudged her arm and passed the snack, which had been distracting her for thest few moments.

    She lightly lowered her eyes and noticed yellowish sticks and a reddish paste on a te.

    ''What is this?''

    She frowned but still chose not to speak anything.

    "I won''t ask again." The young man''s voice entered her ears. This time, it was a bit strict.

    This annoyed her even more.

    ''Hmph! Who cares?''

    The young man shrugged and pulled back the te.

    "Your loss."

    His actions stupefied her.

    ''Did heˇ­ Did he really take back the te!?''

    This time she couldn''t help but turn her head and stare at the young man with a pouted face.

    The young man, however, didn''t even nce at her and continued to eat the yellowish sticks after dipping them in the red paste.

    Princess''s breathing quickened as it reached on the verge of an explosion.

    "What is it?" The young man broke the silence, "I thought you were busy ignoring me."

    Princess Xin frowned, "Where were you yesterday?"

    The young man, who was indeed Ye Tian Yun, shrugged, "I was busy."

    "Oh?" Princess Xin''s frown deepened.

    She didn''t have anything to say.

    Even though she was very angry at the young man in front of her, but upon thinking reasonably, all her anger was useless and baseless.

    It''s not like they were rted to each other.

    This was basically their third or fourth time meeting.

    "What were you busy with?" In the end, she asked whatever came to her mind.

    Ye Tian Yun''s hand paused, and after a moment, he resumed eating the French Fries.

    "I went to the Fu n Auction House."

    "Oh?" She asked, "Were you nning to buy something? Orˇ­ auction something?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Neither. I was there to meet someone."

    "Meet someone?" Princess Xin frowned, "Who?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and turned his head towards her.

    Gazing at her, he said with a light smile, "I will tell you if you eat these Fench Fries with me."

    "These what?"

    "French Fries."

    "What are they?"

    "Taste them. They are good." Ye Tian Yun pushed the te towards her, "They are new ''fast-food'' by [Burger Queen]."

    "Oh?" Princess Xin''s expression eased a bit, and moving her hand, she took a fry and then dipping it in the sauce, she took a bite.

    After a few moments, she said, "It''s good."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I know, right?"

    Princess Xin took another bite while asking, "So? Tell me?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at her and said, "I went for this."

    And as he finished his words, he brought out something from his pocket.

 Chapter 606 - 606 | Gao Suyins Desire

    In the Purple Springs Garden, the Gao n had set up the [Burger Queen] stall.

    It was mainly for Gao Suyin because it was one of her ways of collecting information.

    Using her ability, she created clones of herself and ced them in different locations.

    She was able to witness everything that was transpiring around these clones and was, in fact, even able to cultivate faster because these clones had the ability to store Qi!

    And one of these clones, a young girl, was present on the other side of the stall in the Purple Spring Garden.

    And currently, she was staring straight towards a couple sitting on the bench near the stream.

    ''He said he doesn''t like her, but stilles here every day to meet herˇ­ what is he nning?''

    "Yo, sis!" Someone suddenly called, breaking her thoughts.

    She turned her head and found a young man with a serious expression staring at her.

    "Hm?" She raised her eyebrow.

    She knew this young man.

    Jun Xie. That was his name, and he was also known as Dreamscape Supreme and was one of the Core Disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect. Also, he was very talented in terms of alchemy, and his specialty was the powerful Illusion Technique.

    ''If my real body were her, I would have seen through all his illusions.'' Gao Suyin mused, and after a moment of thought, she asked, "How may I help youˇ­"

    "Burger." Jun Xie said.

    Gao Suyin nodded and began to prepare one.

    While preparing, she asked, "Didn''t you and your friend just buy a te of french fries? I thought he was nning to share it with you."

    Jun Xie shook his head, "That is forˇ­ his princess."

    Gao Suyin''s eyes twitched, "What do you mean byˇ­ ''his'' princess?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Whatever you have assumed. Anyway, I do notice that you''re staring at him. Are you interested in him?"

    Gao Suyin smiled, "Oh? Well, yeah, but I shouldn''t aim too high, right?"

    Jun Xie frowned, "What''s wrong with that?"

    "Well, I am, but a mere shop owner. And heˇ­ isn''t he one of the Core Disciples of the Gracious Sword Sect?" Gao Suying asked.

    "He is." Jun Xie nodded and added, "I won''t push you on the wrong path. You''re right. You should give up. My friend already has a lot on his te."

    "A lot?" Gao Suyin smiled, "Like what? Is he preparing for the Grand Spirit Hunt? Orˇ­ is it because of something personal?"

    Jun Xie sighed, "You ask too much. Just cook the burger."

    Gao Suyin smiled and continued to prepare the burger.

    After a few moments of silence, Jun Xie said, "You shouldn''t give up."

    "Hm?" Gao Suyin was a bit taken aback by his sudden words, "What do you mean?"

    Jun Xie borated, "You shouldn''t give up. My friend may have his own troubles, but he doesn''t have anyone who can stand beside him."

    "What about you?" Gao Suyin frowned.

    Jun Xie shook his head, "I am not the right person. I have my own troubles, andˇ­ I am not a girl. What he needs is a partner."

    Gao Suyin frowned, "What about the princess?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Well, you havepetition."

    "What if your friend got married?"

    Jun Xie suddenly froze.

    ''Ah, I forgot he is getting marriedˇ­ It looks like I wasted my words in giving adviceˇ­.''

    "Hm, good questionˇ­" Jun Xie tried to think of a reply as soon as he could, "Well, you could still support him. It''s not like having a wife doesn''t allow him to meet with other women."

    Gao Suyin frowned, "Your friend''s wifeˇ­ isn''t she your sister-inw? What do you think she will think of you when she hears these words?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "It doesn''t matter to me. Maybe if she''s good to my friend, I will respect her."

    "Oh?" Gao Suyin lightly nodded, and while putting the burger on the te, she asked, "How long have you known your friend? You trust him quite a lot."

    Jun Xie smiled, "Honestly, not for long. But there''s this feeling I have that I can rely on him. And he has also done me a huge favor, which I may not ever be able to repay him. This is why I decided to trust him and be his close ally."

    "Oh?" Gao Suyin nodded lightly, "That''s a good answer. Well, if your sister-inw hears this, I have a feeling she might forgive you for your earlier words."

    Jun Xie pursed his lips, "That''sˇ­ good to know. But you sure you don''t wanna try?"

    Gao Suyin shook her head, "No, I don''t need to."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie shrugged, "It''s your choice."

    Gao Suyin smiled, "It was nice meeting you. Here''s your burger."

    Jun Xie raised his eyebrows and took the te, "Thank you."

    Gao Suyin nodded and nced at the couple sitting on the bench, sharing the french fries.

    ''I shouldn''t have brought the fries hereˇ­.''

    She took a deep breath and sighed.

    For her, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was a fascinating person.

    And now, with fate ying its part, he was also going to be her husband in a few weeks.

    ''Unless he runs awayˇ­''

    Gao Suyin felt like there was a high probability of that.

    And honestly, she wouldn''t mind if this really happened.

    She wasn''t an obsessive person, and she didn''t wish to drag Ye Tian Yun into her own troubles.

    Ever sinceing to this world, her main goal had been to return because, in her world, many things were at stake.

    ''I wish I could return to Earthˇ­.''

    She sighed.

    ''The Soul Gates must be causing a lot of troubleˇ­.''

    Shaking her head, she could only pat and encourage herself to have patience.

    She was only a peak Tri-Qi Realm cultivator. The journey ahead was long.

    For her, there was only a slight crush she had towards the Crown Prince Ye, but she didn''t wish to open her heart and fall for the young man in front of her.

    Because one day, she needed to leave this world and return to the Earth - her home.

 Chapter 607 - 607 | Difference

    "Let''s go."

    Ye Tian Yun came towards the stall and stood beside Jun Xie.

    Jun Xie nodded and stood up.

    Princess Xin Xue Qing had left just a few minutes ago, but her mood was contrasting to how she had arrived - there was a slight smile on her face.

    As Jun Xie began to walk, Ye Tian Yun thought of something, and then turning around, he went towards the stall.

    Gao Suyin, who had her head down and was busy with work, noticed someone approaching and was surprised to see Ye Tian Yun.

    While she stood frozen, Ye Tian Yun lightly leaned forward and said, "Thank you."

    Gao Suyin was a bit taken aback, but she couldn''t think of anything.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly smiled at her and left the area with Jun Xie.

    After a few minutes, Gao Suyin came out of her shock and lowered her head.

    ''Aishˇ­ I need to keep myself in check.''

    ˇ­

    Outside the Purple Spring Garden, Ye Tian Yun, and Jun Xie stood under the illusion and stared at the street in front of them.

    "Brother Ye," Jun Xie said, "Why were you thanking that girl?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "You''re calling me Brother Ye now? I thought you would keep up with Brother Fang."

    Jun Xie rolled his eyes, "I should get used to calling you by your real name. And I can''t call you Brother Ye in front of others, can I?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "True. Anyway, I was just thanking that girl for the food."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie narrowed his eyes, "You sure it''s just that?"

    His reaction confused Ye Tian Yun, "What do you mean?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "What if that girl falls for you?"

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Honestly, I wouldn''t be surprised. But I hope she doesn''t because she will only be disappointed."

    Jun Xie asked, "Because you will get married in a few weeks?"

    "Nah," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "The person who will get married in three weeks is Fang Chen, not Ye Tian Yun."

    Jun Xie frowned, "That''s not the just way of thinking. What ifˇ­ you do ''that'' with Third Miss? Don''t tell me it will be ''Fang Chen'' too because that will be quite hypocritical."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Such a thing will never happen. I wouldn''t even touch her."

    Jun Xie smiled, "What if you do?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, I won''t touch her romantically or sexually."

    Jun Xie lightly nodded, "I get your point. But what if you do? What ifˇ­"

    "No." Ye Tian Yun interrupted Jun Xie, "That will never happen, so no need to even consider something like this."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Your choice. Anyway, what''s up with the princess? Did you get closer to your goal, or is it still the same?"

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "There was some sess. But it''s not enough."

    Jun Xie couldn''t help but frown upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s response.

    "Really? Does that mean we will have toe here every day for the next four days?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. Every day."

    Jun Xie remained silent for a long moment before letting out a sigh, "Alright, whatever you decide."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at his words, "It''s for just one hour, every day. Don''t worry, for the rest of the day, you will be cultivating in the Painting."

    "Alright." Hearing this, Jun Xie somewhat agreed.

    After a few minutes, both of them were crossing the Purple Spring Road.

    It took them about fifteen minutes toe back to the Fang n.

    Soon, they resumed cultivation in the Painting.

    This time, too, Ye Tian Yun cultivated outside while his two friends were in the Painting.

    ''I hope the System didn''t lieˇ­ or else the trip to the Thunder Valley will be a huge waste, even most of the hard work for thest week will be useless.''

    Days passed, and slowly their time for departure to the Thunder Valley came near.

    Most of the day went by in cultivating inside the Painting, while in the evening, Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun headed for the Purple Spring Garden.

    There, Gao Suyin used to ask questions about Ye Tian Yun from Jun Xie, who only answered a few of them, while Ye Tian Yun was mostly focused on getting close to Xin Xue Qing.

    He wasn''t trying to make her fall in love, but he wanted to put an impression in her head.

    As long as he was able to put the impression and also prevent the encounter between her and Wang Yao, there wasn''t going to be any big problem.

    As for Wu Qingwu and Bai Qing''er, both of them were in closed-door cultivation and didn''te out.

    Jun Xie and Zheng Xiang had informed them that they would be going in closed-door cultivation outside of the Capital City.

    Bai Qing''er just lightly nodded at Zheng Xiang and wished him luck. She did, however, notice that Zheng Xiang was feeling sorry about what he was saying, and it didn''t take her long to know that Zheng Xiang was lying.

    But she decided not to pry further and didn''t ask any questions.

    Being with him for thest few months, this was the first time Zheng Xiang had lied to her.

    She was sure that there was something important or private that he didn''t wish for her to know, at least not yet.

    As for Wu Qingwu and Jun Xie, both of them argued over something and stopped talking.

    If the rtionship between Bai Qing''er and Zheng Xiang can be described as harmonious, then there was only one word to describe the rtionship between Jun Xie and Wu Qingwu: chaotic.

    Both of them made it quite clear that they couldn''t stand each other. However, if a third party were to notice their interaction, it wouldn''t be much hard to tell that their heart said otherwise.

    And right now, Ye Tian Yun was sitting beside Princess Xin Xue Qing in the Purple Spring Garden to tell his final goodbye.

 Chapter 608 - 608 | Two-Faced

    "This will be thest meeting?" Xin Xue Qing frowned upon hearing Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "Most likely."

    "Why? Where are you going?" She frowned.

    Over the course ofst week, she had slowly gotten attached to the mysterious young man.

    Because she knew that the other party was not aware of her identity, she was never on guard to begin with.

    "Well, I will be heading South." Ye Tian Yun was, of course, lying, "There is a business that I need to take care of."

    "Oh," Xin Xue Qing didn''t pry further and asked, "When will you return?"

    "Iˇ­ don''t know." Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Maybe in a few weeks, or maybe never."

    "Why?"

    Ye Tian Yun created a random excuse, "I will be preparing for the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "Grand Spirit Hunt?" The princess frowned, "Are youˇ­ are you nning to participate for the spot on the Royal Bloodline Trial?"

    Ye Tian Yun stared at her for a moment and smiled.

    ''Time to put the final nail on the coffin.''

    "Most probably no." He said, "But I am not sure. If my n asks for my participation, then I will."

    "Oh?" The princess frowned, "You should participate."

    "Hm? Why?"

    "Don''t you know that you will be the King''s Son-inw?" The princess pursed her lips, "Don''t you want to marry a princess?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and smiled while gazing into the depths of her eyes, "I already have a princess. Why would I bother to look for someone else?"

    "Yu-You-!" Princess Xin pouted, "Don''t sugarcoat your words. Didn''t you just say you won''t be returning?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, if someone asks me, then I might have a reason toe back here."

    Princess Xin narrowed her eyes, "As if I will ask you, hmph! Go where you want."

    Ye Tian Yun raised her right eyebrow, "You sure?"

    "Hmph! You think too highly of yourself!"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright, since no one is expecting me toe back, I won''t."

    Princess Xin''s lips curled, but she didn''t say anything.

    Ye Tian Yun stood up, "I will take my leave, miss."

    Just as he was about to move, Princess Xin moved her hand and held the corner of his sleeve.

    "Heyˇ­"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun stared down at her.

    "Come back."

    "Hm? I can''t hear youˇ­"

    "Hmph! I won''t repeat myself."

    Ye Tian Yun had the urge to roll back his eyes, but maintaining hisposure, he replied, "Alright, alright. I honestly can''t say anything about the future, and trust me, I don''t wish to leave the city, but only if I had any choice."

    Princess Xin pursed her lips, "Then promise me one thing."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "What is it?"

    "You will participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "Oh? Do I have to?"

    "Promise me."

    "Alright." Ye Tian Yun sighed, "I will participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    "Good." She nodded.

    Ye Tian Yun said, "What ifˇ­ I end up winning the tournament? Won''t you regret this promise then?"

    Princess Xin smiled, "We will see."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "We will see, hn? Alright, I wille for the Grand Spirit Hunt. Let''s meet soon."

    "En."

    Both of them smiled at each other, and soon, Ye Tian Yun left.

    Princess Xin Xue Qing stared at his disappearing back and sighed.

    ''I hope you winˇ­''

    She wasn''t confident about this and knew that it was going to be hard.

    Mainly because of the agreement between the Xin and the Wu Kingdom, now talents from all over the Lower Heavens would being to participate in the Grand Spirit Hunt.

    And the winner of the tournament would be her betrothed.

    ''Ughˇ­ I hate being a pawnˇ­''

    She frowned and stood up.

    Just then, a thought crossed her mind, and she stepped towards the stall on the other side of the open ground.

    There were few people at this ce, and it wasn''t very crowded, so she didn''t have to wait for her turn.

    "One te of french fries and one burger." She ordered, "I want them packed."

    Gao Suyin, who had already noticed her arrival, frowned.

    Her mood was already ruined because of how Ye Tian Yun was acting intimate with the princess, and now she was irritated even more upon seeing how the princess had changed her attitude to one-eighty degrees.

    ''Hmph! I didn''t even get to talk to him more than once, and hees every day to meet youˇ­ why am I so unlucky!''

    With a bad mood, she swiftly cooked the french fries and burger, then packed them and handed them over to the princess.

    "You like him?" In the end, she couldn''t hold back and asked.

    Princess Xin paused, her nose scrunched as she looked at Gao Suyin with disdain, "Mind your ce, you rat! He''s mine, don''t even think about him, or else I will have your eye gouged out, and your brain will be fed to the dogs!"

    Gao Suyin raised her eyebrow, not from surprise but from how ridiculous the princess''s words sounded to her.

    "Princess Xin," She slowly whispered, making sure that only the right person heard her words, "I will tell you once, and only one: you do not have any control over anything. You''re nothing but a pawn, so do not try to lord over me. I, unlike others, won''t try to kiss your ass. Rather, I am the type to shove this whole god damn stall up your ars-"

    "You dare!" Princess Xin gritted her teeth, "You know my identity, but you still dare to speak such words? Do you know what will happen to you if Iin just once about you in front of my big brother?"

    Gao Suyin smiled, "Let me guessˇ­ you will be ignored?"

    Princess Xin frowned and threw the food on the ground, "Your attitude made me lose my appetite."

    Without waiting for any response, she turned around and left.

    Gao Suyin stared at the food on the ground and sighed.

    ''Aiish, I went overboard.. The pill inside the food would have forced her and her brother regr visitors to the bathroom for the next few days.''

 Chapter 609 - 609 | Encounter

    Outside the Purple Sprint Garden.

    Ye Tian Yun and Jun Xie had stepped out and were making their way back to the Fang n.

    "Are you sure you haven''t fallen for the Princess?" Jun Xie asked.

    "No. Why do you ask?"

    "Really? But with how intimate you were acting, anyone would think you both like each other a lotˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled upon hearing Jun Xie''s words.

    "Jun Xie, you haven''t seen her real attitude yet. She''s someone who acts cute and hard to get, but in truth, she''s a bitch. If not for the fact that I needed her in the future, I would have reaped her life long ago."

    Jun Xie frowned, "Did you ever mention what''s your enmity with the princess?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I don''t rememberˇ­ maybe?"

    "Tell me again."

    "Wellˇ­" Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and said, "Think of it like this: That princess is one of the potential reasons behind your sister-inw''s death in theing future."

    ''Gao Suyin''s death?'' Jun Xie was a bit taken aback.

    But upon thinking about it, it did make some sense.

    Because Gao Suyin was part of the Gao n, while Princess Xin was part of the Xin Royal n, and both parties hated each other.

    Butˇ­ wasn''t this too far-fetched?

    "Why are you worried about something so distant in the future?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun froze for a moment before replying, "Well, I just don''t want to take any more chances."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "But didn''t you once say that it will be Fang Chen marrying Gao Suyin, not you?"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What''s that have to do with this?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Well, you did just say that you are protecting your wife, but you also said that you wouldn''t love your wife. So, I am just a bit confused. What are you trying to say?"

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him for a moment and then nodded.

    "Ah, I get it now." He said, "You thought I was talking about Gao Suyin. No, I wasn''t."

    "Hn? Then who?" Jun Xie frowned, "Wait, don''t tell me, there''s another sister-inw!?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Not yet, but maybe in the future."

    "Hmˇ­" Jun Xie frowned, "Your life is going to be heplicated. Two wives, two different identities, two different lives."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It''s not asplicated as you might be thinking."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "Up to you, man. I won''t interfere in your rtionships. But I hope you don''t make any stupid decisions. What if the wife you love doesn''t love you, but the other one does, whom you don''t even want to touch?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "That will never happen. Fang Chen will die because of an explosion after the Grand Spirit Hunt."

    Jun Xie sighed, "Ok, this will be thest time I will bother you about this: do you know that by doing so, she will be your widow?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, but before he could say anything else, Jun Xie interrupted.

    "Don''t bullshit me with ''Fang Chen marrying her''. You''re not justifying anyone but yourself. You are the one who doesn''t want to open up to her. What ifˇ­ she epts your real identity too?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Jun Xie, let''s not talk about this anymore. I am not a righteous person, and I do what I see as right. If I don''t like someone, I would never change my mind."

    "You sure?" Jun Xie frowned, "Then, how about a bet?"

    "A bet? What kind of bet?"

    "Well, I hope you don''t ruin someone''s life if you truly have a change of heart."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright, we will see. Let''s go - wait, is that Gao Xuan?"

    "Hm?" Jun Xie looked up and found Gao Xuan sitting under the shade of a tree.

    "What is he doing here?" Jun Xie asked.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Who knows? Let me change back to Fang Chen. I have something to ask from him."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie frowned, "Are you nning to invite him for the trip to the Thunder Valley?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. I have this intense bugging feeling in my mind, and it wants me to bring him with me."

    "Oh?" Jun Xie was surprised, "Maybe he will be very useful in theing future?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Who knows, but yeah, there is one thing in which we might need his help."

    ˇ­.

    At the corner of the street, under the shade of the banyan tree, was Gao Suyin, disguised as Gao Xuan.

    The reason she was here was pretty simple: to encounter Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun.

    Not that she was stalking him or was desperate to meet him. Rather, she wanted to visit the Thunder Valley.

    She hade across some old records in thest few days, and now she really needed to visit that ce to verify her doubts.

    Because she knew that whatever was in that valley could quite possibly change the destiny of not only her n but the whole Lower Heavens!

    ''No matter what way they chose, this banyan tree is amon point in all the paths. I hope he invites me, or else things will get dyed.''

    There was actually another reason why she wanted to join Ye Tian Yun''s party.

    It was the Golden Ferghana Horses.

    They were very expensive and very limited.

    She had her assets, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, right now, her liquid assets were very low.

    ''If I can join themˇ­ I might get to use the Golden Ferghana Horseˇ­''

    There were about sixteen days left for her wedding, and if she left in a normal carriage or on a Ferghana Horse, it would take her about ten days traveling.

    But her father wanted her to be in the Gao n at least a week before the wedding.

    That meant she only had eight days!

    And she couldn''t even use any other clone, as she was afraid of some mishap. Thus she used her main body to create a disguise.

    Just as she was thinking, she felt the presence of two people slowly approaching her.

 Chapter 610 - 610 |

    After disguising himself back as Fang Chen, Ye Tian Yun had Jun Xie discreetly remove the illusion technique, and then both of them slowly approached Gao Suyin - who was currently disguised as Gao Xuan.

    Noticing their arrival, she raised her head and nodded at them with a slight smile.

    x

    Ye Tian Yun smiled back and said, "Brother Gao, what a coincidence, what are you doing here?"

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips, "Coincidence indeed. Well, I was just sitting here under the shade of this tree, waiting for a friend."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun light nodded his head, "I was just heading back to the n, but since I saw you, I thought about having a chat."

    "Hm," Gao Suyin has a wry smile, "By the way, about yesterday, something came up, and I had no other choice but to head towards somewhere else. I hope the dinner was good."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It was very delicious! Where did you get such a chef?"

    Gao Suyin shook her head, "This is a trade secret, Brother Fang. This is not something I can revealˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright, alright. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you remember the thing I talked about when west met?"

    "Hm?" Gao Suyin frowned, "Are you talking about me having free time?"

    "Yes," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "So, do you have free time for the next week?"

    Gao Suyin lightly nodded. This was what she was waiting for.

    ''This wasn''t as hard as I had thoughtˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun said, "Well,e to my n at dawn tomorrow. We won''t waste any more time and head straight for the destination."

    "The destination is Thunder Valley, right?" Gao Suyin asked, just to confirm.

    This was all a hunch. Ye Tian Yun hadn''t told her about his exact ns, but it wasn''t hard for her to guess where he was nning to go with his actions.

    Though she had no idea why he was so eager to get to the Thunder Valley.

    ''Waitˇ­ don''t tell me he knows about the secret of the Thunder Valley!?''

    She couldn''t help but feel worried.

    The treasure in the Thunder Valley was very important for her n, and there was no way she was willing topromise on that.

    ''Ugh, I hope not, or else things would get troublesomeˇ­.''

    "Yeah, we''re heading to the Thunder Valley." Ye Tian Yun asked with a frown, "Are you following me?"

    "Hm? Me? No."

    "Then how do you know so much about me? First, there was the matter rted to the Purple Spring Garden, and now this."

    Gao Suyin shrugged, "You will be my brother-inw soon; I will have to give myself reassurance that you''re a good guy."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun smiled upon hearing this, "Well, I am not as good as you might be hoping, but you really have no choice in this case, neither do I."

    Gao Suyin sighed, "Indeed."

    Ye Tian Yun''s smile slowly receded, and he lightly leaned forward and said, "So, you should stop poking your nose in the ce where it doesn''t belong. The only thing you''re doing with this is creating doubts in my mind."

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips and lightly nodded, "Alright, I will take note of this problem."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded and then turning his head sideways, he said, "I will get going then. See you tomorrow."

    Gao Suyin nodded at him and then Jun Xie, bidding them farewell.

    ˇ­ x ... x... x

    As Jun Xie followed Ye Tian Yun, he couldn''t help but ask, "You sure you want to invite him? Something feels off whenever he''s standing in front of me."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun nced at him, "What is it?"

    "I don''t know," Jun Xie pursed his lips, "It''s just an intuition."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Can you differentiate whether this is a good intuition or a bad intuition?"

    Jun Xie thought for a second before replying, "Umˇ­ I don''t feel anything bad, but I don''t have any good feelings either."

    "Hmm," Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright, then we will see what he''s nning in theing few days."

    Jun Xie frowned, "Are you sure you can handle it if he does something stupid? Like trying to trap us or conspire against us?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I know, but don''t worry. I am pretty confident in my power, and this time, the confidence is just too high."

    Jun Xie shrugged, "I just want us to return as soon as possible, so there are no more dys in the whole journey,"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Noted."

    They soon reached the Fang n, and here, they split up.

    While Jun Xie headed back to the Guest Courtyard, Fang Chen headed inside to meet Prime Minister Fang Yuan.

    Currently, it waste evening, and Prime Minister Fang was sitting at his desk in the Study.

    Ye Tian Yun followed the path, nodded at the familiar guard, and just as he was about to knock, he heard a voice from inside the room -

    "Come in."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and stepped inside.

    There were currently only two people inside the Study - Prime Minister Fang Yuan and Ye Tian Yun.

    "What happened?" Prime Minister Fang Yuan looked at him with a grumpy face.

    Ye Tian Yun was a bit taken aback, "What happened to you? Is everything alright?"

    Prime Minister Fang''s face suddenly rxed as he hid his inner troubles, "Nothing, just court matter. Tell me about you, what happened?"

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Well, we will need one more Golden Ferghana in the morning. So a total of six."

    "Six Golden Ferghana horses?" Prime Minister Fang thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright. But who''s this new guest?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "It''s Gao Xuan."

    "Gao n''s Gao Xuan?" Prime Minister Fang was surprised, "You two are close friends?"

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No close enough."

    "Hm," Prime Minister Fang nodded, "But do you trust him? Should I send some extra guards with you? Or how about Ie myself?"

    Ye Tian Yun waved his hand, "Don''t worry about anything. I know you''re worried about losing the treasure because Fang n has already suffered a huge loss, but don''t be. I will be back in a few days."

    "Hm, alright." Prime Minister Fang sighed, "Take care of yourself, son."

    "En."

    Leaving the Study, Ye Tian Yun headed straight for his courtyard. Tomorrow was an important day for him.

    ˇ­.

    Time slowly passed, and dawn was approaching for the citizens of Xin Capital City.

    There was still a shade of darkness covering the whole area, and Ye Tian Yun stood at the gates of Fang n, and beside him were five others - Gao Xuan, Jun Xie, Wu Qingwu, Zheng Xiang, and Bai Qing''er.

    "Let''s go." Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath, and conveying farewell to Madam Xin with a light nod; he started the journey.

    The others followed him right after.

    Madam Xin, who had woken up early to cook something for everyone, stared at the unsettling dust in the street through which Ye Tian Yun and his party had just left the Fang n.

    "Stay safe, son."

    She murmured.

 Chapter 611 - 611 |

    Thunder Valley is a mountain range in the far north of the Xin Kingdom.

    Even on Golden Ferghana Horses, covering the whole route would take at least two days.

    Ye Tian Yun and his party moved without any hups on the first day and night, and soon they had already traversed more than half of the path.

    They were already deep into the Northern Province and were about to resume their journey after resting for a few hours in a Tavern.

    Even though they weren''t tired, the horses also needed to rest. Thus, while the horses recuperated, the group had taken a room and went to rest as well.

    Another thing to note was that the ce belonged to Gao Suyin, which made everything else very convenient.

    Now that they were ready to resume their journey, all of them got on the horses.

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun gestured to them to stop.

    "What happened?" The other looked at him in confusion and found him staring at the carriage, which was parked in a nearby inn.

    One more thing was that there were quite many people guarding the carriage, and there was a big insignia on the side of the carriage.

    [Fu n]

    The first to recognize the insignia was none other than Jun Xie.

    "Fu n is everywhereˇ­." Jun Xie was surprised to see them even here.

    This was his first time in the Northern Province; this was why he was experiencing too much cold.

    Gao Suyin nodded, "They have branches all over the Kingdom, and they mainly focus on acquiring stuff for cheap, upgrading it a bit, and then selling it at a very high rate."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while asking, "What do you think is the main item for the Fu n Annual Auction G?"

    "Hm?" Gao Suyin, in Gao Xuan''s disguise, shook her head, "I don''t know, never bothered to check."

    "Oh, it''s alright." Ye Tian Yun nodded, no longer pursuing any other topic.

    Just then, Zheng Xiangmented, "We should do something about this. The Fu n is trying to sabotage the hype for the wedding."

    "Hm?" Gao Suyin frowned. "What? Really?"

    Jun Xie gave him a look, but Zheng Xiang had already opened his mouth, "Well, a few days ago, Brother Jun told me that the Fu n is nning to announce the main item for the Annual Auction on the day of the wedding."

    "One of the core members of the Auction house has imed that the item is so good that it will quite possibly take the limelight away from the newlyweds."

    Jun Xie then said, "Just like how the King''s Royal Edict caused much more citizen reaction and hype than the Prime Minister''s announcement."

    Gao Suyin frowned and simply nodded.

    Ye Tian Yun nced at her and asked, "Howe you''re unaware of this? Is it because your organization is still expanding?"

    Gao Suyin shook her head, "I am not interested in the Fu n''s auction, so I never bothered."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun light nodded, "Well, let''s see if these people have any interesting information for us."

    "Hm? Are you sure?" Jun Xie frowned, "There might be more than one Foundational Establishment Realm cultivator."

    "Yeah," Even the usually silent Bai Qing''er spoke, "Also, I heard from one of the senior disciples in the sect that the Fu n''s guard threw tracking dust on the attackers. That thing is very dangerous, not because it''s a poison, but because the thief can be traced back from whichever corner they are hiding in."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "This is surprising; well, I will go ahead and see how powerful these people really are."

    "Should Ie?" Jun Xie asked.,

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Nah, it won''t take long. You guys should get down from the horses and book a room for yourselves."

    They nodded and separated from Ye Tian Yun.

    The n was pretty simple - once Ye Tian Yun had gauged the enemy''s strength, he would then make an effective n to take as many treasures as possible.

    And in such cases, someone with an illusion technique could really make a huge difference.

    Ye Tian Yun sighed and spread out his spiritual aura.

    "Eight Qi Condensation Realms, Five Qi Refining, and Two Foundation Establishmentsˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while assessing the enemy''s strength.

    ''This isn''t much.''

    For his group, a battle like this wouldn''t be big trouble.

    ''I alone am enough for this, but I would rather prefer to see other''s capabilities.''

    This time he was nning to put Bai Qing''er and Wu Qingwu in the forefront, to confuse the enemy and see the strength of these two in terms of real capabilities.

    After roaming there for about ten or so minutes, he came across an interesting discussion between the two guards.

    ˇ­.

    Ye Tian Yun came back inside the tavern and called everyone to his room.

    Within a few minutes, all of them were sitting around a big table in Ye Tian Yun''s room.

    "Why is this room bigger than the others?" Zheng Xiang scratched his chin, "Are there different types of free tickets?"

    Gao Suyin smiled, "Yeah, and the one I used is called being the owner."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, this room came in handy, so it''s all good. But still, Gao Xuan, you should have taken this room as yours; no one here would have minded."

    The other found nodded, "True. It''s your tavern, Brother Gao; no need to be so polite."

    Gao Suyin simply smiled, "I don''t like over-exaggerated things, and I amfortable with the small room that I have,"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright, let''s focus on the work then. So, as I said, there are about Eight Qi Condensation Realms, Five Qi Refining, and Two Foundation Establishment Realm experts."

    Zheng Xiang frowned. In the whole group, he was still a weak link, and he needed to work a lot before he could be considered useful.

    "This is manageable." To his surprise, others were not much worried.

    And it was Jun Xie who said this.

    "We can handle them; however, we should carefully n our attack, and I think we all agree that we should carry it out outside of the city. But the only problem is, we don''t know how long these people will stay here. Don''t forget, ambushing them is not our main priority."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled.. The discussion he had overheard between the guards was precisely rted to the problem Jun Xie had put forth.

 Chapter 612 - 612 | Rain Of Arrows

    "They will be here for four days."

    Ye Tian Yun revealed.

    "Four days?" Jun Xie frowned, "Are you sure?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yeah while investigating, I overheard a conversation."

    "We can''t stay here for four days." Zheng Xiang said.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes, that will waste too much time."

    "How far is the Thunder Valley from here?" Wu Qingwu asked.

    "One day journey. Even on the Golden Ferghanas."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It will be less if we hurry. The best n is toe back here within four days and take down these people."

    "Yeah," Jun Xie nodded, "But that means we need toplete our objective within two days."

    Gao Suyin suddenly asked, "Umˇ­ you didn''t mention it yet, but what is the objective?"

    When others stared at Jun Xie, he turned his head towards Ye Tian Yun because he, himself, was unaware of the main objective.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Well, you guys will know when you get there. The thing is, I am not hundred percent sure if it is there or not, and if I tell you the main reason why we''re going there, and you get your hopes high, only to find out there''s actually nothing, won''t it be a bummer?"

    Jun Xie shrugged, "I just hope this trip does yield some reward."

    Zheng Xiang nodded, "Yes. Recently I have been itching to go for closed-door cultivation."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled at this. ''These two only have the Nine Heavens Painting in their mind.''

    "What if they leave by the time wee back?" Bai Qing''er suddenly asked, "Won''t everything be a waste?"

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin while replying, "Not if we catch them on their way to the Capital."

    "Hm," Jun Xie nodded, "With the things they have, it will take them at least five days to reach the Capital City. And we canplete two round trips to the Thunder Valley in that time."

    "Yeah," Ye Tian Yun added, "The only problem is that the closer they are to the Capital, the more protected they will be. So it''s best if we take them down as soon as they leave this town."

    "Yes. So, let''s not waste any more time and head for the Thunder Valley?" Wu Qingwu said after Ye Tian Yun, "Every minute we stay here is every minute less we have in our pocket."

    "Hm, true." The others nodded, "Let''s go."

    ˇ­

    Under the confused eyes of the tavern keeper, they all headed for the stables and left the small town.

    This time their speed was faster because earlier, even though they were on the Golden Ferghana, they weren''t pushing the horses, only going with a good speed.

    But now that they knew they had only four days on their hands before the Fu n''s people left that town.

    All six of them were currently in a hexagonal formation as they rode their Golden Ferghana horses through the Thunder Valley,

    The main reason for this was that the remaining half of the journey was infested with bandits and other miscreants who were looking for an easy profit.

    And a party of youngsters would definitely look like an easy target.

    This was why the formation was hexagonal - Jun Xie at the front, to use his spiritual sense and keep an eye on boobytrapsid out by bandits.

    Behind him were Gao Xuan and Wu Qingwu, both riding parallelly. And then behind this pair were Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er, also riding parallel to each other.

    And at the end was Ye Tian Yun - to ensure everyone''s safety.

    Even though his spiritual sense was better than Jun Xie''s, being in thest position also gave him an advantage against unexpected ambushes.

    A few other physical advantageous reasons were also there, making the current lineup a good setup.

    The only weak link, if going by cultivation, was the pair of Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing''er.

    Both of them were in Qi Condensation Realm, about three realms lower than Ye Tian Yun.

    However, their synchronization was much better, and since both of them were going parallel to each other, they were more alert because of their worries about each other''s safety.

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Siu!~

    A thin shadow came right from the sides and went straight at Bai Qing''er''s head.

    ck!

    Ye Tian Yun had already moved and flicked the shadow, preventing any injuries on Bai Qing''er.

    The shadow was actually an arrow!

    And the sudden attack from nowhere had alerted everyone in the party.

    Upon noticing Jun Xie slowly down, Ye Tian Yun suddenly shouted, "Keep going! Don''t bother about the small fries. I will handle them."

    Jun Xie nodded and whipped the Golden Ferghana once more, increasing the pace.

    Others also followed him, and soon the group was moving faster than ever.

    However, Ye Tian Yun had already noticed something.

    He immediately sent Jun Xie a spirit message, who lightly nodded upon hearing the instructions.

    Ye Tian Yun then looked sideways, and taking out a small knife, he cumted Qi at the knife and threw it in the jungle.

    "Argh!"

    A sudden cry of pain came from the direction in which Ye Tian Yun had thrown a knife.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and waited.

    This time, his main goal wasn''t only to injure someone but also to force the hidden enemy to make a move.

    However, it seemed as if the enemy was unaffected by this.

    So Ye Tian Yun took out six small knives from his spatial ring, and clenching them tightly in between his fingers, he concentrated Qi on them and sent them right on the targets.

    Siu siu siu siu!

    "Argh!"

    "Ugh!"

    Dying cries of pain came out, and it seemed four out of six knives had hit the targets.

    Ye Tian Yun sent another message to Jun Xie. Just then, he felt something.

    Looking at his side, he suddenly saw four men jump on him!

    Two from each side!

    And before he could react, another attack came - and this time from the air as thousands of arrows rained on their party!

 Chapter 613 - 613 | Lightning Burns The Forest

    Even though the attack was very sudden, Ye Tian Yun didn''t dy anything and went straight for an attack.

    He pulled out two long swords from his spatial rings and directly hacked the four ambushers into two pieces, each.

    Then gazing at the iing thousands of arrows, Ye Tian Yun put the duel swords in his pocket and then, taking a different sword, he got ready.

    Taking a light breath, he jumped from his horse.

    He was about to meet the arrow rain head-on!

    "One Swordˇ­" As Ye Tian Yun spoke, lightning sparks went off around the sword, and moving the sword backward, he collected energy in the move and, in the next instant, shed his sword towards the raining arrow, "...for all!"

    BOOM!

    A huge explosion went off, and the sky suddenly turned ck.

    Clouds appeared out of nowhere, a bolt of yellow-ck lightning suddenly struck thend.

    BOOM!

    Before anyone on thend could react, the whole forest caught fire.

    As for the arrows, they had long turned into ash!

    Lightning covered Ye Tian Yun as he flew in the air, and with another sh on the ground at the people below, he put the final nail on their coffin.

    BAM!

    After a few moments, Ye Tian Yunnded on the ce.

    Lightning had destroyed everything around him because of his sudden outburst of Sword Domain.

    The whole area was filled with more than a hundred charred bodies, and everything was destroyed - as if there had been a huge explosion here.

    The ck lightning slowly disappeared, and Ye Tian Yun soon returned to normal.

    Looking around, he sighed.

    While everything was destroyed, his Golden Ferghana had be a casualty too.

    Just lying a few feet away from him was the charred body of his horse.

    ''Ah, shitˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun sighed.

    But right now, he can''t waste his time feeling down. He immediately spread out his senses and tried to see if anyone from the enemy survived the onught.

    "Hm? There is one?" Ye Tian Yun smiled at this.

    He immediately moved and threw a knife at the palm of one of the ambushers who was trying to stand up.

    "Argh!"

    He winced in pain as the knife nailed his arm to the tree he was leaning on.

    The attacker turned towards the direction from which the knife hade and taken deep breaths out of fear and a very bad premonition.

    "Whˇ­who are you?" He could barely speak. After all, it had taken only one second for the whole situation to turn around.

    Just a moment ago, they were waiting for themander to give a signal, but before the arrows could even descend, their whole toon was destroyed, and all of them suddenly died.

    ''This bastardˇ­ this is not Fang Chenˇ­. He even killed his own party!''

    The man didn''t hesitate anymore, but somewhere in his heart, he knew there was no escape from this situation.

    ''Fuck, why did I ept such a missionˇ­''

    Just then, he felt a shadow looming over him, and upon raising his head, he found one of his two targets - Fang Chen, standing in front of him with his hands behind his back.

    ''I didn''t even sense him!'' The man was even more terrified.

    ''I am at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, but I couldn''t even sense his presence!''

    The man didn''t even have the strength to look in the eyes of the young man in front of him.

    He was utterly andpletely terrified.

    "Who sent you?" Ye Tian Yun asked him.

    It didn''t take long for Ye Tian Yun to understand that there was someone else behind this ambush because the whole attack was much more organized, and even the weapons and some of the clothes were new - a clear sign that this raid was their first in these clothes.

    Bandits don''t worry about changing their clothes. There''s no way these people were simple bandits.

    The man who was nailed to the tree knew there was no way for him to escape, so he decided to speak the truth.

    "I am from the Ling n." He said.

    Ye Tian Yun raised his eyebrow, "Oh? And why are you attacking us?"

    "Our n Head ordered us. Our target was Gao Xuan and You. I noticed something amiss in your party, but before I could react, all this happened."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Hm, and why is Ling n targeting Gao Xuan?"

    "Theyˇ­ don''t want an alliance between the Gao n and Fang n." The man gritted his teeth, "They want to frame this on the Xin n and try to show that it''s the Crown Prince who did this, just likest year."

    "Hm? Just likest year?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "Yesˇ­" The man sighed, "Last year we orchestrated the assassination of Gao Xuan and framed it on the Princess Xin Xue Qing, however, somehow Gao Xuan survived, So now, we''re trying it again, and this assassination, if sessful, would bring a civil war in the kingdom."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Indeed, this will create a lot of trouble. But what''s with you? Why are you easily telling me everything?"

    The man smiled, "Whatever I say, you won''t believe me, so I just spoke the truth. It''s not like I will be able to get out of here alive and go back to my young daughter and wife. Anyway, you havepleted half of my mission because you also killed your friends along with my people.

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "There were some sacrifices I was always willing to make."

    The man sighed, "You''re much crueler than I would have ever imagined."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Nah, you haven''t seen anything yet."

    Just then -

    "Is this the truth!?" A young man''s shocked voice came from behind.

    It was Gao Suyin, disguised as Gao Xuan.

    Ye Tian Yun turned around, and the injured man also gazed at the far ahead.

    "Is it true that it''s the Ling n behind all this!?" Gao Suyin''s anger was about to explode.

    As for the injured man, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

    Because in front of him were not only Gao Suyin but everyone from Fang Chen''s party - unscathed.

    And in the background was the burning forest.

 Chapter 614 - 614

    A few minutes before the rain of arrowsˇ­

    tig-dig, tig-digˇ­.

    The Golden Ferghana horse neighed and ran faster as Jun Xie whipped it. He had just noticed someone trying to attack Ye Tian Yun out of nowhere.

    Even though he had expected a few troubles, he hadn''t expected it to be that problematic.

    Just as he thought he should turn around to see if Ye Tian Yun was alright, he suddenly received a spirit message from thetter.

    <<Create an illusion. Stop others as soon as I jump and go away from this ce. Also, put on an illusion over my ability - just hide my attack.>>

    He didn''t understand the whole thing but instinctively nodded.

    Just then, he suddenly heard a slithering noise, and upon raising his head, he saw thousands of arrowsing at him.

    <<Now!>>

    He suddenly heard Ye Tian Yun''s words and immediately cast an illusion and took control of everyone else''s horses, stopping them from charging forward.

    Only Ye Tian Yun and his horse went out while the rest stopped in confusion.

    And as soon as Ye Tian Yun jumped up, Jun Xie immediately spread his Spirit Sense as fast as he could and cast an illusion of fog.

    And before he could think of anything else, there was a huge explosion, and the next thing he saw was the burning forest - full of destroyedndscapes and charred bodies.

    It took everyone a few moments to understand what had just happened, and as Jun Xie removed the illusion to let others on the horses know what had just happened, they too were shocked by the scene in front of them.

    Gao Xuan suddenly sprinted his horse and, without hesitation, went inside the burning forest, looking for Ye Tian Yun.

    The others soon followed him, and it didn''t take long for them to find their friend.

    They found Ye Tian Yun interrogating a heavily injured man, who had his hand nailed on the tree.

    "I am from the Ling n."

    They heard the injured man confess and consequently heard the remaining information.

    Jun Xie, who was also hearing the man''s words, suddenly noticed an intense emotional reaction around Gao Xuan.

    And before he knew it, Gao Xuan shouted, "Is this the truth!?"

    The man and Ye Tian Yun turned around to see them, both of them having the opposite expression.

    Ye Tian Yun was frowning at him, while the man looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

    "Ha-how!?" The man''s jaw trembled, and teeth crackled.

    Jun Xie saw Gao Xuan jump forward and put a knife on the injured man''s neck. Gao Xuan gritted his teeth, "Tell me, whatever you just said, was that all true?"

    The man gulped and nodded. Endless fear prevailed through his eyes.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the man with a frown, lost in his thoughts,

    Gao Xuan interrogated him a bit more, but the answers of the man were still the same.

    Gao Xuan rubbed his face and let out a long sigh.

    For the others, this was Gao Xuan, but in truth, it was Gao Suyin, disguised as her younger brother.

    Because the actual Gao Xuan was long dead - killed by the hands of the Princess.

    However, the Ling n was behind all this, then didn''t that mean that she was preparing against the wrong enemy all this time?

    It was hard for her to believe this.

    The Ling n was known for keeping a very low profile and was on good terms with almost all big or small ns.

    Also, her brother Gao Xuan was a very close friend of Ling Yun.

    ''Is this true? Is the Xin Royal n actually the innocent ones?'' She was confused.

    On the side, Ye Tian Yun simply frowned and remained silent.

    Jun Xie nced at Ye Tian Yun and then saw Gao Xuan lose his strength and fall on his knees on the ground.

    ''Is the shock too much for him to handle?'' The others were confused.

    On the other hand, Ye Tian Yun sighed, and sitting on one knee, he put his hands on Gao Suyin''s shoulder and said, "Brother Gao, wait for a minute beforeing to any conclusion."

    Gao Suyin raised her head and saw blurred Ye Tian Yun through her moist eyes.

    She immediately rubbed her eyes, and then raising her head once again, she asked, "What do you meanˇ­ Brother Fang?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and turned towards the man.

    Confused about what was going on, the man gulped upon seeing Ye Tian Yun''s expression.

    But Ye Tian Yun''s next words unexpectedly surprised him.

    "What will you do if we forgive you and let you go?"

    "Hm?'' The man was taken aback.

    He didn''t know how to answer. To tell the truth? No, he couldn''t risk it now.

    To go on with his story? That seemed to be the only usible way.

    The man then took a light breath and started to speak in a trembling voice, "Iˇ­ I just want to go backˇ­ to my daughterˇ­. She''s four years oldˇ­ I don''t know how she will survive without meˇ­ pleaseˇ­ please let meˇ­ Iˇ­ I swear I will leave the Capital and nevere backˇ­ pleaseˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "That''s quite sad. I hope you raise your daughter well."

    "Huh?" The others frowned at Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    ''Is he going to let this man go?''

    Even Gao Suyin was confused and quite angered too.

    How could she just let her enemy go?

    This man had just confessed to killing her brother. Even though thetter didn''t die ording to him, but she knew the truth.

    Gao Xuan was as dead as one could be.

    She pursed her lips and stared at Ye Tian Yun, "Are you really going to forgive him? He killedˇ­ I mean, he tried to kill me."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "But aren''t you alive right now?"

    Gao Suyin clenched her teeth.

    But Ye Tian Yun didn''t wait for a response. He turned towards the man and said, "As for you, your sob story would have been a bit convincing if you weren''t a eunuch."

    "Huh?!"

    ˇ­.

    A/n:

    Get Extra Chapters on the 30th Dec based on Golden Ticket Rankings:

    200-150: 1 Extra chapter

    149-100: 3 Extra Chapter

    99-75: 5 Extra Chapter

    74-50: 8 Extra Chapter

 Chapter 615 - 615

    The man was actually a eunuch!

    The others were shocked by the sudden revtion by Ye Tian Yun, including the man himself.

    ''How the fuck did he know!?''

    The man couldn''t fathom.

    ''Do I lookˇ­ different?''

    He didn''t have any answers, and this time, true fear appeared in his eyes as Ye Tian Yun continued to speak.

    "Not only are you a eunuch, but you are also faking your fear and your cultivation. Your aura reveals only up to low tier Qi Refining Realm, but in truth, you''re actually a Peak Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator."

    "This also means that most of what you said is untrue, and I know for sure that it''s untrue because the Ling n would never interfere in the Lower Heavens politics unless their existence is at stake. Not only me, even the other prominent ns know about this information. So whatever you said was in bullshit."

    "Also, the only power who has eunuchs are the Xin Royal n. Even though you''re one of the most powerful lots, your uniqueness of being a eunuch gives away your true identity."

    Everyone was surprised by Ye Tian Yun''s words.

    Gao Suyin gulped.

    She had almost believed this man''s words, and if Ye Tian Yun wasn''t here, she might have dragged an innocent party in her mess and made a powerful enemy.

    As for the man, he went numb after all his ruse was slowly crumbled by Ye Tian Yun''s revtions.

    He sighed, and his expression slowly became serious.

    In an instant, all his fear was gone, and a calm, collected demeanor overtook his expression.

    "How did you know?" The man asked.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I have my own tricks. Now tell me the truth, and maybe I really will spare you."

    The man smiled, and in the next moment, a trail of white foam appeared from the corner of his mouth.

    Before others could react, he was dead.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head at this.

    He had expected the man tomit suicide and had no ns of stopping him from doing so.

    The manmitting suicide indirectly gave validity to Ye Tian Yun''s conjecture.

    Gao Suyin rubbed her face and let out a sigh, "I was overwhelmed by my emotionsˇ­ I forgot these people wouldmit suicide."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It''s alright. At least you learned a major lesson. And well, I hope you don''t believe whatever he''s said. He was clearly trying to drag Ling n in this mess."

    "En." She nodded, and after a slight pause, she asked, "How did you know he was a eunuch?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "As I said, I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

    "Hmmˇ­" She sighed and didn''t inquire further.

    Zheng Xiang stepped forward and cleared his throat, "Can someone exin to meˇ­ what in the world suddenly happened? A moment ago, we were all riding, and then Brother Fang was attacked, and before I knew it, the horses suddenly acted weird, arrows rained from the sky, and a huge fog appeared out of nowhere. And if that wasn''t enough, there was a huge explosion, and everything inside was destroyed, and hundreds of people were killed."

    Jun Xie smiled, "Don''t worry about that. It was just my illusion technique. Luckily I had a breakthrough two days ago, or else this maneuver may have injured me."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I will be thankful to you."

    Then ncing at Gao Suyin, he said, "Brother Gao, let''s go. We need to keep on moving. This was just a minor incident."

    "En." She slowly nodded and stood up.

    "Hm? Brother Fang, your horse is deadˇ­" BaI Qing''er suddenly spoke, grabbing everyone''s attention.

    She was pointing at something on the ground, and when others looked at it, it was a burning dead horse.

    "He was a good horse." Ye Tian Yun sighed. The only casualty from their side was his horse.

    "Looks like the two of us will have to share the horses." Jun Xie spoke, and after a moment, he suggested, "How about you and Brother Fang share the horse, Brother Gao?"

    "Hn? Why me?" Gao Suyin was shocked and replied instinctively.

    "Umˇ­ because you''re the smallest among us fiveˇ­." Jun Xie cleared his throat.

    "Smallest?" Gao Suyin frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "True. Gao Xua, you should eat sometimes. You look like a petite girl."

    Gao Suyin was offended.

    "Hmph! You''re petite! Your whole family is petite!"

    "Woahˇ­." The other gave her a strange look.

    They were surprised by her sudden reaction.

    "We need to leave." Someone said, and it was Wu Qingwu.

    She looked around while adding, "This ce is destroyed; the smoke has already risen high, and this will attract unwanted attention. The best thing to do is to leave this ce. What if there''s a backup army for these people?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Let''s go."

    He had already spread out his spirit sense and was on full alert. This was why he wasn''t in a hurry to leave. But now that Wu Qingwu had said it by herself, there was no need for them to stay here.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded his head and said, "Let''s go."

    And then, ncing once at Gao Xuan, he said, "Don''t worry, we won''t be sharing the horses."

    "Hm? Why?" She asked.

    She immediately cleared her question, "I meanˇ­ howˇ­ how will you travel then? Will you share with someone else?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "That''s one of the options."

    Zheng Xiang suddenly said, "I will share with Bai Qing''er; you can take my horse, Brother Fang."

    The others narrowed their eyes at him, making him cough.

    "Ahem, I justˇ­ I just don''t want us to get dyed anymore. So let''s do this, right? Brother Fang can tak-!"

    "No need." Gao Suyin rejected, "I can share my horse with him."

    Zheng Xiang''s shoulders slightly slumped, "Weren''t you saying you don''t want to-"

    "Forget it." Gao Suyin didn''t say anything else and went to the horse.

    Getting on it, she stared right at the frowning Ye Tian Yun, "What are you waiting for? Let''s go."

    ˇ­

    A/n:

    Get Extra Chapters On the 30th Dec based on Golden Ticket Rankings:

    200-150: 1 Extra chapter

    149-100: 3 Extra Chapter

    99-75: 5 Extra Chapter

    74-50: 8 Extra Chapter

 Chapter 616 - 616 | The Thunder Valley

    The Thunder Valley is situated in the south-eastern region of the Northern Province.

    Years ago, this valley used to be one of the biggest trade centers in the whole kingdom. However, one man changed the whole future.

    The terrain in this valley is quite treacherous. Using this route would take about three to four days to cross the whole valley.

    Even traveling alone on a Golden Ferghana is a bitplicated because there are unexpected cliffs, turns, and unsteady rocks.

    Anyone walking on the path will have an ever-present fear of andslide.

    However, this ce isn''t barren. In fact, the whole valley used to be the Gao n''s ancestralnd, and the Gao n was one of the ruling ns of this region.

    They controlled the whole trade route and amassed huge amounts of wealth. And this was one of the reasons why their n was one of the Big Four, even years after they had left the Thunder Valley.

    But other than the Gao n, the Thunder Valley was also home to hundreds of mortal viges.

    And legend has it, once in one of these viges, lived a mortal couple.

    They loved each other a lot, and soon, the wife was pregnant with a child.

    Because the viges were scattered, and the whole terrain was not good, it would take about three days for a middle-aged couple to reach Lime Fog Town, the only ce with a doctor and midwife.

    However, even though they were aware of this, something unexpected happened, and the wife''s water broke a month earlier.

    Now, with no one to deliver the baby, a tragedy happened.

    The husband lost both his wife and his unborn child.

    He was so frustrated and helpless that he dedicated his remaining life paving a straight path - right through the heart of the Thunder Valley.

    It took him twenty years, but he seeded in constructing a whole path, alone, all by himself.

    And the path waster called Perseverance Path.

    And this path became one of the reasons why the trade route changed. Because now, crossing the Thunder Valley was much easier than before.

    Gao n shifted to the Capital City during that time, and that decision also worked out pretty well for them.

    Right now, Ye Tian Yun and his party had just left the Perseverance Path, taking a turn and heading towards the old Gao n vige.

    Now that the Gao n had left, the ce had be quite deste. Andter, for some reason, everyone who lived in this area also left.

    The main cause for this was unknown, but many tradersmented that it was mostly because of the rampant bandit groups causing havoc in the once most rich ces of the Thunder Valley.

    But for Ye Tian Yun and his friends, the rest of the trip to the Thunder Valley went surprisingly normal.

    They were expecting to encounter a few bandit groups, but they didn''t encounter anyone.

    And the party was happy with this. This meant no more time would be wasted, and they mighte back to the vige in time.

    By the time they stepped into the ruins of Gao Vige, the moon was already above their heads.

    "So, we will be spending the night here?" Zheng Xiang asked with his hands on his chin.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You guys wait and make a camp. I will go look for the right spot. Once that is found, and I am done with my business, I will bring you guys to the thing which we are here for."

    Zheng Xiang lightly nodded, "Alright."

    The others got down from the Golden Ferghanas, and within a few minutes, they made a bonfire and sat down around it.

    Even though this was the summer season, the Thunder Valley usually had a cold environment, especially at night.

    But this wasn''t a problem for cultivators since they could easily coat themselves with a thinyer of Qi and keep their bodies warm even in teeth cking cold.

    Just as everyone has settled down, Gao Suyin spoke, "I will also head out. I am here to look for something very important for my n. Since we need to leave as soon as possible, it would be a waste of time if I stood here."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned a bit and asked, "May I ask what you''re looking for?"

    Gao Suying shrugged, "Just an old relic. It has a sentimental value for my father. What about you?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Oh? Well, my goal is to find a certain herb. I heard it might be avable here, so I havee here to look for it."

    Gao Suyin simply nodded at this; on the other hand, Jun Xie frowned.

    He had a strong feeling that both of them were lying to each other right now. However, he didn''t say anything. ''Everyone has their own secretsˇ­''

    "I will go and hunt some rabbit or something." He stood up and said to the others, "Traveling the whole day has made me hungry."

    "I wille with you!" Wu Qingwu smiled.

    "No thanks."

    "..."

    "Zheng Xiang,e with me."

    ˇ­

    Just as Jun Xie and Zheng Xiang left, Ye Tian Yun also took his leave.

    He didn''t waste any more time and went straight to his destination.

    If the information he had about this ce was right, then he was going to get a whole High-tier Spirit Vein which would immensely help in his cultivation.

    The Thunder Valley is full of uneven mountains and deep cliffs.

    And Ye Tian Yun''s destination was a cliff behind the biggest mountain near the Gao Vige.

    The mountain wasn''t hard to find, and with his cultivation, it only took him a few minutes as he reached the peak.

    And soon, he found himself standing at the very edge of a cliff.

    Standing on the edge, what entered his eyes was boundless clouds and mist, and his line of sight waspletely obstructed.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, wasn''t nning to jump. Rather, he was looking for something verymon which was found in such ces.

    And he soon noticed that about a hundred meters below in the precipitous cliff there was actually a tilted tree that grew straight out of the cliff.

    That was his destination.

    ...

    A/n: The story at the beginning of the chapter is inspired by a real-life incident.. You can read more about it by visiting ''Dashrath Manjhi'' Wikipedia page.

 Chapter 617 - 617 | The Cave

    Ye Tian Yun smiled upon noticing the tree.

    There was only one tree on the whole rocky cliff, which appeared to have no depth.

    What was strange was that this tilted tree grew out of this deste cliff, but it was actually lush and dark green, appearing to be full of vigor and vitality. Its thick trunk stuck into the side of the cliff and was firm like Mount Tai.

    Before long, the clouds and mist floated over it again and once again obstructed Ye Tian Yun''s line of sight.

    Whoosh!

    Without hesitation, Ye Tian Yun flew and headed towards the tree.

    After a few seconds, he stepped on the trunk of the tilted tree and walked forward slowly. Then he touched the cliff with a curious expression.

    However, as soon as he touched the rocks, his hand got sucked into it.

    It was as if he wasn''t touching rocks but something rubbery.

    Pulling his hand back, Ye Tian Yun lightly clenched his fist and gave the cliff-wall a low-powered punch.

    Click! ck!

    Just as he punched on the wall, spiderweb-like cracks started to form.

    And soon, the rock wall suddenly copsed, and a narrow cave appeared in front of him.

    As the rocks fell, Ye Tian Yun suddenly sensed a rich auraing from inside of the cave.

    He smiled as he knew he had seeded in getting what he was here for.

    ''The High-tier Spirit Veinˇ­''

    Now, the only thing left for him was to test a theory.

    Without hesitation, Ye Tian Yun stepped inside the cave.

    This ce was extremely strange, and it revealed mysteriousness from every corner, causing Ye Tian Yun''s desire to explore it until the end to arise within his heart.

    This passage within the cave was full of twists and turns.

    Not long after Ye Tian Yun walked in, he noticed total darkness before him.

    However, this wasn''t a problem. With a strand of burning Qi in Ye Tian Yun''s hand, the entire cave was instantly bright as day, allowing him to continue walking forward slowly.

    Soon upon reaching the end of the cave passage, Ye Tian Yun saw a trace of a gentle, white light actually flickering there.

    Not only that, he could even feel the Qi inside him reacting vigorously with each stride he took forward.

    However, the surprising fact was that he could see the light at the end of the cave passage; in other words, that was quite possibly an exit!

    Ye Tian Yun continued to move forward, and upon carefully crossing the exit, he found himself in a bright room-like cave.

    And to his surprise, there was actually no light source!

    It was as if the light simply existed.

    ''Weirdˇ­''

    However, what caught his eye first was the puddle of water at the center of the room.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    Upon seeing this, Ye Tian Yun smiled.

    He traveled so far precisely for this puddle of water.

    This mere puddle was a High-tier Spirit Vein!

    Unlike the one he saw in Gracious Sword Sect, this one was a lot different.

    That one was more like a pond, and this was just a puddle.

    However, both of them had a huge difference.

    The benefits this thing could bring for him were beyond anything that the Spirit Vein in the Gracious Sword Sect could ever do.

    Also, while the spirit water was colorless in the Sect''s Spirit Vein, this one had a pinkish tinge.

    This meant it was the best and highest quality of spirit vein.

    If news got out, there would be a war for just a whiff of this pinkish spirit water.

    It was just too potent.

    Single whiff could give guaranteed breakthroughs to Qi Refining Cultivators.

    In fact, even cultivating in this room was much more beneficial for him than cultivating with his resources from the Middle Heavens!

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t waste any more time and brought out his Nine Heavens Painting.

    ''Let''s try this.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and put his painting upside down on the puddle of water.

    He then willed the painting to suck in the spirit water and bring the whole Spirit Vein inside his Nine Heavens Painting!

    As Ye Tian Yun concentrated on the painting, bubbles began to form on the painting.

    Suddenly, he had a bad premonition, but before he could react, a bright light shed.

    BOOM!

    As if something kicked his head, Ye Tian Yun was knocked out.

    After an unknown amount of time, he slowly opened his eyes, and recalling the moments before the incident, Ye Tian Yun became wide awake and immediately looked around for his painting.

    To his surprise, the whole room was currently pitch ck.

    Without hesitation, he spread out his senses to detect any unknown enemy, but he couldn''t sense anyone.

    Pursing his lips, Ye Tian Yun burnt Qi at the tip of his finger and lit up the room.

    He was still in the same room. However, there was no puddle of spirit water anymore, just his Nine Heavens Painting lying on the dry surface.

    Ye Tian Yun moved and held the painting in his hand.

    To his surprise, the once pure white painting actually had an illustration now.

    And upon closely observing, it didn''t take him long to notice the illustration of a huge mountain and at the base of the mountain was a small vige.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned slightly and soon came to a conclusion.

    ''This is an illustration of the outer worldˇ­''

    The mountains signified the Thunder Valley, and the vige was the Gao Vige.

    Ye Tian Yun put his spirit sense inside the painting, and to his surprise, nothing happened!

    ''Hm? Why can''t I go in?''

    As if the Painting was telling the answer, Ye Tian Yun immediately knew what he had to do - just like how he knew the way to put the whole Spirit Vein in the Painting.

    And following the directions, Ye Tian Yun concentrated on the painting.

    In the next moment, he disappeared from his spot.

 Chapter 618 - 618 | Wang Yaos Revelation

    Opening his eyes, Ye Tian Yun found himself in a cave. With a frown, he looked around.

    ''I am in the painting, orˇ­?''

    He was surprised because he was in the exact spot and the same cave.

    However, instead of painting, he stood beside the High-Tier Spirit Vien.

    ''Where is the painting thenˇ­?''

    He looked around, but there was only him and the spirit vein in the cave.

    Another difference was that the room was lit up, so he could see everything around him very clearly. This was mainly due to the Spirit Vien.

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and headed for the exit.

    It was the only way for him to confirm where he was.

    He was already familiar with the way. Burning qi at the tip of his finger, he lit up the path and soon reached the edge of the exit, which was the cliff wall.

    However, upon reaching the edge, a smile formed on his face because in front of him was not a deep endless cliff; rather, it was white space.

    In other words, he was currently in the painting!

    ''This is goodˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    Then going back to the spirit vein, he put his hand in the puddle of water, and using his hand, he looked for something.

    He was actually looking for the Spirit root.

    His main goal was not to bring the Spirit Vein in the Nine Heavens Painting, rather, he needed to take it in his cultivation space too.

    Only then will he be able to get the maximum benefits.

    And the one possible way for him was to find an extension on the spirit root and bring that extension to the cultivation space.

    It didn''t take him long to find the extension, and he broke it off and took it out of the spirit water.

    "This is it."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled while staring at the three-millimeter sprit root extension.

    He then brought out a bowl from his spatial ring and put the root in it. He filled the bowl with spirit water.

    The bowl was a normal one, and it is also one of the essential supplies a cultivator has in his spatial ring when going out on long journeys.

    Ye Tian Yun closed his eyes and disappeared from the cave without wasting any more time.

    And after a few seconds, he looked around and found himself in the cultivation space.

    In that instant, Wang Yao also appeared before him.

    "Wowˇ­." Wang Yao stared at the bowl with a frown, "The aura is so heavy."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, it is the high tier Spirit Vien after all."

    "Hm?" Wang Yao frowned, "Are you in the Thunder Valley?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Yes. I am here for this Spirit Vein."

    Wang Yao scratched his chin, "Ye Tian Yun, how about we make a deal?"

    "Hm? A deal?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Tell me about it first."

    Wang Yao pursed his lips and asked, "Do you want more Spirit Viens?"

    "Hm? More?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How many more are you talking about?"

    "One moreˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Oh? Where is it?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "That''s the deal. I tell you the location of a Spirit Vein, and in return, you ept my one request."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "What kind of request?"

    "Wellˇ­ you knowˇ­ it''s so dark thereˇ­ how aboutˇ­. How about you let me see what''s going on in the Outside world?" Wang Yao cleared his throat while speaking.

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips curled as his eyes unconsciously nced at the top of Wang Yao''s head.

    [Wang Yao. 0 Star Favorability. Holds indifference, and uncaring attitude everything.]

    ''Hm? The favorability is still the same; howeverˇ­ the exnation has changed. In fact, he has be even more indifferentˇ­ but why does his attitude doesn''t show any of this?''

    Seeing Ye Tian Yun stay silent, Wang Yao asked again, "What do you think then?"

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him for a moment and then asked, "You will have to tell me about the location first. If, and only if, I don''t know anything about this spirit vein, will this deal be concluded."

    Wang Yao frowned, "What if I reveal the location and its news for you, but you decide not to follow the deal? Won''t I be scammed?"

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, you can only trust me; there''s no other choice for you, is there?"

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and nodded, "Hm, alright. Well, the Spirit vein is in Gracious Sw-!"

    "No need."

    "Hn?"

    "I said no need." Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I already know about it. We''re not going through this deal."

    Wang Yao was taken aback, "No-no! Can''t we do any other deal?"

    "Like what?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Do you have anything that I don''t know about?"

    Wang Yao pursed his lips and sighed, "Alright, how about I give you a piece of information that will show you a bigger picture and will most likely save your life one day."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "No, don''t include the information in a deal. We already agreed that you would tell me."

    Wang Yao nodded, "We agreed, but not for this information. I will tell you something that no one else knew, except for two people."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "And you''re saying that it will be helpful?"

    "Of course." Wang Yao smiled, "It will change your whole perspective on whatever has happened in real or in the old timeline."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Alright, I will take the bait. Tell me, what is it?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "Well, tell me, how many people are there in the younger generation of the Great Ye n?"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Well, this is an unexpected question. Hmmˇ­ Well, I don''t have any direct siblings, but I do have cousinsˇ­ including you."

    Wang Yao smiled, "Well, here''s the information I have. Youˇ­ are not the only son of Emperor Ye Tian Xuan."

    "....What." Ye Tian Yun''s pupils constricted due to shock, "I have a....brother?!"

 Chapter 619 - 619 | Crown Prince Of The Heavens

    "This is not a good joke, Wang Yao." Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I hope you aren''t lying just to get yourself a good deal."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I ain''t lying. You indeed have a brother."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at him, "It''s impossible. If I really do have a brother, why don''t I know about it? Why did my father never tell me about it? Why does no one in the Middle Heavens know about it?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Of Course they won''t know. Your brother isn''t in Middle Heavens, and he wasn''t even born in the Middle Heavens. Instead, he''s in the Upper Heavens."

    "Upper Heavens?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Why''s he there?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I can''t tell you why. But he''s there, in flesh and blood."

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It still feels like you''re making up a story. What about my father then? Why did he never tell me about this?"

    Wang Yao smiled, "Pretty simple. He isn''t aware that he has another son. If he knew, do you think he wouldn''t have told you?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is this some fantasy story? How canˇ­ howe I never knew about this in my previous life?"

    Wang Yao frowned, "Well, in your previous life, there were many things you didn''t know about. You didn''t know about Wang Yao''s true identity; you didn''t know about the Upper Heavens; you didn''t know about the System."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "Trueˇ­ but... this is truly unexpected news?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I just care about the bet; I don''t know what you think or make out of this situation. Anyway, tell me, was this information worth it?"

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "What if, in future, this information turns out to be false?"

    Wang Yao frowned, "Dude, it doesn''t matter if I tell you or not. One day you will know for yourself once you reach the Upper Heavens, and that is if you seed."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    "Also," Wang Yao continued, "Even he isn''t aware of your identity. To the people of Upper Heavens, entering the Middle Heavens is forbidden."

    "Forbidden?"

    "Yes," Wang Yao nodded, "Why do you think your father has enemies in the Upper Heavens, but they never came to the Middle Heavens."

    "Oh? Is it because of this reason?"

    "Yes. The people of Upper Heavens are barred from stepping in the Middle and Lower Heavens unless they have the blood of someone from these Heavens, running through their veins."

    "But then... How did Butler Liue to the Middle Heavens? Is he not from the Upper Heavens?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao nodded, "He is from the Upper Heavens. And the reason why he''s living in hiding is because of that very reason. His enemies can''t step in the Middle Heavens, so he''s safe."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Really? If he''s so safe, then why did he abandon Jun Xie?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I have no idea about that. I am not an omniscient being. I only know things which Wang Yao encountered in the previous timeline."

    "Hm, understandable." Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded his head, "So, you''re saying that no one from the Upper Heavens can enter the Middle Heavens except Butler Liu and my ''apparent'' younger brother?"

    Wang Yao frowned for a moment and shook his head, "There might be three other people, but they won''t show themselves in the Middle Heavens. Those three are important people whom you will know moreter."

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "So many thingsˇ­ how powerful do I need to be to know everything from you?"

    Wang Yao scratched his chin, "You will never be powerful enough, but if you can reach the Saint Realm, I will tell you."

    "Saing Realm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You mean, after getting the Heavenly Throne?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes. In fact, most of the answers will unravel on their own; you will just have to sit back and watch as everything unfolds."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "My brotherˇ­ What is his name? And does that mean... he''s... with my mother?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I don''t know about his name."

    "You don''t know?"

    "Yeah, and nobody does. He never had a name." Wang Yao sighed, "However he does have a title, and that''s how everyone refers to him, evenˇ­ evenˇ­."

    "Evenˇ­?" Ye Tian Yun raised one of his eyebrows and lifted his chin a bit out of curiosity.

    Wang Yao shook his head, not revealing anything else.

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Alright, no need to say the name, I think he''s the person who shouldn''t be named - the enemy from the Upper Heavens."

    Wang Yao simply blinked and didn''t affirm anything through words.

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "What is my brother''s title?"

    Wang Yao sighed, "Ah, good that you changed the topic. Next, if I be silent midway through a sentence, just know who I am talking about. Anyway, one of the reasons why I told you information is because this brother of yours needs your help."

    "My help?"

    "Yeah," Wang Yao nodded, "As for his title, it''s the Crown Prince of Heavens."

    "Crown Prince of Heavensˇ­" Ye Tian Yun''s eye twitched, "Thisˇ­ is an interesting title. So, why does this Crown Prince of Heavens need my help?"

    "Becauseˇ­ he''s in a predicament and will most probably die by the time you turn twenty-four."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Well, what can I do about that?"

    "What do you mean?" Wang Yao asked with a frown, "Your brother needs helpˇ­ What else can convince you?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, let''s be clear on one thing. Even though this person is my brother by blood, I don''t even know his name or face, nor have I ever met him. Five minutes ago, I didn''t even know he existed."

    "And he also doesn''t know that I exist," Ye Tian Yun shrugged while adding, "Why do you think I should focus my mind on him? There''s no need for me too. Anyway, I am sure if my father knows about this Crown Prince of Heavens, he will definitely do something, so there''s no need to worry."

    Wang Yao pursed his lips, "Well, why don''t you hear what his trouble is? I am sure you will change your mind."

 Chapter 620 - 620 | Formidable Upper Heaven

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "His trouble? Hmm, what is it?"

    Wang Yao remained silent for a moment and said, "Your little brother is the reason why your father died."

    Ye Tian Yun''s heart trembled upon hearing Wang Yao''s nonchnt words, "Whˇ­ What do you mean? My father will die?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "All this happened long after you were dead."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Whyˇ­? And how is my brother connected to this?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I don''t know about that. I just know that your little brother, the Crown Prince of the Heavens, was one of the biggest catalysts in your father''s death."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and sat down cross-legged on the surface.

    After a long silence, he asked, "I just have one question. Was this guy who you''re iming to be my little brotherˇ­ Will he be directly involved in instigating the death of my father? Or was he forced?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I already told you, I am not aware of the details."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his head with a frown and stared at Wang Yao.

    "Why are you telling me this?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Don''t tell me you''re worried about my father because there''s no way I would believe that nonsense."

    Wang Yao lightly nodded, and he, too, sat in front of Ye Tian Yun, cross-legged.

    "It''s true that I am indifferent about whatever happens to your father or you." He said, "I am already dead. I can''t do anything about that. But there are still people in this world whom I care about."

    "Uncle and Aunt?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "Yes." Wang Yao nodded, "My parents. They are two of the three people who I care about. And your father''s death heavily affects their survival."

    "Oh? How so?"

    "Well, Uncle Ye is the strongest person in the Middle Heavens," Wang Yao said, "And my father, no matter what his history is with uncle ye, he still respects thetter a lot. And in the future, on the day Uncle Ye dies, my father also loses his life. In fact, the whole Great Ye n is massacred."

    "The whole nˇ­."

    "Yes." Wang Yao nodded, "Your butler Liu was already dead. His son Jun Xie hated the world even more after his father''s death and gave the secret to trespass the Middle Heavens to the people of the Upper Heavens."

    "Hm? Jun Xie?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "Yeah," Wang Yao replied, "Well, I wille off clean, just so I don''t feel like I am trying to fool you."

    "Hm? What do you mean?"

    "Well, the reason I told you all of a sudden about your brother is not because of the deal. Rather, because I wanted to tell you about the death of my uncle and my father."

    "You need to stop your brother. The reason why I said he needs your help is that even though he has the status, he doesn''t have the talent to stand tall with that status."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is he weak?"

    "He''s a mortal." Wang Yao said, "He can''t cultivate."

    "He can''t cultivateˇ­." Ye Tian Yun''s eye twitched, "Then why is he the Crown Prince? Alsoˇ­ you didn''t answer one of my questions earlierˇ­ is my mother in the Upper Heavens?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Don''t ask me anything rted to this. I will just say I don''t know."

    "Then why are you nodding?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "Take a hint."

    "Hm? Ohˇ­ oh! You meanˇ­ she''s there!" Ye Tian Yun''s eyes widened.

    "I don''t know." Wang Yao said while continuing to nod.

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly frowned, "Wait, you said you couldn''t name my enemyˇ­ and now you aren''t saying anything about my mother. Isˇ­ I mean, are both of themˇ­ same?"

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I don''t know."

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Ah, as long as she''s not the one trying to kill me, it''s alright."

    Wang Yao pursed his lips and didn''t say anything.

    "Anyway, why is my brother the Crown Prince?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Are there no voices against him?"

    "There are." Wang Yao shrugged, "Didn''t I say he needs your help? Well, the whole world is against him right now."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then why was he part of the conspiracy to kill my father? One possibility I can think of is that he was used as bait to trick and ambush my fatherˇ­."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "That''s quite unlikely. Your brothercks cultivation talent but is one of the most intelligent people in the Upper Heavens. That''s the reason why he''s still alive, or else he would have long lost his life."

    "Very intelligent?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "At least he''s not aplete idiot."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "So, you gonna help me with this?"

    "Hm?"

    "I mean," Wang Yao cleared his throat and said, "I want you to save your father; that will definitely save my father''s life."

    Ye Tian Yun remained silent, and after a few moments, he replied, "We will see how the situation is in the future. Whatever happened earlier was in a different timeline, and now it''s impossible."

    "No," Wang Yao shook his head, "Now it means that it can happen early."

    "Early?"

    "Yeah," Wang Yao nodded, "You aren''t ying the part which you were supposed to y. Your enemy always has a backup n. Even just one of its creations, the system, was able to formte a grand scheme. Do you think they don''t have a backup n in case the time-loop broke?"

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "What? Really?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Of course. Your enemy is not only the strongest in terms of strength, but it''s also a master of calctive strategies."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Butˇ­ How would he predict this? How would they know what would happen? I guess I need to be more careful nowˇ­ I don''t want to end up getting yed into their palm like Wang Yaoˇ­ I mean, the other Wang Yao."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Hmm, I know. You definitely don''t want things to turn out like this."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, and suddenly, a question popped up in his head, "Wasn''t that Wang Yao alive at that time? He did not do anything in our fathers'' situation?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Well, he did help, but not the Great Ye n."

 Chapter 621 - 621 |

    "That was expected," Ye Tian Yun said, "Wang Yao would have never helped my n, but that''s not what I meant. I am asking about himˇ­ I mean, Uncle Wang. Did Wang Yao try to save Uncle Wang or not?"

    "Noˇ­" Wang Yao sighed, "That person is very self-centered. To him, my parents were just random people, and during that event, Wang Yao personally led the army which led to my father''s demise."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I don''t know what to say. His reaction was kind ofˇ­ expected."

    Wang Yao nodded, "True, anyway, I hope you agree with the deal? Since the information I gave you is definitely worth it."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I will agree if you can answer one more of my questions."

    "Oh? Ask away."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin and asked, "Where is this Wang Yao from? Is all that multiverse bullshit really true?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I don''t know if the multiverse exists or not, but I am sure about one thing - Wang Yao is from our universe."

    "Our universe?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is he a cultivator?"

    "No," Wang Yao shook his head, "He knows about cultivation, in fact, there are even legends of cultivators in his world, but he was not a cultivator in his real world."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "Ah, I guess I am still a frog in the well. There''s still a lot for me to know."

    Wang Yao nodded, "True. Anyway, for now, focus on reaching the Saint Realm as soon as possible. Once you have all the Tokens, you will be able to directly jump to the Saint Realm."

    "All the tokensˇ­" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "That''s impossible. I don''t know the location of all of them."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Well, you can get the Emblems tho, right?"

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "Four emblems - Time, Soul, Chaos, and Luck. I know the location of all four. Except for the Chaos, I will get all four of them."

    "Hm?" Wang Yao smiled, "Well, we will see about that. But still, have a backup n with you. What if the Emblems reject?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Hm, true. Let''s see when the timees. For now, I will agree with the deal. I will allow you to see the outside world, but there''s one condition."

    "Condition?"

    "Yeah. And that is, I can block the view anytime I want and for however long I want. So don''t try to do anything funny."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "I am not someone who will easily break someone''s trust."

    Ye Tian Yun let out a long breath, "We will see about that. I will get back to the guys now."

    "Hmm," Wang Yao added, "Alright. At least I won''t be bored anymore."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and brought his attention back to the spirit vein.

    "Leave this to me." Wang Yao suddenly said, "I will nt this vein in this space."

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised, "You know how to?"

    "Yeah," Wang Yao nodded, "I haven''t tried this before, but I do know of a way. But, because thews of time are different in this ce, I don''t know how long it will take for this vein to grow."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It''s alright. I can always get some more roots. And I think, at least for the next year, this should suffice."

    "Yeah." Wang Yao nodded, "If you can reach the peak of the Core Formation Realm within a year, it would be great."

    YE Itan Yun smiled and then disappeared from the cultivation space.

    Wang Yao stood alone in the cultivation space and after a few moments, he sighed, "Let''s get to work then."

    As he said, the view in front of him suddenly changed.

    He found himself in a cave.

    ''Hm? What''s going onˇ­!?'' Wang Yao was shocked by this sudden change.

    ''Rx. You''re seeing through my eyes.'' Ye Tian Yun, who could hear his words from the back of his mind, replied.

    ''Ahˇ­ yeahˇ­ this cave does look familiar.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "That''s good to know."

    In the cave, Ye Tian Yun looked around and headed for the exit.

    He had already lightened the path as soon as he stepped out of the Cultivation space.

    Outside, only a few minutes had passed.

    Ye Tian Yun stood on the outgrown tree, and then slowly began to fly.

    Within a few seconds, he reached the top of the cliff andnded.

    -BOOM!

    The sudden sound of an explosion surprised Ye Tian Yun.

    Immediately he spread his spirit sense and flew towards the bonfire made by his friends.

    But just as his body rose by a few feet above the surface, cracks formed on the surface and there was another explosion.

    -BOOM!

    "The fuc-!"

    -BOOM!

    Nonstop explosions puzzled him as he flew straight towards the bonfire.

    To his surprise, he noticed that everything was alright - none of them was hurt.

    Rather, they were staring in his direction with frowns and were on guard.

    ''The mountainˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun immediately frowned and looked at the surface.

    It didn''t take long for him to know that the explosions were actuallying from within the mountain!

    "What is going onˇ­? Is it because of the Spirit Vein I took?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped down on the surface but made sure that others didn''t notice him flying.

    He then ran and appeared in front of the group.

    "What''s happening!?"

    The others were surprised by his appearance but immediately regained theirposure as Jun Xie pointed at the mountain and said, "There are explosionsing from that mountain. We were sitting and suddenly the whole surface shook."

    Wu Qingwu remarked, "I am afraid we may have to face andslideˇ­ But isn''t that the direction in which Gao Xuan went a few minutes ago?"

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "You guys stay put, I will go and check it out."

    "I wille with you." Zheng Xian and Jun Xie said simultaneously.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled but shook his head, "Noˇ­ you guys should leave this ce and get away from this ce. If andslide does happen, I don''t know how much time you will have to save yourself."

    "What about you?" Bai Qing''er spoke. Even though she was the most silent member in the group, and always seemed quite distant, right now, her expression was full of worry.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Don''t worry about me, I have my ways of getting out. And if the situation gets worse, I won''t risk too much."

    Without waiting for any response, Ye Tian Yun ran towards the mountain.

 Chapter 622 - 622 | The Cave

    Ye Tian Yun ran straight towards the mountain, and upon reaching a considerable distance from the group, he immediately jumped in the air and began to fly around.

    Spreading around his spirit sense, he searched for Gao Xuan.

    ''What is he here for?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think about it.

    As far as he knew, there was only one precious thing in this ce, and that was the High-tier Spirit Vien.

    At first, Ye Tian Yun had thought Gao Xuan was heading there for the vein, but when he saw that thetter was going in the opposite direction, he didn''t bother much.

    ''Is there something even more importantˇ­''

    Considering the fact that Gao Xuan could have visited this ce before Wang Yao got his hands on it, there was a chance there might be something even more important than the Spirit Vien.

    ''Or he didn''t even know about the Spirit Vienˇ­''

    There were many possibilities, and only Gao Xuan knew the truth.

    -BOOM!

    Another explosion shook the group. Ye Tian Yun turned his head and nced towards the bonfire.

    To his surprise, his friends were still waiting for him.

    ''Are they idiots?''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t feel any warmth; instead, he was quite annoyed by this.

    They were risking their lives by staying there.

    Ye Tian Yun nced back and forth between the ground and them, and finally, shaking his head, he flew towards his friends.

    But he didn''t appear in front of them. Rather, he just sent a spirit message to Jun Xie, who was staring towards the mountain with a worried expression.

    <<Run from this ce, you dumbass. What are you worried about?!>>

    Jun Xie immediately came out of his stupor and looked around in surprise; however, he failed to locate Ye Tian Yun.

    "What happened?" Zheng Xiang, who was standing a few steps behind him, noticed his strange action and couldn''t help but ask.

    "Let''s go." Jun Xie said, "Fang Chen will take care of himself."

    "What?" Zheng Xiang frowned, "But-"

    "No." Jun Xie turned around and jumped on a rock, "If we stay back, we will only be a burden on him. Let''s go."

    "Uh.. alright." Zheng Xiang agreed and followed.

    Wu Qingwu and Bai Qing''er also jumped on the rock, and then, taking the Golden Ferghana horses, they ran in the opposite direction of the Gao Vige''s mountain.

    Behind them, Ye Tian Yun had long left the scene.

    After sending a spirit message to Jun Xie, he didn''t waste any more time.

    Within a few seconds, he reached the mountain and stared at the cracks formed on the ground.

    Just then -

    "You need to find an entrance."

    A voice echoed in Ye Tian Yun''s mind. It was WangYao.

    "An entrance?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Like a cave entrance?"

    "Yeah," Wang Yao nodded, "I remember the time when Wang Yao visited this ce. I don''t remember the exact details because that whole path was destroyed because of such cracks."

    "Hm," Ye Tian Yun frowned and began to circle the mountain while looking for any kind of entrance.

    "Just look for two long treesing out of a mountain rock." Wang Yao said, "I am pretty sure that''s the ce."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and began to look for the trees with the fitting description.

    About a minuteter, he finally saw two treesing out of a rock. They were near the edge of the mountain, and if not for Wang Yao telling him what to look for, he definitely wouldn''t have paid any attention to them. The trees didn''t stand out much from the forest and felt quite ordinary.

    "The rock is still intact." Wang Yao scratched his chin, "That''s good. The path is not yet destroyed. Go there, and you will find a cave."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and flew towards the trees.

    Upon stepping in front of the rock, the first thing he noticed was a two feet ck hole on the ground near the rock.

    "Thisˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and stepped closer to it.

    "There are steps inside it!" Wang Yao pointed at the ck hole and added, "This entrance is below the rock. I think after a few explosions, the rack will crack, and its one-half will fall on this cave mouth."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Should I go in or not?"

    "Of course you should! Is he not your friend?" Wang Yao shrugged.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "That''s not the matter. He came out of this ce alive in the main timeline. So he cane out alive now too."

    Wang Yao frowned, "No, don''tpare both timelines. You have the power to save him right now; you should do it. Who is this friend of yours, by the way?"

    Ye Tian Yun replied, "Gao Xuan."

    "Oh.. wait, what!?" Wang Yao was surprised, "Gao Xuan? From the Gao n? Why did you bring him here?!"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is something wrong with that?"

    Wang Yao shook, "Not really, it''s just I am surprised that you two are friends."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "His informationwork is quite powerful. So he still has some uses for me."

    Wang Yao shrugged, "Then it''s the best opportunity for you. You can make him owe you a lot by saving him from this situation."

    Ye Tian Yun sighed and looked around.

    "The entrance was below this rock; that''s why no one has ever found it," he said. "Look at the ground. It''s clear the rock has moved ces. Wang Yao, let''s hope saving Gao Xuan is worthwhile."

    Ye Tian Yun took a light breath and entered the pitch-ck cave.

    -BOOM!

    Another explosion shook the mountain, and a sudden waft of dust passed by Ye Tian Yun.

    ''Whatever the cause of these explosions is, it''s inside.''

    Forgetting his initial hesitation, Ye Tian Yun flew through the cave and headed deeper.

    Earlier, he was hesitating because there was a chance that this encounter might be a facetious encounter for Gao Xuan, and surviving this situation might have a good effect on his future.

    ''Well fuck it, I will just get him out and leave this ce.''

 Chapter 623 - 623 | The White Screen

    The inside of the cave was pitch dark.

    Ye Tian Yun used his spiritual sense to find a way for himself.

    He didn''t burn Qi to light up the area because that would expose his presence and location.

    If there was a hidden enemy or the situation was dangerous, he would be serving himself on a silver tter.

    The reason why he didn''t worry about hidden danger in the Spirit Vien cave was that he was already aware of the whole situation.

    This ce, however, was unfamiliar, and the source of the disturbance was also ahead of him.

    -RAAAAAWWWWWWR!!!!

    A sudden roar froze Ye Tian Yun.

    "Thisˇ­" In the cultivation space, Wang Yao stared at the screen speechlessly.

    Ye Tian Yun, too, stared at the darkness in front of him and gulped.

    ''That wasn''t a normal beastˇ­.''

    Without hesitation, he took out his dual sword and became even more alert.

    The roar alone had made the ce tremble.

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and began to move ahead carefully.

    The path of the cave was pretty straightforward, so there was not much ce to hide.

    ''I hope the beast doesn''t have some kind of night visionˇ­''

    Some spirit beasts have the ability to see clearly even at midnight. And even though Ye Tian Yun hoped that this beast didn''t have night vision, in his heart, he knew that the beast would most likely sense him as soon as he stepped in its range.

    ''I just need to confirm if Gao Xuan is alive or deadˇ­''

    The aura from the Beast was very powerful.

    Even with Core Formation Realm cultivation, Ye Tian Yun felt an intense sense of danger.

    The chances of Gao Xuan''s survival had suddenly be quite dismal.

    But Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to assume that the former was dead unless he saw him with his own eyes.

    So now, instead of bringing back Gao Xuan, Ye Tian Yun''s priority changed to confirming if Gao Xuan was even alive at this moment or not.

    ''How the fuck did he escape something like this?''

    -Grollllˇ­.

    The deep growl echoed through the cave.

    Even the surface trembled at this moment.

    ''Is this some kind of Divine Spirit Beast?''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t have any answers yet. He could only slowly move forward and increase his guard.

    Suddenly-

    BOOM!

    Another explosion shook the whole ce, and an outburst of dust came right at Ye Tian Yun from the front, throwing him off guard.

    "Ughˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun''s body mmed on the wall and dropped on the surface.

    "Damnˇ­"

    He stood up and resumed the walk.

    ''Just a glimpseˇ­''

    Usually, Ye Tian Yun wouldn''t have continued to walk forward since this was akin to jumping in the fire.

    He was literally walking towards the danger.

    "Don''t leave!" Wang Yao, sensing Ye Tian Yun''s mood, suddenly said, "That rawrˇ­ that beastˇ­ it''s very important for you to see him."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "I know you''re not the person to care about others'' lives," Wang Yao said, "And I would be an idiot if I still insisted on saving Gao Xuan, but thatˇ­ that thing on the other end of the caveˇ­ it''s important that you see it. No, it''s even more important to confirm something."

    "Confirm what?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Just be on your guard," Wang Yao didn''t answer, "I will tell you everything once we get back to safety."

    "Alright." Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    About three minutester, he had covered more than a mile of cave path and suddenly saw light at the end.

    ''Exit?''

    There had been no explosions ever since; in fact, everything was eerily quiet.

    ''Did that Spirit Beast sense me?''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to die without knowing what took his life.

    And as he was stepping closer toward the light at the end, he suddenly heard the sound of fighting!

    ''Gao Xuan!''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t hesitate and immediately ran towards the light, camouging his appearance as much as possible.

    But just as he reached the end of the cave, he noticed something weird.

    The light wasn''t the exit of the cave!

    In fact, the light was on screen!

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as he stared at the screen in front of him. It was a huge white screen, like a wall.

    "Fuck!"

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "What''s wrong?"

    "We''re fuckedˇ­"

    Inside the Cultivation Space, Wang Yao''s breathing quickened.

    "What is this white screen?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I have never heard or seen anything like this."

    Wang Yao gulped and remained silent.

    "Are you not gonna tell me?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Also, why don''t I hear the sound of fighting anymore?"

    "It''s a white dungeon. And it''s fucking unstable!"

    "A white what?"

    "Dungeon." Wang Yao replied.

    "You meanˇ­ like, a cave?"

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yeah, and this white screen is actually a gate."

    "A gate?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "A gate to a dungeon?"

    "Yes." Wang Yao gulped, "We can''t go inside."

    "I wasn''t nning to." Ye Tian Yun said, "I won''t go to a ce where I can''t guarantee my survival and know nothing about."

    Wang Yao nodded, "Let''s turn around. We need to go."

    "What about the beast?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "Forget it." Wang Yao shook his head, "I thought we won''t have to cross this screen to see him."

    "If I enter this ce, I won''t be able to get out?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    Wang Yao shrugged, "As far as I know, each of these dungeons has a condition which you need toplete. Only then will you be able to get back to this cave, or else you will be stuck inside."

    "Is Gao Xuan really inside?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Just then,

    "AAAAH!!!"

    A sudden shout entered Ye Tian Yun''s ears.

    It wasing from the white screen!

    But it didn''t belong to Gao Xuan, because it was from a girl!

    ''I need to leave.''

    Ye Tian Yun immediately decided. He was in no mood to get himself into trouble.

    "By the way, why were you calling it unstable?"

    Instead of Wang Yao''s response, Ye Tian Yun heard something shocking.

    [Hunter Ye Tian Yun]

    [Wee to the Unranked Dungeon: Cage Of The Burning Wolf]

    [Goal: Kill the Burning Wolf]

    [Time Limit: N.A]

    And before he could react, his body was immediately sucked into the white screen!

    "What the fuck!"

 Chapter 624: Dungeon? What is that?

    -THUD

    Ye Tian Yun found himself thrown to the ground.

    Without hesitation, he immediately took a battle stance and stood on guard.

    Looking around, he frowned at the situation. He couldn''t tell what was going on.

    But he noticed that the area around him had changed.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    He was no longer in a cave, rather, Ye Tian Yun found himself in aˇ­

    ''What is this?''

    He looked around and saw a bluish wall in front of him.

    It was a curved, half-dome-like wall, enclosing everything in front of him.

    He turned around, to look for the white wall.

    But instead, he found someone staring at him.

    ''Uhˇ­ that''sˇ­''

    He frowned and touched himself, the person in front of him did the same.

    ''THat''s meˇ­''

    He was truly surprised.

    ''What kind of mirror is this?''

    He moved forward, trying to touch ''himself.''

    And sure enough, it was indeed a mirror.

    ''What kind of mirror is this?''

    He was truly surprised.

    All he had ever seen was a brass mirror. They are metals polished so well that one can see their face in them.

    ''What is this made ofˇ­.?''

    He couldn''t help but frown.

    A mirror that showed exactly what one looked like was unheard of. Even the brass mirror had a yellowish tint; even the most expensive one has a bluish tint.

    Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun noticed one more thing.

    ''Waitˇ­''

    ''My looksˇ­''

    He touched his face and stared at his hands in shock.

    Sure enough, they were much fairer.

    Because his disguise was now gone!

    And he was in his real appearance!

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and looked around. This was truly surprising for him.

    Whatever had pulled him inside, it had enough power to remove his disguise!

    This put Ye Tian Yun on even more Alert. His grip around him changed.

    He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment and then turned around.

    ''What is this ceˇ­.''

    He did remember hearing something before something pulled him inside this dungeon.

    "What in the world is going onˇ­?"

    Just then, he heard a ''click'' sound and a prompt appeared in front of him.

    [Hunter Ye Tian Yun]

    [Wee to the Unranked Dungeon: Cage Of The Burning Wolf]

    [Goal: Kill the Burning Wolf]

    [Time Limit: N.A]

    [Quest begins in 27 Seconds.]

    ''System!?''

    This was Ye Tian Yun''s first thought.

    ''System, is that you!?''

    He frowned and even looked around, but there was nothing.

    "It''s not the system."

    Someone replied. It was Wang Yao.

    "WHat''s going on then?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    He was in this bluish half-dome with a big mirror.

    He couldn''t understand what was going on.

    "As I said before, you''re in a dungeon."

    "A dungeon?"

    "Yes."

    "What is that?"

    "It''s a ceˇ­ hmm, you will know soon. But be on guard."

    "Hm?"

    Just then, a red prompt appeared, and Ye Tian Yun heard a few words.

    [Alert!]

    [Hunter Ye Tian Yun, you''re about to enter Unranked Dungeon: Cage Of The Burning Wolf]

    [Because you''re unevaluated, your evaluation will start now, but until then, exp will not be granted.]

    ''Exp?''

    Before Ye Tian Yun even had the time to think, the bluish dome suddenly flickered, and in the next moment, it suddenly disappeared.

    ''Thisˇ­''

    He found himself in a huge hall, and it was full ofva.

    Intense heatwaves suddenly struck him, but before it could harm him, Ye Tian Yun instinctively formed a qiyer over himself, thus protecting himself.

    ''What the fuck is going on?''

    Ye Tian Yun asked the same question for the nth time.

    Looking around, he tried to make sense of the situation.

    The first thing he noticed, though, was the signs of battle.

    Most of the hall was destroyed, and lots of corpses were lying on the floor.

    ''Wolvesˇ­''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t need to look twice to identify the corpses.

    ''But these are not ordinary wolvesˇ­.''

    "There are Scorching Wolves."

    "Scorching Wolves?"

    "Yes." Wang Yao had a very serious expression as he exined, "You''re currently in a dungeon. These are monster dungeons, and one day in the future, you would have to go through them anyway, but as luck would have it, you''re quite unlucky this time."

    "These dungeons are ssified into different levels, but this one is an unssified dungeon, meaning it could be very easy or a hell mode."

    ''How do I get out of here?'' Ye Tian Yun asked, ''And didn''t we hear someone''s cry from here earlier? The scene tells me that it''s already been a long time since someone fought here, so whose cry was it?''

    Wang Yao frowned, "It wasn''t from a soul beast. So don''t bother. But be on your guards. In dungeons, humans are more dangerous than monsters."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun frowned and looked to his left.

    And as he had sensed, something jumped up behind from a broken wall.

    It was a wolf.

    It had a charcoal-like body, with whitish teeth and yellowish eyes. But the most noticeable thing was its burning body.

    "Grrrˇ­." It growled, and just then, two more jumped up and stood on either side.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "So, these are like normal wolves, or do I need to keep something in mind?"

    "These are like normal wolves, except for the fact that you must not let it touch you. The fire will burn your skin with a mere touch."

    "Noted." As Ye Tian Yun nodded, the wolves jumped and came right at him.

    Ye Tian Yun bent his knees, and gathering momentum, he jumped ahead, right at wolves.

    -siu!

    -sh!

    "Owwˇ­."

    "Aaooˇ­"

    In the next instant, Ye Tian Yun was standing on the wall.

    -thud!

    -thud!

    -thud!

    The cleanly sliced body wolves fell on the ground, dead.

    Just then, a prompt appeared in front of him.

    [Kill 3 Scorching wolves.]

    [Hunter is unevaluated. No exp granted.]

    ''Expˇ­?''

    "It''s like kill points from the system you used to have."

    "Ahˇ­"

    As Ye Tian Yun nodded, another notification popped up, surprising him.

    [Divinity Detected.]

    [Divinity Evaluation Failed.]

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes upon noticing the next prompt.

 Chapter 625: The Quest Upgraded!

    [Divinity Detected.]

    [Divinity Evaluation Failed.]

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes upon noticing the next prompt.

    [Divinity: Son of Heaven]

    [Evaluation: Failed]

    [Description: Failed to fetch]

    [Alert!]

    [Hunter Ye Tian Yun, your minimum potential evaluation has reached A rank.]

    [The level of the dungeon will soon be estimated]

    [Your Quest goal Has Been Upgraded.]

    "What are theseˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t understand half of the gibberish in front of him. And he also had to remain alert; luckily, there weren''t any more wolves around him.

    He had already spread around him Qi, just in case.

    ''Quest goal is upgraded?''''

    Just as he thought of this, a new prompt appeared in front of him.

    [Goal (updated): Kill Fenrir, King of Burning Wolves]

    [Party members alive: 2/2]

    [Time: 32 Minutes before the dungeon breaks.]

    "Fuck!"

    Before Ye Tian Yun could react, Wang Yao shouted first.

    "What happened?" Ye Tian Yun had many questions.

    "We need toplete this Goal! Or else this dungeon will break!"

    "What will happen if it breaks?" Ye Tian Yun frowned. "I won''t be able to get out?"

    "You will be," Wang Yao replied, "But everything inside this dungeon will also be able to leave. And you must not let that happen."

    "What if it happens?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "The wolves don''t seem that powerfulˇ­."

    "No!" Wang Yao shook his head, "It''s not about the wolves. If the dungeon breaks, its guardian wille, and you will get into big trouble. And an even bigger problem is that people from the Upper Heavens wille here!"

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun''s eyes widened in surprise.

    He had never been to Upper Heavens, but there was one thing he was sure about - he already had quite a lot of enemies in that ce!

    Just then, he frowned and turned around.

    "Grrrrˇ­"

    "AAoooooo!!!"

    More Scorching Wolves had appeared!

    "So manyˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    There were about sixty to seventy of them!

    ''Howe I am noticing these toote?'' Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Because these are Soul Beasts. They will keep on spawning unless you destroy the core of this dungeon, and that''s most likely by killing the King of these Wolves."

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and jumped, "Let''s finish this Fenrir and get out of here."

    Ye Tian Yun flew towards the Scorching wolves and shed at them with these dual swords, killing tens of wolves instantly.

    Within a few seconds, all the wolves were dead.

    [Killed 64 Scorching wolves.]

    [Hunter is unevaluated. No exp granted.]

    "You need to move ahead." Wang Yao said, "These wolves won''t stoping; it''s better to get to the king first and take him out."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and noticed a stairway ahead of him. He flew towards them.

    Right now, his goal was to get out of the dungeon and try to finish off the king wolf.

    He had already forgotten about Gao Xuan.

    More and more scorching wolves began to appear on the ground, but he didn''t have to worry about anything because he was in the air.

    And since these wolves weren''t going to give him any exp, they weren''t worth killing.

    But the wolves were persistent.

    They followed him in the group and were directly below him.

    ''This is going to be troublesomeˇ­.''

    As he reached closer to the stairway, he noticed something else which forced him to halt in the air and stare ahead with a big frown on his face.

    ''What is going on?''

    "What happened?" Wang Yao asked, confused by Ye Tian Yun''s reaction.

    Suddenly, something dawned upon him as he said, "Ah, I get it. I am sure you can''t sense anything beyond the end of this hall."

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun slightly nodded.

    "Don''t worry about that," Wang Yao said, "There''s no immediate danger, but there is one thing."

    "What?"

    "There is no qi beyond those stairs."

    "Whatˇ­." Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How is that even possible!? How can there be no qi?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "You will know when you get there. Qi doesn''t exist at all, neither does it work."

    "What is that supposed to mean?"

    "It means your pills won''t work either."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and stared at the ground.

    There were now more than two hundred wolves.

    "Are you sure there won''t be any immediate danger since I won''t be able to flyˇ­"

    "I am sure." Wang Yao nodded, "Justnd on the farthest stair possible."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Will I turn into a normal person after leaving this hall?"

    Wang Yao frowned, "Not really. You will have your cultivation, you will have your qi, but you won''t get any more qi, neither from the surroundings nor from the pills you have."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "So I should be fully prepared before leaving this ce?"

    "Indeed." Wang Yao nodded.

    Ye Tian Yun took out a few Qi Gathering Pills from his spatial ring and popped them in his mouth.

    He hadn''t used many Qi reserves, so it didn''t take him much to get to his peak strength.

    ''Let''s go.''

    Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and flew towards the stairway.

    "Grrˇ­"

    Below him, the wolves also followed, waiting to devour him as soon as hended.

    "Don''t forget to jump as far as possible!"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded and used his momentum to throw himself as far as possible from the border of the hall andnd on the stairway.

    The stairway was going upwards, and as soon as Ye Tian Yun passed the border of the hall, he noticed that he had suddenly lost his ability to fly!

    It was only due to the momentum in his body that he could get far away from the border.

    "GRRRR!!!!!"

    "Growlˇ­."

    The wolves who were waiting for him tond immediately pounced on him!

    -BAM!

    But to both parties'' surprise, the wolves were stopping mid-air, as if they hit a wall and couldn''t cross the border of the hall!

    "Whatˇ­"

    "My guess was right; these Scorching wolves can''t leave the hall."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded and turned around.

 Chapter 626: The Stairway

    The Scorching wolves repeatedly tried to pounce on Ye Tian Yun, but an invisible wall blocked them every time and pushed them back.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head and looked around, trying to understand the new atmosphere.

    "Can you feel it?" Wang Yao asked.

    "The Qiˇ­" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Wang Yao nodded, "Yes. There is no Qi here. Don''t waste your Qi unless you have no other way out."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded.

    He was skeptical of the situation and even very cautious because, without qi, his battle prowess would decrease significantly.

    But to his surprise, there was not much difference.

    Never fighting in this situation, Ye Tian Yun underestimated the limitations of a cultivator''s physical strength.

    The flow of qi through the body directly improves muscles and physical strength. Therefore it''s safe to say that a cultivator is quite strongpared to mortals even without the presence of Qi.

    ''And it''s not like this is the first time I have lost my Qiˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun distinctively remembered his time in the high-tier spirit Vein of Gracious Sword Sect, where he did his acupuncture.

    ''It took so much timeˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun had no intention to repeat that process thrice.

    He sighed and observed the surroundings.

    He was in a stairway that was leading upwards.

    Raising his head, Ye Tian Yun noticed the exit of the stairway. It was just a hundred or so steps above.

    But that didn''t mean that getting there was going to be easy.

    Because Ye Tian Yun had already sensed several presences through the broken stairway.

    When he hadnded on the steps, he had instinctively spread out his qi sense to defend himself against any immediate danger.

    At first, there was nothing, but after a few moments, especially right now, Ye Tian Yun could sense several presences in front of him.

    But there was one problem.

    The whole path in front of him was pretty normal.

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t see any issue except for the broken steps here and there.

    "Was I hallucinating?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "What do you mean?" Wang Yao was confused since he didn''t have any spiritual sense, so he couldn''t sense anything around him except for what the eye could see.

    "I sense several presences on this ce." Ye tian Yn said, "And they are not moving, but I have a feeling that they all are staring at me."

    He had no idea he was facing, but he was on full guard.

    "Waitˇ­ what was the name of this dungeon?" Wang Yao suddenly frowned.

    "Burning wolf something." Ye Tian Yun replied.

    The prompts, which had disappeared, shed once again in front of him.

    [Unranked Dungeon: Cage Of The Burning Wolf]

    ''Oh, it sure is like the system. But it''s not the Emblem Systemˇ­.''''

    "Be on guard!" Wang Yao suddenly said, "I think the presences you have sensed are Burning Wolves."

    "Burning Wolves?"

    "Yes." Wang Yoa nodded, "But I am not sure if my guess is correct because Burning Wolves don''t hunt in packs. A single Burning Wolf has the power to crush Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How did youe with that? What is this power system?"

    "I will tell you in future," Wang Yao replied with a serious expression, "Right now, focus on these wolves. Even though they are pretty weak for you, a single scratch from them will turn your limbs into dust."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "I never put my guard down, don''t you worry."

    He shed his sword to the right as soon as he finished his words.

    -Siu!

    "AAoo!"

    -BAM!

    A light shed, and two things fell on the ground.

    Upon closer inspection, Ye Tian Yun noticed that it was indeed a wolf, now sliced into two.

    "Burning Wolf!" Wang Yao frowned, "They can hide in in sight, so you need to be careful."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I am careful, but tell me, why does this wolf look like a normal wolf? The ones below looked over-cooked, but this oneˇ­ it''s a normal wolf."

    Wang Yao shook his head.

    "No, it''s actually burning. How do -"

    -Siu!

    Ye Tian Yun shed once more and killed another wolf, as Wang Yao added.

    "-you think they can hide? They burn in an invisible me. And by burning themselves, they are shrouded by the invisible me, making them invisible too."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, but something interesting caught his eyes just then.

    Just a few steps above him, a wolf had appeared!

    To be more specific, it was a wolf''s head, but it was as alive as it could be. And the head was seemingly hanging in the air.

    "This wolfˇ­" Wang Yao said, "He had poked his head out of the Invisible me."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "This me is quite weird."

    Wang Yao smiled, "I bet it''s one of the rewards of this dungeon. This me is very powerful, especially for a cultivator like you."

    "Yeah," Ye tian Yn lightly nodded.

    Above the steps, the wolf frowned a little while staring at Ye Tian Yun, as if irritated by the fact that the enemy had no fear in his eyes.

    "Grrrˇ­.." It growled and gathered momentum in its hind legs, the wolf suddenly disappeared.

    Ye Tian Yun, who had his spirit sense spread out, could sense the moments of the wolf, and without hesitation, he sliced his swords in the air in front of him.

    -SIu! Siu!

    -BAM!

    A wolf sliced in pieces appeared in front of him, on the ground.

    Ye Tian Yun had killed another Burning wolf.

    ''I don''t see the promptˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think about the prompt that would appear before him whenever he killed the wolf on the previous floor.

    ''Is it because there are still some Burning Wolves left?''

    Ye Tian Yun looked around and counted about fourteen more burning wolves.

    "Fourteenˇ­" Ye Tian Yun spoke as if informing Wang Yao about the situation.

    Wang Yao frowned upon hearing this number, "I have not even seen two Burning Wolves together, and here there are so many of themˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "The real enemy is Fenrirˇ­ king of these wolves. Most probably because of that wolf, there are so many of these."

    WAng Yao nodded, "I guess so."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Alright then, let''s get done with these and move on to the hall."

    Without wasting any more time, Ye Tian Yun moved, and this time, he went for the kill instead of waiting for the wolves to attack him.

 Chapter 627: String Of Prompts

    Because the Burning wolves are solitary predators, Ye Tian Yun didn''t have to face them all at once.

    Even though there were fourteen of them, they never came all together at once.

    This made dealing with the Burning wolves even easier than the one he dealt with before, the Scorching Wolves.

    Ye Tian Yun noticed that each of these wolves stayed away from each other, and it didn''t take him long to understand that these wolves had, in fact, divided the stairway into territories and were actually guarding them.

    They didn''t even initiate an attack on Ye Tian Yun unless he stepped into their territory!

    But because the stairway was not too wide, Ye Tian Yun had no choice but to step into their territory to move ahead.

    And because he was conserving as much as Qi as possible, Ye Tian Yun didn''t use it for anything other than spirit sense.

    He didn''t know how powerful the Fenrir was, so he was cautious and didn''t waste his qi on easy targets.

    To be honest, Ye Tian Yun didn''t have high hopes for Fenrir either. He had faced two different types of wolves, and none of them was a real challenge for him.

    ''I just want to finish this and get out of this ce.''

    Ye Tian Yun effortlessly sliced through thest wolf and reached the end of the stairway.

    But instead of a hall, what faced him was something very familiar.

    A white screen!

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, but before he could think of anything else, prompts began to appear in front of him, giving him a surprise.

    [Killed 16 Burning Wolves.]

    [Hunter is unevaluated. No exp granted.]

    Just as this prompt disappeared, a series of prompts appeared in front of him, most of which he couldn''t understand.

    [Congrattions Hunter Ye Tian Yun, on reaching the Second Floor]

    [You have encountered Soul Gate.]

    [Evaluation of dungeon begins]

    [Please wait for 10ˇ­9ˇ­ 8ˇ­ 7ˇ­ ]

    [Dungeon Evaluated]

    [Dungeon Rank: Cmity]

    [Hunter Ye Tian Yun, you havee across a Cmity Rank dungeon. Preparations to force ejection from the dungeon have begun.]

    [Ejection failed. Retrying.]

    [Ejection Failed. Retrying]

    [Ejection Failed. Retrying.]

    [Hunter Ye Tian Yun, the Global Hunter Federation, will soon be alerted by the information about this dungeon, please survive until reinforcements arrive.]

    "What theˇ­."

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the prompts, speechless.

    He couldn''t understand most of the things in these prompts.

    ''The hall beyond the stairway is Second Floor?... What is a Soul Gate?... What is dungeon rank? Is Cmity Rank high?... What is the Global Hunter Federation?... Reinforcements? From where?''

    There were many questions in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    "What are these?" He couldn''t help but ask Wang Yao.

    Wang Yao also had a deep frown, "The dungeon was evaluated. It''s Cmity Rank - the second most dangerous level of the dungeon."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How powerful would the enemy inside this dungeon be?"

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and said, "If we consider these Burning wolves as mortals, then the level of the main Soul beast inside is on par with Heavenly Emperor Realm cultivator."

    "Whatˇ­." Ye Tian Yun was shocked, "Heavenly Emperor levelˇ­."

    Encountering so many things, he thought nothing would surprise him anymore. But Wang Yao''s words stumped him. He had no words to describe his emotions.

    Heavenly Emperor was a stage that Ye Tian Yun was earning to reach for two lifetimes. And now, if Wang Yao''s words were true, then there was actually someone at that power level beyond this white door!

    Ye Tian Yun gulped.

    "Don''t think about going in." Wang Yao suddenly said.

    Ye Tian Yun shook, "The only reason we''re even here is that something forcibly brought us to this ce. But then what choice do we have?"

    "What do you mean?" Wang Yao frowned

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head. "I am talking about the quest."

    He was currently staring at a certain prompt in front of him.

    [Time Left: 27 Minutes.]

    The time was still decreasing, and if they didn''t kill Fenrir, the dungeon would break, and they would be in even bigger trouble.

    A Heavenly Emperor level monster might run amok!

    There would be no one to stop it from destroying the whole world!

    "How are you sure that Fenrir is not the Heavenly Emperor level monster?" Wang Yao suddenly asked.

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "It''s just a bet on fate. Fenrir is most likely not a Heavenly Emperor level monster, and if he was, wouldn''t this system already inform us?"

    Just then -

    [Alert!]

    [Evaluation forcibly changed from Cmity to D Rank Dungeon.]

    [You can continue with the quest]

    [Unranked Dungeon: Cage Of The Burning Wolf]

    [Goal (updated): Kill Fenrir, King of Burning Wolves]

    [Party members alive: 2/2]

    [Time: 32 Minutes before the dungeon breaks.]

    "The fuckˇ­?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "What is this?"

    "What happened?" Wang Yao asked.

    Upon hearing the prompt contents, Wang Yao frowned, "I have never faced such a problem. The Evaluation never goes wrong."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Why is it that you can see some prompts, but most of them don''t appear in front of you? You saw the evaluation prompt earlier, but this one didn''t appear in front of you."

    Wang Yao replied, "These prompts were for you. Everyone gets their own prompts."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then do you mind telling me about this Global Hunter Federation?"

    "Thatˇ­" Wang Yao shook his head, "I never heard of this."

    "Hm? Really?"

    "Yeah, why would I lie?" Wang Yao shrugged, "There is no such thing in the Upper Heavens."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned. "Then do you have any guess which organization this could be?"

    Wang Yao pursed his lips, "I think I know, but I am not sure about the answer."

    "Oh? Then tell me about it." Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "No," Wang Yao nodded.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned upon noticing his actions.

    Saying no but nodding his headˇ­.

    Wang Yao was lying and was trying to give him a signal that the answer might be rted to his enemies in the Upper Heavens!

    Ye Tian Yun understood and changed his topic, "Let''s go to the next floor."

    Wang Yao nodded.

    The Evaluation had changed from Cmity to D Rank dungeon.

    Even though Ye Tian Yun didn''t wish to step in, he had no other choice.

    Behind him were endless Scorching wolves, and the entrance had be a wall. Thus there was no way to go but ahead.

    Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian Yun spread his spirit sense, tightened his grip around his sword, and stepped through the white gate.

    But the sight which appeared in front of him was truly unexpected.

 Chapter 628: The Second Floor

    [Hunter Ye Tian Yun, you have entered the Second Floor: Wolf King''s Courtyard.]

    [Goal (updated): Kill Fenrir, King of Burning Wolves]

    [Party members alive: 2/2]

    [Time: 24 Minutes before the dungeon breaks.]

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun passed through the white screen, he found himself in a much spacious hall.

    The quest prompt appeared in front of him, but he couldn''t be bothered by it, because of the scene in front of him.

    "AAOOOOOOO!!!!"

    A huge beast stood in front of him.

    But the important thing to note was that it was turned the other way and Ye tian Yn was facing its back.

    ''What''s it doing?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t see what it was doing because there was a cloud of dense dust and rubble on the ground.

    ''The whole ce is a mess.''

    He frowned while spreading his spirit sense.

    The hall was huge, but its condition was much worse. The whole ce was broken, with cracks and craters everywhere.

    ''A big fight must have taken ce hereˇ­''

    This was an instant conclusion.

    But it also raised a question.

    ''Who was fighting?''

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t sense any presence around him, so he spread his spirit sense even more and sent it in the direction of the beast.

    The beast had a brownish-violet fur on the tail, but its tip had a golden glow, and upon careful inspection, one can see that this golden glow was actually because it was burning!

    Its body had a thinyer of fur and the end of hind legs had a stone-like bonnish appearance.

    But the most important thing to notice was its sheer size.

    It was more than twenty feet high!

    And its leg was thicker than three people standing side-by-side.

    ''Is this Fenrir?''

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but think.

    But just then, Ye Tian Yun noticed something else.

    There was someone else in the hall!

    He frowned and immediately jumped behind a raised floor, and observed the wolf.

    The presence was on the other side of the hall, and it was most likely what the wolf king was fighting.

    ''Who is it? Is it the girl who''s cry I heard earlier?''

    Ye Tian Yun was curious, but he didn''t want to be reckless.

    First, he needed to understand the situation and the strength of the wolf and the anonymous person who was fighting the wolf.

    ''Wait, the quest said there were two peopleˇ­. The second person is him? Or is Wang Yao?''

    This question suddenly shed in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    Just as he thought of the prompt, it appeared in front of him.

    [Goal (updated): Kill Fenrir, King of Burning Wolves]

    [Party members alive: 2/2]

    [Time: 22 Minutes before the dungeon breaks.]

    Ye Tian Yun thought that Wang Yao was the second person in this quest, but now there was a possibility it could be the person on the other side of the hall.

    ''I should still be on my guard.''

    Ye Tian Yun continued to observe.

    Just then, someone jumped from the rubble in front of him!

    Ye Tian Yun stared at it and was quite confused with the scene.

    Because the person who jumped seemed quite human, and just with one look, Ye Tian Yun could tell that it was a woman, mainly because of the bulge on the chest.

    But this was not what confused him.

    Instead, it was the outfit of this person.

    She was wearing something which covered her whole body!

    No, she wasn''t wearing any type of robe. Rather, it was much moreplicated than that.

    "Hunter Mecha!" Wang Yao shouted.

    "Hunter Mecha?" Ye Tian Yun frowned. He was unfamiliar with both of these words.

    "That''s Hunter Mecha!" Wang Yao rubbed his face, "It''s something only very few people can wear."

    "Who are these people?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "And what is thisˇ­ mecha?"

    Wang Yao exined, "Mecha is simr to battle armor. But it''s much more sturdier, safe, and most importantly, it gives the ability to fly!"

    Just as Wang Yao''s words were finished, the person in the mech flew back towards the ground and took a punching stance.

    "Is she dumb?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "She will die like thisˇ­."

    The beast had already noticed her, and it jumped right at her with its mouth wide open.

    The person was now literally flying right into the beast''s mouth!

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t move to help, and he wanted to observe more. Stepping out and bringing trouble in his own direction was not something that Ye Tian Yun preferred.

    He would rather sit on the sidelines and watch the whole show to better understand his enemies'' weakness.

    On the other side, as the wolf jumped with its mouth wide open, ready to crush its enemy in its jaws, the person flew directly towards it.

    -SNAP!

    As soon as the person reached within the range of its jaws, the beast snapped and closed its mouth!

    -CLACK!

    There was a crackling of teeth as the beastnded on the ground and looked around in anger.

    "He killed herˇ­?" Wang Yao asked, surprised.

    "No," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Can''t you see its reaction? There''s definitely nothing in its mouth."

    "Hm, now that you say thatˇ­." Wang Yao frowned.

    Indeed, the beast was looking around in anger while crackling its jaw.

    There was really nothing in its mouth!

    "Where did that person go?" Ye Tian Yun had his spirit sense spread out, but he didn''t notice any presence.

    He hadn''t enclosed his spirit sense because he was a guard for him against sudden ambushes.

    Even though there was Qi, Ye Tian Yun needed to save it as much as possible. He couldn''t put himself at risk just because of that.

    "I can''t find the person. Did she disappear?" Ye Tian Yun asked once again.

    Wang Yao shook his head, "I have already told you whatever I know about these mechas."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Where did you see these mechas in the first ce? The Upper Heaven?''

    -BOOM!

    Before Wang Yao could respond, the ground below the beast in front of them suddenly exploded, and the person appeared from the ground and flew right at the beast - but this time, there was a spear in her hands!

 Chapter 629: The Transmigrator And The Coincidences Which Changed The Future!

    The beast in front of Ye Tian Yun had brownish-purple fur, but that was only on its back.

    Its chest was covered by silvery skin, which looked like a rack and seemed pretty tough.

    A loud ng echoed throughout the hall as the spear hit the wolf''s chest.

    "GRRRRRRR!!!"

    The beast winced and jumped to the other side.

    But as soon as it jumped, it swiped its paws horizontally and pped the person in the air, throwing her right in Ye Tian Yun''s direction!

    Ye Tian Yun immediately lowered his body and hid with his back against the wall. He had no ns to reveal himself just yet.

    -BOOM!

    The personnded on the wall, making it tremble as cracks formed due to the impact.

    "Haˇ­. Hhahˇ­Ha..."

    Ye Tian Yun could hear her trying to catch a breath.

    He hid and immediately began to look for a new spot to hide.

    He knew the beast was about toe here, and the wall was most likely going to be coteral damage in this fight between the person on the other side of the wall and the beast.

    "You should save her." Wang Yao said.

    "Why?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "This is not an adventure story, and I am not a hero. I haven''t even seen the beast carefully enough, and you want me to go and fight it?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "It was just a suggestion. But why don''t you makeˇŞ"

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun raised his hand, gesturing him to stop.

    And then turned around and stared at the wall with a deep frown.

    "What happened?" Wang Yao couldn''t help but ask.

    "This personˇ­ who''s on the other sideˇ­." Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "Her aura is quite familiar. I don''t remember where I have encountered this aura, but it feels familiar."

    Wang Yao shook his head, "That''s impossible. People who use Hunter Mecha are not cultivators."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then why does she have cultivation?"

    "Cultivation?"

    "Yes," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It''s the First Level Foundation Establishment Realm, but it''s not stable. She most probably had a breakthrough some time ago, most probably while fighting that beast."

    Wang Yao pursed his lips, "You should interfere in this fight. This girl is not that powerful, and you can easily eliminate her if she tries anything funny."

    Ye Tian Yun thought while rubbing his index finger and thumb of his right hand for a moment.

    Just then, ck-yellow lightning sparks shed between his index finger and thumb.

    ˇ­

    Gao Suyin was tired and heavily injured.

    Lying on her back, she stared at the Burning Wolf King, Fenrir, as thetter slowly got up. Her hunter mecha was already heavily destroyed, and now after going against this wolf, it was on the verge of total wreckage.

    ''Shitˇ­.''

    As shey helpless with her back against the wall, she knew it was only a matter of time before she died.

    ''To think I would die against a mere Burning Wolf Kingˇ­.''

    She couldn''t help but sigh at the situation.

    Because of her transmigration into a new body a year ago, she had to start from scratch.

    The only advantages she had were the Token Of Reality and her soul-bound Hunter Mecha...

    She wanted to return to Earth as soon as possible, but after a year in this world, she now needed to handle a lot of things first.

    Like the Gao n whom she felt indebted to, and her new enemies who had almost killed her as soon as she opened her eyes in this world, and even more important was her own strength.

    She was at the bottom of the rug and didn''t even have 0.1% of her peak strength.

    It was not wrong to say that her journey would be a long and arduous one.

    But this didn''t discourage her. Earth needed her, and she had to return. There were even some answers she wanted to know, including the incident right before she transmigrated.

    Thus, returning to Earth was her main priority.

    Her first step aftering to this world was consolidating her strength and looking for a way to return. She was confident that there was a way out because her Hunter Mecha was still soul-bound. This was the only indicator and hoped that there could be Soul Gates in this world too!

    And she chose to hold on to this hope, even though the likeness of iting to fruition was minimal.

    She even formed an information organization with the sheer goal of finding her way back.

    This wasn''t her first time forming a secret informationwork. This was why she knew what needed to be done.

    Thus over the past year, she formed connections, amassed wealth, and looked for any possible way to be powerful and reach the top of this world to find a way to get back to Earth.

    But things didn''t go as she had expected.

    At first, was a problem she faced in the Xin-Wu Battlefront about a year ago.

    She overcame the issue, but then she encountered something while returning to the Capital city.

    In a certain tavern in the Barren Fields, she was having her lunch when suddenly a middle-aged man barged in, upied the central table, and began throwing spirit stones to anyone who provided him with the information about the happenings in the lower heavens.

    One must know that the Token of Reality is quite mysterious and has a few handy abilities, one of them being able to see through any disguise!

    And at that moment, she noticed that the middle-aged man was actually a young boy of her age!

    She didn''t know who the young man was, but his true appearance and the aura around her were something she had nevere across.

    None of the heirs of powerful guilds on Earth, or Young Masters of big ns in this world, bore such an overbearing aura.

    However, that wasn''t enough to make her curious until she found another thing about him.

    ''He''s twenty-three years old but looks only fourteen...''

    Who was he? She was curious and decided to look more into the matter in her free time. Somewhere in her heart, she truly hoped him to be a transmigrator like her.

    Later she even saw him killing a few Xin Royal n guards who tried to rob him after he flexed his wealth in the tavern.

    Unfortunately, she didn''t have the time to observe the young boy for long and had to return to the capital.

    A year passed, and with a twist of fate, she was about to get married to the young boy!

    Maybe if she didn''t find old writings about the strange white gateway in the Gao n''s ancestralnds, she might not have evene here for her death!

    ''If he hadn''t confirmed the presence of high-tier Spirit Vien, I may not have ever found this ce so early.''

    The ''he'' she was referring to was, of course, the person who was disguised as her fiance and had met her a few months ago in the Gracious Sword Sect at her restaurant.

    ''Ye Tian Yunˇ­''

    She couldn''t help but smile as his face shed in her mind. ''Never thought I would remember someone''s face before dying...''

    "Grr...."

    A sudden growl snapped her back to reality.

    Her smile receded as she stared at the beast in front of her.

    Burning Wolf King. D Rank Soul Beast.

    ''I failedˇ­.''

    Not only was she going to fail to return to Earth, but Ye Tian Yun also didn''t know who she really was.

    ''In a way, it''s good that he doesn''t know me wellˇ­ I just have immense curiosity about him... It''s better if he never knows who I am.''

    ''I am sorry, Fatherˇ­ Second Brotherˇ­ I couldn''t avenge the First Brother and Fourth Brotherˇ­.''

    She sighed as the beast pounced on her, ready to tear her into pieces!

    But just as it pounced, ck-yellow lightning suddenly covered the hall!

    ''Whatˇ­''

    This sudden change confused her, but before she could react, someone jumped in front of her and shed at the beast!

    ...

    A/n: I will add character art of the soul beasts (monsters) and hunter mecha after tomorrow''s chapters. You can see them right now by joining the discord server; the link is in the synopsis or simply visit discord.link/zinon in your web browser.

    ///Trivia:

    - If you haven''t noticed, Gao Suyin saw Ye Tian Yun for the first time when thetter came to the Lower Heavens after rebirth in Butler Liu''s disguise and was throwing spirit stones at the people in the room for information about the state of Lower Heavens.

    - One thing I want to make clear is that Gao Suyin is inherently a very curious person. And that was the reason why she found out a lot about Ye Tian Yun - first, she looked for Butler Liu''s information, and then it wasn''t long before she found out about Ye Tian Yun''s identity.

    - In earlier chapters, it was mentioned that Gao Xuan (Gao Suyin) had sessfully escaped from this situation, but in this chapter, we found out that the future has changed and she has entered the dungeon when she was just at the Peak of Tri-Qi Realms. This is why her life fell in danger.

    - Another thing to note is the age of Ye Tian Yun - it''s simr to Gao Suyin''s actual age, which was what made her curious and is the main reason she became curious about him. Gao Suyin herself will exin this further in the future.

    (More trivia info in future.)

 Chapter 630: Lightning Whip! [Character Arts At Chapter End]

    As soon as the lightning spread through the hall, the beast stumbled, confused about the situation.

    Till now, it was ying with its enemy and was having fun. After that spear attack, the beast got annoyed and decide to end this little game of cat and mouse.

    But just when it was about to tear apart its prey, the whole hall suddenly shed ck, and suddenly, lightning spread throughout the hall and hid the ceiling.

    -BAM!

    Someonended in front of it, but before it had the chance to understand anything going on, the enemy moved.

    -SIU!

    A sharp sword cut sound echoed, even dimming the crackling of lightning.

    -Zzzzip!

    -Zzzzic!

    -Zzzz!!!!

    The beast was stuck with lighting, and a long deep cut appeared from its chin to lower chest!

    "Aaooo!!!!"

    The beast whimpered in pain and jumped aside.

    -BOOM!!!

    The hall suddenly trembled, making all three of them lose bnce.

    Ye Tian Yun stumbled a step and regained his bnce.

    His whole body was covered in ck-yellow lightning, and his eyes were pure yellow!

    Zzzz!!!!

    Zzzz!!!

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t hesitate and attacked the beast once again.

    This time, he saw its appearance clearly for the first time.

    The beast seemed like a mix of a unicorn, a tiger and a wolf!

    The most noticeable thing about the beast, Fenrir, was a huge pointy horn at the top of its nose.

    The horn was glistening yellow as if made up ofva.

    Its teeth were as long as a normal human being, but the ears were much longer and pointy.

    On its back was burning fur, thus giving away its name - the Burning Wolf.

    Ye Tian Yun, however, was unphased by the menacing looks of the wolf and went for another attack.

    His first attack was just a test to show how hard the wolf''s skin was. And the next one was going to be the main course.

    The attack had formed a deep cut, erasing Ye Tian Yun''s worries.

    ''This wolf is not as tough as it looks.''

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, and in the next instant, the lightning suddenly concentrated on his dual swords.

    -Zzzz!!!

    Ye Tian Yun waved his hands and the swords, which were now covered in lightning, began to seemingly grow in size.

    -Zzzz!!

    The sword grew so much that it became a whip!

    To be more specific, the swords were still of the same size, but because of the lightning covering them and elongating the length, the sword turned into a lightning whip!

    -Piak!

    -Chhak!

    Ye Tian Yun pped the two ''whips'' in his hand on the ground, destroying the floor as soon as it touched.

    ''This is pretty niceˇ­.''

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the wolf, who was still in shock. Without wasting any more time, he moved and hit the whip right on the wolf!

    -SIU!

    "Aaoooˇ­.."

    As soon as the whips touched the wolf, it whimpered, and the whip slowly went deep into its skin!

    -SLASH!

    -Zzzz!!!

    -THUM!!

    Ye Tian Yunnded beside the wolf''s body whichy on the ground, unmoving and sliced into two.

    [Hunter Ye Tian Yun, you have killed the King of Burning Wolf, Fenrir]

    [Hunter is unevaluated. No exp granted.]

    [Hunter Ye Tian Yun, you cannot use this exp, would you like to give this to your party member(s)?]

    [Yes - No]

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the prompt, turned around, and noticed the hunter mecha in front of him, still lying on the same spot and facing his direction - the person inside was clearly staring at him.

    There was a helmet with a yellow cover on the mecha, so Ye Tian Yun couldn''t identify who the person in the mecha was.

    But now that the main enemy was dead, Ye Tian Yun had to see if the girl in the mecha was on his side or was she also an enemy.

    As he thought, he slowly stepped forward.

    ˇ­

    Gao Suyin was in shock and disbelief.

    She couldn''t fathom what she had just seen.

    ''Is thatˇ­''

    How was that possible!?

    How did the Crown Princee here!?

    And before she could even fathom what was going on, the Burning Wolf King, which she had been having trouble dealing with, was lying on the ground, sliced into pieces by a lightning whip!

    ''Crown Prince is too powerfulˇ­.''

    She had once thought maybe she was close in power to the Crown Prince because she had reached the peak of Tri Qi Realm within a year, and ording to the information, Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was in the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation Realm.

    She was utmost expecting him to be in the lower level of Foundation Establishment.

    But no!

    He was a Core Formation Realm cultivator!

    She was genuinely surprised. And adding on to the fact that he also had the Sword Domain truly put her in disbelief.

    She didn''t have the words to say and could only nkly stare as Ye Tian Yun stepped close to her.

    As sheid on the ground, with her back against the wall, and her limbs numb, Ye Tian Yun stood a step away from her, raised his sword and put it on her throat.

    The lightning in the hall slowly disappeared as he asked, "Who are you?"

    Gao Suyin gulped. She didn''t know what to say.

    ''Should I reveal my face?''

    ''Does he know about the hunter mecha?''

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the hunter in front of him with emotionless eyes. He was ready to attack if the other party tried to do anything funny.

    "Are you mute?" He spoke again.

    Gao Suyin opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, confused about what she should do.

    In this situation, she wasn''t expecting to encounter anyone, let alone Ye Tian Yun. This was why she didn''t even hope to get saved by someone.

    But now, someone had truly appeared and saved her from certain death.

    Thinking about him, Gao Suyin came to a decision.

    ''I will tell him the truth.''

    She would consider this her repayment.

    ˇ­

    A/n: Below is the character arts that appeared in this arc:

    [Check para and chapterments.]

    Scorching Wolf.

    Burning Wolf King. (without horn, and in normal size, they are Burning Wolf)

    Hunter Mecha.

 Chapter 631: 631 | A Fair Trade?

    ''I will tell him the truth.''

    Gao Suyin had decided, but first, she wanted to see Ye Tian Yun''s reaction.

    She had done good research on Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun and knew quite a lot about him, but that didn''t mean she knew everything.

    For example, she wasn''t quite sure why someone with such a powerful background was here in the Lower Heaven, disguised as a random young master.

    Though she did have a hunch, she wasn''t sure how much of it was true.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at her for a response.

    But seeing her staying still, Ye Tian Yun pressed the sword on Gao Suyin''s neck a bit more and asked, "Are you dead?"

    Gao Suyin lightly shook her head.

    "Hm, so you can understand my words," Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Remove your helmet."

    Gao Suyin stared at him for a few more moments before raising her hand.

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes and pressed the sword a bit more, "No funny tricks."

    A little more pressure, and the sword might stab through the hunter mecha.

    But this didn''t stop Gao Suyin as she moved her hand and pressed the index finger behind her ear.

    -sik!

    The helmet suddenly disappeared.

    Ye Tian Yun saw her true appearance.

    But the lower half of her face was half-covered, though he did see her eyes.

    She had green emerald eyes, deeper than the abyss.

    While staring at those eyes, a face appeared in his mind, making him frown.

    ''She can''t be her, right?''

    The person in his mind was, of course, Miss Gao Suyin from the Capital. Ye Tian Yun didn''t think he woulde across another person with green eyes.

    ''Are green eyes thismon nowadays?''

    He shook his head and stared at the injured young woman.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Who are you?"

    Gao Suyin stared back and frowned. ''He doesn''t know me?''

    This was quite natural, but considering that he had just met her a few days ago, he should have at least found her familiar.

    "I amˇ­" Her next few words suddenly got stuck as soon as the first ones left.

    ''This voiceˇ­.''

    Her eyes widened, and a suspicion appeared in her mind.

    She then moved her other hand and held that hand''s wrist.

    -sik!

    The mecha''s glove retracted, and her hand appeared in front of her.

    "Thisˇ­"

    She stared at her head in shock.

    ''This handˇ­''

    The hand in front of her belonged to a girl, but they definitely weren''t like hers!

    She frowned and touched her face.

    Then she slowly removed a ck cloth veil, which was covering the lower half of her face.

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised upon seeing her face.

    ''She''s on par with Gao Suyin and Ling Feng''erˇ­.''

    But that didn''t mean he would go easy on her just because she had a good-looking face.

    "What are you doing?" Ye Tian Yun was confused with her actions, "You haven''t seen yourself?"

    Gao Suyin frowned and gambled with a lie, "I amˇ­ I am Yin Su."

    "Yin Su?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Where are you from? And what is this that you''re wearing?"

    Ye Tian Yun then told Wang Yao to tell him if she was speaking the truth because there was no other way of confirming.

    What put him on guard was the fact that he couldn''t see any prompt above this girl''s head.

    He stared down at her and spoke, "This will be yourst chance. Speak."

    Gao Suyin, who was herself surprised to know that her face was actually veiled, waited for Ye Tian Yun to react upon seeing her face after removing the veil.

    ''As expectedˇ­'' She thought, ''Either he doesn''t remember me, or I am not in Gao Suyin''s appearance.''

    She couldn''t understand why she would not be as Gao Suyin because as soon as she had stepped into this dungeon from the main hall of the old Gao n, she had found herself in her real appearance and also, with her hunter mecha responding to her.

    But now, it turned out she was in someone else''s disguise?

    This is weirdˇ­.

    ''And I had even decided to tell him the truthˇ­.''

    She didn''t wish to go back on her decision, but telling Ye Tian Yun now would onlyplicate the matter.

    She let out a light sigh and said, "I am Yin Su, and I am from Earth."

    "Earth?" Ye Tian Yun frowned at the familiar word, "Is this a n?"

    "No, It''s a different realm." She replied.

    Because of Hunter Mecha, she didn''t try to show too much of her connection with the cultivation world.

    On the other hand, Ye Tian Yun remembered what Wang Yao had told him about the transmigrated soul in Wang Yao''s body.

    ''Didn''t that soule from the earth?''

    ''Are these two connected?'' A thought shed in Ye Tian Yun''s mind.

    But currently, there are more pressing matters. He removed unnecessary thoughts and leaned forward a bit towards Gao Suyin.

    "You expect me to believe that?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "You clearly have cultivation, and it looks like you have even broken through the Foundation Establishment Realm while fighting the wolf king."

    Gao Suyin cleared her throat, "Earth also has cultivation."

    "She''s lying." Wang Yao immediatelymented.

    Ye Tian Yun light nodded, he knew, but continued to y along, "What is the highest realm of cultivators on earth?"

    Gao Suyin gulped, "Saintˇ­ Saint King."

    "Saint King?" Ye Tian Yun smiled, "And why were you here? The dungeon was clearly out of your limits. If I hadn''te here to find a friend, I bet you would have been torn into shreds."

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips, "I don''t wish to enter here either, but I had no choice."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "borate."

    Gao Suyin thought for a moment and said, "I am Yin Su, an E Rank Hunter from Earth. Due to some unknown and unexpected trouble in a dungeon, Inded in the cultivation world, and because of my hunter mecha, I was able to track this ce and jumped through the white screen in hopes of clearing this dungeon and getting back to earth."

    "Very agreeable replyˇ­." Wang Yao stared at her with his eyes narrowed.

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded and asked, "How did you track this ce?"

    "Using my mecha." While pointing at her chest, she said, "This red-ck thing I am wearing is called Hunter Mecha. After about a year-long search, I found this ce."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun smiled and tested her, "Well, you''re injured, and I am quite interested in this mecha. How about I offer you a deal? Give the hunter mecha to me, and you can live. Fair deal, right?"

 Chapter 632: 632 | Spirit Weapon

    "Hunter Mechaˇ­?" Gao Suyin frowned.

    "Yes," Ye Tian Yun nodded, "It''s quite intriguing."

    Just then, Wang Yao chimed, "You can''t have it. These mechas are connected with the Soul."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t react, he simply waited for Gao Suyin to respond.

    "This can''t be given." She said, "These are soul bound."

    Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Alright, can you stand?"

    Gao Suyin tried to move her body but then shook her head, "I can''t."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Nevermind, tell me how to get out of here."

    "We can leave once the quest ispleted," She replied.

    -siu!

    The sword on Gao Suyin''s neck disappeared.

    Ye Tian Yun retracted his hand and asked Wang Yao, ''Isn''t the questpleted? How can I leave this ce?"

    Wang Yao shrugged, "What does the prompt say?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, and as soon as he thought of the prompt, it appeared in front of him.

    [yer Ye Tian Yun, you cannot use this exp, would you like to give this to your party members?]

    [Yes - No]

    ''She is the party member?'' Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, ''Wang Yao, how do I evaluate myself?''

    Wang Yao shook his head, "We can''t do it right now. You will need a Soul Stone."

    "Soul Stone?"

    "Yeah," Wang Yao nodded, "It will grant you evaluation, and after the first evaluation, the dungeons will automatically update your status."

    Gao Suyin, who was still on the floor, was confused by Ye Tian Yun''s silence. She couldn''t tell what he was thinking.

    ''Don''t tell me he''s contemting whether to kill me or not?''

    Fortunately for her, Ye Tian Yun had already changed his mind. He was interested in her Hunter Mecha, but after knowing that the Hunter can''t be traded, he didn''t bother about it anymore.

    ''Howe he didn''t doubt my words? He is either very observant, or he''s really stupid.'''' Gao Suyin didn''t know about Wang Yao''s presence in Ye Tian Yun''s consciousness.

    On the other hand, Ye Tian Yun was conversing with Wang Yao.

    ''So you''re telling me that there are more dungeons like this?''

    ''Yes, there are.'' Wang Yao nodded, ''But not here or in Middle Heavens.''

    ''Upper Heavens?''

    ''Yes.''

    ''So, Upper Heavens is connected to Earth?''

    ''Of course, but I don''t know what the connection is.'' Wang Yao replied.

    ''Hm, it''s still a long way to go before getting to the Upper Heavens.'' Ye Tian Yun shook his head, ''First, we need to decide what to do with this girl?''

    Wang Yao scratched his chin, ''Do as you please. She''s just an F or E rank hunter, though I don''t know which level.''

    Ye Tian Yun was about to add something, but Gao Suyin spoke, attracting his attention.

    "Can I ask for a favor?"

    "Hm?" he frowned, "What is it?"

    "Iˇ­ umˇ­ I know it''s quite shameless, but can you share the exp with me?" Gao Suyin cleared her throat, "My mecha needs the exp to evolve and repair itself."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, but answer a few questions of mine first."

    "What?"

    "Do you have a Soul Stone?"

    "Soul Stone!" Gao Suyin was surprised. This wasn''t something she was expecting to hear.

    "I don''t have any." She replied truthfully.

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Do you have anything which can help me in my evaluation?"

    "Oh, yeah, you''re not evaluatedˇ­." Gao Suyin took a light breath, "I forgot about that. Well, only Soul Stones can awaken your spirit weapon."

    "Spirit Weapon?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    Gao Suyin nodded, "The mecha is my spirit weapon."

    Ye Tian Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Everyone has this mecha in your realm?"

    "No," Gao Suyin shook her head, "Everyone has spirit weapons, but not all spirit weapons are the same. Some have armor like mine, which we call mecha, and some have shields; some have weapons like swords, dagger, bows & arrows or even guns."

    "Gun?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "What''s a gun?"

    "It''sˇ­" Gao Suyin thought for a moment and then said, "It''s a very powerful range weapon. Very rare."

    "Hmˇ­" He nodded, "So only one spirit weapon per person?"

    "Yes," She nodded, "Though there have been cases with dual spirit weapons, that''s very rare."

    "How does this weapon work?"

    "They are like swords or armors. The only difference is, they can never be taken away and will forever be part of the Soul."

    Ye Tian Yun remained silent for a minute and then shook his head, "Not quite interesting, to be honest. How do you people cultivate? Just these weapons are enough?"

    "We evolve these weapons." She said, "And increase our own stats."

    "Soˇ­ you all have a system?"

    "...Yes, kind of."

    Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips.

    It was hard to imagine a world where everyone has a system!

    ''Doesn''t that mean everyone will have shortcuts?''

    No matter what System was trying to do, one cannot deny that System did help Ye Tian Yun a lot in swift cultivation breakthroughs and even have some good artifacts, like the Nine Heavens Painting.

    ''Um, that was the only artifactˇ­ anyway, the point still stands.''

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the young woman in front of her and asked, "Your eyesˇ­ Do all people on earth have green eyes?"

    "No," She shook her head, "It''s quite rare to have green eyes."

    "Hmnˇ­" Ye Tian Yun smiled and nced at the prompt.

    [yer Ye Tian Yun, you cannot use this exp, would you like to give this to your party members?]

    [Yes - No]

    ''Yes.'' He selected his answer.

    [Exp has been delivered to your party member ''Empress'']

    ''Empressˇ­.?'' He was taken aback by this name.

    But just then, Gao Suyin''s hunter mecha suddenly began to glow red.

    ''It''s repairing itself.'' Wang Yao said.

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    The hunter mecha continued to glow, and soon it was so intense that Ye Tian Yun had to shut his eyes.

    ''Fuck! This hurts!'' Wang Yao suddenly shouted, ''I am going back to consciousness!''

    A sword instantly appeared in Ye Tian Yun''s hand as he spread out his spirit sense. All this time, he hadn''t lowered his guard at all.

    A few secondster, when he sensed that the hunter had turned back to normal, he slowly opened his eyes, but the scene in front of him made him pause.

 Chapter 633: 633 | The Soul Realm

    The light slowly dimmed, and Ye Tian Yun slowly opened his eyes.

    What surprised him was that mecha had now changed quite a bit.

    The first thing to note was that it was now cleaner and was shining. It was now less red and more ck, giving the vibe of an upgraded weapon.

    "What happened?" He asked.

    "It evolved." Wang Yao replied, he too slowly witnessed the scene, "It''s now much more powerful, and I bet there''s a new function in them too."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded and moved his hand forwards, gesturing to the youngdy in front of him to take it.

    Gao Suyin was a bit taken aback upon seeing Ye Tian Yun''s hand, and after a moment of hesitation, she moved her hand and held his hand.

    Ye Tian Yun pulled her up and helped her in standing up.

    "So you have recovered now." He said, looking from up to down at her mecha.

    Gao Suyin lightly nodded, "Yes, the exp also increases my stats."

    "Your statsˇ­ as in, Status?" Ye Tian Yun had a thoughtful expression as he asked. He remembered the prompt Emblem System used to show in front of him whenever he thought of Status.

    "Yesˇ­" Gao Suyin frowned and finally couldn''t help but ask the real question, "Are you also from Earth?"

    "Hm? No," Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I am from the Nine Heavens Continent."

    "Ohˇ­" Gao Suyin frowned, "Howe you know so much about Earth? Like, you weren''t as surprised as a normal cultivator would have upon seeing my mecha, and even now, you aren''t surprised and even understood terms like exp and stats."

    Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Let''s say a friend exined them to me once."

    "Oh? Was he from Earth?" Gao Suyin pursed her lips.

    Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "No."

    "Ohˇ­." Gao Suyin lightly nodded, and after a slight pause, she asked, "Should weplete the quest?"

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Isn''t it alreadypleted?"

    "It isˇ­" Gao Suyin lightly nodded while staring at the sliced corpse of the Burning Wolf King and said, "I have a strong intuition that the Burning Wolf was just a setup, and the real deal is something else."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well, I have been going against this wolf for more than two hours."

    "Two hours?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "If I am not wrong, I heard your shout just a few seconds before I was forcefully sucked through a white screen. I don''t think it''s been two hours since then, utmost half an hour."

    Gao Suyin nodded, "It would be true, but this ce had time constraints."

    "Time constraints?"

    "Yes," She exined, "These constraints have affected thews of time and increased the time spent in this ce by about many timespared to the real world. In simple words, just ten or so seconds outside are almost two hours in this ce."

    "Woahˇ­." Ye Tian Yun''s eyes widened, "Who could do this?"

    "Whoever did this, he must be very powerful." She sighed, "And these constraints are the reasons why I think this ce has more than just this wolf king."

    "Hmˇ­" Ye Tian Yun frowned. "What do you think it is?"

    She shrugged, "We don''t know; this is an Unranked Dungeon after all."

    "Noˇ­" Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It was evaluated as D Rank dungeon."

    "How? It said Unranked Dungeon when I came inˇ­."

    "It did say that. But then, a few minutester, it was evaluated at D Rank dungeon."

    "D Rank dungeonˇ­." Gao Suyin scratched her chin, "Why would there be time constraints on a D Rank dungeon?"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Wait, when the prompt came, its first evaluation was not D Rank."

    "Oh? What was it?"

    "Cmity Rank."

    "...what!" Gao Suyin gulped.

    "Yes." Ye Tian Yun nodded, and was surprised by Gao Suyin''s sudden change of expression and remembered Wang Yao''s words.

    Gao Suyin remained silent for a few seconds and said, "Let''s head out."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Didn''t you say the quest isn''t finished? Can we leave before that?"

    "Yes, we can." She nodded, "The Burning Wolf King''s presence was the one stopping us from leaving. Also, I think I know the reason why the dungeon wasn''t didn''t evaluate in the beginning."

    "Oh? Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is it because I passed through the first floor?"

    "No," She shook her head, "I passed that floor too. There was no notification as such, and I think it happened because the party is nowplete."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "Two members."

    "Yes," She nodded, "Every dungeon has an ideal member requirement, though it''s not necessary. This dungeon had requirements set at two hunters, but I was alone. And I think this is also the reason why the Soul Gates forcefully sucked you inside the dungeon, but usually, this is not the case.``

    "Yeahˇ­ I was forced inside this dungeon. I thought it was simply because that was how the white screen worked?"

    "No," Gao Suyin shook her head, "The Soul Gates don''t forcefully get hunters unless the circumstances are quite special."

    "Soul Gatesˇ­? That''s the name of that white screen?"

    "Yes." She nodded, "The entrance to the dungeon is called Soul Gate."

    "Any special reason behind it?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Does it have something to do with the souls?"

    "Umˇ­ it''s a bitplicated to exin. Let me try in simple words."

    "Right now, this dungeon is not an independent space; rather, it''s a cave in another realm. This realm is neither the Earth nor the Nine Heavens Continent. Rather, this is the Soul Realm."

    "And it''s called Soul REalm because the beings of this ce do not have a corporeal body, especially the lower level beings. We call them Soul Beasts."

    "Then what about this wolf king?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "And the scorching wolves at the lower floor."

    Gao Suyin nodded, "These all are Soul Beasts. And these are not their main bodies. Did you notice that those Scorching wolves were seemingly endless? You kill one, and another one pops up, and so on?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Well, I just flew over them. Though, I was indeed surprised that they were seemingly appearing out of nowhere."

    "Hm, that is called Spawning." She exined, "Those wolves were spawning."

    Ye Tian Yun nced at the dead Wolf King, "Thenˇ­ this wolf will alsoe back? Is there no way to permanently kill them?"

 Chapter 634: 634 | Leaving The Dungeon

    "There are a few ways, but almost none of them are feasible in normal conditions," Gao Suyin exined, "The mostmon way to kill is by destroying the dungeon itself. The Soul Beasts don''t leave their dungeon, mainly because if they die outside of a designated area, they will not be able to respawn."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Is that the reason why those wolves on the first floor can''t reach this ce?"

    "Hm, you can say that," Gao Suyin lightly nodded, "Even though they were inside the dungeon, they were not powerful enough to stray further from the main core of that floor. The dungeon itself generated a barrier to stop them froming up."

    "Ohˇ­." Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, and after a moment of thought, he asked, "You know quite a lot about this ce. Do you also know what these prompts are? And what is the Global Hunter Federation?"

    "Hm? What did you just sayˇ­." Gao Suyin frowned, "Global Hunter Federation?"

    "Yeah," Ye Tian Yun lightly nodded, "When the dungeon was ranked at Cmity Rank, there was an alert that the system would inform the Global Hunter Federation about this and reinforcements will be called."

    "Ohˇ­" Gao Suyin frowned and organized her memories; she spoke a few moments of silence, "The Global Hunter Federation is an organized alliance of the hunter from all over the Earth."

    "Oh, then how did this system recognize me?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "I am not from Earth."

    "I don''t know much about this AI," She replied, "This is one of the most well-kept secrets of the Global Hunter Federation. Even as a high-ranked hunter and with a good background, I didn''t have ess to much information. But if the Global Hunter Federation is about toe, then we should leave this ce."

    Ye Tian Yun lightly shook his head, "They won''te. Once the dungeon was reevaluated as D Rank, a prompt appeared, stating that it retracted the message to that alliance. But yeah, let''s not waste any more time and leave this ce."

    and turned towards the wall behind them and said, "Well, let''s get out of this ce then."

    Behind them, the white screen - the Soul Gate, to be more specific, which had earlier disappeared as soon as he stepped on this floor, had appeared once again.

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips.

    ''If we get out of this ceˇ­ won''t he find out my true identity?''

    Thinking about this, she couldn''t help but gulp.

    This part hadn''t crossed her mind earlier, and now this small mistake might put him into a troublesome situation.

    ''I should have told the truth at that timeˇ­.''

    She wanted to say it, but she was surprised that she wasn''t in Gao Suyin''s identity for some reason.

    ''Who in the world am I looking like?''

    She couldn''t help but think. Even though she had a guess, it was hard to believe for herself.

    And because Ye Tian Yun was here, she didn''t wish to do any extreme action and create any more suspicion.

    "You''re noting?" Ye Tian Yun frowned upon noticing the young woman''s silence.

    "Uhˇ­ing, I aming," She nodded and followed Ye Tian Yun, who had already taken a few steps towards the Soul Gate.

    "Do dungeons have Soul Gates inside them too?" Ye Tian Yun was quite curious about the current predicament, so he couldn''t help but ask again.

    "This is very rare," She replied, "I have rarely seen a Soul Gate inside a dungeon. I think it''s because of the main Soul Beast here?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded, "Could be."

    Upon passing through the Soul Gate, Ye Tian Yun frowned as he sensed quite a few hostile presences around him on the stairway.

    Beside him, Gao Suyin raised her hand, and a spear appeared in her hand.

    "You use a spear?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask. Even though he had seen her use a spear against the wolf, he had thought it was just a situational weapon. But now it turns out her main weapon is a spear.

    ''A young woman who uses a spearˇ­.'' Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but smile.

    The woman beside him gave him the vibe of a veteran warrior. This wasn''t the usual delicate young miss one would find in the Capital.

    A beautiful face appeared again in Ye Tian Yun''s mind when thinking about this.

    ''Gao Suyin... I doubt if she could even hold a sword.'' Thinking about this, he couldn''t help but shake his hand.

    -siu!

    -siu!

    -siu!

    -thud -thud -thud!

    Just then, Ye Tian Yun noticed that the young woman, Yin Su, had already left the spot and killed the hidden hostile Soul Beasts - the Burning Wolves.

    "You''re good." He couldn''t help but praise her.

    Gao Suyin, "Well, it''s thanks to you that I have regained quite some power."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and walked down the stairway.

    They soon reached thest stair and were standing at the edge of the first floor.

    -Grrr!!!!

    -Growllllll!

    -Grrr!!!

    As if sensing their presence, the scorching wolves suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

    "This might take a while." Gao Suyin''s expression turned serious. She didn''t have any problems against the Burning Wolves, which were more powerful than Scorching Wolves, but this time, the number oftter Soul Beasts was just seemingly endless.

    "I can already see about two hundred." She frowned, "I guess escaping won''t be easy."

    Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "You want to fight them? Will it be beneficial?"

    "Not really," She shook her head, "There''s a limit as to how much exp one can get by killing these pests. And I have long crossed that limit, and right now, it will just be a waste of time."

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Then why waste time?"

    "What do you mean?"

    Ye Tian Yun''s frown eased a little, and he put his palm in front of her, "May I?"

    "Hm?" Confused, Gao Suyin took his hand.

    Ye Tian Yun smiled and pulled her closer.

    "Ah!" She suddenly felt a jerk and found herself in Ye Tian Yun''s arms in the next moment.

    He put his arm on her waist, "Why fight when we can fly?"

    "Wha... what?"

    Without reying, Ye Tian Yun stared in her eyes with a smile and, taking a step on the first floor, flew up in the air.

    -Siu!

 Chapter 635: 635 | Where is Ye Tian Yun?

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun had pulled her closer, a smell of blood had drafted through his nose.

    It wasn''t the usual flowery scent damsels and maidens had.

    And as they flew through the air, Ye Tian Yun finally had a very clear look at her face.

    ''Butˇ­ she''s quite heavyˇ­.''

    Her facial features were quite exquisite. She had an elegant, raised nose, long and thickshes, and snow-white skin. All of these were quite mesmerizing to behold, but it was her eyes that truly engraved her in everyone''s mind.

    Her pupils were green, and they emanated an ineffable feeling of purity. If you stared into them long enough, you would begin to feel a sense of pressure.

    Her gaze was rather cool, and she stared straight right at him, holding a spear in one hand and the other hand ced on his shoulder.

    "Do you know, in my realm, this is bound to sexual harassment? And those who do this get their asses kicked?" Gao Suyin lightly raised one eyebrow, and she was clearly not amused by Ye Tian Yun''s action.

    Ye Tian Yun said while looking at the floor, "So, should I apologize and let you go?"

    Gao Suyin followed his gaze and gulped at the growling hundreds of Growling Wolves that were following them were close.

    "Ahemˇ­" Gao Suyin pursed her lips, "I will forgive you for this time."

    Ye Tian Yun rolled his eyes, "Thank you, your highness."

    Gao Suyin shook her head and lowered her head.

    The closer they got to the Soul Gate, the more nervous she became.

    Once getting back to that Gate, she had a feeling she would be back into Gao Xuan''s disguise. And if Ye Tian Yun saw that, there would definitely beplications.

    She clenched her hand, confused about what could happen.

    Ye Tian Yun one the other frowned, "What happened? Don''t worry. I won''t let you go."

    "Hm?" Gao Suyin raised her head and suddenly realized that her hand was on his shoulder, and she was clenching on his shoulders, "Oh, sorry!"

    Embarrassed, she immediately let go of his shoulder and put the hand in front of her chest, clenched into a fist.

    "It''s alright; what''s worrying you?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "We''re just about to reach the Soul Gate, just a few more moments."

    "En."

    The hall wasn''t huge, but because Ye Tian Yun was carrying someone, he was extra careful and went a bit slow.

    But as he approached the Soul Gate, he increased his pace to gain momentum.

    He wasn''t nning tond on the floor and was going to fly right through the Soul Gate on the other end.

    Gao Suyin, on the other hand, had her eyes shut closed.

    There was one way for her to escape her predicament - she could cover her whole face using her Hunter Mecha.

    But even in this, the problem was her Hunter Mecha.

    It didn''t work in the cultivation world!

    It never did!

    She just knew about its presence, but in thest year, ever since she had opened her eyes to find herself here, she had tried countless times, but she never seeded in bringing out the mecha.

    ''I hope this time it worksˇ­.''

    Even though somewhere in her heart, she knew it was just false hope, but she had no way out.

    She couldn''t ask Ye Tian Yun to go out first because the number of Scorching Wolves below on the floor was too much for her to handle.

    And she didn''t even know who''s disguise she was in, making it hard for her to know whom she should disguise as.

    Though, she did have a guess whose disguise she was in.

    Taking a light breath, she closed her eyes and prepared herself for whatever was toe.

    Just in the next moment, she felt herself passing through the Soul Gate, and before she could react, she found herself falling on the ground!

    -BAAM!

    She fell and rolled a few times before gaining her bnce.

    Raising her head with a frown, she called out, "Why did you-!"

    But she paused before the next word coulde out of her mouth.

    Because she suddenly found that she was alone in the hall!

    She looked around in the ruined hall in confusion.

    "Where did he go?"

    This was Gao n''s ancestral hall.

    While the world thought that the Gao n left this ce because they wanted to shift themselves to the Capital City, the truth was far from anyone''s imagination.

    A white screen suddenly appeared in the underground Gao n''s Ancestral hall many years ago.

    At first, they thought it was an opportunity, but whoever went inside the white screen never returned!

    And then, one day, someone visited the Gao n and told them to leave the ce or face extermination.

    It was a direct threat, and the then Gao n Head had no choice but to take a step back and bow down.

    Soon, the Gao n had left the Thunder Valley, and under that person''s instructions, they had also kept silent about the mysterious white screen.

    And as fate would have it, yearster, someone from the Earth transmigrated in Gao n''s third miss''s body.

    One day, while going through the Gao n''s historical records, she came across the description of a mysterious white screen which was a huge turning point in the Gao n''s history.

    And for her, too, this was a huge opportunity!

    Because she knew exactly what this white screen most probably was!

    A Soul Gate!

    Something she was desperately looking for forever since she woke up in this world.

    Suyin sighed upon remembering the day she found out about this Soul Gate. She was looking for it all around the world, and it was right under her nose.

    Taking a light breath, she stood up.

    Her hunter mecha had disappeared, but she wasn''t in Gao Xuan''s disguise.

    She was in a young woman''s disguise, and it was the one whom she was guessing herself to be when she was in the dungeon.

    ''I guess it doesn''t matter nowˇ­.''

    Because for some unknown reason, Ye Tian Yun wasn''t here.

    But this was also what worried her.

    Where was he?

    ''Don''t tell me he failed toe out?''

    She gulped and turned towards the Soul Gate which was lighting the room.

    Without hesitation, she ran towards the soul gates, even though she knew she would not be of any help to Ye Tian Yun.

    But just as she stepped closer, she suddenly felt a barrier in front of her, not letting her go any further.

    "What is this..."

    She gritted her teeth and punched in the air, which rightlynded on the barrier.

    "Please let me in!" She punched once more as her throat suddenly began to feel heavy.

    Just then -

    "I wouldn''t go inside a dungeon full of Scorching Wolves if I was at your ce. Little girl, why are you so eager to give up on your life?"

    A middle-aged man''s voice entered her ear, freezing her in silence.

    She slowly turned around, and in the opposite end of the hall was a middle-aged man with a serious expression and a light frown, standing with his hands behind his back while staring at her.

    "Who... who are you?"

    Gao Suyin gulped.

 Chapter 636: 636 | Third Prince Ye

    "Who... who are you?" Gao Suyin gulped as she stared at the middle-aged man standing with his hands behind his back.

    "That''s what I should ask," The middle-aged man spoke. His voice carried a pressure, and the aura around him gave off an air of nobility.

    "I amˇ­ I am Yin Su." Gao Suyin lied.

    "Yin Su?" The middle-aged man smiled, "Or is itˇ­ Gao Suyin?"

    A sh of shock passed through her expression before she regained herposure and frowned, "Who?"

    "Gao Suyin." The middle-aged paused for a moment and continued, "Holder of the Token of Reality."

    "Youˇ­" This time the shock in her eyes couldn''t remain hidden. After a moment of thought, she removed the facade and epted her identity. Her expression turned serious as a spear appeared in her hands.

    With a heavy tone, she asked while taking a fighting stance, "Who are you?"

    Her actions amused the middle-aged. "Child, you''re a hundred years too early to challenge me. As for my nameˇ­ you can call me Third Prince Ye."

    Gao Suyin frowned, "Third Prince Yeˇ­?"

    Is he from the Great Ye n? Impossible!

    "How are you rted to Ye Tian Yun?" She asked with a careful tone and carefully watched the man''s expression.

    Third Prince Ye''s smile receded a little, "How do you know Ye Tian Yun? He''s not someone you would have met."

    "What is it to you?" Gao Suyin tightened her grip over the spear, "Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun is a well-known figure, who has heard of the Great Ye n but hasn''t heard of him?"

    Third Prince Ye slightly nodded, "Indeed. Anyway, we''re not here to introduce ourselves. Tell me, Gao Suyin, how did you enter the Nine Heavens Continent?"

    Gao Suyin frowned but remained silent.

    Third Prince Ye stared at her, and after a long silence, he spoke again, "Consider this my first andst working, Gao Suyin. Now, tell me how you entered the Nine Heavens Continent and possessed this body?"

    "Iˇ­ don''t know." She replied, "I was in a battle, but just then, I woke up to find myself inside someone else''s body. It took me a few days before I could get used to this new world, and trust me. I have been looking for ways to get out of this world and go back to Earth."

    Third Prince Ye narrowed his eyes, and the pressure Gao Suyin was feeling suddenly increased by a few notches, "How do you possess the Token of Reality then? This is something which belongs to the Nine Heavens Continent."

    "The Token of Realityˇ­" Gao Suyin pursed her lips, "It''s the reason why I was in the battle. I received it by clearing an S Rank dungeon, but somehow, the major powers on the Earth became aware of its presence and abilities. They did everything they could to snatch it from me, but I somehow always escaped.

    In the end, they began to openly attack, which soon led to an all-out war between my guild and them, but in that warˇŞ!"

    "Wait." The middle-aged interrupted and narrowed his eyes at her, "Are youˇ­ the Empress?"

    "Hm?" Gao Suyin frowned, "That''s a title I haven''t heard for a yearˇ­."

    A smile appeared on Third Prince Ye''s face, "This is interesting. Very interesting."

    "How do you know me?" She asked, "You must also know a lot about the Earth then. Do you know a way to go back to that?"

    Third Prince Ye slightly nodded, "There are a few ways. But with your current strength, you don''t even have the right to know about them."

    Gao Suyin took a deep breath, "Which cultivation realm is enough for that then?"

    "Saint."

    "Saint Realmˇ­." Gao Suyin nodded as a determined expression formed on her face, "I will get there one day."

    The middle-aged man smiled and simply shook his head before asking, "Now, little girl, tell me why are you at this ce? With your current strength, you were simply serving yourself to the Burning Wolf King on a silver tter."

    Gao Suyin frowned, "It''s a Soul Gate. In myst moments on Earth, I was in a dungeon, and then I woke up in the Nine Heavens Continent in someone else''s body. Since then, I have been looking for a way to find a Soul Gate to get into a dungeon. Maybe there''s a way to get back to Earth."

    Third Prince Ye frowned, "why are you so eager to go back to Earth? Won''t you be hunted and killed again?"

    Gao Suyin frowned, "That''s none of your business."

    The Third Prince Ye shrugged, "Fair enough. Well, the reason I came here is that you entered the dungeon. But before I could reach here, your party was full - that meant, no one else could enter the dungeon."

    "The minimum criteria for a party is two hunters. I only see you aloneˇ­ where is the second hunter?"

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips, "I don''t know."

    "You don''t know?" Third Prince Ye frowned, "You both were able to kill the Burning Wolf Kingˇ­ I am sure he''s at least in the Peak Foundation Establishment Realm. Howe he failed toe out? Did the Scorching wolves take him out?"

    "Iˇ­ don''t know." Gao Suyin lowered her head. She was now truly worried about Ye Tian Yun''s well-being.

    ''He came in to find meˇ­ I hope he''s safeˇ­.''

    Third Prince Ye stared at her for a moment and said, "Let''s go in."

    "Hm?" as Gao Suyin stood there, the middle-aged man approached and went past her.

    As for the buried, which was earlier blocking her, it disappeared as if it never existed.

    "Thisˇ­"

    She was confused.

    "Why are you not following?" Third Prince Ye paused his steps and then went through the soul gate.

    Gao Suyin hesitated for a moment and then stepped towards the Soul Gate, and then, taking a deep breath, she went through it.

    There are many questions yet to be answered, especially how this mysterious Third Prince Ye was able to see through her disguise and even knew her identity.

    Still, the most important right now for her was Ye Tian Yun''s whereabouts.

 Chapter 637: 637 | A New Token

    As soon as Gao Suyin stepped into the dungeon, a surprising scene appeared in front of her.

    There were hundreds of Scorching Wolves in front of her, even more than what she had seen just before leaving the dungeon with Ye Tian Yun.

    But what surprised her was the fact that none of them were attacking her - in fact, they didn''t even care about her presence!

    As for the middle-aged man who had introduced himself as Third Prince Ye, he was walking through the pack of Scorching Wolves and was heading towards the Second Floor.

    "What''s wrong with these?" She couldn''t help but ask, "Not that I don''t prefer these wolves like this, but why are they not attacking?"

    Third Prince Ye replied without turning, "I own this dungeon."

    "Youˇ­ what?" Gao Suyin froze as her eyes widened in surprise.

    "You heard me."

    "Yeah, butˇ­" Gao Suyin looked around and increased her pace, "How can someone ''own'' a dungeon?"

    Third Prince Ye shrugged, "If one has enough strength, the heavens will bow down. And this is just a mere dungeon."

    "A mere dungeonˇ­" Gao Suyin gulped.

    Isn''t this a Cmity Rank dungeon?

    ''Did he just call a Cmity Rank dungeonˇ­ a mere dungeon?''

    She was confused at who this person in front of her really was.

    ''Third Prince Yeˇ­''

    She had received a lot of information on the Great Ye n when she was investigating the identity of Ye Tian Yun, and she had never heard of anyone called Third Prince Ye.

    ''Who is heˇ­?''

    There were a lot of questions in her mind, and there was no need to beat around the bush.

    "Who are you?" She asked directly, "I don''t remember hearing about any Third Prince Yeˇ­"

    "Hm," Third Prince Ye smiled, "It''s an old title. Not many greet me with this title now."

    Gao Suyin had a thoughtful expression as she began to put the pieces together, "Considering your age, you''re not from this generation, this means you''re from one of the previous generations. I feel like you''re atleast equal to EMperro Ye in terms of strength, or maybe even moreˇ­ I am betting on thetter. Because I have never heard of anyone owning a dungeon - it just simply unheard of."

    Third Prince Ye smiled, "Your guess is half right. I am indeed from the previous generation, but I am not as powerful as Emperor Ye. You''re underestimating him by a lot of margins."

    Gao Suyin narrowed her eyes, "I wasn''t underestimating. It was just a fake to see how you will react. I know very well the strength of Emperor Ye, even though I only know the tidbits."

    Third Prince Ye paused his steps upon hearing these words and slowly turned around.

    Staring at the young girl in front of him, he had an expression of curiosity, "You''re very good at using the Token of Reality. To be able to find so many thingsˇ­ I guess the right person has the Token in this generation."

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips, "How do you know about this?"

    "Hm? Know what?"

    "About Token of Reality?" Gao Suyin asked, "I can get that you have enough strength that sees through my disguise, but to know that I have the Token just from a single nceˇ­ how did you do it? I am sure having strength is not enough for that."

    Third Prince Ye had already resumed his steps, "I was the previous Token of Reality Holder."

    "Whatˇ­" Gao Suyin was once again taken aback, "You were the previous holderˇ­"

    "Indeed," Third Prince Ye smiled.

    Gao Suyin frowned, "I haven''t heard of anyone in the GReat Ye n ever possessing the Token Of Reality."

    Third Prince Ye shrugged, "It''s not something we would share."

    "But stillˇ­ there would be some clues. And many chose to reveal it after gaining Sainthood."

    Third Prince Ye shrugged, "Everyone chooses their own path. I simply chose to not reveal it, and even created a facade that I have an Emblem."

    "Whyˇ­? Wouldn''t that have been troublesome?" Gao Suyin frowned, "Why would you do that?"

    Third Prince Ye shrugged, "I had my own troubles. Let''s just say, it was my job."

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips and after a few moments of silence, she asked, "Since you were the previous Token of Reality holder, then you must be very proficient in using this token, right?"

    "Hm, you can say that."

    "Oh, really? Can you teach me?" She didn''t hesitate to ask, "Token of Reality is tooplicated, and I feel like I have just scratched the surfaceˇ­"

    Third Prince Ye nodded, "yes, it''s the most powerfulˇ­ Token."

    Gao Suyin nodded, "Indeed. It''s too powerful. How powerful are the other tokenspared to this? What about the Token of Maniption? Is it more powerful than this?"

    "Token of Maniptionˇ­." Third Prince Ye''s lips cursed, "It is powerful, but Token Of Reality is in its own league."

    "What does Token of Maniption do?" Gao Suyin asked, "I mean, I know that no one knows their true abilities -"

    "It manipted fate."

    "What?"

    "You heard me." Third Prince Ye spoke, "It maniptes fate. Just assume that it will tell you what you truly want. There will never be any confusion and hesitation."

    "Ohˇ­." Gao Suyin frowned, "I thought it would manipte someone''s emotionsˇ­"

    "Hahaˇ­ that would have been boring," Third Prince Ye smiled.

    "Boring? I don''t think soˇ­." Gao Suyin shook her head, "If one could control someone''s emotions, it would be a powerful tool."

    "No," Third Prince Ye shook his head, "To manipte someone''s emotions, you don''t need Tokens. There are already very powerful techniques avable."

    "Woahˇ­." Gao Suyin was surprised, "It must be very powerfulˇ­"

    "Indeed," Third Prince Ye nodded, "One can simply sit and manipte two people''s emotions and turn them into huge enemies."

    "Yeah, but if we think carefullyˇ­ isn''t it simply manipting the fate of two people?" Gao Suyin asked.

    "No," Third Prince Ye shook his head, "I think you''re misunderstanding something. Token of Maniption is not as powerful as those techniques."

    "Oh? So it''s weak?" Gao Suyin frowned.

    "No," Third Prince Ye shook his head, "Every Token has a specialty and uniqueness. This token... is an important catalyst for the Emblem of Luck to work."

    "Oh..."

    "Yes," Third Prince Ye nodded, "Anyone who wants to wield the Emblem of Luck needs this Token to make use of the former''s full potential."

 Chapter 638: 638 | Back in dungeon!

    "Emblem of Luckˇ­" Gao Suyin frowned, "Do you know where it is?"

    Third Prince Ye paused his steps for a moment before continuing to walk forward, "I don''t."

    Gao Suyin nodded. She had a strong feeling that the person in front of her knew a lot more than what he was letting out.

    Zzz!!!!

    Just then, both of them suddenly paused and turned around.

    The Soul Gate, through which they had passed earlier, suddenly began to flicker, and lightning sparks began to appear on its edge.

    A slight frown appeared on Third Prince Ye''s face.

    "Step back, child." He said to Gao Suyin.

    Gao Suyin immediately moved and stood behind Third Prince Ye.

    Just then -

    BOOM!

    A huge explosion shook the hall, and the Soul Gate suddenly lit up in bright light.

    -BAM!

    Something passed through the Soul Gate and fell on the ground.

    To be more specific, it was someone.

    "Hm?" Third Prince Ye raised his eye and stared at the person in front of him.

    "Ughˇ­" The person who had passed through the Soul Gate groaned and stood up.

    ''Ye Tian Yun!'' Gao Suyin was surprised to see the person in front of her. She nced at the Third Prince Ye, but because she was standing behind him, she couldn''t see his expression and thus couldn''t judge his thoughts.

    In front of them, Ye Tian Yun regained hisposure and stared in front of him.

    Hundreds of Scorching Wolves were staring at him, and surprisingly none of them were attacking.

    Just then, he noticed that he wasn''t the only person in this hall.

    Ahead of him, amidst the pack of the wolves, there were two people standing - a young girl and a middle-aged man.

    Ye Tian Yun immediately identified the young woman; it was the same Yin Su from Earth with whom he had met just a few moments ago.

    And then he focused on the middle-aged man who was beside her and became speechless.

    "Who are you?" The middle-aged man, on the other hand, couldn''t see through Ye Tian Yun''s disguise.

    Ye Tian Yun gulped.

    Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought to encounter the person in front of him in this dungeon.

    "I amˇ­" Since the former couldn''t see through his disguise, Ye Tian Yun didn''t have to give an honest answer, "I am Fang Chen."

    "Fang Chen?" Third Prince Ye had a thoughtful expression, "Are you the second member of the party?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    He understood that the middle-aged person in front of him was asking him about the two hunter parts the dungeon had created when he was forcefully brought into the dungeon.

    "Oh, good," Third Prince Ye nodded, "Why have youe back to the dungeon? Did you not know about these Scorching Wolves?"

    Ye Tian Yun nced at Gao Suyin, "She didn''te out of the dungeon. I came for her."

    "Oh?" Third Prince Ye raised his eyebrow, "You know her very well?"

    "Noˇ­" Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "I just met her in this dungeon."

    "Then why did youe back? Did you not know that there''s a chance you might die?"

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    Currently, he was Fang Chen, and as Fang Chen, he could not reveal his true cultivation; thus, he had to feign.

    Truthfully, there was no danger for Ye Tian Yun because he could simply fly up and get out of range of the wolves.

    The only trouble he faced was the barrier outside the Soul Gate. And because his new acquaintance hadn''te out with him, Ye Tian Yun had decided toe back and look for her.

    He instantly went all out and used his Sword Domain.

    To his shock, the domain didn''t work at all!

    He struck a few times, and just when he thought he would give it onest try - the barrier suddenly disappeared, and he was thrown inside the dungeon!

    "Since you''re here, follow me." Third Prince Ye said to Ye Tian Yun, and turning around; he resumed his journey towards the Second Floor.

    Ye Tian Yun caught up with them and walked beside Gao Suyin, with the Third Prince Ye walking in front of them.

    <<Are you not curious?>>

    Ye Tian Yun suddenly received a spirit message, and he involuntarily nced at the person beside him.

    ''Ah yes, she did break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.''

    The spirit message was, of course, from Gao Suyin.

    <<Yes, I am.>> Ye Tian Yun replied. He was indeed curious, but he stopped himself from questioning and chose to remain silent temporarily.

    <<You didn''t seem curious.>> She replied <<Anyone would have at least asked for the stranger''s identity before following them, unlessˇ­ unless they are a fool, orˇ­ they know about the stranger. Which one are you?>>

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes. <<I am the one who minds his own business. You should try it; it will do wonders in your life.>>

    <<...>> Gao Suyin pouted and turned silent.

    As they walked through the stairway, Gao Suyin couldn''t hold herself back.

    <<He''s Third Prince Ye.>>

    Ye Tian Yun''s lips twitched upon hearing these words. ''Yeah, this was indeed his title, but that''s not his current titleˇ­.''

    Gao Suyin secretly nced at Ye Tian Yun to keep note of Ye Tian Yun''s expression, though she failed to get any significant reaction; she did conclude that Ye Tian Yun most probably knew the Third Prince Ye''s full identity.

    "You guys did a good job." Third Prince Ye spoke as they appeared on the Second Floor, "But the Burning Wolf King has respawned."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded.

    The Burning Wolf King, which they killed earlier, had reappeared and was now sitting in front of them. The only difference was that this time, it was much more docile and silent.

    ''He should have taken a few hours at least to respawnˇ­''

    Thinking about the time dtion in this ce, it wasn''t hard to figure out the reason why the Burning Wolf King had already respawned, even though it had only been a few minutes since they left the dungeon.

    "Where are we heading?" Gao Suyin asked.

    Third Prince Ye snapped his fingers, and a red screen appeared on the other end.

    Gao Suyin step''s instantly paused as her face paled.

    ''A red Soul Gate!''

    "We''re going to the Third Floor." Third Prince Ye spoke without changing his pace as he continued to walk towards the red Soul Gate.

 Chapter 639: 639 | Suspicion

    "Why is it red?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    The Soul Gate in front of them was bright red and gave a very ominous vibe. There couldn''t be a bigger warning that something very dangerous beyond that gate.

    "It''s a Red Soul Gate." Gao Suyin spoke in a low voice; her eyes were still fixated on the soul gate."

    "I know it''s Redˇ­." Ye Tian Yun asked, "Why is it red, but not white?"

    "It signifies the rank of the dungeon." Gao Suyin spoke, "There are nine dungeon ranks, and red signifies the second more dangerous rank - Cmity Rank dungeon."

    Ye Tian Yun nodded in understanding and asked, "Why are we going in?"

    Gao Suyin shrugged. She herself was unaware of the reason and was only going because she had no other choice.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned at the whale staring at the back of the Third Prince Ye, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "Can you tell us why we''re heading there?"

    Third Prince Ye replied, "I am going there to clear your mess."

    "Hm? What mess did we create?" Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask.

    "Killing the Burning Wolf King."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "We had no choice in that. There was a quest, and to escape from this ce, we had no other choice but to kill the Burning Wolf King."

    Third Prince Ye nodded, "That is true. But you should have killed it."

    "Are you saying both of us should have epted our deaths?" Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes on the Prince.

    "There was no other option." Third Prince Ye replied, "All these soul beasts, including the Scorching wolves on the First Floor, are like a lock on this ce. And by killing them, you were weakening the lock. Don''t you hear the explosions?"

    "Yes," Both Ye Tian Yun and Gao Suyin nodded their heads.

    "It''sing because the Soul Beast beyond the Red Soul Gate is trying to escape. It started when one of you killed the first Scorching Wolf."

    Gao Suyin rubbed her nose and looked the other way.

    Third Prince Ye continued to speak, "And then you people killed the Burning Wolf King, which had broken off one of the chains which are holding down the Soul Beast."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How is killing other beasts rted to the poisoning of a powerful Soul Beast?"

    "These Soul Beasts are not regr types. In fact, this whole dungeon is special. I won''t be able to exin everything to you right now."

    He had already reached the Red Soul Gate when he finished his words.

    "Follow me." He said and stepped through the red screen.

    Ye Tian Yun and Gao Suyin looked at each other for a moment and subconsciously nodded.

    They stepped forward and passed through the screen, with Ye Tian Yun taking the lead and Gao Suyin following him shortly afterward.

    As soon as they stepped, the first thing that appeared in sight was endless red magma.

    Ye Tian Yun instantly used even more qi to cover himself because the temperature and heatwave in this ce were much more powerful than it was on the previous two floors.

    -snap!

    Third Prince Ye snapped his fingers just then, and the atmosphere began to cool down.

    To be more specific, it was not cooling down. They were not feeling the heat anymore.

    Ye Tian Yun removed the qiyer from himself because now there was no need to waste his qi reserve with the protection given to them by the Third Prince Ye.

    "Thank you." Gao Suyin said from behind.

    Third Prince Ye shook his head, "It''s nothing. I have called you kids here, so I should at least do this much here."

    Ye Tian Yun put on a thoughtful expression while asked, "Why have you brought us here, tho? I mean, do you need us to control the powerful Soul Beast?"

    "No," Third Prince Ye shook his head, "This Soul Beast is already restrained and powerless. I have brought you here to give you kids something."

    "Give something?" Ye Tian Yun was puzzled, "Why? We haven''t done anything for you, in fact, we have even caused trouble."

    Third Prince Ye jumped on a ck rock in theva, and gesturing to the other two to follow him, he spoke, "While you have weakened the chain by clearing the quest, you have also helped me with something."

    "And that isˇ­?"

    "I will be able to leave the Lower Heavens soon." Third Prince Ye spoke, "I have a lot of things to look after, but because of this dungeon, I have been stuck in the Lower Heavens."

    "Really?" Ye Tian Yun was surprised. Considering Third Prince Ye''s identity, what was there in the Lower Heavens to restrain him? He was sure that even a Cmity rank dungeon''s Soul Beast wouldn''t be able to hold back Third Prince Ye.

    "The matters are quiteplicated," The Prince said, "Let''s just say that I have to be here and help my n."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun slowly nodded.

    There were a lot of questions in his mind right now, but he chose not to ask them because he was in Fang Chen''s disguise.

    ''Waitˇ­''

    Suddenly, something dawned upon him.

    ''I am in Fang Chen''s disguise!''

    This was impossible!

    Didn''t his disguise change upon entering the dungeon earlier!?

    He was confused, and instantly taking out a sword, he nced at his reflection in it.

    Sure enough, he was disguised as Fang Chen!

    ''What is going on?''

    This was truly a surprise for him.

    He then subconsciously turned his head and nced at Gao Suyin.

    If his disguise was still thereˇ­ and he was in Fang Chen''s disguiseˇ­

    Then how was it possible that this young woman beside him didn''t react at all to that!

    ''I even introduced myself as Fang Chenˇ­.''

    She knew that his name was Ye Tian Yunˇ­

    But she didn''t react at all!

    He stared at the young woman as a very interesting suspicion formed in his mind.

 Chapter 640: 640 | Across The Fog

    Ye Tian Yun clearly remembered that his disguise was gone, and even the dungeon had identified him for some reason.

    ''And she must have received the message tooˇ­''

    This meant she was aware of his name.

    But right now, she was not even the least surprised that the person in front of him was not Ye Tian Yunˇ­ rather, Fang Chen, someone she had never met!

    Unlessˇ­

    ''She knew that I was Fang Chen?''

    He couldn''t help but have a strong suspicion.

    A low killing intent began to form in his eyes, but he quickly hid it.

    Even though it was just a suspicion, he couldn''t let go of this, or it might cause trouble for him in the future.

    ''Who is she?''

    He knew very little about this young woman, which ticked him even more.

    ''I should wait for the right time.'' Ye Tian Yun concluded and stopped himself from acting recklessly.

    Right now, they were not alone. There was a third party with them, and there was no way Ye Tian Yun would confront the young woman in front of the man who called himself Third Prince Ye.

    For now, waiting for the opportune moment was the most usible option for him.

    ''And I will have to ask before leaving this ceˇ­.''

    He had no other choice because there was a chance that this young woman might fail to cross the Soul Gate once again.

    What he did not know, however, was that there were other entrances to the dungeon, and Gao Suyin was using the one present in Gao n''s ancestral hall.

    -BOOM!

    Just then, another explosion shook the whole ce.

    "What is that Soul Beast trying to do?" Gao Suyin couldn''t help but ask. She had almost stumbled and fallen into the river ofva.

    Third Prince Ye stared ahead, "It''s trying to break off one of the chains."

    Ye Tian Yun followed his gaze, and he too started at the front.

    Ahead was a thick fog, and a seemingly endlessva pool was there.

    Even the floating rocks had now decreased a lot in number.

    "What kind of Soul Beast is it?" He asked, "Another kind of would?"

    "No," Third Prince Su shook his head, "It''s a spider."

    "A spider?" Ye Tian Yun and Gao Suyin were surprised to hear an unexpected answer.

    ''What kind of Spider is so powerful?''

    Ye Tian Yun had nevere across a formidable spider beast, in fact, there has never been a sighting of Rank Three or above Spider Spirit Beast.

    ''There''s the strongest strength is venom and webs.'' Ye Tian Yn pondered as he thought of the precautions he needed to take against the unexpected enemy.

    By now, they had already reached the fog. The fog was quite dense, and the visibility beyond a few meters was negligible.

    Ye Tian Yun took a fighting stance and tightened his grasp over his swords.

    Even though a very powerful cultivator was protecting him, he couldn''t simply rx and hope for someone else to protect him.

    Behind him, Gao Suyin was already in her hunter mecha.

    "Rx," Third Prince Ye spoke, "This fog is just a natural one, nothing dangerous. In fact, even the Soul Beast won''t be able to do anything to you unless it''s fully unchained."

    "How many chains are there?" Ye Tian Yun asked.

    "Nine."

    "And how many are broken?"

    "At least two."

    Ye Tian Yun slightly nodded but didn''t lower his guard.

    His safety was in his own hands. There was no way he would ever be rxed in a strange ce like this.

    Third Prince Ye didn''t say anything. In fact, he was quite satisfied with the reaction of the two youngsters with him and even though quite highly of them, because this wasn''t how a normal cultivator would react. Only those with outssed wits and awareness had a clear understanding of their situations.

    ''I should look into this Fang Chenˇ­.''

    He had heard names of lots of geniuses in the past years, but there had never been a Fang Chen.

    ''Unless he''s an idiot from the Capital Cityˇ­.''

    Even though Third Prince Ye wasn''t actively taking part in the words of the cultivation worlds, he was still a person who understood the value of information. And with the forces he had, it wasn''t difficult for him to know the ins and outs of the Lower Heavens, especially of the powerful ns and sects.

    Usually, he wouldn''t have bothered with this, but he was doing this for his son. He had prepared a lot of things for his son to make his cultivation path easy when thetter leaves on his journey.

    However, a few months ago, when his son did leave, Third Prince Ye didn''t give any of the gifts he had prepared.

    This was simply because of a strong intuition he had.

    His sonˇ­ was not himself anymore.

    He had changed. His aura had changed.

    Therefore Third Prince Ye wanted first to stand back and observe. There was an undeniable feeling in his heart thatˇ­ his son was not his son anymore.

    "The fog is clearing!" Gao Suyin''s call brought him out of his thoughts.

    He looked at the front with a serious expression.

    The Soul Beast here was not an existence he could take lightly. It was a Cmity Rank, this was enough to know about its strength, but no one knew what this was, that Soul Beast''s heavily suppressed strength!

    "You havee!"

    Just then, a sudden shout shook the three of them.

    It was a young woman''s voice. However, it wasn''t sweet and likable. Rather, heavy emotions of anger and unbending coldness flowed through the voice.

    The three of theva raised their heads as the voice hade from above.

    Above their heads was a cloudy sky. However, the clouds were barely noticeable because something was even more eye-catching.

    There was a face in the sky.

    ˇ­

    A.n: Here''s an art of the face in the sky. Full body art in the next chapter.

 Chapter 641: 641 | The Array Covering The Sky

    "Who is thatˇ­" Gao Suyin gulped upon seeing the red face in the sky.

    The face had a feminine nature, but her vibe was very cold and indifferent.

    She simply stared at them, but Ye Tian Yun and Gao Suyin felt the pressure.

    As for her eyesˇ­ She had five of them!

    Her ck eyes, with red pupils, were extremely vicious, and the white jade-like mask around her face gave her an aura of unbending arrogance.

    She stared at the three people on the surface, and her lips slowly turned into a smile.

    "Ye, why have you brought kids?"

    Even though she had a smile, her face had fewer emotions than a wall.

    "I haven''t tasted human meat for centuriesˇ­ is this the meal you have brought for me, to ask my forgiveness?"

    Third Prince Ye raised his right eyebrow upon hearing these words.

    "You think too highly of yourself," He stared back without showing any change in his stoic expression, "You''re nothing but a caged chicken, waiting to be butchered. What kind of apology are you waiting for?"

    "Hmph!" The face in the sky grunted, "Ye, there wille a day when I get out of this ce and trust me, it will. And when ites, I shall suck out every single drop of blood of you Ye brothers!"

    Third Prince Ye smiled, "As I said, you''re thinking too highly of yourself. You''re already overestimating yourself when you said you woulde after me, but now you''re even including my brotherˇ­ do you truly think you can take one of the most powerful existences in the vast universe?"

    All five eyes of the face in the sky narrowed, "You think I cannot defeat you? Have you forgotten that you both had to use underhanded measures to defeat me? In fact, it wasn''t even a defeat."

    Third Prince Ye shrugged, "Maybe, but don''t forget that while you''re stuck here, we have moved on, and today, we stand at the apex. You were but a mere stepping stone."

    -grrˇ­..!

    The face in the sky gritted her teeth, "Ye, you''re forgetting who I amˇ­ Just waitˇ­ one day, my father shalle here and save me. Your little prison won''t be able to hold him back."

    Third Prince Ye rolled his eyes, "How many years have passed? YOu think he will evere?"

    "Hmph!" The face in the sky grunted once again, "I am sure not more than thirty years have passed in the outside world, after all, you have used the time dtion array on this dungeon to make the time very slow. But don''t forget, I have already lived more than five thousand yearsˇ­ Do you think I will get tired in just a century? You''re overestimating yourself!"

    Third Prince Ye''s lips curled into a smile, and then turning his head, he spoke, "This is suppressed God Rank Soul Beast - Spider Queen."

    Ye Tian Yun asked, "Is her remaining body hidden in the clouds?"

    "Yes, you can say that," Third Prince Ye nodded, "The reason for that is her body size. It''s simply too ginormous. We had no choice but to create the array in the sky."

    "We?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Who else was with you?"

    "Hmˇ­ well, there was my brother with me."

    Ye Tian Yun smiled upon hearing this.

    "Andˇ­ my sister-inw."

    Ye Tian Yun''s smile froze. ''Motherˇ­''

    He raised his eyes and stared at the sky. This time, he was more interested in the clouds, rather than the Spider Queen''s face.

    Spreading out his spirit sense, Ye Tian Yun soon sensed the array.

    The array was literally covering the whole sky.

    "Thisˇ­"

    He couldn''t imagine how hard creating this array was.

    "Did she do it alone?" He couldn''t help but ask.

    There was not one single person who could create an array so huge that it covered the visible sky.

    Unexpectedly, Third Prince Ye nodded.

    "Yes. It''s hard to believe, right?" He smiled, "In fact, she arranged this Sky Prison Array within a span of a few hours. Sister-inw was an amazing existence. "

    "She was?" Ye Tian Yun''s attention was focused on theter part of Third Prince Ye''s words, "Is sheˇ­ not around anymore?"

    His heartbeat quicked a little, but he immediately suppressed it.

    However, the person in front of him had already gauged it. In fact, even the face in the sky put her attention on him.

    "You must be surprised," Third Prince Ye, however, didn''t feel any suspicion, "Even I was shocked when I first saw this array system. If my brother is the greatest genius of cultivation, my sister-inw was the most powerful alchemist and most powerful array master. As for where she is right nowˇ­ no one knows."

    "Ohˇ­" Ye Tian Yun sighed.

    But still, he couldn''t help but stare at the sky a bit more.

    "Anyway," Just then, Third Prince Ye spoke, "You two wait here; I wille back in a few minutes once I have fixed the chains."

    Ye Tian Yun and Gao Suyin nodded.

    Third Prince Ye pointed at something in front of him, and in the next moment, a ck Soul-Gate-like portal appeared in front of him.

    Third Prince Ye nced back at the two, "Don''t go anywhere. I will be temporarily cut off from this ce for a few minutes."

    As the Third Prince Ye left, the face in the sky suddenly spoke.

    "Boyˇ­"

    Her voice thundered in the ears of the two on the surface.

    Ye Tian Yun moved his eyes and stared back at the five eyes gazing at him intensely.

    "Who are you, boy?" She asked.

    Ye Tian Yun frowned as a sudden uneasiness crept upon his face.

    "I am Fang Chen." He replied.

    The face in the sky stared at him for a few more moments before breaking into a smile, "I can see through you, boyˇ­ you''re too easy to read."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "Then you must know that I am speaking the truth."

    "Ohˇ­ are you?" She smiled, "Why was there no Fang Chen among the ones who cleared the dungeonˇ­?"

 Chapter 642: 642 | Gao Suyin Digging Her Own Grave

    "Why was there no Fang Chen among the ones who cleared the dungeonˇ­?"

    The question echoed through the enclosed space.

    Ye Tian Yun stared at the Spider Queen without any change of expression.

    Behind him, Gao Suyin''s eyes suddenly opened wide.

    ''Oh shit!''

    ''Yesˇ­ Ye Tian Yun was disguised as someone else!''

    She instantly knew that she had taken a wrong step and made a mistake because she hadn''t reacted to Ye Tian Yun''s new face.

    ''What should I say if he asks me about it?''

    Her mind suddenly went nk.

    Earlier she would have revealed her real identity, but right now, that would onlyplicate things further.

    Meanwhile, the Spider Queen was not surprised by Ye Tian Yun''s silence. She snickered and tested Ye Tian Yun, "Kekekekeˇ­ now tell me, Fang Chenˇ­ what would happen if that Ye heard about it?"

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "What do you want?"

    The Spider Queen''s smile froze for a moment before spreading even further.

    "I like you, boy. For you to directlye to the topic, it''s truly a surprise. Well, what I want is pretty simple."

    Her eyes slowly moved and focused on Gao Suyin, who was still lost in her thoughts.

    "Kill her." The Spider Queen smirked.

    Ye Tian Yun''s grip over his sword tightened, and he turned around.

    Gao Suyin, who was stumped by Spider Queen''s words, was shocked even more.

    "Whatˇ­ Why me?"

    She gulped.

    Ye Tian Yun was a Core Formation REalm powerhouse, and she knew she didn''t stand a chance against him.

    Ye Tian Yun stepped forward and put the sword on Gao Suyin''s shoulder.

    Thetter was still frozen in shock, even more surprised to see Ye Tian Yun move without hesitation.

    "Youˇ­ you can''t trust her!" She stammered, "She''s a Soul Beastˇ­ howˇ­ how are you sure that she won''t go back on her words and tell the Third Prince Ye about your identity?"

    Ye Tian Yun stared at her with emotionless eyes and said, "You say I can''t trust herˇ­ but I can''t trust you either, Yin Su."

    Gao Suyin gulped as Ye Tian Yun continued.

    "Tell meˇ­ why you did not react when the personing from the other end was not Ye Tian Yunˇ­ but a stranger named Fang Chen. There could be only one answer to thisˇ­ you knew I was Ye Tian Yun. Now tell me, how did you know?"

    Gao Suyin bit her lower lips. Unsure as to what to do.

    ''Should I tell him who I am?''

    ''But thenˇ­ will he let me go?''

    She had a strong intuition that Ye Tian Yun would kill her, whether she replied or not.

    ''I can only bet on thisˇ­.''

    Closing her eyes, she slowly spoke, "Ye Tian Yunˇ­. I know who you areˇ­ I know a lot more about you. But trust me, I do not wish to have anything with youˇ­ neither will Ie in between any of your goals. I just wantˇ­ I just want to return to my realm."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned, "That was not the right answer. I will ask it onest time - tell me, how do you know about me?"

    "Iˇ­" Gao Suyin dodged the question once more, "Won''t you be in trouble if you kill me and then Third Prince Yees? Andˇ­ is the Third Prince your enemy? Are you not the Crown Prince of the Middle Heavens?"

    Ye Tian Yun moved his sword closer to her neck. As soon as the sword touched her neck, it instantly sliced on the skin.

    "My sword is very sharp, Yin Su. I don''t even need to sh it to slice through something. You''re lucky that I am willing to be patient with your antics. Consider this yourst warning. One more wrong answer and the sword won''t stop until it reaches your other shoulder."

    Gao Suyin took a light breath, "Alrightˇ­ alright, I will tell you the truth."

    Ye Tian Yun raised his right eyebrow, "Go on."

    "Iˇ­ I have an abilityˇ­ it allows me to have basic information about the other parties. Iˇ­ know that you can hide your identity, that what I knew who you were as soon as I saw you."

    She told him as much as she could. Though none of it was a lie, it wasn''t the whole truth.

    If it was someone else, she might have gone unscathed, but the person in front of her is Ye Tian Yun. He instantly felt something amiss and asked something to verify her im.

    "Oh?" Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "Then tell meˇ­ who is Third Prince Ye?"

    "Huhˇ­" Gao Suyin''s eyes widened slightly. ''Shitˇ­''

    Unknowingly, she had once again made a mistake, but this time, the mistake was big enough to send her to meet her maker.

    ''Iˇ­ don''t know." She whispered.

    "You don''t know?"

    "Yesˇ­"

    "But didn''t you say you can know the basic information about things? Isn''t that what you were iming?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    The Spider Queen was watching the scene in amusement. She knew who the Third Prince Ye was, which made her even more curious about the young man on the surface. ''He doesn''t know about that Ye? Orˇ­ does he know him very well?''

    But one thing was clear. The young girl didn''t know who the Third Prince Ye really was.

    "I am iming thatˇ­ but Iˇ­." Gao Suyin took a light breath and replied honestly, "It''s power doesn''t work on someone who has the same power like me."

    "What?" Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    "Yesˇ­" Gao Suyin nodded, "I couldn''t find anything about him. This strongly indicates that the Third Prince Yeˇ­ has the same power as me."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes.

    Many thoughts shed through his head.

    ''When he was young, he had an Emblemˇ­.'' Ye Tian Yun thought, ''That is the only way for him to gain the ability. And if I am not wrong, he had the Emblem of Luckˇ­.''

    ''But I know the Emblem of Luck very well; it doesn''t have any ability like thatˇ­.''

    Just then, Wang Yao, who had been silent for all this time, spoke.

    "My father didn''t have the Emblem of Luck. He had the Token of Reality."

    Ye Tian Yun''s mind suddenly froze as soon as Wang Yao''s words ended.

    Not because Wang Yao had called Third Prince Ye, but because he had mentioned the Token Of Reality!

    Thinking about this, Ye Tian Yun''s eyes turned cold, and boundless killing intent resurfaced through his mind.

    ''The girl in front of me might have the Token of Reality?!''

 Chapter 643: 643 | The Truth Comes Out?

    Gao Suyin''s heart dropped as soon as she saw the expression in Ye Tian Yun''s eyes turn cold.

    ''What did I say wrong nowˇ­''

    She involuntarily gulped.

    Ye Tian Yun lowered his sword, and in the next instant, he held Gao Suyin by the neck.

    <<Hand over the Token of Reality.>>

    Ye Tian Yun asked without beating around the bush.

    He was in the Lower Heavens to get his hands on as many Tokens and Emblems as possible - but now, and among those tokens - one of the few which hadn''t appeared in his previous life was Token of Reality.

    Just like the others, this one''s powers and abilities are a mystery to everyone; however, as its name suggests, this has a lot to do with the reality of the world.

    On the other hand, Gao Suyin was shocked to hear Ye Tian Yun''s spirit message. She stared at the person in front of him with a nk expression.

    ''He knows about the tokenˇ­''

    Now, she was terrified that she might lose her life. The Token of Reality was something very close to her heart and no one knew its value better than her.

    And as far as she was concerned, the Token of Reality was essential for her to return to the Earth, to her home.

    And if she were to hand it over to Ye Tian Yun right now, she will most likely never be able to go back to Earth.

    Just then, the grip around her neck began to tighten.

    "Youˇ­" She clenched her teeth and stared at him in anger.

    To her, the Token of Reality was an unspeakable part of herself. There was no way she would willingly give the token to Ye Tian Yun, even though she had a good opinion of himˇ­ that too was now shattered.

    Taking the Token of Reality from her was no different from asking for her innocence - and to a proud woman like Gao Suyin, who had stood at the peak of Earth, this was not only a cause for great hostility but also anger and frustration.

    On the other hand, Ye Tian Yun was unaware of the changes within Gao Suyin''s mind, but even if he knew, he wouldn''t have bothered about them.

    Some questions were going on in his mind; few of them were even more important than getting the Token of Reality!

    Just then -

    "Ye Tian Yun, don''t kill her!" Wang Yao shouted from the consciousness space.

    ''Don''t interfere in my matter, Wang Yao.'' Ye Tian Yun warned. The former always tried to make Ye Tian Yun spare his target, and now, this was getting on his nerves.

    "Listen to me first," Wang Yao tried to calm Ye Tian Yun, "Don''t think with your heart, but use your mind here. Token of Reality is not something that can be easily obtained, especially for someone like her who hase from Earth. How did she get the token and her real history? Also, the answers that you''re looking forˇ­ I am sure she knows at least something about them!"

    As soon as Wang Yao finished his words, Ye Tian Yun loosened his grip around Gao Suyin''s neck.

    Her soft white neck skin now had a bright red hand imprint around it.

    While in the sky, the Spider Queen was very much confused about what was going on. Ye Tian Yun had begun asking his question to the youngdy in front of him.

    <<Yin Su, tell me the truth about you.>> Ye Tian Yun asked a very basic question. <<I might spare you if you are honest with me. And don''t you think about stalling time or anythingˇ­ because even if the Third Prince Yees backˇ­ he will listen to me first before even ncing at you.>>

    Gao Suyin gulped. She hesitated for a moment and began to reply.

    <<I am Han->>

    Ye Tian Yun''s grip over her neck suddenly tightened, forcing her to hang in the air, <<Don''t like.>>

    She swiftly nodded, in response to which, Ye Tian Yun loosened the grip a bit and lowered her feet back to the ground.

    <<I am Gao Suyin.>> She finally revealed without hesitation.

    As soon as she said this, Ye Tian Yun frowned at her, and after staring at her for a few more moments, he asked, <<Are you trying to make fun of me? Even though I have seen Gao Suyin, I can recognize her, but I can''tˇ­ wait, you''re in disguiseˇ­?>>

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised. If the other party was in disguise, he truly wanted to know what kind of heavenly technique she was using and where she got it - because she could escape his eyes.

    Clearly, this technique was much more powerful the the ''Thousand Faces'' technique, which Ye Tian Yun used earlier until Butler Liu gave him a treasured bracelet that allowed him to change his appearance,

    As he stared at her, Gao Suyin slowly nodded.

    Her biggest secret, the Token of Reality, was now already known to the enemy.

    And the enemy was also able to detect her lies - there was no way out for her.

    She didn''t know that Ye Tian Yun was paying very keen attention to her heart rate and the aura around her, and because of her current mental state, she wasn''t even able to lie appropriately without having any internal reactions.

    Seeing her nod, Ye Tian Yun knew that she was telling the truth. He narrowed his eyes, <<When did youe here?>>

    <<Today.>> Gao Suyin, however, tried to give a vague answer this time, and because it wasn''t a lie, Ye Tian Yun failed to detect it.

    <<Today?>> Ye Tian Yun frowned, <<Were you following us? Where is Gao Xuan? Did he bring you here?>>

    Goa Suyin pursed her lips, <<Gao Xuan is not here. He doesn''t know about me being here.>>

    Ye Tian Yun remained silent for a moment before asking, <<You said people with same powers or simr powers might counter each other''s abilityˇ­ tell me, is it true for all Emblems and Tokens?>>

    Ye Tian Yun waited for her answer because it was crucial for him.

    After all, many people out there didn''t have a prompt from the Token of Fate above their heads.

    Bai Qing''er, Gao Xuan, Gao Suyin, that restaurant girl, that burger stall girlˇ­ and so on...

    ''Do they all have a Token?''

 Chapter 644: 644 | Wang Yaos Words

    As soon as Ye Tian Yun''s spirit message reached Gao Suyin, she knew what he was trying to do.

    ''Ah yesˇ­ the tokens and emblems sh with each otherˇ­''

    She remembered how she could not see through Ye Tian Yun''s disguise when he first came to the Capital City, and if not for her earlier interaction with him, she wouldn''t even know it was Ye Tian Yun in disguise.

    This was the same with Bai Qing''er - one of the members who hade with them.

    ''Waitˇ­ if I tell him the truth, will he kill that person too? Noˇ­ he won''tˇ­ he''s aplex character, but he''s not evil.''

    By now, she had also noticed how Ye Tian Yun could see through her lies; thus, the first thing she needed to do was calm herself.

    Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and said, "Yes, Emblems and Tokens will cancel out each other''s ability. At least that''s what I think."

    As Ye Tian Yun was contemting Gao Suyin''s words, Wang Yao spoke.

    "I know what you''re thinking, Ye Tian Yun." He said, "But you shouldn''t kill Gao Suyin and Bai Qing''er for Tokens. For one, they don''t have any enmity against you, and two, they are more useful as allies."

    ''How?'' Ye Tian Yun frowned. He didn''t see any benefit by not taking the Tokens.

    Wang Yao thought for a moment and said, "You will need them. Do you think if Wang Yao was alone, he would be able to defeat you? And even after defeating you and going to the Upper Heavens, he met even stronger opponents. Still, some people had his back - and that''s the reason why he was able to survive and be one of the peak existences of the Upper Heavens."

    Seeing that Ye Tian Yun wasn''t still convinced, WAng Yao added one more sentence, "Ye Tian Yun, Gao Suyin is from the earth, she will be important for you in theing future, and as for Bai Qing''erˇ­ I don''t even know who she is, but the name does ring a bell."

    "Hm?" Ye Tian Yun frowned and stared at Gao Suyin for a few more minutes.

    "Gao Suyinˇ­" He asked, "Do you know that you will get married to Fang Chen in a few weeks?"

    Gao Suyin was a bit taken aback by this question, but she nodded.

    "Then you should also know that I am the one who''s in Fang Chen''s disguise." Ye Tian Yun added.

    Gao Suyin nodded once again.

    "So you know that the person you will be marrying is an imposter," Ye Tian Yun asked, "Are you nning to just go with it?"

    Gao Suyin pursed her lips. Maybe if this question was asked a few hours ago, she wouldn''t have had second thoughts, but now, her thoughts were all jumbled.

    "I am unsure," Gao Suyin added, "I will agree because I know there won''t be any emotional attachment, and when the timees, we both will go our separate ways. But now I am sure you won''t let me go because I have the Token of Reality, and I will tell you one thing - I will not give you the Token, no matter how much you threaten to kill me."

    Ye Tian Yun narrowed his eyes, "Gao Suyin, don''t test me."

    Gao Suyin gritted her teeth but stared at Ye Tian Yun in anger.

    In the sky, the Spider Queen was confused about their chats.

    ''MArriage? Fang Chen? Thisˇ­ This is not what I wantˇ­ where is the killing?''

    She was now getting bored.

    Just then, the surface below them quaked/

    Gao Suyin lost her bnce, and just as she was about to fall, Ye Tian Yun grabbed her hand and pulled her closer.

    Before she could react, Ye Tian Yun pushed her back.

    "What you said is right." He spoke, "After the marriage, you will be by my side. And don''t even think about running away, lest you want the Gao n to die."

    Gao Suyin clenched her fists, "Are you threatening me? Do you think I am helpless? Tell me what will happen if I release a rumor that Crown Prince Ye has a Token?"

    Ye Tian Yun smiled, "That will be interesting, but do you think this will be the first time I will be in such a situation?"

    "Whatˇ­"

    "Hehˇ­" Ye Tian Yun smirked, "There have been a lot of rumors; the mostmon were me possessing tokens and emblems."

    "You''re lying!" Gao Suyin frowned, "I have already looked up all the information there is about you, and there was nothing about these rumors."

    Ye Tian Yun didn''t reply anything because the rumors weren''t here yet.

    They would be released by God''s Legion and his other rivals in the Middle Heavens to corner him and make him everyone''s target.

    Right now, such rumors would be baseless, and most likely, no one will believe them, but in those times, the situation was much moreplicated, and Ye Tian Yun was truly cornered by his enemies.

    Yet, he had managed to ovee the hurdle and survive until his veryst battle on the Hundred Realm Refining Stage.

    This was why he was quite confident that he could handle the rumors, because this time, he would be taking better precautions and even had some good countermeasures.

    On the other hand, Gao Suyin regained some confidence upon seeing that Ye Tian Yun had be silent.

    However, for some reason, she had a strong intuition that Ye Tian Yun was prepared for her moves.

    ''ANywayˇ­ it''s not like I want to make him my enemy right nowˇ­ but that doesn''t mean I will remain still if he were to harm the Gao n.''

    Even though she had been in this realm for just a year, Gao n was something very close to her heart, and the memories she had gotten from the real Gao Suyin had also heavily affected her emotions and thoughts.

    To her, the Gao n was as important as going back to Earth.

    -crack!

    Just then, as both were lost in their thoughts, a ck portal appeared, and Third Prince Ye stepped out.

 Chapter 645: 645 | The Meeting At The Bonfire

    A/n: First of all, I am sorry.

    Last night, I was in a hurry and ended up uploading the contents from a different file, which I had opened in another tab to check some previous plots. If not for yourments, I wouldn''t have even noticed. The right chapter is now uploaded, and aspensation, I have also written this chapter.

    If you do not see the right content in your chapter: please go to the settings tab in the profile section of the app. In the settings, tap on clear cache.

    I apologize for the misunderstanding and inconvenience.

    (now back to the story)

    ...*...

    Moon Lake Estate, Crimson City, Crimson Bay, Xin Kingdom.

    About an hour agoˇ­

    Standing at the balcony, gazing over the Crimson City, Heavenly King Wang frowned.

    His expression was calm, but the slight frown on his face showcased his impatience.

    Just then, without turning back, he opened his mouth and asked.

    "What''s the situation?"

    Behind him, a ck shadow had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but with his cultivation, he could sense everything within hundreds of kilometers of himself, much less his own guard.

    The guard, who was fully covered in ck robes from head to foot, kneeled on one knee as soon as he entered the room and slowly gave his report.

    "Third Prince, there have been no signs of any youngster suddenly gaining power and rapidly increasing his cultivation in thest few months. As for behavioral change, there are a few names, the most prominent of them is Fang Chen in the Fang n. in fact, his cultivation has also increased a lot, but it''s been about a year since he showcased his talent, not just a few months."

    Heavenly King Wang narrowed his eyes, "No need to pay attention to him. He''s someone I will meet soon. I am more interested in the rising talents of thest six months."

    The ck-robed man took out a parchment from his spatial ring, "Third Prince, even though we couldn''t find anyone with monstrous talent, this is the list of the rising talents in different ns and sects in the span of thest six months."

    Heavenly King Wang flicked his fingers, and the parchment slowly flew up in his hands.

    "Hmˇ­" He stared at the parchment, but after some time, he shook his head.

    "None of them." He sighed, "Continue looking; he will show up very soon. Tell me about the situation with the Great Ye Corps."

    The ck-robed man replied, "I have received an update from his majesty the Emperor."

    "Oh?" Heavenly King Wang frowned, "Leave it on the table."

    The ck-robed man nodded and took out a ck rectangr que. He used his qi and put it on a nearby table.

    "You can go now. And to increase the area of search, we need to find all kinds of anomalies."

    The ck-robed man nodded and disappeared in the next instant.

    Heavenly King Wang pursed his lips and let out a sigh.

    The parchment in his hand started to burn, and soon, it turned into nothing.

    He then flicked his finger again, and the ck rectangr que flew over to him.

    But just as it touched his finger, a light shed, and Heavenly King Wang disappeared from his spot.

    ˇ­

    After a few seconds, Heavenly King Wang opened his eyes and found himself in a dark forest.

    Feeling something behind him, he turned around and noticed that just a few steps away from him was a bonfire.

    Around this bonfire were two men, sitting on tree trunks, with their palms stretched out.

    He slowly walked over to them, and just as he came close, another tree trunk appeared, out of nowhere, and without saying anything, Heavenly King Wang sat on it.

    "Greeting, Brother Wen," One of the men greeted him with a smile.

    Heavenly King Wang stared at him for a moment and then slightly nodded, "It''s been a while, Butler Liu."

    The man shook his head with a smile, "d that you joined us."

    Heavenly King WAng turned his head towards thest man who hadn''t said a word yet, "Big Brother himself called me, I had toe."

    Butler Liu just gave a wry look at this and didn''tment anything.

    The rtionship between Heavenly King Wang and Emperor Ye wasplicated, to say the least. Due to some past incidents, both had drifted apart and even didn''t prefer many interactions, however, they still trusted each other more than anyone else.

    "Wen''er, how have you been?" Emperor Ye turned his head towards his youngest brother and asked.

    Heavenly King WAng sighed, "To be honest, I am bored."

    "Bored?"

    "Yes," Heavenly King Wang, "You have given me the most boring thing to do. No one wille to that dungeon and the Emblem of Chaosˇ­ I don''t think it will be found either."

    Emperor Ye shook his head, "No, the Emblem of Chaos wille. Did you not get my message six months ago about it? The Emblem of Chaos has chosen its holder for this generation."

    Heavenly King Wang nodded. His big brother was the holder of the Emblem of Chaos, and just like how he knew if someone had the Token of Truth, the former too knew if someone had the Emblem of Chaos.

    Though, the exact identity of the sessor couldn''t be revealed.

    "Don''t worry about the Emblems and the dungeon," Emperor Ye said, "At least not until there is an update about either of them. For now, the main focus is on the Upper Heavens."

    Heavenly King Wang nodded, "I have heard that the Great Ye Corps are on the move? Have you found Sister-inw?"

    Emperor Ye pursed his lips and nodded, "Yes, but things are much moreplicated. I will give you the detailster, for now, let''s get to the reason why I have called you here."

    "Yes?"

    "Well, we have found a few spies in our Corps," Emperor Ye said, "But instead of eliminating them, we haveid out a trap. We haveid out a false mission targeting the Bai n, while our main target is the Zheng n."

    "What do you need me for?" Heavenly King Wang asked, "I hope you haven''t forgotten that I can''t leave the Lower Heavens right now."

    "I know," Emperor Ye nodded, "And the mission I have for you is to find the two kids - they can be anywhere in the Lower Heavens."

    "Oh? What information do we have about them?" Heavenly King Wang frowned.

    "We only have their names," Emperor Ye replied, "One of them is the lost child from Zheng n, his name is Zheng Xian-!"

    Before he could finish, Heavenly King Wang suddenly stood up.

    "Hm? What happened?" Emperor Ye paused and frowned, confused by the shocked expression on his brother''s face.

    "Someone just passed the dungeon!" Heavenly King Wang gulped, and a sudden silence descended around the bonfire.

 Chapter 646: 646 | Leaving

    "What?" Emperor Ye frowned, "Who could it be?"

    Heavenly King Wang shook his head, "I can only know this once I get there."

    "Hmm, I understand," Emperor Ye nodded, "Go and handle this first. Don''t forget to give them the stone and make them hunters."

    "I will," Heavenly King Wang nodded, "Let''s hope whoever this person is, they are talented enough."

    Emperor Ye shrugged, "You will be the judge of that."

    Heavenly King Wang stood up and nodded at Butler Liu once, he closed his eyes.

    In the next moment, his body shed and disappeared from the spot.

    "Brother Liu, who do you think this could be? Is it that earthling?" Emperor Ye put on a thoughtful expression.

    Butler Liu frowned, "Your majesty, I am not sure about this. We don''t even know who this earthling is, and this dungeon is hidden in a barren valley. I think whoever encountered it must be some sectless cultivator, looking for fortuitous encounters."

    Emperor Ye sighed, "Let''s hope whoever this person is, he''s worth investing in. The people in Upper Heavens are getting on my nerves now."

    Butler Liu chuckled, "Your majesty, those people are eager to enter here. But I think, if our current mission is a sess, those hypocrites will suffer a big loss."

    Emperor Ye narrowed his eyes, "We still need to find the Emblem of Chaos''s holder for this generation. Wen''er has already spent a lot of years in the Lower Heavens, and now that the dungeon is cleared, the only thing remaining is to find the cultivator who has the Emblem of Chaos."

    Butler Liu nodded, "We will find him, Your Majesty. Butˇ­ may I ask what you''re nning to do with him?"

    "I will make him my disciple," Emperor Ye smiled, "He''s our hope to seal all Soul Gates."

    "What about Crown Prince then?" Butler Liu frowned, "If he goes on like this, there''s a chance he might seed in bing the Heavenly Emperor."

    Emperor Ye rolled his eyes, "He''s dying things, and he doesn''t even know about the Soul Gates and the dungeons yet. Once I have dealt with the pricks in Upper Heavens, I will put my attention on him."

    Butler Liu frowned, "Those people in the Upper Heavensˇ­ especially the Bai nˇ­ your majesty. Are you nning to let that guy run rampant?"

    Emperor Ye nodded, "Let him be. We need to find his daughter, and after that, maybe there will be a chance that we might reconcile. If the Bai n steps back, we might regain our peace; still, what I don''t know is why is ''she'' with them?"

    Butler Liu''s smile slowly receded. Of course, the one Emperor Ye was talking about was Empress Ye.

    Years ago, when Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun was just a year or so old, she had suddenly left the Middle HEavens without telling anyone, not even her husband, Emperor Ye.

    "Your majestyˇ­" Butler Liu sighed, "We can only hope that the Sister-inw is not doing this of her own will."

    Emperor Ye closed his eyes and let out another sigh.

    Even though both of them were hoping this but, in their hearts, they knew there was no one controlling Empress Ye.

    Emperor Ye took a light breath and stood up, and as soon as he did, Butler Liu also stood up.

    "I will meet her soon. We will know what''s going on. Let''s go out for now."

    "Where, your majesty?" Butler Liu said while making some hand signs.

    In the next instant, a white circle appeared around them, and the area below their feet began to shine.

    "To Earth." Emperor Ye spoke, and in the next instant, both of them disappeared.

    ˇ­

    Heavenly King Wang opened his eyes and found himself back in the balcony of the Mood Lake Estate.

    "Where were you?" A soft voice called him from behind, "Is everything alright?"

    Heavenly King Wang turned around and smiled at the middle-aged woman in front of him.

    It was his wife, Madam Wang.

    She had a worried expression on her face because it was very rare for her husband to leave without informing her, and whenever it happened, there was always some kind of emergency.

    "Don''t worry," Heavenly King Wang spoke, "Big Brother called me. He wants us to return to the Middle Heavens."

    "What?" Madam Wang was surprised, "That cold brick- I mean, his majesty wants us to return?"

    She couldn''t help but feel annoyed at this, "He''s the reason why we were exiled, and now he wants us to return? Is he finally feeling lonely? I bet he just came to know that my sister has left the Middle Heavens and wants us toe back and help him in looking for herˇ­ even worse, maybe he might frame us?"

    Heavenly King Wang smiled and shook his head, "No, he wants us toe back. But I said I do not n to, atleast not now."

    "Good." MAdam WAng nodded.

    Heavenly King Wang could only inwardly sigh at this.

    He couldn''t tell her the truth, even though she was his wife and his most trustworthypanion. In fact, even if he did tell her everything, she still won''t forgive Emperor Ye for the things in the past.

    In fact, the main problem wasn''t even the past, instead, it was her elder sister, Empress Ye.

    Her disappearance had a considerable impact on Madam Wang because she had relied upon and learned a lot from her elder sister ever since a young age.

    ''One day, when Sister-inw returns, everything will clear up.''

    Heavenly King WAng took a deep breath and inwardly nodded.

    Then raising his head, he said, "I will have to go now."

    "Hm? Where?" Madam Wang frowned, "Are you sure everything''s alright?"

    "Don''t worry," Heavenly King Wang smiled, "I will be back in a few hours."

    Madam Wang stared at him for a moment and then nodded, "Take care. Andˇ­ if you see Yao''er, keep an eye for him. Last time I heard about himˇ­ his actions were a little weird."

    "Oh," Heavenly King Wang smiled, "Alright, I will see what is going on with him."

    After saying this, he disappeared, heading towards the Thunder Valley.

 Chapter 647: 648 | The Green Box And The Black Cube

    The first thing that Ye Tian Yun noticed when Third Prince Ye stepped out of the ck portal was a green box in his hands.

    The green box was genuinely eye-catching. It was most likely made of expensive green emeralds, and on top of that box was a green dragon, sitting majestically. However, the most interesting thing about the box was not the dragon but the green mystical aura enveloping it. Clearly, there couldn''t be any bigger sign that whatever there was in this box was something very precious, to say the least.

    Third Prince Ye stepped forward and raised his hand in front of him, and showed the box to everyone on the dungeon floor.

    With the box now held upside with his fingertips, he spoke, "I am sure you must be curious about this. Well, this box is your reward for clearing the dungeon."

    Before Ye Tian Yun or Gao Suyin could react, the Spider Queen, whose chains had now locked her once again, said, "You''re going to make them hunters?"

    Her words carried a mocking tone as she continued, "Did you forget the Four Realm Pact? Don''t forget every knowledgeable existence in the Four Realms will hunt you!"

    Ye Tian Yun couldn''t help but ask upon hearing these words, "What is Four Realm Pact?"

    Third Prince Ye just smiled, "It''s something you shouldn''t worry about." And then, raising his head, he stared back at the Spider Queen while replying, "And youˇ­ do you think you''re in the position to speak about the Four Realm Pact?"

    "Hmph!" Spider Queen grunted, "Do you think a mere pact can stop me from doing what I want? Don''tpare me with your puny existence. I rule over the Soul Realm, and you can''t even show your face in the Nine Heavens Continent!"

    Third Prince Ye smiled, "Oh, if you rule over the Soul Realm, you must be quite powerful. Why are you still here then?"

    Spider Queen frowned but didn''t say anything. She didn''t wish to start an argument that she was sure that she would lose.

    Ye Tian Yun, on the other hand, was now quite curious, but he didn''t ask. There is always a time for things, and he knew it was not the right time.

    "Here." Third Prince Ye ignored the Spider Queen and opened his palm.

    The green box flew up and came in front of Ye Tian Yun, who then raised his hands and held it in his palm.

    "This is the reward," Third Prince Ye spoke, and then ncing at Gao Suyin, he said, "You''re already a hunter, so you won''t need it- why are you wearing your hunter mecha? You''re wasting your energy for nothing; there''s no danger here."

    Ye Tian Yun frowned and nced at Gao Suyin.

    Indeed, she was now fully covered in her hunter mecha, even her head, which wasn''t when he had confronted her a few minutes ago.

    ''Is she doing it to hide the scar?''

    Ye Tian Yun was surprised.

    When Third Prince Ye had stepped out, Ye Tian Yun was already thinking about revealing his true identity in case Gao Suyin tried to rile the former against him.

    But to his surprise, Gao Suyin covered her head with Hunter Mecha''s helmet, thus hiding the palm imprint around her neck and the cut which Ye Tian Yun had made when he had threatened her.

    Third Prince Ye didn''t wait for Gao Suyin''s response and said, "Well, it''s your choice. Anyway, I have something for you too."

    Then from his spatial ring, he took out a ck cube. This cube didn''t seem anything special at first sight, unlike the Green Dragon Box. However, it did have a mysterious vibe to it, making anyone who saw it curious.

    And the cube too flew out of Third Prince Ye''s hands and was soon in Gao Suyin''s palms.

    "What is this?" Gao Suyin finally opened her mouth, having previously ignored the question when Third Prince Ye had asked her about the hunter mecha.

    "Open it; you will know," Third Prince Ye smiled, "It''s something important for you."

    "Oh?" Gao Suyin frowned. She couldn''t think of a way of opening a cube, but to her surprise, she didn''t even have to do anything because, in the next instant, the ck cube suddenly rose from her own hands and levitated in the air.

    As everyone on the floor stared at it, the cube suddenly began to spin, slowly increasing its pace.

    And as it spun, it also began to shine, as if shedding its ck coating.

    As everyone stared at it in interest and curiosity, the spinning slowly subsided, and a white-shining rock appeared in front of them.

    "What is thisˇ­"

    Ye Tian Yun frowned.

    His first thought was that it was a high-tier Spirit Stone, but that was instantly rejected because those stones don''t shine this bright, and more importantly, they don''t levitate in air for no reason!

    On the other hand, Gao Suyin had a surprised expression on her face; unfortunately, her face was covered by the hunter mecha, so her reaction wasn''t known to others.

    "Do you recognize it?" Third Prince Ye asked with a smile.

    Gao Suyin gulped and slowly nodded, "An Evolution Stone!"

    Third Prince Ye nodded, "Indeed. Since you know what it is, you must also know what it does?"

    Gao Suyin nodded, "It can evolve my Spirit Weapon."

    "Good," Third Prince Ye nodded, "Consider this our meeting gift, Earthling. This is our meeting, but it won''t be ourst."

    "This won''t be outst?" Gao Suyin frowned.

    "Indeed," Third Prince Ye nodded, "I am sure you are interested in heading back to Earth. Well, I can help you a little in that, but before that, you will have to help me with one thing."

    "What?" Gao Suyin asked. She couldn''t think of anything that she could do to help the person in front of her, especially considering the former''s strength.

    Third Prince Ye smiled, "I will tell youter. For nowˇ­" He turned around and looked at the green box in Ye Tian Yun''s hands, "Let''s focus on the thing before us."

    Ye Tian Yun also turned his attention to the Green Dragon Box, "What is inside it?"

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