Chapter 51: Mercilessly Cruel Competition
[The Three Great Sects have each sent a heavyweight as a representative to attend, could you have used some underhanded methods to squeeze out the Carefree Valley's people?]
That was what Qing Ye Li thought in his heart, but did not know that that fella had merely simply given the Carefree Valley's people a brutal beating, and just tied them up in the wilderness, leaving them to their own demise.
Since things had already turned ugly anyway, he would just do whatever pleased his heart.
And this time, he had just assumed the Carefree Valley's Young Lord's identity to come in here, which was highly provocative and attention grabbing. With his young and outstandingly handsome looks, compared to the Faint Mist Sect's imposing looking forty or fifty year old middle aged uncle or the Limitless Sect's ordinary looking Commandment Hall's Elder who was silent and reticent, he was the most attention grabbing of them all.
Behind the judges' panel, there were quite a number of the Three Great Sect's disciples, all of them young men and women, all of them carrying an extraordinary air.
Everyone has basically all arrived, and the Green Wave Emperor was just appearing from the back of the hall at that moment before he went to sit down upon the leading main seat. Except for the people from the Three Great Sects, everyone else all stood up to bow in greeting, "Respects to Your Majesty!"
The Green Wave Emperor's face was handsomely joyous, the expression on his face filled with delight. "Dispense with the formalities! Today is a joyous day for the people, where everyone celebrates. On this momentous day, I am looking forward to witness and see the new male and female saint for this year's All Saint Day!"
"Thank you Your Majesty and for Your Majesty's brilliance!"
After the greetings were over, the centre of the enormous round arena platform sunk inwards and then slowly rose back up.
Upon it, stood a curvy figure, a purple clothed young lady with an exquisite countenance. Looking upon the stage it seemed as if a cloudy mist swirled around her, mystical and divine. She bowed fully in greeting to the crowd and her clear sweet sounding voice like a yellow oriole rang out: "Welcome everyone. Thank you for coming. I am the host for this year's competition, Xian Xin Zi!"
"What! ? It's really Xian Xin Zi! ?"
"Oh my Heavens! This year's All Saint Day festival is really just too good! They had even managed to get her to come host the event!"
"It is said that Xian Xin Zi is already thirty or forty years old! This young girl here looks to be in her prime and barely twenty eight! Could it be they just have the same name?"
"Then you do not know this. The skill method that Xian Xin Zi cultivates has an Eternal Youth Technique imbued within, and even if she is several hundred years old, she will still look no different from a sixteen or seventeen year old."
"So I see, with such exquisite beauty and able to maintain eternal youth. She must be the envy of countless women!"
There were some who did not know about that and the asked curiously: "Eh? Just who is that young lady up there? Why is everyone so shocked to see her?"
People then told them. "You don't even know Xian Xin Zi? That is the Limitless Sect Sect Leader's daughter, and our Emperor His Majesty's little junior disciple. It is rumoured that she is a prodigious five element wielder, and she has shunned the world and gone in seclusion for quite a long time."
The man then nodded in understanding. "I see, I see....."
After Xian Xin Zi introduced herself, she swept her gaze all around her. Seeming to see someone she recognized, the corners of her lips lifted slightly before she got back on topic. "The competition will be split into ten rounds this time, and the most outstanding five will be selected in each round, two to a duel where the winner advances. After the initial ten rounds, the fifty people who have advanced will then carry out duels two at a time, till the final male and female contestants is determined, who will then become the male and female saints of this All Saints Day festival whom everyone is watching out for, where they will go on to receive great rewards bestowed upon them by His Majesty, and a personal pledge made to them."
"Ten rounds of contests, literary and martial arts five rounds each. All of you are holding a number token in your hand, will the contestants with the same numbers please stand upon the corresponding arenas, to carry out the elimination rounds."
After a short and simple explanation by Xian Xin Zi, the curtains for the competition were officially raised.
"First team, number four, number nine, number eighteen, number twenty six, number fifty three....."
Qing Yu lowered her eyes to glance at the number token she had been given when she had just come in. Three hundred and sixty eight.
It was said that there was originally almost a thousand contestants taking part but after the strict initial selection round, they had filtered out many people who had sought to deceive their way through, and there were only five hundred people who made it through smoothly.
Her number token was a little further back and if they were drawn out by sequence, it would be a long time before her number would be called out.
There were about forty to fifty people standing upon the arena platform at that moment, and with the slight ring of a bell, the huge isolation barrier rose up from the ground abruptly, to surround everyone inside completely. Many text characters then appeared right at the top, packed densely together, flashing at a very fast speed.
"This round will mainly test you on your memory and level of tolerance. What we have here before your eyes is a long lost swordplay manual created by one of the ancient powers. You are required to memorize and recite it within an incense stick's time before you can come out. Once an incense stick's time has passed, the space in there will shrink by half, and the air inside will grow thinner and thinner. Unless you choose to give up and forfeit, otherwise you will suffocate and die in there."
Xian Xin Zi's clear and sweet sounding voice slowly grew louder, and they then saw that the text characters were flashing faster and faster.
Once those words came out, everyone was all equally stunned with shock for a moment.
[What is going on here?]
[The first round's contest is..... mem..... memorizing a book? ?]
[And they are only given an incense stick's time! ?]
The young men and women who had only cared to cultivate with swords and sabres almost went mad with astoundment at that moment.
[What in Hell! ? Why must the test be on memorizing a book! ?]
[When they had been playing truant from classes like anything back then? Asking them to be like those feeble and pathetic scholars who memorized books and recited poetry, they would very much rather suffer a couple of sword slashes than that!]
While those schooled in both literary and martial arts who had a little literary talents in their tummies were much calmer. [It is just memorizing a book. It couldn't be any easier than that.]
Qing Yu looked at the stunned and flabbergasted bunch of people on the arena platform, and she could not help but laugh. "This competition is actually rather interesting."
Among the several tens of people, there were actually a few familiar faces. One of them was Yu Xiao Ning whom she had had the affinity to meet once back at the cave the other day, and the sisters Yan Xi Wu and Yan Xi Ruo were also inside.
As the Green Wave Kingdom's most talented lady, Yu Xiao Ning not only possessed outstanding talents, her cultivation level was not all that low as well.
She merely stood there to stare quietly at the characters rolling past very quickly, and then collected her thoughts for a moment before her lips parted to recite: "At the dawn of time, Yin and Yang were locked in incessant battle, cleaving the Heavens and split the Earth, to morph into one sword. Those not righteous of heart shall not practice, those with clear spirits roots do not understand, one's sword cleaves metal like mud, hair like silk, drinks the blood of depraved evil....."
Without a doubt, Yu Xiao Ning came right out, leaving the looks of envy, jealousy and hatred from everyone behind her, as the one incense stick burned out by a third.
"Heh heh heh, Ning Ning is indeed our Green Wave Kingdom's most talented lady. That was really fast!" Yu Jing Zhuo said with a highly proud expression on his face. That was his younger sister and there was no need to say how much face he had gained from that.
And the remaining bunch of people on the arena platform were wringing their brains dry to forcefully memorize it. Time ticked by bit by bit, and a good half of the incense stick has burned out, seemingly like it was burning at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.
When Yu Xiao Ning was coming off the stage, Yu Jing Zhuo immediately went over to her with a face smiling in delight. "Ning Ning, you've got a rather good memory there! Looks like you've been working rather hard!"
Yu Xiao Ning raised up an eyebrow. "Do I need to work hard for this? If Third Brother doesn't put all his thoughts solely on all those pretty ladies, you will be able to do it too."
As she said that, she was even giving him such a sincere and earnest look.
Yu Jing Zhuo was speechless. "....." [Fine, I won't ask anymore. Will that do?]
Up on the arena stage, the space inside the isolation barrier was slowly beginning to shrink, and those who had a slightly lower level of tolerance were finding it hard to breathe, their faces turning an ugly shade.
"Sis, do you think that any one of those people will be able to walk out from there?" Qing Yu turned to look at the young lady beside him to ask.
Qing Yu curled up the corners of her lips and said: "There are still some among those people with rather good aptitude. I think at least another five people might be able to come out from there."
Qing Yu was a little surprised. "Really?"
He had not expected Qing Yu to give such a high estimation, as he himself was thinking only about another two people would make it.
"Just wait and see. It's only a matter of time." Qing Yu smiled and did not say anymore, her phoenix like eyes looking indifferently at the incense stick that was about to burn out. It would be another ten breath's time before an incense stick's time would be up.
The center of the platform flashed twice and a man and a woman came walking out from there, their faces a little pale, but overall, they still seemed to be in a rather good state.
After that, another man came out right behind them, walking through the isolation barrier.
Qing Bei blinked his eyes in surprise. [That was already the third person. Would there really be five who will make it?]
As that thought was going through his mind, he then saw the sisters Yan Xi Ruo and Yan Xi Wu coming out from there as well, while the rest of the people stuck in that tiny cramped space were all under great agony, wailing endlessly. Finally, they could no longer withstand it any longer and they all chose to give up.
Hence, among the fifty people in the first round, including Yu Xiao Ning who was the first person to come off the platform, there were a total of six people.
Qing Bei cast an admiring glance towards his sister beside him. [She said there would be five and it turned out to be exactly that number. That's just too accurate isn't it?]
And down below, the people who had not yet been called then could not help but started whispering in low voices.
"Out of fifty people, not even ten had passed. It is rather unexpected."
"But no one could have thought that they would come up with such a strange topic. Testing one's memory, and it was a swordplay manual left behind from ancient times. With the speed those words were flashing at, it was hard for anyone to even see it clearly, much less memorize."
"Ha, if I am to say, all of them must have only single mindedly concentrated on acting tough and playing vicious and do not possess enough intelligence to even keep up. Hahaha!"
"That's right, can't even do something like memorizing a book which is just child's play. How useless."
It seemed like the host of the competition Xian Xin Zi had not expected such a result as well and her exquisite little face seemed to look a little disappointed. But she quelled the expression on her face very quickly and then went on to announce: "There are a total of six people who got through the first round and they are, Yu Xiao Ning, Qi Mo, Yin Si Si, Ji Yun Fei, Yan Xi Wu and Yan Xi Ruo. The six of you can have some rest for now and prepare yourself for the next round."
The second round had another fifty people go up. This time, it wasn't a test of memory by a straight contest of martial skills. Who ever was able to throw their opponent of the platform would win. Up on the arena platform, there was no distinction between a commoner or nobility, no differentiation in their status or position. Here, whoever's fist was harder would reign.
This round was a lot more interesting, and the first number that was drawn was number one hundred and fifty.
There wasn't anything wrong with the number itself, but the owner of that number token was the Martial Land Kingdom's prince, Mu Qian Shang.
The pair of twins from the Martial Land Kingdom did not only possess outstanding looks, they also held highly powerful cultivation. Especially the Seventh Prince Mu Qian Shang, it was rumoured that his powers were quite a lot higher than the Sixth Prince Mu Qian Chen, strength that came close to the killing machine, the Duke of Vast Seas.
Hence when that tall and slender figure got up from his seat and came up to the arena stage one step at a time, the entire great hall suddenly had a rare moment of silence.
Mu Qian Chen was beaming with a brilliant smile on his face, and if you looked closely, you would find that the smile was tinged with a sense of gloating.
Wondering who would be the unlucky one to meet that crazy Qian Shang!
Chapter 52: Crazy Mu Qian Shang
"That person looks very strong." Qing Bei said as he creased up his brows, feeling a terrifying oppressive aura coming from the guy even from afar.
Qing Yu beside him look at him with an amused look. "Among the people present, besides the Duke of Vast Seas and that Xian Xin Zi, I think everyone else would only suffer torment under his hands."
Hearing that, the young lad then said in surprise: "Even the Crown Prince and Big Brother wouldn't be a match for him?"
"It would be very hard to tell." Qing Yu lowered her eyes and said with a low whisper as she laughed.
The two of them were talking in low voices over there, and was not aware that someone was looking at them unnoticed, measuring them up.
That person suave looking, dressed in an elegant white brocade robe, an enchanting pair attractive peach blossom eyes highly seductive, his facial features all highly exquisite, the pure white robe worn upon his body giving the man an added sense of grace.
Wasn't that the owner of the Afterlife Loft, who was sitting in the judges panel as Baili Ji Ran, the Young Lord of the Carefree Valley?
Because of his exceptionally outstanding looks, he had a special liking for beautiful people, with a highly viscous and critical eye for it. He had originally not intended to show up for such a boring competition but had come purely for the sake of going against the Carefree Valley. Out of curiosity, he had swept his gaze over the surroundings and he had then come to discover such an interesting little young lady.
Firstly, it was the extraordinary grace and elegance she lent to her plain white clothes just like him, and secondly, she was able to tell with just one glance how different Mu Qian Shang was from everyone else. That was truly very interesting as even in the Carefree Valley itself, few people knew that Mu Qian Shang was a dual element wielder of light and darkness, a prodigy that was rare to see even in a hundred years.
Baili Ji Ran had his interest piqued and he starting thinking whether the young lady could have come down from up there as well, and he immediately sent out his spirit energy to go probe that person's cultivation.
But before his spirit consciousness could even spread, it was suddenly repelled back by a highly tyrannical golden light. Baili Ji Ran felt a stinging pain deep within his spirit and he was then met with a long and narrow pair of gold and silver eyes. Inside those eyes, they seemed to hold a bottomless and immensely wide abyss, that would be able to devour him whole, warning him threateningly.
His face immediately grew slightly pale. [That young lady..... where is she from?]
All of it had happened only in the span of a few breaths and Qing Yu was naturally unaware of anything. It was also just a piffling matter to the golden haired youth who merely saw it as an inconsequential interlude.
[Foolish humans. The day will come that they will be killed by their own curiosity. To think they even dare to cause such affront to his Mistress. Impudent fools.]
The second round of the competition was beginning. After Mu Qian Shang went up, numbers continued to be drawn as the people kept deadly quiet, deeply afraid that they would be called.
What was interesting was that the young men and young ladies who were all overflowing with fighting spirit just moments earlier were finding their legs beginning to turn into jelly before they even went up onto the stage, before they quickly decided to just give up and forfeit on their own accord.
Counting carefully, there were as many as over twenty people who did that.
Xian Xi Zi who was still calling out the numbers went speechless. "....."
Up on the highest seat, the smiling Green Wave Emperor's face stiffened for a moment.
The people below the stage were still silent. "....."
[What kind of situation was this?]
Throughout so many years of the All Saints Day festival, this was the first time such a situation was occuring. These participants who have qualified for the elimination rounds were mostly people with significant powers. But before it had even started, people were already defeated without even fighting, and there were so many of them.
The strange scene caused the surrounding place to once again fall quiet, before everyone heard the sound of laughter that could not be withheld any longer, bursting out all of a sudden.
Everyone's eyes turned in unison towards the sound, and they saw within the judges panel, the handsome white robed man doubled over and roaring with laughter, rocking back and forth with his attractive eyes half narrowed, the glint of tears hanging right at the corner of his eyes.
"....."
Baili Ji Ran continued laughing for a while. He most probably came to realize that his actions were rather inappropriate before he stopped his laughing. "Sorry sorry. I lost control of myself for a moment. Apologies."
"I say Qian Shang, restrain that terrifying aura of yours a little. With you being like this, who would dare to go up and fight you?"
His way of apology made people just want to beat him up.
Mu Qian Shang up on the arena platform looked at him and lifted an eyebrow imperceptibly, seemingly a little surprised. But he did not say anything but obligingly hid the threatening aura spilling out of him a little.
"Number ninety five, number one hundred and one."
These were the last two people who were to be called up for the second round. Mu Chi silently glanced at his number token. It was one hundred and one, and not far away from him was Xuanyuan Che, whose number token read ninety five.
Ten years ago, the two of them had been vying for the Crown Prince position and ten years later now, they still had to contest for the position of male saint. This must be the thing they call destined fate.
Among the fifty people, due to the fact that Mu Qian Shang had frightened off more than twenty people, there were now less than fifty people left up on the platform. After Xian Xin Zi made the announcement to begin the contest, a powerful black energy wave appeared in the middle of the arena. Some people were caught off guard by the surge of energy and were thrown off the stage. Mu Chi and Xuanyuan Che happened to be not far away from it and they summoned up their powers to steady themselves.
After the wave of energy passed, when everyone turned to look after the shock, they discovered a bunch of people lying sprawled in various positions below the platform, and people who were scrambling and crawling their way off it. In the middle of the platform, stood a tall and slender figure in dark green, the expression on his face indifferent, looking highly aloof, like he had nothing to do with all that.
But it was clearly obvious that that strange blast of energy had come out from his body.
"What..... What was that just now?"
"Black coloured spirit energy? !"
"Was that the legendary highly powerful darkness element! ?"
"To think that in all my living years, I am able to see someone who wields the darkness element, I can already die without regrets."
"No wonder the Seventh Prince is so strong! To think that he would possess such a powerful elemental attribute. I think even His Highness the Crown Prince might not even be a match for him."
And after that great blast of spirit energy, what everyone could see from afar, there was just a pitiful four other people remaining on the stage.
The ends of Mu Qian Shang's lips lifted ever so lightly, almost unnoticeable before his lips parted to say: "All of you come at me together."
That voice was actually highly enchanting to hear, like the clear melodic trickle of flowing water, but was also filled with complete arrogance. The expression of his face was however flat and indifferent, which made people feel that that was exactly what he should be feeling against them.
Among the four remaining people, besides Xuanyuan Che and Mu Chi, the other two were disciples of the Carefree Valley. At that moment, the two of them clasped their hands over their fists, and said respectfully: "Senior possesses extraordinary powers, and we know very well that we are not your match. We are willing to forfeit."
Upon saying that, they then walked off the stage together.
Xuanyuan Che was the Crown Prince of the kingdom and also the leading disciple of the Faint Mist Sect, so he had his own pride. [He carried the kingdom's face in this contest and he can only win and not lose.]
And Mu Chi was someone who never shunned from trouble. He was also an inner disciple of the Limitless Sect and his powers were not to be underestimated. Towards this Seventh Prince of the Martial Land Kingdom, rumours were flying everywhere about how strong and powerful he was. Hence, today would be a good day for them to pit their skills against each other.
"Tsk tsk. Only the two of us are left now. If we go two on one, people will say that we did not win by virtue of skill. I shall take you on first." Mu Chi stood forward first, the smiling eyes he had been born with filled with mirth, looking exceptionally attractive.
Xuanyuan Che knitted up his brows, and said in a low voice. "Be careful."
Mu Chi shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, his easy and carefree demeanor one that made people unable to help themselves but look.
"That youth still looks to be rather young. I wonder from who he receives tutelage from?" Someone below the stage who was unaware asked curiously.
"Har? You don't even know who that person is? The background he comes from is really illustrious!" The man who answered him then turned his head left and right to look before he lowered his voice to a whisper and said: "That person's identity is a little complicated. He was originally our Green Wave Kingdom's Sixth Prince but it was not known what wrong he committed that got him thrown out of the Imperial Palace. But not only is he now the most favoured inner disciple of the Limitless Sect's Sect Leader, he also has the backing of his maternal grandfather who heads the top Medical Cultivator Family Clan of the continent and Heavens knows how many people are scrambling to get to know the Mu Family of medical cultivators through him!"
Hearing that, the first man was overcome with awe. "Then he is really somebody afterall."
As Qing Bei looked at the young man up on stage, he was feeling that the man was looking highly familiar. Seeming to recall something, he then muttered to himself: "Is that the guy who came to the Tranquil Abode that time....."
Ever since Lou Jun Yao had stepped forward to say something to that guy, she had not seen him hovering within her sight anymore. He must have straightened out his thoughts. But speaking of Lou Jun Yao, it was wondered what kind of situation he would find after he went back.
Qing Yu's lips curled up. It was funny. Since that man had gone back, he must have been fully confident he would be able to deal with any eventualities. They would probably not have any further dealings not to mention they were people separated by two continents between them.
A flash of blinding golden light suddenly pulled her thoughts back. Qing Yu lifted her eyes up to look, to discover that the blinding light was emanating out from Mu Chi upon the arena platform.
The metal element, the top of the five elements. People gifted with this elemental attribute would usually also possess the ability to wield a second element in accompaniment. When the metal element manifests in battle, the wielder's entire body would turn hard as steel, his skin impenetrable to weapons, where few would be able to match them. For people who came to be injured by the metal element, in the best scenario, they would feel a kind of smashing pain like they had been struck by a rock, and in the worst scenario, all the victim's internal organs would rupture and be destroyed, to die on the spot.
The metal element's tyrannical power worked in tandem together with the lightning element and confronted with the highly rarely seen darkness element spirit power, it stood quite a good chance. Moreover, the young lad was still withholding another unknown elemental attribute.
Qing Yu arched up an eyebrow in surprise. With that fella's handsome countenance looking like a smooth and suave young lad, she really had not been able to tell that he would possess such a tyrannical elemental attribute, which was almost the complete opposite of his personality.
In battle, Mu Chi was also completely unlike his usually slovenly and carefree self, his pair of eyes turned sharp and incisive. Mu Qian Shang on the opposite side then narrowed his eyes as he dodged a rush of wind from a palm strike that came at him right from the front, where the crowd then saw near the edge of the arena platform, the imprint of a palm that was a good three meters deep.
"Whoa! That's so powerful. The power of the metal element is terrifying indeed. If that palm strike had struck upon a person's body, there won't be very much left in him."
The crowd only saw the lad with the golden light attacking constantly, and Mu Qian Shang was only defending and not retaliating at all, seemingly at a disadvantage. But very soon, they then came to witness an incredulous scene.
The young man in a suit of dark green suddenly stopped dodging, and just when Mu Chi's terrifyingly heavy lightning infused fist was smashing straight towards him, Mu Qian Shang turned his palm and with a knife like chop, it struck Mu Chi heavily on the chest. What astounded everyone even more was the fact that upon that knife palm, was a bright golden spirit glow.
Mu Chi's shock overwhelmed his body's reaction, and he was immediately struck by the blow, falling a meters back as he vomited a mouthful of blood.
"How is that possible....." Mu Chi coughed painfully, his eyes highly incredulous.
All below the stage erupted.
"Isn't Mu Qian Shang's spirit power element darkness! ?"
"Could he possibly also possess the gold element as well? That is just to scary!"
"The metal element that is known to be impenetrable has taken such a heavy hit!"
Chapter 53: A Woman Like A Demoness
Not a single person present there was not feeling shocked. The Green Wave Emperor up on his elevated seat lost himself for a moment and stood up from his Dragon Seat, his eyes staring fiercely.
After Mu Quan Shang delivered that strike, he did not make any other moves because the result was already clear to see. The young lad was at that moment so weak he was even finding it hard to stand, and it was Xuanyuan Che who actually helped him to get back on his feet.
"You are very talented, but compared to me, you still fall a little short." Mu Qian Shang said nonchalantly, his words not sounding exactly like praise, but made a person's blood boil.
Mu Chi's handsome face was pale. "How..... did you know....."
The metal element's tyrannical power can be used both offensively and defensively, one of the best battle elemental attributes there was out there. It was said to possess no weaknesses and did not fear spirit power attacks from any of the elements.
That was actually not the case as the metal elemental attribute's nemesis was itself. If it came to encounter an opponent who similarly wielded the metal element, then it would then become a battle based purely on skill. And Mu Qian Shang's attack earlier clearly showed that he was much stronger.
Mu Qian Shang looked at the ugly shade on the lad's face and curled up his lips. "Because darkness is the king among the elements, it can devour everything else. So it is naturally also able to imitate any of the other elements' spirit powers because all these other elemental attributes was born out from it."
Upon saying that, the young man's lips lifted slightly and actually came to reveal a slightly mischievous expression. With a flip of his palm which he held at a clever angle, a spirit power glow with two colours red and green appeared on his hand, where the spirit power glow of all the various colours representing the different elemental attributes then skipped over his palm.
Of course that incredible and completely unimaginable scene was visible only to Mu Chi and Xuanyuan Che alone and the faces of the two of them changed right at that instant, with eyes like they were looking at a monster as they stared at Mu Qian Shang.
[This guy..... was just crazy strong!]
No wonder it was said that the darkness element was so rare it might not be seen in a hundred years. With such a Heaven technique, possessing the darkness element was as good as holding a killer trump card, where it was able to fully assimilate the powers of any element, and it was basically almost undefeatable.
Maybe among everyone present here today..... even Xian Xin Zi who was known as a martial arts prodigy might not be able defeat him!
Xuanyuan Che's brows knitted up tightly. Even if that was the case, he still had to face the young man in battle. Otherwise, the name and reputation of both the Green Wave Kingdom and the Faint Mist Sect would suffer.
"Cough cough. You might as well give up. Going out there will only get you a thrashing for nothing." Mu Chi coughed a couple of times, saying with a bitter smile.
Xuanyuan Che was about to say something when he heard Xian Xin Zi's voice ringing out from the stage. "Because there is an insufficient number of people for this round, the contest is temporarily suspended. Everyone will be given an incense stick's time to recollect themselves before we will carry on with the next round.
There were only Mu Qian Shang and Xuanyuan Che left in this round. This also meant that after all the rounds of contests were finished, there would be a second part to the contests, and that segment of the competition would be very cruel and people participating in it would have to sign a death indemnity.
So, was Xian Xin Zi helping him here or getting him into worse trouble?
The second part of the competition might really cost him his life!
The Green Wave Emperor also furrowed up his brows in displeasure. Xian Xin Zi who was a short distance away noticed his expression and she then smiled sweetly. "There is no need for Senior to worry. You must believe in the Crown Prince's strength. He has always been very close to Mu Chi from a very young age. Seeing Mu Chi wounded like this, he must surely be quite affected, which would instead not be to his advantage if he continued with the contest."
"If Mu Qian Shang comes to strike a killing blow upon Little Che in the final segment....." The Green Wave Emperor still could not help but be worried.
"There is something Senior does not know." Xian Xin Zhi then showed a deep and meaningful smile. "There is a flaw in the darkness element. When late night falls, if they see blood, they would fall into demonic devilry. So even if he comes to injure the Crown Prince, he would suffer from backlash himself. Hence, he would not dare to deliver a killing blow."
The Green Wave Emperor was taken aback a moment, and he then nodded smilingly.
Qing Yu was not all that bothered towards the series of events, her long slender fingers rubbing the number token she held in her hand. She suddenly raised her eyes up to look outside the palace hall. It was not known from when a sliver of blackish purple mist came to form over the both mysterious and beautiful looking blood red moon. It was just very faint, and not really easily noticeable.
She seemed to have become separated from her surroundings, to see everything before her from a third person's perspective.
The exceptionally slow moving competition suddenly ended very quickly like it had been fed with a speed hastening elixir, and the number three hundred and sixty eight that Qing Yu held in her hand seemed to have been completely forgotten, not called out at all from beginning to end.
Things that were so clearly just right in front of her became very far away, the ecstatic cries and cheers of the people surrounding her a hubbub of noises.
"Little Bei." Qing Yu creased up her brows and called out to the youth beside her. However, there was no response from him, the expression of the youth highly excitedly as his eyes looked forward towards the arena platform, his mouth seemingly shouting something, like he had been possessed.
It looked like everyone else were in the same state, but she seemed to have been isolated from all of this.
"Little Burrow....." Qing Yu called out to the weapons spirit inside her, but discovered that the golden haired youth seemed to be in a groggy daze, looking like he had no more strength left.
"You want to know what happened? Come with me....." A hazy voice that sounded like it came over the edge of the horizon rang out beside her ear. She instinctively turned her head to look and saw a human figure wrapped in a black hooded cape standing in front of the doors of the palace hall. The person's face could not be seen and by the time she had turned to look, the figure was already turning to leave.
Qing Yu went on to follow the figure outside as everything around her continued on, not a single person noticing that she had walked out from there at all, nor had anyone even seemed to have seen the hooded figure at all.
It was at that moment that Qing Ye Li broke free from that mysterious dimension. He had just managed to regain his senses when a figure in white passed right before his eyes. An unexplainable sense of familiarity hit him very strongly. He subconsciously turned his head to look but could only see that figure passing fleetingly through the doors, and then disappeared from sight.
Devilry's afoot when things take an abnormal turn. The way someone had been able to trap several hundred people within another dimension without anyone realizing a thing was definitely not the handiwork of anyone from this continent.
The green eyes then narrowed up dangerously. [Who could possibly dare to come down to a lower realm to commit such a treacherous atrocity! ? Aren't they afraid that they will be punished under the interdimensional laws! ?]
He needed to unravel this sealed up dimension quickly. Otherwise, if they were trapped in it for too long, these people would not be able to come out from it forever.
The figure in front maintained a distance not too far nor too near, as if intentionally waiting for her. It was until they came to a tall towering building that the figure suddenly disappeared.
Qing Yu swept a measuring gaze around the unfamiliar surroundings and searched through her memory for a clue. She then came to realize that this place was where the Green Wave's Imperial Family came to pray and to make offerings to the Heavens, called the Barricaded Spirit Tower. It was said that enshrined within the tower, was the spirit body of an ancestor who holds incomparably profound cultivation that the Imperial Family worshipped.
The Barricaded Spirit Tower was painstakingly constructed by a reclusive sage back then and it possessed very strong defensive powers with arrays set up within, protecting it from damage even if it was struck by powerful attacks.
The long narrow eyes grew wary. [They had..... intentionally led her here?]
"Heh heh heh..... I really wouldn't have been able to tell, that a mere young tiny little lass like you is actually an skilled expert hiding such strong powers."
A bone chilling cackling sounded out from a ear stinging coarse voice rang out behind her.
Qing Yu turned around in a flash and standing up high atop the pointed peak of the tower, were two silent figures, one tall and one short. They were both wearing loose and wide black hooded capes, the corners of their clothes fluttering lightly under the night breeze, and Qing Yu's eyes instinctively narrowed.
[Those two people..... No, maybe they could not be termed as people.]
As under one of those hooded capes, it could clearly be seen that it was a skeleton!
Chapter 53.3: A Woman Like A Demoness
As for the other one, she seemed to be a woman. A large part of her body was rotting, her flesh filled with disgusting crawling maggots, with certain parts cleanly eaten up where the grisly white of bone showed.
"What..... Hahahahahaha..... Disgusting? Terrifying? All this is given to me by a little lass that is you!"
After laughing hysterically, the woman suddenly leapt off the tower and descended at a great speed, coming right before Qing Yu in an instant. The hood of the cape was blown off by the wind and her facial countenance could be seen clearly under the moonlight.
A head full of white hair, with just a pair of blackish purple irises hanging outside her eye sockets, her face filled with what looked like a dense web of dark runes, seemingly branded into her skin, the marks burned deeply inside. With that sinister and terrifying looking countenance that was exactly like a demon, the ghastly blood red lips parted widely to let out arrogant and wilful laughter.
The woman had seemingly flown straight down from the top of the tower, at an amazing speed, her mouth wide agape that seemed like she was charging straight at her to come bite her neck off.
The speed of Qing Yu's body reaction had always moved faster than the speed her mind moved at and she dodged the woman's approach by leaping several steps back lightning quick, bringing her about ten steps' distance away from the woman.
At this closer distance, Qing Yu then came to notice that the woman was lacking an arm.
"I do not even know you, and there is no long past grievance nor is there any recent bad blood between us. I wonder what are your intentions in leading me to come to this place?" Qing Yu asked with an eyebrow raised inquiringly. [It seemed like the source of all that uneasiness she had been feeling these days had been this woman. But..... why does she not even remember ever offending someone like her at all?]
The woman seemed to be surprised for a moment upon hearing those words, and then as if she had just heard a great joke, she repeated: "No long past grievance nor is there any recent bad blood? Ha! Hahahaha..... This hand of mine..... and these wounds on my body..... were all caused by you! And here you are now saying that there is no grievance not vengeance between us. That is just so hilarious!"
Hearing that, Qing Yu instantly seemed to recall something. But before she could think any further about it, the woman had already opened her mouth to ascertain what she was thinking in her mind.
"Of all things, you just cannot, and you really shouldn't have..... stuck your nose into people's business, to save that man, and even wounding me so severely."
As she had thought..... She had saved a really troublesome one.
"I do not know what kind of a venomous and insidious method you employed to turn me into such a horrifying state where I am neither human nor ghost....." The woman removed the black cape covering her body and everything could be clearly seen in that instant.
Although the Bone Dissolving Spirit Extermination had left her with no choice but to sever an arm off, but she had still been one step too late. Not only had her spirit suffered severe damage, her flesh body had started to rot at an accelerating rate as days passed. Her chest was almost just left with a empty shell after being eaten out by the maggots. This was one advantage of her being from the Bright Moon Temple. Even if she had already stopped breathing, she was still able to use a secret technique to be resurrected, and even though her flesh body was so badly wrecked and ruined, she was still alive.
But despite that horrifying sight, the highly tense atmosphere suddenly turning highly hilarious.
For no other reason than this.
At the moment the woman undid her cape, the face of the young lady with the beautiful countenance immediately changed into a highly ugly shade.
"If you know that you look neither like a human or a ghost, then keep your clothes on! Are you trying to defeat me by disgusting me to death! ? Hurry up and put it on! Quickly....."
The smile that had risen up upon the woman's face when she had thought that the young lass was shocked by the sight now froze stiffly.
Qing Yu had not considered that she might have hurt the woman's feelings as she then went on to knit her brows up tightly in disdain and contempt. "I never fight ugly looking people, and you really bring ugliness to a completely different realm."
Ever since the Emotion Devouring Curse was broken, she was struck by the severe backlash and she had to suffer the constant torment of the ravaging rot on her body from the Bone Dissolving Spirit Extermination. Yin Chi no longer knew what she looked like at that moment but back when she was still one of the Divine Temple's Ten Grand Priestesses, not to mention whether she had beauteous looks, she was at least a woman of exceptional grace and elegance.
Not a single woman did not care about their looks, and there was absolutely no woman that could tolerate being told she was hideous.
Chapter 54: Barricaded Spirit Tower Crisis
Moreover, the young lady before her was exceptionally beautiful and mesmerizing, which just made a person even more jealous.
Yin Chi already horrifying face then quickly twisted up even further, and a fiery rage burned throughout her entire body in an instant.
"You..... You are looking to die!"
Within that empty and vacant sleeve, something then seemed to squirm and wiggle, where several long thin shadows came to appear out of nowhere, to slip right into the mouth of the empty sleeve and began to grow maniacally.
Qing Yu's breath constricted, and looked closer at her. One half of the woman's body had also been overrun with grisly and misshapen tiny grubs writhing around inside, looking just like a monster that was a receptacle for those parasitic grubs.
Her sharp eyes could also see that many of those tiny bloodthirsty maggots tunneling in her body were feeding on blood that had already turned a congealed blackish purple.
In order to continue to live, Yin Chi had come to make an evil transaction with grubs, to offer her own soul up as a sacrifice to the grubs.
Besides possessing her own consciousness, everything else did not belong to her anymore.
Only for revenge.
"That body of yours..... is just wonderful!" Yin Chi gazed greedily as she measured up the young lady's slender and soft body, her bright red tongue licking her lips. "Once I devour you..... I will then be able to be resurrected anew..... Heh heh heh..... That body will then belong to me."
A powerful array had been set up around the Barricaded Spirit Tower and if any intruder with malicious intent was detected, it would immediately activate, trapping the intruder within and initiate an attack till the person was killed.
Qing Yu's long upslanted phoenix like eyes narrowed. Once they start battling, the array would definitely be activated. [What is this woman thinking..... Even if she was unable to kill her, she is seeking for both of them to perish together?]
"Mistress, don't worry. I'm here." A voice then sounded as the golden haired youth suddenly appeared, standing right beside the young lady.
"Little Burrow, why have you come out?" Qing Yu knitted up her brows and admonished, slightly displeased.
The youth winked mischievously. "It's alright Mistress. This person would be a dead one in awhile anyway. No one will even know."
That tone of voice was as arrogant and smug as ever.
The sudden appearance of the youth caused Yin Chi to be taken aback a moment, before she exclaimed in utter shock. "You..... You're not human? What are you! ?"
There was clearly an absence of any human aura coming out from the youth. Could he possibly be a transformed spirit beast?
But for a spirit beast to be able to transform, it would need to have reached level fifteen at least. But in these low leveled lands, spirit beasts were only at level ten at most.
How could this young lady possibly meet with such a blessed encounter, that she was able to have such a Heaven defying spirit beast come to do her bidding? It must be known that spirit beasts would start to develop spirit intelligence at level five and proud creatures like them would never come to acknowledge a human as their Master.
However, no matter how hard Yin Chi wracked her brains, she would never be able to guess that the youth was not a spirit beast, but was in fact a powerful weapons spirit.
Those eyes shining with unrestrained greed then fell upon the youth, measuring him up, which completely enraged Zang Mai.
Gauging him up with such a rude and audacious gaze, that was a complete insult to him as a scarce and revered divine artifact.
"Disgusting woman." The utter contempt in the youth's tone was clear and undisguised. "You dare to cause me such affront. You shall not need to keep those eyes any longer!"
Upon saying that, before Yin Chi could even react, those eyes hanging out of their sockets were ripped right out, to roll horrifyingly on the ground. Before she was even able to cry out, she had already lost her eyes.
"Arrrggghhh...... My eyes! My eyes! Damn it! Damn the both of you! !"
Having lost her eyes, the woman went completely hysterical. The countless grubs writhing around her body became more active and starting to roam, detaching themselves from the woman's body to attack Qing Yu.
"Little Burrow, you're really being too rash here. Why have you dug out people's eyes out of the blue?" Qing Yu complained as she dodged those grubs.
The youth was not exempted from the attack as well but as he was not flesh and blood, he was not afraid of them at all but was just playfully imitating Qing Yu as he dodged, acting slightly frantic.
"Who asked that ugly looking hag to stare at my handsome looking self? And she actually asked what I am? She is the one that is a thing! An ugly hideous thing!" The youth answered arrogantly.
Hearing the reason, Qing Yu was speechless for an instant. Was this the perfect example of what people always say, "Whatever kind of Master one was would get them the same kind of weapon spirit."?
Even the things that came out from their mouths were the same.
"But you have now gotten her all riled up and her battle powers has been elevated a few times. You are just going to get your Mistress here killed." Qing Yu shot out several golden needles as she spoke, which struck unerringly onto the heads and into the brains of the grubs. Several of the thicker and stronger looking grubs immediately withered and fell limp.
When the youth saw that move by his Mistress, he then widened his eyes pretentiously and exclaimed in mock praise. "Mistress, your skill with those needles has improved tremendously! Your accuracy with them has grown stronger by more than just a bit!"
Qing Yu could not find any words to say. "....."
[That scoundrel, is this now the right time to be buttering up to her?]
[Can't he see the situation they are in? And he is still being all nonchalant about it. His personality really has not changed in the least.....]
Having lost her eyes, Yin Chi's attacks lashed out haphazardly. But very quickly, Qing Yu realized that something was not right. She suddenly recalled that when she first got here, there were clearly two of them, one male and one female. But now, there was only one before them. Then..... Where was the other man right at this moment?
Before she could think any deeper, several longs thin worms that looked like snakes was already flying straight towards her, boring right at her head between her brows.
Qing Yu was most naturally not going to let them have it their way. Her long slender hand stretched out, several golden needles gripped between her fingers. When those grubs came closer, they suddenly seemed to develop intelligence, suddenly dispersing, to surge towards several different spots on her body with their mouths wide open malevolently that emitted a disgusting smell.
"Mistress! Look out behind you!" Not far away, the golden haired youth tangled up with Yin Chi suddenly saw something, and he shouted out anxiously.
A tall black figure had suddenly appeared out of the blue behind the young lady who was surrounded by the grubs, his entire person covered by the hooded cape, his ghastly white chin exceptionally horrifying to see under the silver moonlight. His mouth parted slightly, revealing long fangs and looking rather excited.
His body suddenly turned transparent in that instant, like he had turned into a spirit, and was seeking to slip right into the young lady's lively body.
"Damn it! Get away from me!"
The golden hair youth exploded with rage when he saw that and he sent the hideous and disgusting looking woman flying several meters away with one punch. He let out a great roar, that resonated over the entire Barricaded Spirit Tower.
Under the night sky, the tall slender body of the man who was barely just a hundred steps away from the Barricaded Spirit Tower suddenly stiffened.
On another side, the Imperial Palace Grand Hall.
Ten rounds of the competition carried on like it was being pushed on by something, coming to an end very quickly.
There were only several more talented winners left.
Although Xuanyuan Che possessed rather great powers, but faced with Mu Qian Shang who possessed the king of the elemental attributes, he had been defeated, destined to have no affinity with being this year's male saint.
Mu Qian Shang proved himself to be called the second biggest killing machine after the Duke of Vast Seas, his powers terrifying and astounding, almost unmatchable.
And the previous girl saint Yan Ning Luo, retained her title as the strongest female.
From what everyone could see, the candidate that would become this year's male saint, could already be ascertained to be the Martial Land Kingdom's Seventh Prince, Mu Qian Shang.
Although the Green Wave Emperor was sorry about the outcome, there was nothing he could do. Just when he was about to say some polite words for the occasion, a sudden loud boom sounded explosively. The floor of the grand hall shook for a moment and many people were caught completely off guard, to fall wretchedly to the ground.
"What is it? What has happened? ?"
"Is the ground under our feet moving? Such a big blast!"
Yan Su suddenly stood up from his seat, his face filled with shock. He knew that feeling only too well. "Your Majesty, that explosive blast seemed to be from the Barricaded Spirit Tower. Someone must have broken in there which activated the array's defenses!"
"What?" The shade on the Green Wave Emperor's face changed. "Who has the audacity to come stir up trouble on a day like this? The ancestor tablets of the Xuanyuan Family's past generations are enshrined within the Barricaded Spirit Tower. Except when we make offerings to the Heavens, otherwise even the Emperor, I, am not be able to go in and out of that place freely. The intruder must not be spared!"
"Your Majesty please quell your anger. Why not go access the situation first before deciding. It might just be an accident." The Martial Land Kingdom's Sixth Prince Mu Qian Chen then opened his mouth to say.
"The Sixth Prince might not be aware, but the Barricaded Spirit Tower is our forbidden grounds and we are only allowed to go in there once for the All Saints Day festival and access is strictly forbidden at all other times. The moment someone enters the place, the Barricaded Spirit Tower will lock itself down and only open when the next All Saints Day festival comes." The Green Wave Emperor had his brows knitted up, looking highly worried. "If the spirit souls of my ancestors become alarmed, I fear that it will bring calamity upon the Green Wave Kingdom."
"It's that serious? Then why not I go in to have a look?" A magnetic and pleasing voice filled with mirth sounded suddenly. "I am not from the Green Wave, so I think I should be fine going in there wouldn't I?"
Everyone turned their eyes upon the source of that voice. It was that handsome white robed man seated in the judges panel, his enchanting brow slightly raised up inquiringly, looking elegantly suave.
The Green Wave Emperor was taken aback for a moment, but did not admonish the speaker. "And you are the Carefree Valley's Young Lord? There is a barrier array around the Barricaded Spirit Tower. You will not be able to get inside....."
"Barrier array? No problem. We just have to undo it and open it up. If I am not able to do it, we still have Qing Shang here. Aren't all of you convinced of the male saint's powers yet?" Baili Ji Ran said half jokingly.
The lad being mentioned then nodded in consent.
"Your Majesty, the matter is of critical importance and we have to act despite risking admonition from the ancestors. It is better we go find out what has happened there." Yan Su helped to say persuasively.
Seeing the situation before him, the Green Wave Emperor then agreed.
"Huh..... That's strange. When did the Duke of Vast Seas disappear....." Baili Ji Ran then asked in puzzlement.
It was only at that moment that everyone then came to realize that the Duke of Vast Seas' seat among the Water Edge Kingdom people was empty and unoccupied. But no one had noticed his departure at all. Even Yue Xin Yan who was closest to him was staring with wide eyes. "That's strange. Where did Big Brother Ye Li go? How could I possibly not realize that he has left? ?"
Everyone was completely baffled. They had naturally not known that if they had not been rocked awake from the illusory array they had been caught in by that explosive blast earlier, after just one more hour, they would then not be able to come out from it anymore.
"Hahaha! Kid, your Mistress is doomed to die by my hands today! Why not you serve me instead!"
Having been thrown a few meters out by a punch, it was merely barely an itch to Yin Chi whose puppet body that looked like it was neither human nor ghost anymore. Hearing the roar of rage that burst out from the youth's mouth, even if she could no longer see it, she knew that the young lady must have already tainted by her own puppet.
And Qing Yu was indeed not in an exactly good situation. That male puppet had managed to find an opening and a small half of his spirit had seeped into her body.
The situation at that moment was highly strange to see. The young lady's beautiful and alluring eyes immediately became lifeless, and her body stiffened, freezing in her spot. More grubs in the surrounding area were suddenly drawn here, spreading out in a densely web as they closed in on her, looking like they wanted to devour her.
Chapter 55: All Demon Feast
"Give it up little lass. You body is doomed to belong to me..... If you do not resist, you will be spared from becoming feed for these grubs."
The man's low gentle voice felt like it was imbued with a certain demonic power that was bewitching her consciousness.
Qing Yu's eyes darkened slightly. [She had taken several years to meld herself to this body completely and someone actually dares to come try to snatch it from her. That was just pure wishful thinking!]
"Mistress!" The golden haired youth was frantic with rage. In a fit of anger earlier, he had lashed out with an attack that triggered the tower's array, and he was now completely suppressed, unable to strike again.
Yin Chi licked the corners of her lips evilly. All of a sudden, several figures similarly wearing black hooded capes had appeared. The thing that was different about them was under those capes, they were all sinister looking skeletons, and within their vacant eye sockets, they were lit up by an evil purplish black light.
The male puppet was one that Yin Chi had cultivated and refined with half of her blood essence way back, where it could be said that they were almost of one body. By relying on the male puppet's eyes, she was then able to clearly see everything that was happening.
The shade on the face of the young lady with the flawlessly beautiful countenance had already turned a greenish white and it looked like a person that was about to expire. Yin Chi just couldn't contain the joy in her heart. "Leave me that face of hers. When the time comes, I want to peel it off her with my own hands!"
[Ha! You dare to laugh and scorn at me for being ugly?]
[She will turn that little wretch into a faceless monster!]
Zang Mai watched the scene before him and his gold and silver eyes were almost alight with fiery rage. He had just awoken and he still had not recovered many of his abilities. Seeing his own Mistress being profaned like this, ruthless anger rose up in his heart right to its boiling point. It would take just another slight nudge and it would erupt explosively.
[He will not be able to stand there and watch his Mistress get hurt once again.]
[He has had enough of it. This sense of helplessness.]
[Having gone through it once, he will not be able to make himself see it happen again.]
His narrowed eyes filled up with a black vicious glint in that instant, looking like deep pools within a dark cave.
The aura around his entire body grew thick.
"Don't make any rash moves. I'm fine." The young lady's warm voice rang within his ears like the sweet melodic sounds of nature right at that moment.
Zang Mai's body froze as he stared at the young lady whose countenance had turned a greenish white and had her eyes tightly closed, wondering whether he had imagined that voice.
But in the next second, what he was thinking was then answered firmly.
"You dare to covet after my body? If I do not make you pay the price, I will not be Qing Yu." The voice that had sounded out with a mirthful laugh, was however utterly sinister and unbelievably chilling to the ear.
Vengeance for the slightest grievance. That had always been her style.
Her personality was never pretentious, but at the same time, if anyone dared to antagonize her, she would definitely make that person regret that he had ever been born!
[Just right for her. She has never tried it and does not know what's it like to cultivate a puppet.]
A ear splitting, pitiful and heart rending scream then suddenly tore out from the mouth of the male puppet whose face had been showing a greedy and covetous expression.
Yin Chi's joyous face that had been filled with glee then immediately froze.
[Right before her eyes..... What is happening?]
"Arrrggghhh..... Save me! Save me! I beg you! Spare me..... Arrgghh....."
[The young lady whom she had thought was almost about to die, was not showing the slightest sign of agony on her face at all?]
With just one hand, she gripped the male puppet's spirit form in the air, a blinding golden red flame in her palm razing the puppet's body, despite his incessant howling and writhing struggles.
Chapter 55.2 : All Demon Feast
"Huh? What are you screaming about? Didn't you want to take over my body? Come then!" Qing Yu's face was smiling harmlessly, her hand even helpfully bringing the puppet closer to her body, which just caused the blaze to burn more merrily, the flames surging inside the male puppet's body.
"Arrgghh..... I can't take it...... Kill me! Just kill me! !"
That heart rending pain that quaked him right into his bones caused the male puppet to cry out so pitifully it was unbearable to see. Till the end, it was burned slowly bit by bit by the golden red fire till it turned into nothing but ash.
Yin Chi's face that had already turned white as a sheet then completely froze up.
She had reared that puppet for many years and it was only after expending every effort she could give that she had come to possess such a strong power, that had accompanied her for the past hundred years.
But now, by coming with her here to seek revenge, it had been burned alive and reduced into a pile of ash.
Maybe no one knew what that male puppet really meant to her.
That man had once been her lover.
In order to have him resurrected, Yin Chi who was then a young lady at her budding prime had then been turned into her present wrinkled filled and hideously ugly looking self.
So, even if the entire world was to abandon her, he would never do that.
He had loved her, and likewise for her. Even if he had become merely a walking dead, who was incapable of feelings and only knew to take orders from her.
But now, even he was gone.
The woman had had her eyes gouged out, and in those dark and vacant holes where her eyes had been, tears of blood actually fell, and her blood red lips then curled up into a strange and bewildering arc.
Within a hundred miles around the Barricaded Spirit Tower, a bone chilling crying wail rang out right at that moment. The countless silver spirit binding chains at the top of the tower that barricaded countless spirit souls clinked and rattled loudly, moving under a sinister wind. The full moon that was the colour of blood was then covered completely by a black mist, as an innumerable number of jet black ghostly figures leapt fleetingly through the air under the cover of the darkness of night, all of them seemingly heading towards a particular direction.
"Demon Feast." Baili Ji Ran spotted the black figures under the strange darkness of that night, and his eyes narrowed.
[In that direction..... Wasn't that where the Barricaded Spirit Tower was?]
[Looks like it wasn't just a case as simple as a mere intruder tonight. To be able to summon a Demon Feast, that was a feat only a high leveled Priestess in necromancy would be capable of.]
"What is a Demon Feast?" Mu Qian Shang was just beside him, and he had naturally heard him suddenly utter those two words.
Although Baili Ji Ran had indeed once been the Carefree Valley's Young Lord, but his real identity was being the heir to one of the Four Great Family Clans of the White Fen Lands. Hence, he was naturally widely travelled and highly knowledgeable. Although it was not known why he had come to appear here, Mu Qian Shang had not wanted to poke his nose into the matter and had not exposed him.
"Demons appear by the thousands, and where they tread, nothing shall live, all shall be devoured and swallowed." Baili Ji Ran then paused a moment. "The powers of the Demon King..... Will be as strong as ten of you and me put together."
Mu Qian Shang was a prodigy who wielded both darkness and light, and he possessed an overwhelming advantage against all other elements. Although Baili Ji Ran did not have such enviable gifts like him, but he was still once the Carefree Valley's top expert, where not even the Lord of the valley had been his match. No one knew how strong he really was, but since he was from the middle level realm, his powers were naturally not weak.
But now, the Demon King he had described.
Was indeed rather terrifying.
So, just how big was this incident that was happening here tonight?
The Barricaded Spirit Tower's array had long been broken into and demonic shadows numbering many thousands had overtaken the area a hundred miles around it. The thick stench of blood wafted in from the forest and as far as the eye could see, the ground was littered with the broken limbs and mutilated corpses of wild animals whose blood had been sucked dry, a grisly and bloody sight.
"My Lord! What is happening? How did this happen! ?" Ah Jin stared, his eyes wide with shock, unable to imagine that he would come to see such a brutal and tragic sight, and his attractive looking face turned rather pale for the first time.
Chapter 55.3 : All Demon Feast
Qing Ye Li's eyes composed themselves as he stared expressionlessly at the countless number of dark shadows clinging onto the Barricaded Spirit Tower till its original looks could no longer be seen. A sense of unease rose up in his heart, a feeling that made him feel a little flustered but did not know where it stemmed from.
"Scared?" He looked at the pale faced youth beside him to ask.
Ah Jin had followed at Qing Ye Li's side from a very young age and he had gone with him to trudge through battlefields before. He was not a person unused to situations but everything here tonight was just too strange.
The sense of the unknown and the aura of death was just making his heart palpitate.
But right then, the man's one single word spoken without any emotion then seemed to calm his agitated heart, giving him strength to no longer fear.
"Wherever my Lord goes, I will follow regardless of life and death."
That's right, from the moment that this man saved him from under his enemy's knife, that was what Ah Jin had then told himself.
"Stay back." Qing Ye Li's slightly cold voice rang out, and Ah Jin subconsciously stepped further away from the man to the side.
Thereafter, he then saw the man's fair fingers pull out a sword that suddenly appeared from inside his sleeve, the entire weapon emitting a frosty chill. The sword's hilt was a ferocious wolf's head with its fangs bared, its eyes a dark green just like the man's.
In the next second, the sound of the sword's edge slicing through the air could be heard, and an ice blue light charged straight towards the ghostly shadows malevolently.
In the next instant, the air itself suddenly blazed up as it burned, and several ghastly looking figures fell from the Barricaded Spirit Tower, their fang filled mouths open to let out frightful howls. It was as if the ice blue fire was ghostfire, the very bane of these demons. The fires would not extinguish however hard they tried till they were all burnt up, and reduced into a fine powder.
That one slash of the sword, had taken out at least several hundreds of those demonic spirits.
Under the night, in a suit of red clothes, his silver hair fluttering, the man stood wearing a wolf shaped mask on his face, a murderous aura emanating from his body, looking like a soul reaping grim reaper straight from Hell.
All those little spirit souls were frightened back in that instant. But of course they were not fleeing in panic as they knew that they still had their much more powerful leader behind them, the Demon King.
Inside the tower.
Having devoured a countless number of highly powerful evil spirit souls, its body immense enough to veil the sky and block out the sun, the Demon King's pair of dark red eyes watched Yin Chi from his high vantage point, his voice tinged with arrogance and disdain as he asked: "You are the one who summoned us here?"
The powerful oppressive aura seemed to make Yin Chi unable to help herself but to fall to her knees in obeisance. She endured the paralysing fear in her. "Yes I am, Demon King."
"Hmph!" The Demon King snorted contemptuously. "To have summoned me, have all you insignificant gnats prepared the sacrifice of a hundred bodies of flesh and blood?"
Yin Chi was taken aback and she went on to answer calmly. "Demon King, please be appeased. The sacrifice I have prepared is even more nourishing than a hundred bodies of flesh and blood.
"Oh? What is it?"
"This young lady here is a rare find, possessing the purest and untainted blood meridians. Once you devour her, you will then be able to take on a flesh form, that would veil the evil aura in your body." Yin Chi said, her face deferent.
The Demon King subconsciously turned to look in the direction Yin Chi's finger was pointing in, seeking to verify the woman's words. The dark red eyes then stared widely, filling up with pure longing thirst. "Purest blood meridians? It was indeed the purest blood meridians, and it was actually the legendary blood meridians of the mother of all life! !"
[Once he devours this young girl, then he would no longer need to fear those humans demon exterminators and slayers of evil anymore!]
The Demon King was immediately highly delighted and he let out a wilful laugh that rose towards the clouds.
Several black shadows flitted over anxiously and whispered to the Demon King. The Demon King's laughter halted and his eyes narrowed up. "Looks like I will have to deal with this young lady quickly. Her helpers are already just outside, and holds great power."
"The Demon King does not need to worry. I can go hold them back for a while. It will be more than sufficient time for you to devour her." Yin Chi's face split into a highly vicious smile, and the figure of the woman then disappeared in that instant.
And Qing Yu had not said a single word all this time. To the eyes of the Demon King, it was as if she was too terrified for words. Seeing that, he grew even more smug and arrogant. "Seeing that you're so beautiful looking, I'll allow you to kill yourself and let me devour you so you can spare yourself the suffering."
Chapter 56: Peace and Calm
Hearing the Demon King's highly charitable tone, the young lady's expression finally showed a sliver of change. She raised up an eyebrow and then broke into a low chortle. "But what are we to do now? I still do not want to die yet?"
The instant that she lifted her face up, the mesmerizing pair of eyes that were so flawlessly beautiful glittering mistily, her exquisite countenance drawing a beautiful arc under this otherwise dark night.
Even the Demon King was captivated by the heart thumping and soul stirring beauty.
"A pity..... Thou is fated to be sacrificed to me on this day." The Demon King seemed to be rather regretful as he said. He then opened his mouth wide after that. Maybe because it was the first time he was feeling pity towards a sacrifice offered to him, he had intended to just devour the young lady straightaway, to give her a quick and easy death.
"Little Burrow. Return." Qing Yu said that in a highly indifferent tone. Thereafter, Zang Mai found his body turning uncontrollably into a beam of light, and he then returned back into the young lady's body.
"Mistress! What are you doing?" The youth shouted out in frustration. He had been locked within the Spirit Dwelling and without his Mistress' orders, he was unable to get out.
"You just came awake and you must not get injured again." Qing Yu communicated with him through her consciousness. "Rest assured. I sense that someone has come. It will be fine."
"You can't! That thing is very powerful and you will not be able to handle him alone! Mistress, let me out....."
"So in your heart, I am someone that is so weak that I will die without you around?" Qing Yu laughed rather contemptuously. "Little Burrow, being like this, you are humiliating me quite a bit!"
Right after that, she did not wait to hear the youth's reply and just sealed up the dimensional space.
And against the Demon King's humongous mouth that was coming closer and closer to her, Qing Yu suddenly closed her eyes, looking like she had given up on resisting completely.
Outside the Barricaded Spirit Tower, Qing Ye Li has finished off an innumerable number of those ghostly shadows. Just as he was about to go into the tower, he suddenly heard a shrill laughter that pierced his ears. Her body rotting all over, her face ruined, a woman suddenly came shooting down from the sky. "What powerful cultivation you possess. For such a tiny little low level piece of land, it is hiding quite a number of highly skilled experts."
The moment that Yin Chi saw the man, she had immediately recognized him. Wasn't this the man who noticed her presence when she had first come into the Imperial Palace?
Truly a case of the paths of enemies would inevitably cross.
Qing Ye Li's gaze darkened. "You were the one that drew all these evil spirits here?"
"That's right." Yin Chi nodded with a smile. "I am using this place to settle a personal feud, and I would advise that you do not stick your nose where it does not belong. I am one who distinguishes benevolence and grievances clearly, and would never harm the innocent."
After saying that, she then looked appraisingly at Ah Jin behind with an almost imperceptible smile, the two black vacant and eyeless sockets a highly horrifying sight.
"You are not from this Constellation Lands. You would not come here for no reason." Qing Ye Li looked at the woman who was clearly dragging for time, his green eyes showing a sliver of a surge. "Who is that person in there?"
"Oh?" Yin Chi could see that he seemed to be rather concerned about the young lady inside and she immediately revealed an evil smile. "Could you possibly be the lover of that little wretch in there? But I would think that not even her bones would be left by now. You're too late. So rare and the purest blood meridians there is. If she had not failed to see what was for her own good, it would be great if she was cultivated into a puppet. What a great pity....."
The dark green eyes then narrowed up malevolently. [It was a young lady with the purest blood meridians in there?]
[Could it be.....]
[No, it's impossible that it'll be her. It most definitely must not be her.]
All the blood in Qing Ye Li's body almost seemed like it had congealed up in that instant, where a kind of fear then suddenly grew in him.
But without waiting for him to think too long, he saw the woman before him suddenly turn her body halfway to glance towards the inside the Barricaded Spirit Tower, seemingly having finally a load lifted off her. The corners of her lips then lifted up into an unimaginably gentle smile. "I am coming to accompany you now....."
Chapter 56.2 : Peace and Calm
The originally thin and skinny body then suddenly started to bloat up at a speed visible to the naked eye, to become a rounded ball. Seeing that, Qing Ye Li immediately formed a defensive barrier shield with both his hands, to isolate himself from the loud and deafening explosion, keeping the great blast outside. In the next second after the explosion, the defensive barrier was unable to hold up against the heavy load, and it shattered completely.
At the same time, just as the Demon King's wide open jaws was about to devour the completely defenseless Qing Yu, the young lady's eyes which had been closed suddenly flared open. A pair of devilishly demonic pair of eyes that were filled with strong contempt and heavy sullenness glared angrily. "You dare come seeking to desecrate my Mistress' body, utterly unforgivable!"
The Demon King's body that was like a great wispy cloud could not help but shiver uncontrollably. "You..... You are....."
"All Demon Oblivion!"
Under these few power filled words, the resulting oppression caused all the wandering wild spirits floating around to be torn to shreds without even being able to let out a wail, their souls dispersed like scattered ashes. In a moment of terror, the Demon King had been too stunned to retaliate, his unbelievably immense body slowly shrinking, till it finally turned into a puff of black smoke that dissipated into the air.
The blood moon that had been stained by black mist then gradually revealed its real face, looking so stunningly beautiful that drew the eyes of many people to it.
The young lady wearing full white stood at the bottom of the Barricaded Spirit Tower, the night breeze blowing up the corners of her clothes aflutter, outlining her slender body to make it seem thin. The golden red colour in her eyes slowly faded away, to be replaced by a pair of clear and sparkling jet black eyes. Seeming like her body had already held out for a very long period, those beautiful eyes then blink slowly two times, before they gradually closed just as her body fell to the ground.
After Yin Chi's imploded her own body, many people came rushing over. But when they stepped into the Barricaded Spirit Tower, they discovered that everything was normal in the Barricaded Spirit Tower, without anything out of place. The defensive array was in still in place, like it had not been touched.
But what surprised the people was that the Duke of Vast Seas who had disappeared earlier appeared in there.
"Big Brother Ye Li, why are you here?" Yue Xin Yan who had been worried the entire time since she discovered that Qing Ye Li had disappeared was finally able to set her mind at ease the moment she saw him.
But Qing Ye Li did not seem to have heard her voice as he remained in a crouching position, his fair fingers gripping a bloodstained piece of white cloth. The blood upon it was still wet and some of it had stained the back of his hand as well.
Yue Xin Yan looked at him strangely. Big Brother Ye Li was obsessed with cleanliness and he always kept a distance away from such filthy things, much less go touch such a thing on his own accord.
[Whose..... blood is that?]
[He had still arrived a step too late. Besides the tiny piece of clothing under the gravel, not the smallest hint of a trace was left behind.]
[But the aura emanating from the blood upon the owner of the cloth clearly showed that the person was still alive.]
[Just whose actions had been so fast that he could possibly infiltrate into the tower before he came in?]
[And had already taken away that person who might have already lost consciousness.]
[It had been clear that the answer he had been seeking so desperately was about to be verified but all clues to it has now been so suddenly severed.]
Qing Ye Li lowered his eyes, a wave of deep grieve washing over him.
[Just when he had felt that he had come so very close, why was he still not able to reach it?]
[Was this a punishment for him?]
[Punishing him for not keeping his word, to not have lived well in that cold and merciless world without her in it?]
[But what was he to do?]
[She had been his life! Without her, how could he possibly continue to live?]
The All Saints Day festival came to an end. When it was heard that this year's male saint was a person from the Martial Land Kingdom, the people all felt a tinge of regret. But the female saint candidate was still Yan Ning Luo and they could not help but be awed, thinking she was indeed worthy of being the greatest lady prodigy under the Heavens, an undefeated and invincible legend.
Chapter 56.3 : Peace and Calm
How this would spread among the people was still not known, but something big had just happened in the Green Wave Kingdom's Imperial Palace.
The Green Wave Emperor had been carrying out his promise to bestow rewards upon this year's highly talented male and female saints but his face was rather resentful right at that instant. "What did you say?"
In the grand hall then, not only were the Green Wave Kingdom's people there, people from the Martial Lands Kingdom and the Water Edge Kingdom were also present. And on all their faces, was a strange and indiscernible expression. From what the Green Wave Emperor could see, they were looks of undisguised ridicule.
Right below the throne, the look on the face of the young lady in a light green chiffon dress was neither servile nor overbearing, though not showing the slightest tinge of fear. "I seek for Your Majesty to allow the arranged marriage between the Crown Prince and I to be called off."
Yan Su who stood below the throne had his brows tightly furrowed up and it had not once relaxed ever since he came back into the palace. Fortunately Yan Ning Luo had knew enough to consider her father's ability to withstand such a shock and she had informed him of her intention beforehand. She had then just proceeded to ignore the ugly shade that had immediately come to show on his face that had been quaking with rage.
Although the Three Great Sects stood beyond Imperial authourity, but her actions was as good as delivering a tight slap upon the Emperor's face no matter how one looked at it.
[When Xuanyuan Che had won the position of the male saint all these years, why had Yan Ning Luo not made any moves towards this at all? Immediately after Xuanyuan Che lost this year, she already could not wait to annul the engagement already? Did she have to make it look so ugly?]
Yan Ning Luo ignored all the various kinds of looks the surrounding people were looking at her with and went on to say one word at a time: "I'm deeply honoured for the generous favour and love Your Majesty has shown to me ever since I was very young. Besides my father, Yan Ning Luo also sees Your Majesty as an elder I like the most. But when it comes to affairs of the heart, it cannot be coerced. Having already known the Crown Prince for so many years, maybe our personalities are not suited for each other and that is why we have not developed any feelings. Hence, I already had a discussion with the Crown Prince about this many days ago."
"This time, Yan Ning Luo is not asking for any reward to be bestowed, but will only ask for Your Majesty to grant me this wish."
The shade of the Green Wave Emperor's face still did not look good as he turned to look at Xuanyuan Che. "You actually discussed about dissolving the engagement on your own in private?"
"Yes." Xuanyuan Che answered without rebutting for once and agreed with Yan Ning Luo's words. "Towards Princess Ning Feng, besides admiration and respect, I have no other feelings towards her. We might be more suited to just remain fellow disciples as juniors and seniors."
"The two of you....." The Green Wave Emperor's teeth clenched together, seemingly unable to find any words to vent his frustrations.
[Had they really so displeased with the marriage he had arranged and bestowed on them?]
[That brat had always been telling him that he did not like Ning Luo from a very young age. He had thought that it was a little kid throwing a tantrum and playing around and had never thought that the two of them would come today right in front of the people from the two other kingdoms and slap their own faces..... These two scoundrels!]
"Heh heh heh. A melon fruit forcibly picked off is never sweet. Why would Your Majesty insist on putting a pair of loggerheads together?"
The person who spoke, was invariably Baili Ji Ran who almost seemed fearful that things weren't already feisty enough. "Look at the Crown Prince who is so extraordinarily handsome, and Princess Ning Feng is beautiful as a goddess. Their suitors must surely be able to form a line all the way outside the palace already. Although such an important matter like marriage is usually decided through a match ordered by the parents, but they would only be blissful when they like each other right?"
"Isn't what Young Lord Baili said right on the dot? How many matches decided by one's parents have already resulted in unhappy couples?"
"That's true, that's true. Even if the marriage engagement is dissolved, isn't Princess Ning Feng still the Green Wave Kingdom's top female prodigy? That fact still wouldn't run away. Your Majesty just likes Princess Ning Feng too much I think..... Hahaha."
Someone chirped in agreement, many of them playing peacemaker.
This left the Green Wave Emperor with no other choice. Although he was angry that Yan Ning Luo had made him lose face before so many people, he still genuinely liked her and the anger dissipated out of him as he agreed to her request.
However, Xuanyuan Che discreetly curled up the corners of his lips. [What if that woman really comes to run off with the Duke of Vast Seas one fine day?]
Chapter 57: Locked in Dreams
Everything returned and fell back into peace.
After that unusual commotion at the Barricaded Spirit Tower that day, no signs of any intruders were found after an investigation was carried out. Although it had everyone rather baffled, but since no disaster had come out from that, the Green Wave Emperor just strengthened the defenses in the surrounding areas and the little interlude was then covered over.
But the true sequence of events that happened that day might only be known to Qing Ye Li who had gone through it himself.
Yue Xin Yan was sensitive enough to notice that the atmosphere these few days had become heavier these past few days.
Although the All Saints Day had ended, they were unable to refuse the Green Wave Emperor's passionate invitation when he asked the emissaries from the other kingdoms to stay a few more days.
In a certain private room within the Imperial Capital, an incredibly handsome man in white robes holding a folding fan with a landscape painting on it stood fanning himself leisurely. "I'll say, are we still brothers at all? Is it really that difficult for you to share with me what you saw and heard that day?"
"There's nothing to tell." Qing Ye Li said indifferently. Fair and slender fingers picked up the wine cup and turned it around in his hand before his brought it up to his lips and took a sip from it.
Baili Ji Ran raised an eyebrow and shook his head, a knowing look on his face. "Something's not right. You disappeared suddenly that day and then came to appear inside the Barricaded Spirit Tower. Could it be that you dueled with some powerful unparalleled expert in there and you were not even able to see their moves clearly and so..... you're too embarrassed to say anything?"
Qing Ye Li was wearing his mask and hence the expression on his face could not be seen. But when Qing Ye Li raised his eyes up briefly to glance at him, Baili Ji Ran saw that the look in his eyes seemed a little conflicted, and a little speechless.
Like he was looking at a retard.
Baili Ji Ran was taken aback by that scathing glance and he then coughed lightly a couple of times. "Forget it, forget it. Since you are not willing to tell me, I shall not ask anymore. When are you going to leave then?"
Qing Ye Li immediately thought of that piece of bloodstained cloth and his eyes darkened. "There is something else that I have not yet investigated thoroughly into."
"Are you still thinking of trying to find the lady in that painting here?" Baili Ji Ran immediately understood what he meant. "That is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I have already searched these lands for so long and not to mention even finding a woman that looked like her, there wasn't even a sign of those unique eyes you described....."
His voice suddenly trailed off.
And the expression on Baili Ji Ran's face suddenly became startled, a strange feeling rising inside him.
Qing Ye Li was a little puzzled as he looked at the man, not knowing why he had suddenly stop talking.
It was as if his mind was suddenly stuck, when he came to recall something he had cleanly forgotten about. Seemingly a little stunned, he then said: "Don't tell me..... I remember it now. During the All Saints Day festival, I discovered a very interesting young lady. I had been curious and had wanted to probe to see her cultivation. In the end, my consciousness was attacked but the other party must not have held any ill intentions or that one strike might have turned me into an idiot."
"At that time, I saw a pair of..... It was golden in colour, eyes like those of a spirit beast." Baili Ji Ran still felt a lingering fear in his heart as he recalled the incident. "Even in the White Fen Lands, I had never met anyone with such a powerful and oppressive aura. Unless we're talking about Cloud Heaven, then will I come to encounter such a powerful entity."
Qing Ye Li creased up his brows when he heard that. [Golden eyes, spirit beast?]
[A young lady, with a mysterious and powerful spirit beast hidden within her body. Wait.....]
He suddenly remembered what that hideously ugly woman said. [That lass possessed very rare, and the purest blood meridians there is. If she had not failed to see what was for her own good, it would be great if she was cultivated into a puppet. What a great pity.....]
The man's tall slender frame then stood up from his chair, the highly exquisite wine cup in his hand broken into pieces from his overly tight grip, but Qing Ye Li did not seem to realize it as he stood there completely frozen in place.
[It could almost be confirmed..... The person in the Barricaded Spirit Tower that day, the bloodstained piece of cloth, and that one brief glimpse he had of a highly familiar feeling gaze back at the banquet.]
Chapter 57.2 : Locked in Dreams
[Why..... had he not noticed it earlier? It had clearly been just within his reach.]
It might be because the residual adrenaline from the All Saints Day festival had not passed and so no one came to notice that a certain teahouse that was surreptitiously out of people's sight had soundlessly opened for business once again.
"And you still claim that you're not a quack doctor huh? It's been five days and the person's still not awakened!" The beautiful and magnetic male voice was tinged with a hint of indescribable danger, sounding highly restrained and showing faint signs that he was about to explode.
"I'm being wrongly accused here! There is absolutely no sign of any injury on her at all and at most, it can only be said that her spirit is slightly unstable. But that is not supposed to be any big problem and logically, such cases will usually regain consciousness within two days. Who knows what other kind of devilry is at work here! !"
The bewitching looking man in a suit of devilish red said highly infuriated, his enchanting eyes wide as he glared.
[Is there no end to this! ?]
[When the Little Monster had been unconscious, Mei Ji had already called him a quack. How many days has it only been? Here he is being called a quack once again now, and by someone who grew up with him that's as close as a brother!]
[The aggrievement was almost too much for him to take.]
[Back in the Cloud Heaven, who wouldn't be rushing up to fawn on him with his fame as a great and famous medical cultivator?]
[This fella here only knew to show him scorn and disdain. He could overlook that fact if he was merely always being put down, but with someone new who caught the scoundrel's fancy now, that scoundrel has forgotten all about his old lover, completely disregarding all those years of suffering he had endured leading a roaming and wandering life!]
[Why does it feel like something isn't exactly right here.....]
Lou Jun Yao's face was dark, that devilishly alluring pair of eyes tinged with an almost undetectable hint of worry.
The young lady lay in the bed quietly, and as her flawlessly beautiful countenance was one where she was deep in sleep, it was tinged with a hint of pure innocence, her long luxurious lashes lowered, casting faint tiny shadows upon her eyelids. Her breathing was almost non existent and it seemed as though those weak breaths would disappear anytime, looking like a sleeping beauty forever trapped in her dreams.
"You do not need to be too worried about this. She is most probably just too tired and wants to sleep for a little while more." This was from a slightly raspy voice that sounded a little older and wizened.
Hearing that voice, Lou Jun Yao's rage seemed to surge up. "You still have the cheek to say that? I made you go protect her in secret and this is how you do it? !"
In the corner, a grey figure straddled the chair lazily like there were no bones in his body who then shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance. "How was I to know that the lass would encounter such an incident just by attending a banquet in the palace? There were just too many people so how could I possibly keep a lookout on everyone in there....."
The tall and slender figure by the bed then suddenly stood up, and his murderous aura congealed up into a solid beam of purple light, that blasted a physical hole the size of a bowl in the place that person had been leaning against.
The person who had originally looked like he was almost going to fall asleep was suddenly seen hiding behind Bai Zhi Yan in a quick flash, all ready to drag Bai Zhi Yan down together with him if he was going to have to die.
The corners of Bai Zhi Yan's mouth twitched. "Calm down first and don't be rash. We can discuss this calmly. Even if you take it out on us, the little lass is still not going to wake up!"
As he spoke, he reached one hand behind him to pinch the arm of the grey robed man with all his strength. [Everytime you go court death you're always dragging me into the water with you. What a scoundrel!]
Having been pinched so hard, the man behind him did not show any reaction at all but went on to bemoan languidly: "What do you mean made me go protect her? You must be joking! Will such a ferocious little lass like that need anyone's protection? By the time I got there, she had already resolved the crisis herself! Can I beg you to find me some weak chicken to protect next time? You just made me look completely useless here."
Bai Zhi Yan laughed to himself in his heart. [You just realized that you are really completely useless?]
"If not for the fact that she did not suffer any injuries, do you think that you will be able to still stand there and talk to me?" Lou Jun Yao shot him a glance, his face completely expressionless. "Are you sure you did not see a second person in there?"
Chapter 57.3 : Locked in Dreams
The grey robed man rubbed at his chin. "There was just the little lass in that tower at that time." And then seeming to recall something, his black eyes glinted sharply. "I can be certain that this little lass belongs to our Cloud Heaven realm. Although her powers have yet to grow, but she is now already able to kill a skilled pugilist from Cloud Heaven, and that is not the kind of powers someone from these low level lands can possess!"
"Why do you say that?" Bai Zhi Yan raised an eyebrow. Although he had suspected as much himself, but seeing that this scoundrel had not even come into contact with the lass, how could he be so sure of that?
"By the time I got there, I happened to see the moment when she took down the Demon King with just one stroke." The grey robed man's face was excited thinking about it. "Do you even know? It took her just one second! It was just one single stroke! Although the Demon King isn't all that significant at all, but his powers can already be compared to that of a low leveled pugilist in Cloud Heaven. His soul dispersed and scattered into the wind in just a second, unable to defend himself at all....."
"Demon King?" Luo Jun Yao creased up his brows.
"Mm. That's right. The opponent was most probably a highly skilled Necromancy Priestess from the Bright Moon Temple who summoned them for a demon feast." The grey robed man explained. "But I cleaned up the place completely and I guarantee that there isn't a single trace left behind. Afterall, in such low leveled realms, having such an unfathomable incident happen will definitely kick up a great stir."
"Demon feast? Ha! For someone from the respected Bright Moon Temple to employ such lowly methods to come deal with such a tiny little lass, how utterly shameless and despicable."
Bai Zhi Yan's face was filled with pure contempt as he spoke. [Cloud Heaven is really ridden with quite a great number of scums.]
Lou Jun Yao's gaze glinted sharply. [This young lady who had suddenly appeared out of the blue, was shrouded with so much mystery.]
She had been able to come out completely unscathed coming into such close proximity to his body the very first time they met, the astounding and amazing she possessed making even the ever proud Bai Zhi Yan look at her in a new light. The skills and powers she held were not entirely clear, but since she was able to escape from his hands, it would not be weak.
And she had been come to be implicated into this all because of him, fallen into a coma, which caused Lou Jun Yao's heart to rise with rather complicated emotions.
Although she had said that she was just repaying the favour for the Polar Fire Core back then, but just based on the fact that she dispelled the Emotion Devouring Curse and removed the fire and ice Yin Yang Grub for him, the two things that had tormented him endlessly for so many long years, she had already repaid him more than a hundred times over.
Lou Jun Yao had lived for several hundred years. He had never owed anyone much of anything, and no one was qualified enough to let him owe them any favours.
But now, he had not only owed her his life, he was accumulating the debt! ?
Seeming to have fallen into his highly conflicted thoughts, thinking how he was going to repay all that, his body suddenly stiffened, and his violet eyes slowly lowered to look down at his arm.
A tiny, fair and slender fingered hand was holding his, icy cold to the touch. Looking like she was caught in a nightmare, her grip was strong, and a sheen of cold sweat had formed over her forehead, her brows knitted up.
Lou Jun Yao subconsciously gripped the icy cold fingers, and called out a little hesitantly. "Little fox?"
The young lady's long luxurious lashes fluttered slightly a couple of times, seeming to show signs of awakening, but an immense pressure was making it impossible for her to open her eyes no matter how hard she tried.
"Mistress! Mistress wake up! Mistress! Do not sleep anymore....."
"Little Yu! Where are you? Do you know that I am looking for you? Where can you be?"
[Who is calling out for her?]
Under that muddled chaos, two human figures appeared before her. The golden haired youth was her weapon spirit Little Burrow, and when she peered to see the other person clearly, she was properly stunned a moment. Isn't that the Water Edge Kingdom's Duke of Vast Seas?]
Without waiting for her to think deeper into it, the two figures suddenly disappeared into the darkness.
To be replaced by a blood coloured sky, and within an enormous hexagonal astral array, a man and a woman were locked in a tight embrace. A chain the thickness of a man's arm penetrated deeply through the man's shoulder blade, while a dagger in the woman's hand was stabbed in the man's abdomen.
The woman's countenance could not be seen clearly, but the smile at the edges of her lips was mesmerizing but bloody.
"We..... are together at last."
Chapter 58: We're Now Even
"We are together at last, and will never ever part again."
This was the woman's voice, gentle and warm, in complete contrast to her incisive actions and blood filled smile.
Qing Yu had seriously wanted to go have a clear look of her face, but it seemed that there was always a layer of mystifying fog shrouding her, casting the countenance behind an impenetrable blur. After speaking that sentence, the woman then slowly turned towards her, and her red lips parted slightly, seeming to be saying something, but there was no sound coming out.
For some unknown reason, Qing Yu felt that the woman was looking at her.
And the words that had not been spoken, through the shape of her mouth and lips, Qing Yu knew what she had said.
She had said: [Sorry.]
That woman had said to her, sorry.
But why?
"Little fox, wake up. Don't sleep anymore....."
The blood coloured sky was gone in an instant, and the man and woman disappeared from before her eyes. Reflected in her eyes, was light purple satin around her.
Qing Yu blinked her eyes groggily. [Where is this place?]
"Sweet Heavens, thank the Heavens and Earth. The lass has finally come awake!" Bai Zhi Yan's enchanting peach blossom eyes flared wide, his face showing highly exaggerated delight. "Look at me. Do you still remember me?"
After the last parting, calculating it carefully, it had already been more than three months. With the little lass still so young, she might very well not know him anymore.
It was most probably due to his overly loud voice, which to the young lady who had just awoken and was still feeling highly groggy must have sounded demonically deafening, immediately creased up her brows, her beautiful eyes closing a moment, seemingly in great discomfort. Her pale lips moved, and then spat out one single word. "Noisy."
And having been scorned and ridiculed daily to be a quack doctor by a certain heartless man for the past few days, to Bai Zhi Yan who had been longing for the little lass to awaken for so many days so he would be able to prove his skill, his heart praying and hoping as he watched her finally come awake, his outburst of pure ecstatic joy came to earn him just one word. "Noisy." What he felt in his heart at that moment, crumbled would not even begin to describe it.
Of course, that would not be the thing that would pain him the most.
Lou Jun Yao who had been watching the young lady all this time had upon seeing that slightly impatient expression on her face, then immediately uttered expressionlessly: "Get out."
Bai Zhi Yan found himself incapable of speech. "....."
[Get out? Asking him to get out again! ?]
[Damn it! Your great lord here doesn't have a temper is it? Am I to be summoned or dismissed just by a word from you! ?]
[Fine! I'll go out! Who cares! ?]
Bai Zhi Yan went walking out with his face filled with resentment, dragging the man who was dozing off in the corner along with him, not forgetting to slam the door shut behind him viciously.
Qing Yu's brows furrowed up as her head throbbed, and she was just about to lift her hand up to massage her temples when she discovered that her hand was gripped around something tightly.
She looked down instinctively, and discovered that she was holding Lou Jun Yao's hand.
Those phoenix like eyes widened as she stared in shock, and she flung the hand away like it was a hot potato.
Lou Jun Yao was speechless. "....."
[Tossed away after use. That bad habit needs to change.]
It was after a good while that Qing Yu finally came completely awake. She had slept for too long afterall, and her body was feeling sore and painful all over. She summoned up her spirit powers to ease through her entire body, and then slowly sat herself up in the bed.
After seeing that she had come fully awake, and a tinge of colour had returned to her pale cheeks, seeming to look fine, Lou Jun Yao then slowly said: "You've slept for five whole days."
Qing Yu was taken aback a moment. "What did you say? I slept for five days?"
[The events of the All Saints Day festival were still all so clear in her mind, so how could so much time have passed so quickly? She was clearly feeling as if mere moments have passed, and that she had merely been trapped in a nightmare.....]
[Wait.] The expression on Qing Yu's face suddenly froze.
Chapter 58.2 : We're Now Even
She could still clearly remember herself being trapped in her dreams, but why she unable to recall a single bit of the things that happened in there? She had forgotten it cleanly, and did not have a single clue.
There was a faint blurry impression but the deeper she delved into her mind, the less she was able to remember.
Even though she could not recall anything, she did not persist. "Didn't you go back already? Why have you returned?"
Lou Jun Yao arched up an eyebrow. "I was done dealing with my business and had nothing to do, so I came back to see you."
If those words were heard by the people from the Dark Region, they would definitely vomit out blood that would spurt at least three feet.
Thinking about it, throughout the entire Dark Region, it was feared that the most idle person would be this very Lord here!
When he went back, he had only needed to show his face to put everyone in awe, and every single little task was actually properly arranged and dealt with by several of his capable lieutenants. In Cloud Heaven, there were people who hated him so much they wanted to obliterate his entire clan, but there were also people who worshipped him like divinity of the Nine Heavens.
Hearing those words from him, Qing Yu glanced at him with an almost imperceptible smile. "You really came back just to see me? Don't you know that I very nearly lost my life because of you?"
"You're not that weak." Lou Jun Yao seemed to not have noticed her displeased tone of voice and his violet eyes glittered dazzlingly. "This matter started because of me. I will deal with it properly. Moreover, I have not yet repaid the debt for saving my life. If we are to just go our separate ways from here on, wouldn't that make me a heartless ingrate?"
The certainty in his voice that nothing would happen to him seem to show that he knew some secret she was hiding.
Qing Yu lowered her gaze and let out a soft laugh. "I wouldn't say that you owe me for saving your life. I was merely just returning the favour for the Polar Fire Core. Moreover, it was your people who rescued me from the Barricaded Spirit Tower this time. So we're even."
"And by that you mean?" The man's gaze grew penetrating in an instant, the mysterious violet eyes looking much more immersive.
"The woman who came to seek revenge on me was most probably just a pawn. The real mastermind behind it has not yet been dealt with." Qing Yu said slowly, her long upslanted eyes looking right into his eyes. "I am not fearful of things like this, but I loathe bothersome trouble. You have too many enemies and I do not want to tread into such muddy waters. So it is best that we do not have any more dealings."
Saying that, she had already come off from the bed, and was smoothing out the creases on her clothes.
Lou Jun Yao stood looking at her back, and immediately felt that something was not right. "Haha, and you intend to severe all relations?"
"There wasn't much of a relationship between us in the first place." The young lady already had a hand on the door and was pushing it open, where her footsteps halted when she heard his words. She then turned her eyes to glance back at him. "We really could have been friends, but..... You are too dangerous. I would still like to live for a few more years."
The incident this time had left an especially deep impression which made her realize that lending a hand in the name of righteousness and sticking one's nose into other people's business are all illnesses. [Treatment is needed!]
When Qing Yu went out, then saw Bai Zhi Yan. He was pulling on the seemingly boneless grey robed man and saying something. When he saw her coming out, his eyes lit up. "Have you recovered? Are you leaving already?"
The bright sparkling eyes caused Qing Yu to knit up her brows. [What could have brought about that expression that was like a dog seeing a bone?]
Maybe he saw that the gaze the young lady was looking at him with was a little strange, and Bai Zhi Yan was rather taken aback. "You really don't remember me anymore?"
"I remember." Qing Yu nodded her head slightly, her eyes then coming to rest upon the grey robed man for about two seconds before she went walking out of the Gathered Cloud Loft. "May we never meet again."
Bai Zhi Yan stood there stunned, watching her walk out till she had gone a far distance away before he sputtered out in bewilderment: "What did she mean by never meet again? Could Lou Jun Yao have made her angry....."
'Bam!'
A loud crash from upstairs interrupted his words, so sudden and abrupt that it shocked the grey robed man who had been sleeping with his head resting on the table awake.
Chapter 58.3 : We're Now Even
"What happened? Is it an earthquake? ?" The grey robed man was highly flustered as he looked at Bai Zhi Yan to ask. Seeing that there was nothing happening anymore, his head then dropped back onto the table, and immediately made long and peaceful breathing noises.
The corner of Bai Zhi Yan's mouth twitched. [The day will come that this fella would not even know what killed him.]
— Eternal Peace Duke's Manor —
In the Tranquil Abode, a tall and thin youth sat quietly on the stone stool within the courtyard, carrying the little snow toad in one hand, the other holding a medical book, where its edges were a little tattered, like it had been flipped and read frequently.
"Little Snow, has Qing Yu gone away? She has never not come home for so many days before."
The youth muttered softly, and looking at his eyes closely, they were rather red and bloodshot.
Ever since the day the All Saints Day festival ended, Qing Yu had gone missing, and had not come back at all. He had not closed his eyes to sleep for several days as all of this must be a dream. If he allowed himself to sleep now, he feared he would not be able to wake up from this nightmare.
He believed that Qing Yu will definitely come back. She had promised him that she would always be by his side.
The youth then covered his eyes with one hand, looking like he was trying to suppress the tears that were surging up inside.
The snow toad in his arm suddenly leapt out with a croak, the little creature who had been silent for the past few days suddenly excited where a highly familiar voice filled with mirth was then heard ringing out: "What are you two doing out here? Waiting for me?"
Qing Yu's back immediately stiffened. [Was he..... hallucinating?]
"Little Bei, right in the middle of the day and you're dozing off? !" A hand suddenly slapped him on the shoulder, the slightly cold touch passing through his clothes onto his skin. The hand covering the youth's eyes lowered and he quickly turned himself around, to stare fixedly at the young lady behind him.
The red and bloodshot eyes startled Qing Yu a moment. "What happened?" [It has only been a few days she did not see the kid and he looked such a wretched sight, like he had been afflicted with lunacy.]
Qing Bei just stared at her with wide eyes, looking unblinkingly at her, and then hugging her waist like a little child and burying his head into her as he uttered with a choked voice: "I thought you left."
Qing Yu was a little shocked by his sudden actions for an instant and she then looked on helplessly at the lost and pitiful youth who was acting like he had suffered endless aggrievement outside. She reached her hand out and ruffled his head. "Silly boy. What are you doing? How old are you already and you're still crying your nose red? Aren't you ashamed?"
"You said you will never abandon me, and will always be by my side!" The youth was not showing the slightest sliver of shame as he went on to complain persistently.
"Who has abandoned you? I just encountered something unexpected and that is why." Qing Yu said with a sigh. If she had not gone out that day, it was thought that the several hundred people in the Imperial Palace Grand Hall would have met with disaster. But how was she going to tell the kid about that?
Although he was slowly growing, but in many areas, he was still not strong enough.
Qing Yu peeled herself out from the youth's bear hug, and looked at that haggard countenance that had not slept for several days, her expression serious and stern. "Such situations, I hope that it will not only be the first time, but also for it to be the last time."
Qing Bei was taken aback, seeing her suddenly become so serious.
"You must remember this. In this world, nobody can be depended upon, and you can only depend on yourself." Qing Yu patted him on the shoulder, her eyes dark. "You must become strong, and you must first learn to have no weaknesses. You must still be able to continue to live no matter who leaves you. Do you understand? It is the same even for me. If the day comes that I am no longer around, I hope that you will be able to be so powerful that no one dares to trifle with you."
Chapter 59: All Seeing Soul Tracing Mirror
Qing Bei just looked at her at in daze.
In the few days that she disappeared, it seemed like the aura from the young lady's body had become more profound and deep, and right in that instant, it felt as if she was giving him an exceptionally strict lesson that was forcing him to have to grow.
"Sis....." His eyes, then showed a sense of unfamiliarity and confusion.
"Little Bei, it's time to grow up." Qing Yu sat herself down beside him. Looking at that innocent expression on her face, although she could not bear to, she still said softly: "Back when I was just about your age, I had already assumed the position as the head of a family clan. No matter how many people were unable to accept a little young girl like me as the head, I was more powerful than them, and they were fearful of me, not daring to utter a word of complaint."
The youth was a little surprised, as this was the first time that he was hearing her speak of her past to him.
"What were you like in the past?" Qing Bei was suddenly highly curious.
Hearing that, Qing Yu merely smiled faintly. "The me in the past....." Her words paused, seemingly thinking back to times long past. "Was a cold and heartless walking corpse who knew nothing but to cultivate, where there was only one thing in my mind, which was to become stronger."
"Didn't you have any family kin?"
"Family? I did." Qing Yu lowered her eyes, the ends of her mouth lifting up slightly. "But when placed before authouritative power, kinship is something one can choose to do with or without. Since the beginning of time, there has been no lack of examples of infighting where many have killed their own people."
Though she was speaking of it so lightly now, but when it happened to her, she had not been able to accept it at all.
That was why in her previous life, she had chosen death.
At least she could deceive herself, that from beginning till the end, all those beautiful memories in the past had all been real.
Qing Yu gathered back her mind that had drifted a far way off, to then turn to the youth with a smile. "Do you remember when we met for the first time?"
They were twins and they had been living beside each other since they were born. So when she said the first time they met.....
"You were still so young then, but you were already able to choose to face death for your sister's sake. There was bright shining hope in you and you deserve a better life. That was why I chose to save you."
After having lived to see her brother who was her closest kin turn maniacal against her because of money and power in his quest to climb higher, Qing Yu no longer trusted anyone.
If even blood ties and kinship could be abandoned so completely, then what else was there in the world that would stay true?
From being a kind and innocent young girl, she had grown up in an instant. She was clearly at an age where she should be most lively and prone to laughter but she turned to become matured and steady, like she had already lived through much of the vicissitudes of life.
She could choose to give up everything and to not depend on anything or anyone. If holding all this power and authourity would make the people at her side betray her, then she would rather be the one standing at the highest point, where everyone else could only to look up to her.
This youth here was just like she was back then, innocent and like a clean sheet, the bloodshed and the cruelty of the outside world having not tainted that pair of crystal clear eyes in the slightest. But with him like this, protected under her wing, how big a change would he be faced with if the day came that she had to leave him?
She would never ever want to see such a thing happen.
The flawless and beautiful face of the young lady then came to be tinged with a look of sadness, which made one's heart wince to see.
"Sis....." Qing Bei called out to her hesitant, and his hand then held hers gently. His tone determined and resolute, he said: "I will become strong and that day will not be too far off. No matter what kind of..... bad things you might have experienced in the past, you must believe me. We are the two closest people in this world, and we will never hurt each other. The day will come that you will stand right behind me, and I will be able to hold up this end of our world."
Chapter 59.2: All Seeing Soul Tracing Mirror
That still rather puerile and handsome looking face was young, sunny, and filled with great exuberance for life. HIs expression was serious and stern, and when he was making such a proclamation, he seemed to exude a certain kind of persuasive charm that made people want to believe him.
The ends of Qing Yu's lips curled up slowly, her slender fingers running through the young youth's hair, and with a highly gentle voice, she said: "You will definitely achieve that."
From the first time she saw the boy's eyes through the raging flames, she had seemed to see that he would live an extraordinary life.
The most famous Wholesome Meal House in the Imperial Capital, famed to be a food paradise that was known throughout the Green Wave Kingdom. It was unlike all the other high class restaurants and teahouses who discriminated against the common folks, where everything sold in there were very reasonably priced, and not charged at outrageous prices. Hence, not only the royalty and aristocracy liked to frequent the place, the commoners loved to come here even more.
And the Wholesome Meal House was overbrimming with customers everyday, because they only accepted five hundred orders everyday. Many who came late were not even able to eat a single bite of their cuisine and many were there who made reservations more than a month in advance.
Over here, they did not care how revered or noble one's identity was. It was rumoured that the boss of the Wholesome Meal House was also someone famous, with an illustrious background. No one had ever come to stir up trouble with the Wholesome Meal House before because even their waiters who served up the food were faultless whose manners were so excellent they seemed to have undergone very strict training.
After having her marriage engagement called off, Yan Ning Luo was seen to smile a lot more.
Especially when she was now one step closer to the person she admired so much.
Yue Xin Yan loved to make friends with powerful people. She had always admired talented people who possessed high and profound cultivation and ever since she was defeated by Yan Ning Luo, they had become good friends.
But she did not why, whenever Yan Ning Luo invited her out, she would always extend the invitation to Qing Ye Li to come out together with them as well, though Qing Ye Li had never once agreed.
On this day, Yan Ning Luo brought Yue Xin Yan to come to the Wholesome Meal House. It was only after they had come to interact with each other that she realized the lively and jovial little princess was very interested in food. So, in order to pull the distance between them closer, Yan Ning Luo had taken the initiative to bring her to come here to eat the most famous and delicious food in the Imperial Capital.
"Sweet Heavens!" Yue Xin Yan's beautiful blue eyes grew wide as she stared, her face filling up with shock. "I have never seen a restaurant so overflowing with people. It is completely filled."
The Wholesome Meal House had three storeys in total, and at a glance, the first storey was completely filled, with many more people squeezed together without even a chair for them to sit on, while a whole bunch of people were also seen drinking and chatting along the the second level's balcony railing.
Yan Ning Luo looked at her shocked face and then said with a laugh. "You are not from the Green Wave Kingdom and do not live here, otherwise, you will know that this is the norm everyday. The Wholesome Meal House has so many people everyday, with people who come here from far and wide, just for one of their meals."
"It's really that amazing? Then they must have a very excellent cook. I wonder if I can invite him to go cook in our Water Edge Kingdom." The young girl's thinking was both beautiful and innocent.
"That will be difficult. The cooks here only only takes orders from their boss. Someone had previously put up a high offer to employ them but was flatly rejected."
As Yan Ning Luo spoke, she handed a crystal card to the good looking youth at the door. When the youth saw that, he took it respectfully and brushed his spirit power lightly over its surface before handing it back to her. He then made a gesture to invite them in. "The food has been prepared. Please go up to the Lunar Mark Chamber on the second storey."
Yu Xiao Ning had some dealings with the boss of the Wholesome Meal House and Yan Ning Luo had come to benefit from that as well, without needing to make a reservation every time she came here, where she was also provided with a private room.
It might have been fate. After Yan Ning Luo and Yue Xin Yan came up to the second level and were walking past the Sun Mark Chamber next door, Yan Ning Luo heard a voice that was highly familiar to her, icy cold and emotionless, exactly like the feeling that that person made her feel.
Chapter 59.3: All Seeing Soul Tracing Mirror
"Is something wrong?" Yue Xin Yan saw her suddenly stop, and she opened her mouth ask in puzzlement.
"The Duke of Vast Seas..... seems to be here too." Yan Xin Yan said and then held her breath, before raising a hand to knock lightly on the door.
After waiting for a while, the door then suddenly opened. A beautiful and alluring face looking highly flirtatious appeared smilingly before their eyes. It was such a beautiful and charming looking..... man.
Behind the bead curtain inside, sat a man with his signature silver locks, and his identity was clear.
"Hey, what a coincidence! To think that Princess Ning Feng and the Ninth Princess would be here as well." Baili Ji Ran was taken aback for just one second, before he then said with an easy laugh.
"Apologies if we've interrupted you. We heard your voices and just came over give a courteous greeting." Yan Ning Luo said with a courteous nod, reserved and still dignified, making a highly intelligent call.
That was what Baili Ji Ran thought in his heart.
And Yue Xin Yan beside her, suddenly had a strange look in her eyes.
She had known Big Brother Ye Li for so many years but even she had not been able to identify his voice just now. But Yan Ning Luo had been so certain that she had heard Big Brother Ye Li's voice in an instant, which was just a little mystifying.
Though Yue Xin Yan who had lived her whole life inside the Imperial Family and was innocent and kind, but she was also highly intelligent, immediately able to detect that something was not right.
The answer with such a great sense of propriety immediately made Baili Ji Ran come to like the young lady a little. "Fantastic! Why not come in and have a seat?"
He swore that he had merely meant those words as a casual courteous reply but the very next second saw Yan Ning Luo already lifting the corners of her mouth up to say with a smile: "If that is the case, then pardon us for intruding. I'll get the people to send our food in here."
With his words already thrown out there, how could Baili Ji Ran refuse at that moment? So, he had no choice but to invite them inside.
Behind her, Yue Xin Yan's eyes glinted, becoming even more certain of the thought she had in her mind.
[This Yan Ning Luo..... Towards Big Brother Ye Li.....]
At that moment in the private room, the few people sat facing each other. Qing Ye Li sat there drinking without a word, and the atmosphere in the room was a little heavy. And when Qing Ye Li was in such a state, Yue Xin Yan usually did not dare to speak much. She had seen how Qing Ye Li was like when he flew into a rage, so she merely greeted him very briefly and then did not say another word.
Seeing the situation Yan Ning Luo opened her mouth to say in a gentle tone. "You seem to be in a rather sombre mood recently and I wonder what could be bothering you. Share it with us and I might be able to help you with it."
And without knowing why, when it was clear that they had only met once but the way Yan Ning Luo was speaking to him was being natural and casual, like they had known each other for a very long time.
"No need. Thanks." The man's voice was still as cold and distant as ever, seemingly isolating himself from everyone else, where no one would be able to reach his heart.
Baili Ji Ran saw that the atmosphere had become a little awkward and he quickly laughed to release the tension. "Really grateful for Princess Ning Feng's offer, but this is something I'm afraid you might not be able to help with, as even I have absolutely no clue at all."
"Will you be willing to share it with me?"
"We are looking for a person, and this person could possibly look entirely different now from before. I have searched a good half of the Constellation Lands and have not even found a single clue." Baili Ji Ran said with a shrug of his shoulders, a helpless expression on his face.
"So I see." Yan Ning Luo bit her lip and gave a soft laugh, her eyes turning towards the melancholy and rather depressing man. "If you're looking for a person, maybe..... I just might be able to help."
"Are you serious?" Baili Ji Ran was startled a moment, and then asked in a surprised voice.
Qing Ye Li who was drinking his wine had paused a moment as well, before he slowly raised his eyes up to look towards her, his dark green eyes revealing a faint glimmer of hope.
Chapter 60: Coincidental Encounter
Yan Ning Luo lifted up just one corner of her lips slightly, to reveal a beautiful smiling arc. "There is a secret treasure in the Faint Mist Sect that is called the All Seeing Soul Tracing Mirror. One will only need to focus all his thoughts to search for the person he wants to find and no matter at which end of the world that person is, as long as his spirit soul has not dispersed, the mirror will show how the person looks like and the location of the person."
Baili Ji Ran then opened his mouth to exclaim in surprise. "There's really such an amazing treasure?"
"The All Seeing Soul Tracing Mirror was what gave the Faint Mist Sect the ability to be able to apprehend all the traitors that betrayed the Faint Mist Sect and had fled thousands of miles away, regardless of how they had changed their looks or changed their identities and assumed other lives, they were all still unable to escape from being seen through by the All Seeing Soul Tracing Mirror."
Qing Ye Li's face under the mask froze for a instant as his gaze finally came to fall upon the young lady directly across the table. His voice deep, he then asked: "I wonder, if Princess Ning Feng would be able to borrow that secret treasure for this Duke's use."
"Of course." It was only at that moment, that it felt as if an image of her had finally come to show in the man's eyes. Yan Ning Luo smiled reservedly and nodded her head. "I'll send word to my Master when I get back, and I'm sure he'll agree to it. But as the journey from the Faint Mist Sect is long and far, we might have to wait for a few days."
"That's alright."
Qing Ye Li was always miserly with his words, and this was an instant he could be considered to be talkative.
A person that was able to make him come out to search for himself must be someone very important. Although she was curious, she was smart enough to not probe.
Coincidentally, in the room just opposite them, was Bai Zhi Yan and that lazy grey robed man.
After Qing Yu left the Gathered Cloud Loft that day, a certain person had flown into an unrestrainable rage and anyone that came into his path was not spared. Bai Zhi Yan howled and complained of the incessant aggrievement he had to suffer and he then finally chose to hide himself outside for the past few days, not daring to return, afraid that he would take up the role of being a punching bag.
"Eh?" The grey robed man had been gorging himself silly when he suddenly lifted up his eyes to see a familiar figure.
"What?" Bai Zhi Yan asked, his face filled with surprise. To think that this fella who only knew to eat and sleep would actually come to pay attention to something else.
"That man!" The grey robed man pointed his finger, the expression on his face too profound to read.
Bai Zhi Yan turned to look, and his eyes saw a masked man with silver hair who exuded an icy air, causing him to be rather taken aback a moment. Although the man was rather strange and bizarre, but that still shouldn't be enough to make that lazybum look up and take notice.
"The day when I was bringing the little lass back, I saw that guy just outside, like he was charging his way in towards the little lass and the defensive barrier outside had just been broken." The grey robed man said as he grabbed up a chicken drumstick. "I was unable to determine his cultivation, but I can be certain he is very strong. He could very well be one of the little lass' enemies as well."
"But the young lass doesn't look like a person who would attract so much hatred does she?" Bai Zhi Yan said a little doubtfully. "But that is still a valid suspicious point. I must remember to remind her of this the next time."
Although this fella was was usually not dependable, always so lazy like he had no bones in him, his skills were not to be underestimated, where there were not many in Cloud Heaven who was his match. So if even he was saying that the man was strong, then it would seem like that man was definitely not any ordinary character.
Bai Zhi Yan glanced into the room opposite again and raised his fingers up to rub his chin. [Has this low level lands recently turned fragrant and appetizing? There was really quite a good number of strong and capable persons gathered here at the same time!]
Here in the Left Prime Minister's Manor, even the Third Brother of Yu Xiao Ning who she cared the least about had come to notice that something wasn't right.
The playboy who was known throughout the entire Imperial Capital had seemingly not be seen appearing among the smoky red light districts, but had instead been staying at home, cultivating his body and mind.
That's right, cultivating body and mind. According to Yu Jing Zhuo's words, he wants to be a man of culture from now on.
Chapter 60.2: Coincidental Encounter
With that, when Yu Xiao Ning heard those words, she was so astounded that she was not even piqued when presented with the chance to earn money but had just stared blankly at the man who was a perfect copy of a refined scholar before the table. She wouldn't have said it, but when he became serious, he really had a little bit of the flair of a noble young master. Although he was always up to anomalous antics, but he had received proper schooling and was well learned.
"Third Brother, tell me good and proper now. What kind of huge setback did you come to suffer? Or have you been possessed by some sort of devilry?" Yu Xiao Ning then stretched her hand out worriedly to feel his forehead.
"Shoo shoo shoo, go to the side and play. Don't come disturb me here." Yu Jing Zhuo smacked her hand away and said impatiently.
Yu Xiao Ning blinked her large lively eyes, her face sly. "Tell me whether it is because you lost a bet to that Mo Fei Ran fella with the penalty being that you have to shut yourself in to self reflect, and you're not to go pleasure seeking outside?"
Yu Jing Zhuo was tickled into laughter by those words. "That guy? This lord here has never lost a bet."
"Then why?" Yu Xiao Ning asked with a scornful glance at him. "If you had not lost a bet that forced you suddenly to change so suddenly, don't tell me that spring has come in your life and you've found the one?"
Thinking about it, it was not possible at all you know? Her elder brother was too big a playboy.
Who would have guessed that the moment those words left her mouth, Yu Jing Zhuo's expression became startled and he murmured: "Is it that obvious....."
It had just been a blind and wild stab and she had gotten it right! ?
"You you you..... tell me the whole truth now. Which family's young lady are you thinking of harming! ?" Xu Xiao Ning's pair of almond shaped eyes were wide, as she questioned aggressively.
"What do you mean by harming? It is called meeting the right person alright! ?" Yu Jing Zhuo looked at her with a sideways glance and then seeming to have thought of something, the corner of his lips lifted up in a smile. The way Yu Xiao Ning saw it, the smile looked incredibly sheepish. "Ning Ning, if you are to see the lady, I think you will be even more astound than me!"
"What? She's someone I know?" Yu Xiao Ning arched up an eyebrow to ask.
"I don't know if you know her, but she is of one family with your best friend, Princess Ning Feng though." Yu Jing Zhuo slowly revealed that fact.
"A lady from the Eternal Peace Duke Manor?" Yu Xiao Ning blinked her eyes. "Based on my knowledge, there is a total of five young ladies in the Eternal Peace Duke Manor. Besides Little Ning, the other ones who possessed rather good looks would be Yan Xi Rou and Yan Xi Wu. The Fifth Young Miss is sickly and has never stepped out through their doors before. The last one is still very young, just past ten years of age. So, can Third Brother tell me which one caught your eye?"
"None of them." Yu Jing Zhuo shook his head.
"Could you have possibly grown fond of a servant maid in there? !" Yu Xiao Ning exclaimed, highly frustrated.
Yu Jing Zhuo rolled his eyes at her. "What a joke. Will someone Yan Xi Cheng has personally introduced as his sister be a servant maid? If you don't believe me, I'll bring you to the Eternal Peace Duke Manor one of these days to go have a look. The looks that young lady possesses is in no way inferior to Yan Ning Luo at all."
When he came to speak of that, he then massaged his brows rather helplessly. "But it's just that her personality is a little cold."
"Heh heh heh. A lady who is colder than Little Ning? This is getting interesting. Why wait for another day. Third Brother, why not we go bum a meal off the Eternal Peace Duke Manor today, and we can go see this beauty you are telling me about as well." Yu Xiao Ning's personality had always been rather feisty and impatient. After whetting her appetite like this, how could she be expected to still sit back and wait?
"Do you think that is a good idea?" Yu Jing Zhuo then said hesitantly.
Actually, he was afraid that he would come to leave a bad impression before the young lady once more and that would gain him nothing at all.
"Just tell me whether you would like to see her!"
"I do."
"Isn't that good enough? What are you still dawdling for? Wait here and I'll go get the carriage readied."
"....."
It might be because Yan Ning Luo was able to help him find the person he sought, Qing Ye Li's attitude towards her came to improve a little. So when she extended an invitation to Yue Xin Yan and Qing Ye Li to come visit the Eternal Peace Duke Manor as her guests, on this rare occasion, Qing Ye Li agreed to it.
Chapter 60.3: Coincidental Encounter
Of course Baili Ji Ran who loved to be part of everything was not to be left out. After getting to know that Qing Ye Li would be going to the Eternal Peace Duke Manor today, he had just showed how thick skinned he could be by tagging along.
And the reason for that was not known. Even though that man's personality was so cold and emotionless where the amount of words he uttered over those several days might not even reach ten. But maybe Baili Ji Ran was just born with an innate shamelessness in him where he did not mind that chilly face at all, playing the role of a inseparable leech very well.
The horse carriage slowly trundled along and came to main doors of the Eternal Peace Duke Manor. A small little fair skinned hand lifted the carriage curtain and without even waiting for the coach driver to bring the carriage to a complete stop, a light blue figure jumped down from inside.
Coming right behind, was the suave and handsome white robed Baili Ji Ran. He looked at the young lady before him with a measuring gaze and said: "The Ninth Princess really doesn't bother herself with trifling things, such a lively bundle of joy!"
Yue Xin Yan raised an eyebrow, her azure blue eyes bright with a rippling gleam, beautiful like the reflection off water's surface. "Thanks for the compliment."
Baili Ji Ran almost swooned from those beautiful and mesmerizing eyes and he quickly steadied himself. [The feng shui of the Water Edge's was indeed nourishing. Their people are all so beautiful looking he could not find the words to describe them.]
After Yue Xin Yan jumped off, she then obediently ran up to the front of the horse carriage, to wait for Qing Ye Li to come down.
The man was dressed in a black brocade robe today, his stature tall and slender, the head of silver hair a striking contrast like snow against those black clothes. HIs wolf shaped face mask revealed a perfectly shaped jawline and red thin lips, his lustrous green eyes noble and mysterious.
Inside the Eternal Peace Duke Manor, all the servants have been told that a very important guest would be coming today. They were all to pay careful attention to their actions and watch their words, so as to not offend the important guest.
Everyone was initially very curious just what kind of an important guest it was that they all had to be warned so sternly. Even when the Crown Prince came, they had not been told in such a serious tone.
Hence, though they were worried on one hand, they were also filled with eager anticipation on the other.
Although they were all busy with their own tasks, but they could not hold down their curiosity as their eyes turned to look inquisitively all around. And it was exactly because of their inquisitive glances that caused all their faces to change in colour immediately, the hair on the back of their necks standing up in an instant.
That man with his head of silver hair and that mask.....
That was the devil that not a single person did not know about, where even kids would cry from fright of, the Duke of Vast Seas!
Everyone of them just wanted to cry at that moment.
Why would this god of slaughter come to descend upon their Eternal Peace Duke Manor today?
"You're all here. Come right in." A gentle and charming voice of a woman slowly reached them, where Yan Ning Luo then came walking out slowly from the side.
The young lady who was as chilly as a goddess was in a deep red flowy dress today, its two sleeves decorated with exquisite falbala trim at the edges, which looked elegant and vibrant, the slim fit of the design at the waist making her already slender waist seem even more delicate and fragile.
It might be because they had never seen such a stunning and enchanting Yan Ning Luo where in that instant, even the people from the Duke's Manor who had seen her so often were immediately dazzled in their spots with awe.
The young lady's dressing elevated the beauty of that face that could bring cities and kingdoms to their knees to new heights, adding a good measure of alluring seduction.
Baili Ji Ran was the first one to break that atmosphere as he said with a laugh: "Princess Ning Feng is indeed the greatest beauty, her beautiful looks and exquisite grace not one ordinary people could hope to compare with."
Yan Ning Luo smiled faintly, her gaze imperceptibly passing over the figure of that cold and indifferent man. "Baili Ji Ran's manner of words will cause the Ninth Princess to be displeased."
Yue Xin Yan played along and shot a gaze out of the corner of her eyes at him. "That's right. Isn't this Princess here beautiful then?"
"Ninth Princess, your humble one had just praised that you are very lively and adorable moments ago!"