Chapter 591: The Path Of Rising Up
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
Li Tian's attack was as tyrannical here as it was outside the Immortal Martial Realm, however Dongyue Hanjiang wasn't the slightest bit weaker in comparison at all. He could actually fight equally against Li Tian, both of them exuded an unsurpassed aura, their might towering up to the heavens. The fight between them was exceptionally intense.
Among the three battles, Qin Wentian's one was the most quiet.
Chi Lian and Qin Wentian faced off against each other. An overwhelming blood-colored devilish might gushed forth from Chi Lian's body. It seemed as if he was a devil, a resplendent diabolical shadow manifested behind him, and it's violent and chaotic aura swept through the space, shaking the heavens and earth. However, the eyes he used to look at Qin Wentian weren't filled with any traces of disdain. Rather, he regarded Qin Wentian with very serious looking expression on his face.
He was very clear that Qin Wentian had solidified his foundation ever since the first row of monument, and was an extremely dangerous character. In fact, he might even be the most dangerous participant here. To avoid delays, the eight era-suppressing geniuses all sought a balance between comprehension and advancement, invading others to advance the instant their comprehension reached a certain level. This was especially true when they saw others advancing, as they didn't want to be left behind. Only when they reached the fourth row or fifth row did they start to slow down and use more time to comprehend the power within the stone monuments they chosen.
Regarding the situation of Qin Wentian, if one could oust him, that would naturally be the best method of handling him. Sadly, Di Shi didn't accomplish it and in the end, Di Shi was even the one booted by him instead. This allowed the others to understand that they had already missed the best opportunity to remove Qin Wentian. Right now, Qin Wentian had already became someone extremely threatening to them.
Staring at Qin Wentian, the devilish might exuding from Chi Lian seethed as blood-colored light illuminated the heavens. His entire body was enveloped by crimson runic lights that blotted out the sun and sky, and very swiftly the space within the stone monument turned dark red as though there were devil kings inside howling in anger.
BOOM!
Stepping forward, Chi Lian seemingly transformed into a devil. He stared right at Qin Wentian, his eyes possessing a terrifying penetrating power as he exuded an extremely fearsome destructive aura.
Staring at such a scene caused the hearts of the majority of spectators to tremble. Before this, they all felt that there was an extremely high probability that Qin Wentian would be able to defeat Chi Lian, but now, upon seeing the violent and savage devilish might gushing forth from Chi Lian, they started to doubt their own conjectures earlier. After all, there were no simple characters among the eight era-suppressing geniuses, and Chi Lian was different from Di Shi. He had spent a long period of time contemplating the stone monuments in the fourth and fifth rows. He should be much stronger than the already eliminated Di Shi.
Chi Lian lifted his palms and blasted out with them, causing the blood-red light in the skies to gush out like currents, sweeping forth towards Qin Wentian. Streams of terrifying devil palms wielding gigantic halberds manifested, lashing out while Qin Wentian felt that a giant was standing before him.
His body glowing with golden light, Qin Wentian dashed out, moving like a primordial great roc. He stepped into the air, causing astral light to envelope him in an instant as his physique constantly expanded, transforming into a heaven-suppressing gigantic fiendgod.
Ten thousand feet of astral light cascaded down from the heavens all falling onto him. That gigantic fiendgod's silhouette abruptly flickered, before manifesting numerous incarnations that blasted outwards with palm imprints that contained enough power to seize the stars and pluck the sun and moon.
Such a shocking scene caused the hearts of the spectators to thump incessantly, they had almost forgotten to breath. The palm imprints contained indomitable might capable of crushing everything, and the blood-colored devilish gigantic halberds were all destroyed underneath the astral light. Chi Lian still stood there proudly, his tyrannical eyes now containing traces of disappointment within. He was already so powerful, yet he had not expected that this time around, there would be another even more perverse monster by the name of Qin Wentian appearing in the Immortal Martial Realm.
BANG!
A surge of terrifying energy gushed over, Chi Lian was blown out of the space of the stone monument by Qin Wentian. Among the three battles, the battle between them was the last to erupt, yet the quickest to conclude.
The powerful Chi Lian lost just like that, allowing Qin Wentian to dictate his ranking in the Immortal Martial Realm. Chi Lian was now ranked #8.
Many on the floating bridges drew in a deep breath, feeling as though the scene before them wasn't real. Truly, nobody could block the rise of the young man of the Battle Sword Sect. In fact, even speculating that he would be in the top five would not be underestimating him.
Li Tian and Dongyue Hanjiang's battle still continued. Hua Taixu's body was cloaked in endless light, constantly shifting between illusory and reality, totally indiscernible. However Ji Feixue was no easy pickings either. His sword arts were supreme, joining both attack and defence as one, completely flawless. The attacks that issued forth from his swords were originally already extremely terrifying, containing an overwhelming threat.
After Qin Wentian defeated Chi Lian, he didn't stop. He instantly invaded Fan Miaoyu's stone monument, his actions causing the spectators to stare dumbfoundedly at him.
The low-profiled young man earlier was now baring his sharp fangs and claws. So what if you are one of the eight era-suppressing geniuses? No one could stop him from advancing. As long as he defeated Fan Miaoyu, he would have clocked up enough victories for him to advance to the seventh row of stone monuments, allowing him to cultivate a total of seven different kinds of power. He would then be the same as Gu Liufeng, becoming one of the biggest winners with the greatest harvest unless somebody ousted him before he advanced to the seventh row. But the possibility of this happening seemed very unlikely.
Right now Gu Liufeng was busy gaining comprehension, he no longer initiated any invasion. If Hua Taixu defeated Ji Feixue, he also would have enough victories to advance to the seventh row of monuments and naturally by that time, he also wouldn't initiate an invasion against others before the final battle to determine the rankings, as there was no longer a need to.
Fan Miaoyu was a disciple of the Forgotten Immortal Tower, part of the Nine Great Sects as well as the Holy Maiden of the Tianfan Sect. Her long hair fluttered in the wind and although she wasn't old, she exuded a noble and elegant beauty that was a pleasant contrast to Lou Bingyu's.
Both her eyes were extremely clear with many stories that could be seen in them. It felt as though her eyes could speak!
"I've thought of many possibilities, but I had never anticipated such an ending." Fan Miaoyu's voice was very clear as well, giving off a sense of nobility and elegance. Evidently, she was also astonished that the person who would eliminate her was none other than this young man she had never deigned to pay any attention to before.
Qin Wentian has already eliminated Di Shi, and domineeringly defeated Chi Lian. Although Fan Mengyu was extraordinary, she knew that she didn't have any chance of victory.
"The era is changing," Qin Wentian replied in a low voice as the ruby-red lips of Fan Miaoyu curled up into a beautiful smile.
She stared at the young man before her as she stated, "That's right, the era is changing. Those characters with unmatched magnificence termed as era-suppressing geniuses, who didn't rise up by trampling on the bodies of others? After the Immortal Martial Realm, your name will definitely resound throughout the Royal Sacred Region. However, this doesn't mean that the current eight era-suppressing geniuses have already been defeated. This place is only the Immortal Martial Realm. If you wished to replace one of us, you still need to prove yourself out in the real world. I shall wait and see who you will trample on to become an existence that can dominate this era."
"I will." Qin Wentian nodded, as a beam of light shot forth from him.
Fan Mengyu released her energy at the same time. Even if she knew that she would be defeated, she still chose to go all out with a blast in an explosive battle.
The battle between them was fascinating and magnificent, but unsurprisingly, the battle's conclusion was Fan Miaoyu's defeat by Qin Wentian. However, other than a trace of sadness, she showed no other emotion. Just like what Qin Wentian had said, the era was already changing. Countless stones are stepped upon for the birth of an existence that could suppress the era. Sadly now in this realm, she had unfortunately became one of those stepping stones.
The other two battles had yet to end. Fan Mengyu's ranking was designated by Qin Wentian's victory. She was ranked #7 among this batch of participants.
A short time later, Ji Feixue was finally defeated by Hua Taixu. There were no miracles, and his ranking was fixed at #6.
Li Tian's battle with Dongyue Hanjiang was the most intense, it could even shake the heavens and earth, causing the wind and clouds to change. At the end, Li Tian was the final victor. This mean that Dongyue Hanjiang's ranking was #5 among this batch of participants that had come to the Immortal Martial Realm.
The rankings from the 5th to 10th were now revealed. They were respectively: Dongyue Hanjiang, Ji Feixue, Fan Miaoyu, Chi Lian, Lou Bingyu, and Si Ling.
The remaining four participants would be ranked at the top These four were: Gu Liufeng, Hua Taixu, Li Tian, and Qin Wentian!
The journey into the Immortal Martial Realm was soon coming to an end.
In this battle, the one that made the most people feel thunderstruck was naturally Qin Wentian, followed by Hua Taixu.
For the eight era-suppressing geniuses, Qin Wentian had eliminated three of them by himself. Such a remarkable battle record was so exemplary that no one could match it. Right now, the one feeling the most uncomfortable would be Li Tian. He needed to rack up one more victory before he could advance to the seventh row. But of the other remaining three participants, any one of them would cause anyone who faced them to feel a sense of utter despair.
If no unexpected things occurred, Gu Liufeng, Hua Taixu, and Qin Wentian would be ranked as the top three of this batch of participants that ventured into the Immortal Martial Realm.
"The top three rankings...before this, who would have thought that Qin Wentian would be ranked within it? In addition to this, of all the Nine Great Sects, Seven Supreme Clans, and two grand empires, only Qin Wentian belonged to one of the Nine Great Sects. Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu weren't members from any of the top-tier powers at all," the spectators all sighed in their hearts. If those inside could see that scene, they would surely be shocked to the point of speechlessness.
Di Shi had been observing the fights from the first row of the monuments. Right now, both his fists were tightly clenched, and killing intent flickered in his eyes when he stared at Qin Wentian. This bout of killing intent gushed forth from him unmasked, he didn't even have an opportunity to acquire an immortal art and was already ousted by Qin Wentian.
Not long ago, Qin Wentian who killed his brother was still unable to fight him head on. But currently, he had already defeated him in the Immortal Martial Realm.
Not only was Di Shi in a daze, even Ji Feixue and Duan Han couldn't believe their eyes. Of the three senior members of the Battle Sword Sect here - Ji Feixue, Duan Han, and Lou Bingyu - not one of them had imagined that Qin Wentian would be the one among them to walk all the way to the end of the path.
"Junior brother Qin truly gives people surprises," Ji Feixue bitterly smiled, feeling somewhat complicated in his heart.
Lou Bingyu's heart was similarly rocked by great waves when she stared at the figure before her. She glanced once more at Ji Feixue beside her while thinking in her heart that from now onwards, Qin Wentian's status in the Battle Sword Sect would be equivalent to his.
Outside the Immortal Martial Realm, on the huge ranking monument, the seventy-plus names were still shimmering with light and squirming about. Each of these names were famous characters in the Royal Sacred Region, with the eight era-suppressing geniuses included among them. What would the actual rankings be when this event concluded?
"I wonder how the situation is inside, the names of the top ten should have already been decided, I guess?"
"Who do you think the top ten would be in this batch of participants who ventured into the Immortal Martial Realm?" Many were probing.
"The eight era-suppressing geniuses should be ranked as the top eight, and one of the remaining two might be Si Ling from the Violet Thunder Sect, as after all, he could be considered very powerful. There's also a possibility for the remaining one to be either the Saint Child of the Supreme Demon Sect, Lou Bingyu of the Battle Sword Sect, Nangong Shuang of the Nangong Aristocrat Clan, or Lin Xian'er of the Celestial Maiden Sect. They all have very high odds of being ranked among the top ten."
"Hmm, logical. However what about the top three? I'm guessing Gu Liufeng would be ranked first, Fan Miaoyu ranked second, and Li Tian ranked third."
"I guess Gu Liufeng will be number one, Chi Lian will be number two, and Di Shi will be number three."
Many people were all speaking in low voices, speculating about the ranking. The number one from the guesses of many was none other than Gu Liufeng. For the number two and three, everyone had different views. However, among the guessing for the top three rankings, Hua Taixu's name appeared the least as, after all, he shot to fame the latest. And regarding Qin Wentian, his name didn't even appear in the guesses for the top ten names. After all, the crowd outside the Immortal Martial Realm had no way to see what was happening within!
Chapter 592: Eve of the Decisive Battle
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
Within the Immortal Martial Realm, the battles on the floating bridges had all but stopped. Several people proceeded downwards, wanting to watch the soon-to-arrive final battle at a closer distance.
Only a few grand battles remained for this journey inside the Immortal Martial Realm before the final ranking would be revealed.
Very swiftly a vast number of the spectators descended the bridges and moved near the path of the stone monuments. Of those who entered the Immortal Martial Realm at the start, only 20% remained. The other 80% had all fallen through the various tests. How terrifying was this?
This Immortal Martial Realm was once again the burial grounds for so many elite talents of the Royal Sacred Region. All who fell in the Immortal Martial Realm became nothing more than stepping stones. Stones that those whose names were currently floating on the ranking monument used to ascend to greater heights. Right now, those names exuded an aura of bloodiness that was formed from the millions of dried up skeletons of all those who had died within the realm.
Di Shi felt many people staring at him as his countenance grew heavy and sinister. The people who were on the floating bridges couldn't feel it because of the distance earlier, but right now the killing intent permeating the air was incredibly overwhelming. After all, Di Shi was the only one out of the eight era-suppressing geniuses who wasn't ranked in the top ten. If one were to speak of participants who felt the most embarrassed, he ranked top among them. Naturally, the number of gazes he attracted was higher than the others.
If it was any normal day, Di Shi wouldn't care about how many people were staring at him. In fact, no matter where he went, the attention of everyone was always focused upon him. But today, under such circumstances, he felt that these stares were extremely eye-piercing, causing a baleful aura to emanate from his body. Many people instantly averted their eyes when they felt that aura, this baleful aura was like dark clouds above the heads of everyone, feeling as if a thunderstorm might descend at any moment.
Di Shi turned his head, looking over the other spectators. The first ones he saw were the other members of the supreme Di Clan. Their eyes all held faint traces of disappointment, causing Di Shi's heart to be filled with a piercing pain. It was at this time that Di Shi remembered something important. The elders of the Supreme Di Clan mentioned that many of them would personally pay a visit to the Immortal Martial City. They wanted to see for themselves his name shining dazzlingly on the ranking monument outside the entrance of the Immortal Martial Realm.
He simply didn't dare to consider how disappointed the elders of his clan would be when they saw that he, Di Shi, wasn't even ranked within the top ten. And in addition, not long ago he had witnessed his younger brother Di Yu being killed in front of him. Di Yu was someone the supreme Di Clan had nurtured as one of their future leaders. After Di Shi stepped into Celestial Phenomenon, Di Yu would have replaced him as one of the eight era-suppressing geniuses.
But now, everything had been destroyed by Qin Wentian.
"Mhm?" At that moment, Di Shi noticed Fan Le and the rest as his the killing intent in his eyes erupted forth in an incomparably intense manner. It was precisely because this group of people had a conflict with Di Yu which ultimately led to his brother Di Yu being killed. These people actually still dared to appear before him? They simply didn't want their lives any longer.
Fan Le and the others stood at the forefront, they weren't expecting Di Shi to shoot them such a venomous look. Ye Lingshuang's brows were also furrowed, but she wasn't too worried. Her relationship with her senior brother Duan Han was pretty good, hence the instant their group descended the bridge, she instantly led the way over to Duan Han's side precisely in case such a scenario occurred.
But, Ye Lingshuang's gaze swiftly stiffened. Because she saw that Di Shi directly lunged towards them. As resplendent light radiated from him, a terrible baleful aura gushing forth. His body was akin to a ferocious primordial bird of prey, transforming into a hurricane that swept through space. Those who were in his way hurriedly dodged and threw themselves out from the path. Those who couldn't escape fast enough were forcibly knocked away as they coughed out blood from the impact.
In the blink of an eye, Di Shi tore through space and instantly landed before Fan Le and his group. Duan Han naturally saw him, and swept out with his sword, the skies dimmed. Within this darkness, the light radiating from Di Shi got even more resplendent, shining defiantly. His palms explosively blasted out as terrifying ferocious birds of prey manifested, intending on ripping Duan Han's sword attack into nothingness.
"Not good." Ye Lingshuang's countenance abruptly changed. Eighth-level of Heavenly Dipper, she had forgotten the fact that Di Shi's cultivation base leveled up within the Immortal Martial Realm.
The sword of darkness slashed out in rage, as though wanting to split the night itself apart. However only to see Di Shi's body manifesting numerous incarnations that exploded forth at the same moment, destroying everything. This was none other than a power he cultivated from one of the stone monuments, he could use it directly in combat.
BOOM!
Duan Han was directly sent flying, causing the hearts of others to shake with terror. Di Shi was about to obtain his revenge.
"DIE!" Di Shi coldly shouted. At the same time, several of his incarnations lunged towards Fan Le and his group, causing their countenances to be filled with despair. They would undoubtedly die to this attack! In front of Di Shi, they had no way to resist in the slightest.
Di Shi was ultimately still Di Shi, an era-suppressing genius. Although he was defeated on the path of the monuments, there was no need to doubt how powerful he was. Considering that his cultivation base had already broken through to the eighth level, there would scarcely be any opponents for him in the Heavenly Dipper Realm throughout the entire Royal Sacred Region.
On the other side, Ji Feixue and Lou Bingyu had noticed when Di Shi unleashed his attack, and they rushed over with their greatest speed. Although it seemed that they would soon arrive, they were obviously unable to make it in time. They were behind Di Shi, so they had no way to intercept his attack that was currently blasting towards Ye Lingshuang and the rest.
"DI SHI!" Ji Feixue howled in anger as a sword beam slashed out towards him. A single sword slashes horizontally across the sky, lacerating the void.
BOOM!
Di Shi's attack landed, but the impact wasn't as overwhelming as one would imagine. A beautiful silhouette had appeared there, negating the power of his strike. That silhouette who was as beautiful as a celestial maiden caused the hearts of people to thump rapidly. It was actually Lin Xian'er who had blocked Di Shi's attack.
Di Shi's attack was filled with the entirety of his strength and powered by his anger, Lin Xian'er was directly knocked flying as a result of her hurried defense, the impact causing her to cough out blood that stained her dress red. The sight of that caused pain to fill the hearts of those spectating.
Di Shi who has broken through to the eighth-level of Heavenly Dipper was simply too domineering. Although Lin Xian'er was a Heaven Chosen, her cultivation base was lower than Di Shi, and was injured after just one exchange. She was knocked through the air by the blow and slammed into Ye Lingshuang, the impact also causing Ye Lingshuang to be seriously injured. After all, Ye Lingshuang's cultivation base was still under the suppression effect.
But fortunately, her interception bought enough time for Ji Feixue and Lou Bingyu to arrive. Their attacks lashed out mercilessly, forcing Di Shi to turn and defend against them.
A grand battle instantly erupted among the three of them. Although Ji Feixue's cultivation base had improved, he still hadn't broken through to the eighth-level. And similarly as an era-suppressing genius, the difference in their cultivation bases could quickly be seen in the gap in power of their attacks. Di Shi's attacks were violent and filled with a baleful aura, blasting until Ji Feixue and Lou Bingyu could only defend. Duan Han rushed up and joined the melee, but despite the three of them cooperating, they didn't seem to be able to hold back Di Shi.
"Hold your hand." A cold voice sounded out into the ear drums of Di Shi and the others. After which they saw a white-robed envoy soaring up the skies coldly regarding them, "Whoever dares to fight here and disturb the comprehension of the participants still on the path of the monuments, I shall kill without mercy."
Upon hearing that, Di Shi had no choice but to stop. His cold eyes glanced from Ji Feixue to Fan Le and the others as he icily spoke, "The Royal Sacred Region is very vast, but there will never be a place for any of you."
"Arrogant." Ji Feixue's voice was iron-sharp, as sword qi from him permeated the air.
"Right now in this generation of members from the Battle Sword Sect, I'm afraid that there's no one who can stop me killing those I want to kill. Ji Feixue, if you stand in my way, I shall kill you along with Qin Wentian." Di Shi pointed his finger at Ji Feixue, acting in an incomparably arrogant manner.
This caused the members of the Battle Sword Sect to pale, yet soon after, they heard Ye Lingshuang's reply, "Don't forget how you were defeated earlier. Since Wentian can defeat you in here, he can similarly defeat you out there in the future."
"Is that so? I shall wait for him to deliver himself to death." Di Shi stared at Qin Wentian who was still on the path of the monuments as his killing intent grew sharper. The person Di Shi wished to kill the most was undoubtedly Qin Wentian.
Right now, Qin Wentian was in a quiet state of self-immersion as he tried to comprehend the power within the stone monument had had chosen. He had no idea of what just happened. Earlier, he'd chose a stone monument that radiated dreamforce. Such a stone monument was exceedingly rare, and he only managed to find one after arriving at the fifth row. Naturally, he couldn't miss such an opportunity.
Even before coming in here, Qin Wentian had already cultivated the Great Dream Immortal Art, and was proficient in the Mandate of Dreamsleep. The power within this stone monument was to unleash the will of one's Mandate through one's eyes, creating a dreamscape that caused others to unknowingly fall into it. This was an extremely terrifying art, Qin Wentian could faintly sense that if one completely mastered this, they would be able to create a dreamscape on the level of the dream he had experienced in the Royal Tomb of Grand Xia, sinking his opponents into a nightmare so real that they would have no idea it was merely a dream and would be unable to awaken from it.
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Time flowed by, it was unknown how long it had been since the participants had entered the Immortal Martial Realm. Among the remaining four, other than Qin Wentian who was still on the fifth row, the other three were all already on the sixth row. At this moment when the final battle would soon commence, the participants wished to comprehend the power within the stone monuments they had chosen even more thoroughly because the instant their perception retracted from one, their comprehension rate would slow down greatly.
Battle finally erupted as Li Tian challenged Hua Taixu. If he didn't defeat one more person, he would be unable to advance towards the seventh row of stone monuments. Hence, all the other three had a choice, but Li Tian didn't.
The defeat of Li Tian determined the top three rankings, allowing the spectators to have a clearer understanding of the mysterious Hua Taixu. The earlier low-profiled Qin Wentian, the mysterious Hua Taixu; both of them were the same as Gu Liufeng, becoming the biggest winners of this batch of participants. Once the rankings were shown to the public, it would undoubtedly create terrifying tidal waves that would rock the hearts of everyone in the Royal Sacred Region.
Finally, Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu advanced towards the seventh row of stone monuments while Qin Wentian advanced to the sixth. It seemed like they had a tacit agreement of not acting against each other at this time.
Since Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu had already arrived at the seventh row, they naturally had to use their utmost efforts to gain comprehension from the power of the stone monuments they had chosen. As for the fight to determine their rankings, none of them were in a hurry at all.
This time on the sixth row, Qin Wentian chose a stone monument that radiated a sword intent. Qin Wentian chose this without hesitation because this could complement his martial Mandate perfectly.
In the space of the stone monument, Qin Wentian lifted his head and stared at the skies. There weren't any resplendent runic words that imparted to him the formulae of any magnificent sword technique, nor was there a domineering sword art that could tear heaven and earth asunder. The only thing present was a faint sense of sword qi exuding from a lone silhouette standing in the middle of the air. The feeling this silhouette projected was that humans were in fact the masters of the sword. The sword might in the air didn't originate from his sword, but from his person instead. And also, this sword might wasn't generated from any variation of the Mandate of Sword, but rather was simply a pure and unadulterated sword sense.
"To reach this realm, one's Mandate of Sword most definitely must have already reached the great perfection boundary of the second level. Not only that, a single thought from that person could manifest a sword," Qin Wentian silently speculated as he sank into a state of comprehension.
The last battle would soon arrive, yet there was only silence on the path of the monuments. This bout of silence persisted, yet none of the spectators showed any signs of impatience. They were all quietly waiting, waiting for the soon to come decisive final battle!
Chapter 593: Message from an Immortal
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
This time around, Qin Wentian stayed in front of his chosen monument for a total of eighteen days before he advanced towards the seventh row of monuments.
Over at the seventh row, there were only three stone monuments and not only that, there weren't any powerful fluctuations from any of the three. Qin Wentian actually couldn't use his perception to sense what power each monument contained, and right now Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu both had already chosen a monument, leaving behind only one for him. He could either defeat one of them and seize their monument for himself, or he could simply choose the unchosen monument.
In the end, Qin Wentian chose the last remaining monument. He stood there stunned the moment his perception entered it. Within the space of the stone monument, Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu were actually already there with their backs facing him. It turned out that these three were inter-connected.
In front of Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu was a statue of a male. However just casting a single glance at that statue caused the hearts of people to be inspired to worship, making them wanting nothing more than to grovel on the ground and pay respect to it.
"This is..." Qin Wentian felt somewhat taken aback. He stepped forwards, and walked to the side of Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu as he stared at that statue, feeling the stunning impact that statue generated.
"All of you have finally arrived..." At this moment, a voice sprang from the void, entering their minds and causing their hearts to involuntarily shudder as they stared with amazement at the statue ahead.
"Is that senior speaking?" Gu Liufeng stared at the statue as he asked, only to see that the statue light up all of a sudden.
"Yes." Another voice rang out. The hearts of Qin Wentian and the others trembled once more. Could it be that the will of a supreme super-expert actually resided in this statue?
"Don't need to feel bewildered, this seat is the master of the Immortal Martial Realm. Back then I originated from the Royal Sacred Region, and since I've karmic ties here, I wished to do something for the Royal Sacred Region." The voice issuing from the statue was calm and serene. "Those who could arrive at this point from the previous batches all knew of my existence. Although I'm willing to bestow good fortune upon people from the Royal Sacred Region, I still need to see if these people have the qualifications. Hence, I set up the Immortal Martial Martial Realm with all the tests and trials in it."
Although the hearts of Qin Wentian and the others were still unable to calm down, they still quietly and seriously listened to the words spoken. The statue before them was a true legendary immortal existence on the same level as the sect leader of the Royal Sacred Sect. Only characters of this level would be able to govern an entire region, their each and every action affecting a multitude of lives. One could imagine how great and terrifying the power they wielded was.
Right now in front of them was precisely such a character.
"Those who could advance to the seventh row of monuments will all be able to obtain some items I left behind, and you are all protected against further deaths even if you lost in combat. Since you could stand here before me, all of you can be considered the most supreme characters in the Royal Sacred Region of this generation." The voice of the statue was as serene as ever, as calm as water, causing comfort to those who heard it, like a gust of spring wind.
"To you, the Royal Sacred Region is incomparably vast. Maybe you feel that it's so vast that it represents the entire world. However, the real world is far from what you can imagine, only after walking out of here would you know truly what the word 'vast' means. The Immortal Martial Realm is something I created, and the envoys here are all from my sect. If in the future you wish to leave the Royal Sacred Region, just come to the Immortal Martial Realm. The envoys here will lead you, they will arrange everything, and bring you out of the Royal Sacred Region.
The tone of the statue remained the same. After which, it laughed as it continued, "I won't speak too much, I believe that all of you have your own ideas. Just come whenever you are ready to leave, the Immortal Martial Realm will welcome you anytime."
After speaking, that statue dimmed and no other sounds issued forth from it.
However, Qin Wentian, Hua Taixu, and Gu Liufeng found it exceedingly tough to remain calm.
There was no need to doubt that this Immortal Martial Realm was left behind by an immortal. The immortal had already hinted a great deal earlier, all three of them were extremely intelligent and soon, everything became clear to them.
In the Royal Sacred Region, the Royal Sacred Sect was a supreme existence. The monstrous geniuses and strongest of the strong would all gather in the Royal Sacred Sect, thus leading to their current unrivalled position. However in this world, there wasn't just the Royal Sacred Region. There were many other powers that had no affiliation with it. An example was the sect which the master of the Immortal Martial Realm belonged to.
The Master of the Immortal Martial Realm created the realm in the Royal Sacred Region to repay any karmic ties he had left to this place. But naturally, there was another unspoken reason. His other purpose was undoubtedly to recruit talents for his sect.
If a power wanted to be strong, they had to unceasingly attract top talents from the later generations. People who could walk to the very end in the Immortal Martial Realm were undoubtedly the most outstanding characters in their generation. Perhaps only one or two would appear in ten years. But what about a hundred years? Or ten thousand years?
When one reached the level of immortals, it was unknown how long their lifespans would be, maybe numbering in the span of over tens of thousands of years. If characters at that level were to open a sect, and used such a method to filter out the most elite of the younger generations to join, it would naturally yield excellent results. At the same time, there would be some absolute geniuses of the Royal Sacred Region that could use the Immortal Martial Realm to exit this region. But if they chose to receive the aid of the realm, they would undoubtedly end up disciples under the sect of the master of this Immortal Martial Realm. If not, there was no way the Immortal Martial Realm would be willing to expend such great effort to open up a path for people to exit the Royal Sacred Realm freely.
Since the Immortal Martial Realm could exist for so long in the Royal Sacred Region with no interference from the Royal Sacred Sect, one could see how powerful the master of the Immortal Martial Realm was. In addition, participants who could walk to the end of the path inside the realm would definitely be able to acquire immortal arts. Since the Master of the realm was able to so casually impart them these immortal arts, how strong was he exactly? He might even be an existence that surpassed the sect leader of the Royal Sacred Sect. Such an invitation was undoubtedly tempting and without a doubt, for the past batches of top participants. There were surely many who chose to leave with the aid from the Immortal Martial Realm.
For example,the Human Emperor of Ye, Ye Qingyun! If it wasn't for the fact that he still was attached to ancient Ye, he would have long left. If he could find a suitable successor, why wouldn't he leave?
The master of the Immortal Martial Realm was extremely intelligent, setting the Immortal Martial Realm in the Royal Sacred Region and using such gentle methods to entice them. Such a strategy wasn't something an ordinary man would be able to think of.
"Everything will soon come to an end." Gu Liufeng turned and faced Qin Wentian and Hua Taixu. The three of them exchanged glances. After this, would be the battle between the three of them to determine the final top three rankings of this batch of participants.
"Your courage is impressive. Although everyone understood that choosing to solidify one's foundation right at the first row of the stone monuments would be beneficial at the end, the only one who dared do this was you. This was a risk you took which paid off." Gu Liufeng smiled at Qin Wentian, he didn't seem to project an air of an opponent. The three of them had cultivated the power of six stone monuments but the one whose foundation was the most stable was undoubtedly Qin Wentian.
"If the first to attack me wasn't Di Shi, but you instead, maybe the ending would have been different," Qin Wentian smiled as he replied. Gu Liufeng was the person who advanced the fastest, and was proficient in the use of the bow and arrow. If he had taken the opportunity to get rid of Qin Wentian, who had chosen to remain behind on the first row earlier, that was a high possibility that Qin Wentian might have really been ousted.
But clearly Gu Liufeng had disdained doing that.
Qin Wentian then turned his gaze onto Hua Taixu. Right now, Hua Taixu's aura was even more extraordinary than before, actually giving off an odd kind of sensation to others, reverting from complexity back into simplicity.
"Back in Grand Xia, the vast majority of people all believed that I would die by your hands. Now that we actually encountered each other in here, it seems that the battle between us is inevitable," Qin Wentian slowly spoke.
Hua Taixu locked gazes with Qin Wentian, no emotions could be seen in his eyes. It was unknown what he was thinking about.
"In truth, I don't hate you as much as people think I do," Hua Taixu replied. "There's no need to doubt how outstanding you are. The first time I met you was back then when we were both still in Chu. At that time, I didn't even think about killing you because simply, you weren't qualified to be my enemy. Even after you killed Xiaoyun, you still weren't qualified to be. Things didn't change until the moment when you ranked first in Heavenly Fate Rankings.
"There's no wrong in you killing Xiaoyun. Based on what he had attempted to do to Mo Qingcheng, it's perfectly justifiable that you wanted his death. However, no matter what, he is still my younger brother. No matter how much of a bastard he is, I will still take revenge for him. Even though I admire you, if there's a chance for me to kill you, I wouldn't show any mercy. If we met on the outside, you must definitely have the determination to kill me because if you do not, I would think of ideas to take your life. There's only one point I want to make things clear with you. I don't wish for the grudge between us both to implicate others such as our close friends and family. Let this be considered as me leaving a path of survival for the Hua Clan. After all, facing against an opponent such as you, if I failed to kill you, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for my Hua Clan. And I will promise you this; even if I kill you, I will never touch those close to you."
Hua Taixu's voice was exceedingly calm. Qin Wentian stared into that pair of clear and slightly illusory eyes as he nodded and reply, "You who were the number one in the Heavenly Fate Rankings have always been levels above Chen Wang. The distance between the two of you is something he will never be able to overcome."
"How should we battle?" Hua Taixu asked, as he cast a glance at Gu Liufeng.
Gu Liufeng merely smiled as his silhouette flickered. Swiftly after, the three of them separated and stood in a triangular formation. Each of them exuded a terrifying aura, as raging winds kicked up around them. They seemed to have come to a mutual tacit understanding, able to understand the intentions of each other through their eyes.
"Bzzz!" A resplendent light inundated the area as a bow appeared in Gu Liufeng's hand. Astral light flashed as arrows broke the void, shooting straight towards Hua Taixu and Qin Wentian.
Instantly, in the eyes of the spectators, a beam of radiant light shot through the seventh row where the three stone monuments were at.
"The battle commenced. Why is there no image projection for this final deciding battle?" Those spectators all glanced at each other in bewilderment. When they saw light radiating from the three stone monuments earlier, they instantly understood that the final battle has commenced.
Gu Liufeng's arrows were blindingly fast, at the extreme limits of speed, and contained a terrifying penetrating strength within. Hua Taixu's body didn't seem to exist in this reality, fading in and out of the void whenever the arrows slammed into him. And as for Qin Wentian, his entire body turned into a gleaming golden as he blasted out with Star-Seizing palm strikes, shattering the arrows through pure might.
Gu Liufeng calmly stood at his original spot. He aimed his bow upwards - he didn't aim his arrows towards them, but up at the sky instead. After which, a storm of arrows rained down from the heavens, resembling streams of shooting stars that blasted down upon Qin Wentian and Hua Taixu with unbelievable speed and force.
Bang, Bang, Bang!
Everything in the dimensional space was buried by that rain of arrows. Hua Taixu was repeatedly hit, but every time the arrows sunk into him, his true body would fade out of existence and appear in another location. Qin Wentian transformed into a giant, exuding such a forceful presence that none of the arrows were able to injure him despite landing on him.
The three stone monuments unceasingly flashed with resplendent light, causing the hearts of the spectators to thump even harder. What an intense astral light, although there wasn't any image projection, they could still see some things in the blurry outlines from the light that radiated from the monument. Right now, it was as though they saw a rain of shooting stars ravaging everything in that space. At this moment, the spectators wanted nothing more than to rush upwards and sink their perceptions within the stone monument so as to have a closer look at the final battle.
Hua Taixu transformed into a blurry shadow that lengthened unceasingly, advancing towards both Qin Wentian and Gu Liufeng. This shadow would sometimes separate before merging back together. This process continued for an endless amount of time before a million shadows appeared as they simultaneously unleashed an attack towards Qin Wentian and Gu Liufeng.
The bow in Gu Liufeng's hand vanished, replaced by a saber. When the saber light flashed through the air, the calm lake severed the moon, tearing the entire world asunder.
BOOM!
Qin Wentian stepped out. His foot stomped upon the ground with a might that was capable of suppressing everything. The fiendgod which he transformed into moved at the speed of lightning as a pair of golden wings took form behind him, rushing towards Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu.
A bellow of rage with such power thundered out, shaking the heavens and earth so much that they were about to crumble apart. In the air, a countless number of fiendgod incarnations appeared as they blasted forth with torrential might, manifesting millions upon millions of Star-Seizing palm imprints that engulfed this entire space, sweeping across everything.
"In front of true strength, everything else is nothing. UNIFIED FORCE BREAKING THROUGH THE VOID (Taixu)!" Qin Wentian howled in rage as his fiendgod incarnations descended downwards, stomping upon the ground. He unleashed another barrage of overwhelming destruction, causing everything in this space to turn topsy-turvy.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two groans of misery rang out. Hua Taixu was forced out of the void by the barrage of Qin Wentian's attacks. He reappeared in this reality as blood leaked from the corner of his lips. Gu Liufeng was similarly injured as well. The two of them turned their gazes onto the millions of fiendgod incarnations as a hint of admiration appeared in their eyes.
After which, both Hua Taixu and Gu Liufeng both dashed out towards Qin Wentian at the same time, acting together. The spectators all felt their palms growing wet with perspiration. Although they could only see blurry outlines of what was happening, with no way to distinguish who was who, all of them were so seized with nervousness that even their breathing became labored!
Chapter 594: Major Characters of the Various Powers Arriving
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
Only three people were in combat, but all the participants inside the Immortal Martial Realm were crowding around, jostling each other and hoping to get a better view. Right now they could only see the three stone monuments unceasingly radiating light, as though painting a picture of a heaven-shocking chaotic battle between Gu Liufeng, Hua Taixu, and Qin Wentian.
Beads of perspiration fell from the foreheads of many. Even the breathing of the other absolute era-suppressing geniuses had became labored. They had all been eliminated, leaving behind only Hua Taixu and Gu Liufeng. Would these two be able to uphold the honor of the era-suppressing geniuses? Or would today be a day for the rise of another era-suppressing genius?
Before this battle was concluded, nobody knew the answer. Although Qin Wentian was very powerful, Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu were people who had advanced to the seventh row as well. How could any of them be weak?
However, the spectators were all far from happy. Unhappy because there was no clear image projection for them to spectate this final deciding battle fully even as they swelled with admiration.
However, there were people who were even unhappier than them. Although they weren't able to see the battle clearly, they could at least still see blurry silhouettes in combat. For those that were outside the realm, they couldn't see a single thing. Not one of those outside knew anything about what occurred on the inside. They only knew that there were around seventy-plus people strong enough to be ranked, and these people were all undergoing more tests and trials to determine their ultimate ranking.
Above the sky and on the ground, there was a countless number of people. Outside the Immortal Martial Realm, the characters at the forefront were no longer Heavenly Dipper Sovereigns. They were all replaced by Celestial Phenomenon Ascendants from the various major powers instead.
For example, the experts from the Nangong Aristocrat Clan had all arrived. They were all clad in long robes, appearing extremely carefree. But their eyes were blazing with fire as they stared at a particular floating name on the ranking monument.
"Nangong Shuang, will you be able to rank within the top ten?" those from the Nangong Aristocrat Clan murmured.
"Lunatic ravings," a cold voice drifted over. Those from the Nangong Aristocrat Clan turned their gazes over to the person who spoke. It was none other than a cultivator sitting atop a gigantic Abyss Demonic Wolf. The cultivators around him all exuded an intense demonic aura, filled with tyranny and balefulness. These were none other than experts from the Supreme Demon Sect.
"The name of the Saint Child of your Supreme Demon Sect didn't even appear on the ranking monument, yet all of you actually dared to talk big in front of us?" An expert from the Nangong Aristocrat Clan pointed at the ranking monument as he coldly laughed.
Those from the Supreme Demon Sect all felt their sore spots being poked as their countenances turned ashen. One among them icily stated, "When he is out, we will definitely question him as to why."
"Maybe, he will never come out again," the expert from the Nangong Aristocrat Clan mockingly replied. Causing the countenance of those from the Supreme Demon Sect to turn even more unsightly.
"Hantian, Hanyou, both of you has truly let our Li Clan down." The experts from the Li Clan had also arrived. They stared at the stone monument and sighed, both Li Hantian and Li Hanyou's names failed to make it up the ranking monument.
"Hanyou is still young, the timing wasn't right for her. If she hasn't ascended to Celestial Phenomenon ten years from now, maybe she can try again. Regarding this failure, there's nothing for us to be concerned about right now," a cold voice drifted over. The other experts of the Li Clan nodded their heads in agreement as they turned to a woman standing on a stone pillar. This person was none other than Li Hanyou's master, the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness. She naturally had the qualifications to say such words.
"The name of the beloved disciple of the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness is on the ranking monument. What do you think her ranking will be?" an expert from the Li Clan asked.
"Top ten," the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness answered in a faint voice that contained an intense self-confidence. She had personally arrived here to wait because she wanted to see the name of her disciple Lou Bingyu dazzle the crowd.
'The performance of our Battle Sword Sect isn't bad this time around, there are a total of four names on the ranking monument: Ji Feixue, Duan Han, Lou Bingyu, and Qin Wentian," a middle-aged man who stood beside the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness stated. He was clad in a fiery robe and exuded an extraordinary aura. This was none other than the Flame Mountain Sword Sovereign of the Nine Sword Sovereigns of the Battle Sword Sect. He had coincidentally passed by here and so decided to head towards the Immortal Martial Realm to take a look out of curiosity.
The Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness cast a glance at the three words 'Qin Wentian' on the ranking monument as her brow creased. She involuntarily recalled the words that young man spoke to her when back in ancient Ye. She then coldly snorted, "Qin Wentian could enter the rankings maybe because of the help people like Ji Feixue and Duan Han provided. He's merely a character at the absolute bottom, there to make up the numbers."
"Hehe," the Flame Mountain Sword Sovereign laughed, but didn't say anything in reply. He knew that the personality of this woman was extremely stubborn. In any case with regards to this character, Qin Wentian. He wasn't that familiar with him.
As the sound of the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness' voice faded, she suddenly frowned. She could feel an intense sense of coldness directed at her. When she glanced back, she saw several silhouettes walking over, with two old men in the lead. One among them was slovenly in dress and manner, his disheveled beard fluttering in the wind, yet he exuded a sense of immortality. Earlier, the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness could clearly feel the sharp gaze of this old man directed at her. But now when she turned back, she saw that they were just casually glancing over.
"Who are you both?" The Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness' gaze turned sharp. She couldn't see through these two old men at all, and she could swear that she had never met them before in her entire life.
Several people turned their gazes over. This group of newcomers all possessed extraordinary demeanor. Although they seemed casual and relaxed, they possessed the bearing of great masters.
The countenances of the two old men were as calm as water. They turned their gazes aside, no longer glancing at the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness. They landed atop a stone pillar and stared at the ranking monument ahead. Their eyes flickered with smiles, appearing as carefree as the wind and clouds.
Mo Qingcheng and the other maidens from the Medicine Sovereign Valley instantly rushed over. Her eyes flashed with a brilliant grow as expressions of dumbfounded amazement appeared on the faces of the other maidens, because they saw that the people following behind these two men were actually the doyens and elders of the Medicine Sovereign Valley.
In that case, what were the identities of the two old men leading them?
Mo Qingcheng walked to the slovenly old man on the left. Her eyes stared at the ground, not daring to look up as her dainty fist was clenched in nervousness.
The old man glanced at Mo Qingcheng as a deep smile appeared on his face. After which, he laughed and spoke, "I heard that you've fallen in love? Which genius of the Royal Sacred Region has caught your eye?"
As the sound of his voice faded, the hearts of the maidens from the Medicine Sovereign Valley all violently pounded. In the entire Medicine Sovereign Valley, the only one who could talk to Mo Qingcheng in this manner and cause her to be so cautious... other than that elusive existence, who else could it be?
Their hearts thumped wildly, their silhouettes flickered as they arrived below the stone pillar and knelt down while respectfully greeting, "Your disciples greets the Medicine Sovereign, and the elders and doyens."
"The Medicine Sovereign!"
The instant this two words rang out in the air, a huge wave rocked the hearts of people. Countless gazes instantly shifted onto the two men who stood at the forefront on that stone pillar.
The Medicine Sovereign Valley has always stood aloof from worldly affairs. Although the Medicine Sovereign never bothered about events happening in the external world, as someone at the very peak of medicine in the entire Royal Sacred Region there was no need to doubt the fact that his status was transcendent.
The Medicine Sovereign actually personally came to this place? When had the man who stood at the peak in the world of medicine ever been interested in a martial-tempering ground like the Immortal Martial Realm?
"His visit here should be because of Holy Maiden Mo Qingcheng. It's rumored that the Medicine Sovereign doted on her absolutely, and now that the Holy Maiden has fallen in love, how could he still remain silent? That fellow Qin Wentian is in for it now, he actually 'abducted' the Medicine Sovereign's most favored disciple without first seeking his approval," several among the crowd was speculating. No wonder Mo Qingcheng seemed so nervous. She must have been worried about the Medicine Sovereign's attitude.
A sharp glow flashed in the eyes of the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness. She was already extremely unhappy when the Medicine Sovereign ignored her, to the extent that she exuded anger. In the entire Royal Sacred Region, there weren't many who dared to snub her, but just so coincidently, the Medicine Sovereign was one of the rare few.
Thinking of this, a trace of depression couldn't help but bloom in the Sword Sovereigness' heart. This undying old fart was rumored to have lived already for an unknown number of years. Occasionally there would be rumors circulated that he had died. The last time such a rumor had circulated was twenty-plus years ago. Rumors were spread that the Medicine Sovereign was already on the brink of death, but right now, it seemed that the rumors were completely bull. The Medicine Sovereign looked to be in excellent shape, as well as he ever was.
It was also rumored that the Medicine Sovereign's pride was exceedingly high. There were many experts from ancient countries and large reclusive sects that begged for a meeting with him only to be turned away. The Human Emperor of Ye wanted to beg the Medicine Sovereign for help when he was on the verge of death, sending many treasures over, only to receive the help of the Holy Maiden in return. From this one could see how difficult it was for one to ask the Medicine Sovereign for his help.
Upon thinking of that, the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness turned her gaze onto Qin Wentian's name. Since the Medicine Sovereign was here because of Mo Qingcheng, he would definitely teach the brat a lesson, showing him how tall the heavens were and how vast the world was.
The fact that the Medicine Sovereign would come to the Immortal Martial Realm personally instantly set off huge waves. Although characters of the upper echelons in many top-tier powers, including the Sword Sovereigns of the Battle Sword Sect, and Supremacies of the Violet Thunder Sect, none of them had a status that could hold a candle to the Medicine Sovereign.
Qin Wentian's name immediately became the focal point of the vast majority simply because of his love with Holy Maiden Mo Qingcheng. The Medicine Sovereign must have come here because of this matter.
"Master." Mo Qingcheng inclined her head after hearing the Medicine Sovereign's question. Her clear eyes flashed with traces of unyieldingness. Mo Qingcheng was very clear that since the Medicine Sovereign had already arrived here, how could he not know who Qin Wentian was? The Medicine Sovereign's words caused her to feel a sense of pressure.
"What? You've only been in love for such a short while and you are already staring at your master like that? Can't I even say a word? Ahhh...how heartless can you be?" the Medicine Sovereign sighed, causing Mo Qingcheng to hurriedly add, "Master's gratitude to me is as heavy as a mountain, you know I don't mean it in such a way."
"Haha. I know, I know." The Medicine Sovereign gently tousled Mo Qingcheng's hair, causing the hearts of many to be taken aback. Seemed like the rumors were true, everyone knew the Medicine Sovereign doted a lot on Mo Qingcheng. What they hadn't known was that he doted on her to such an extent.
"I truly want to see what sort of person this guy who 'abducted' my beloved disciple is. Would he be ranked first or second in this batch of participants who ventured into the Immortal Martial Realm?" The Medicine Sovereign stared at the ranking monument, giving off a sense of imposingness without being angry. His words made Mo Qingcheng even more nervous as her heart thumped rapidly unceasingly.
The sounds of discussion among the crowd instantly spread out. Ranked first or second? Was the Medicine Sovereign joking? Although Qin Wentian's talent was outstanding, it could already be counted as his great fortune if he managed to wriggle his way into the top twenty. One must know that an existence like the Saint Child of the Supreme Demon Sect didn't even make it onto the ranking monument! If those from the Supreme Demon Sect truly wished to question the Saint Child on the events that transpired within the Immortal Martial Realm, it was highly probable that they would be so angered that they would leave immediately once they learned of what transpired.
Chapter 595: Who Stands At The Peak?
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
Be it within or outside the Immortal Martial Realm, countless people were anticipating the results of the final battle.
In the space of the stone monuments, the battle had already intensified. Resplendent astral light enveloped Qin Wentian, he had transformed into a fiendgod and had an immense physique. Not only that, his body was golden in color, faintly exuding the aura of an invulnerable body as a pair of shining wings took form on his back. He possessed an indomitable force that could conquer every obstacle, as well as an insanely high defense.
However what sort of character was Gu Liufeng? The calm lake severs the moon, the Yi shooting down the nine heavens. He was the only one among the eight era-suppressing geniuses that hadn't joined any power and was also number one in the hearts of the vast majority among the spectators. He was the target of admiration for countless female Chosen and if it wasn't for the fact that the flowing wind (Liu-feng) wasn't lusty (Feng-liu), it was unknown how many maidens would be willing to give themselves to him.
Hua Taixu was unfathomable, but since he could advance to the last row of monuments together with Gu Liufeng, it could be seen how powerful he was. He was once the number one on the Heavenly Fate Rankings in Grand Xia, number two Chen Wang was sorely suppressed under him, the distance between them so far apart that they were simply on different levels. Although Grand Xia was termed a land of desolation and could not compare to the Royal Sacred Region, it didn't mean that Grand Xia would not have demon-level monstrous geniuses. It only meant that they still hadn't matured enough to explore the world outside Grand Xia. Two exceptions were clearly Qin Wentian and Hua Taixu, who had not only walked out of Grand Xia, they stood out as conspicuously brilliant.
Right now, Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu both felt the pressure Qin Wentian gave them, and so both of them unleashed their attacks towards him.
Hua Taixu still faded in and out of the void, inside a great emptiness illusion-scape of his own creation. In there, reality and illusion blended together, and each of Hua Taixu's incarnations were enveloped by a corona of radiant light. This corona unceasingly manifested beams of astral light which transformed into palm strikes of different styles that fired off towards Qin Wentian. The entire space was engulfed with the palm imprints as they erupted with mad speed towards Qin Wentian, wanting to collapse this entire space.
Hua Taixu, when he erupted forth with all his strength, was powerful enough to shake this world.
Gu Liufeng's arrows transformed into shooting stars that rained unceasingly downwards, slamming into Qin Wentian's body. At the same time, he stepped out as the saber-light from him grew even brighter, shooting out countless rays that had the power to slash apart the constellations. Even if Qin Wentian was in the form of a fiendgod and packed with overwhelming might, he was still shaken to his core when struck by those incomparably savage attacks.
Although Qin Wentian started to solidify his comprehension right from the first monument, Hua Taixu and Gu Liufeng's comprehension abilities were both also top-notch. They too had also taken the time to solidify their foundations and deepened their comprehension at the latter rows of monuments, resulting in the current might of their attacks.
The light enveloping Qin Wentian's fiendgod form grew increasingly resplendent. With a loud bellow, he stepped out, numerous incarnations appearing with their palms shimmering with enough power to pluck the constellations. Right now, many pairs of huge eyes were staring at Hua Taixu and Gu Liufeng. The bodies of all three of them were trembling violently from the impact of the collision. Gu Liufeng was exuding a saber-intent so powerful that it towered up into the heavens, while Qin Wentian exuded a surge of torrential sword-might.
DIE! DIE!
Two roars of rage reverberated through the entire space. Numerous Hua Taixu incarnations appeared around Qin Wentian's immense body, wanting to surround Qin Wentian completely. Each of Hua Taixu's incarnations struck out with a different palm strike, causing runic lights filled with utter destruction to cover the entire sky.
Gu Liufeng's saber-intent reached the extremity in power and was repeatedly slashing out against Qin Wentian's body, wanting to cut him into pieces. If his opponent hadn't been Qin Wentian and was instead Di Shi or any of the others, just this single saber strike would have been sufficient to turn them from living to dead.
Qin Wentian groaned in pain. At that instant, he could feel the invasive saber-light breaking through his defense while the manifestation of a gigantic saber slashed downwards, with enough power to split his fiendgod body apart.
"ARRGH!" Qin Wentian threw his head back and roared, his golden wings shining with a brilliant luster. His fiendgod body was shrouded protectively by his roc wings in defense while he blasted out towards the skies, causing countless streams of star-seizing palm imprints to collide into Hua Taixu. Rumbling explosive sounds resounded through the air, Qin Wentian then forcibly tore his golden wings apart and slashed outwards through the air.
BOOM!
As he advanced forward, his sword qi annihilated everything. The entire space within the stone monuments were trembling violently as though it was about to break apart at any second.
While in the Immortal Martial Realm, the spectators only saw the three stone monuments flaring with blinding light. Instantly, countless images interposed as the scene of a grand battle that could shake the heavens appeared in front of their eyes. After which, the light from the three monuments flared together at the same moment, intensifying and engulfing the entire Immortal Martial Realm. The magnitude of their battle in the space of the stone monuments was even powerful enough to affect the space outside.
Right now, humming sounds could be heard echoing from the stone monuments and even the earth itself was shaking. It was as though something was being summoned.
BOOM!
An explosive sound thundered out, the crowd felt the earth tremble violently. The beams of light from three monuments converged together and shot towards a certain direction. Over there, an incomparably gigantic and dazzling bronze gate shimmering with astral light actually appeared.
The gigantic gate was slowly opening as a stairway leading up to it, formed from astral light, manifested before it. The light emanating from within that gate was incomparably brilliant, causing the hearts of countless people to tremble.
Where did this gate lead to?
The experts within the Immortal Martial Realm all inclined their heads and stared at the envoys standing at both sides on the path of the stone monuments, yet they didn't know that all the envoys were similarly astounded, shaken to their very core. The Realm Monument Gate actually opened?
The envoys of the Immortal Martial Realm then turned their gazes to the three silhouettes at the seventh row. The three of them were lifted into the air by a mysterious force, alongside with the three stone monuments on the seventh row. Thunderous rumbling sounds echoed ceaselessly from within the monuments as they radiated scintillating light, forming a light screen which painted a clearer image in the air and allowed people to spectate a trace of the happenings inside the space where the three were currently in combat.
Who would have thought that the top three of this batch would be so powerful that their attacks actually forcibly opened the Realm Monument Gate? This was something that had never happened before, and it indicated that there was a battle of unprecedented magnitude happening within.
Naturally, this battle of the strong wasn't between only two. It was a free-for-all battle between all three of them.
Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu fought with their utmost efforts, sparing nothing and even joining hands together to defeat Qin Wentian. Although it was already clear who was ranked first, it was extremely rare to encounter such a formidable opponent. They fought to the best of their abilities for no other reason than because they respected their opponent wanting to force themselves to their limits.
Inside the space, dazzling light engulfed the entire world. Qin Wentian moved forwards step by step, and each of his steps forward seemed as though the sword qi exuding from him had the power to crush hearts, annihilating everything in his path. Streams of his palm imprints with the power to pluck the constellations erupted in never ending waves, tearing the void apart.
As for Hua Taixu, his true body could move flexibly and instantly between the images he manifested, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.
Gu Liufeng wasn't simply only proficient in the bow and saber. His attacks were laced with the properties of corrosion. When Qin Wentian suffered a saber slash, his arm was almost forcibly chopped off. When the arrows landed on him, although they couldn't penetrate his defense, the corrosion effect could even affect his heart.
Faced against the attacks of these two terrifying opponents, Qin Wentian ultimately chose to give up on attacking Hua Taixu. Deciding to fully focus his offense on Gu Liufeng instead. He knew it was impossible for him to win if he fought both of them at the same time. Right now, the only strategy remaining in order to obtain victory was that he had to defeat one opponent first.
When Gu Liufeng saw that Qin Wentian was choosing to disregard Hua Taixu's attacks while heading his way, an intense rush of impact rocked his heart. The saucer-like large eyes of the fiendgod seemed to be willing him to sleep. Not only did he have to defend against Qin Wentian's overwhelming attacks, he had to resist the invasion of dreamforce as well.
Time flowed by. Eventually, Gu Liufeng personally witnessed Hua Taixu forcibly blasting Qin Wentian's right arm off with overwhelming power before severely injuring him. Hence, Gu Liufeng also took this chance to break through the onslaught of attacks and went all out, rushing ahead to retaliate. Yi shooting down the nine heavens, his arrows rained down with explosive force, slamming into Qin Wentian while he himself simultaneously transformed into a beam of saber-light, aiming right for Qin Wentian's other arm, seeking to sever it. Fresh blood splashed through the air, it even seemed as though Qin Wentian's true body standing in front of the stone monument couldn't endure it any longer and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
However at the same time, Gu Liufeng instantly paled when he saw the 'severed' right arm of Qin Wentian that had the power to seize the constellations, blasting over right at him, engulfing his body completely.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Gu Liufeng no longer had a way to resist. He coughed out blood madly, as he teetered on a single breath of life. He stared at Qin Wentian as he questioned, "Was that a dream you created? When did you have the opportunity to do so?"
"My right arm was really almost blasted off, the blood is genuine as well, so is the fact that your saber slashed into my left arm. If the dream is too fake, how can I lure you into it, right?" Qin Wentian replied. Right now, Hua Taixu also halted his attacks. His numerous manifestations merged back together into one. He stood proudly in the air as the wind fluttered his robes, his countenance as calm as ever, yet nobody knew of the shock in his heart.
"We still have to defend against the lies our eyes are feeding us, caused by the invasion of your dreamforce when fighting against you. It's a pain in the ass to be your opponent, simply a nightmare." Gu Liufeng was speechless. Such an opponent was too terrifying, Qin Wentian's attack and defense by themselves were both extremely fearsome. And in addition to having to be wary of that insidious invasion of dreamforce, Qin Wentian was basically a nightmare to anyone who fought against him.
"The flowing wind isn't lustful, the calm lake severs the moon, Yi shooting down the nine heavens. Gu Liufeng, you are worthy of your reputation. With a single bow, you can walk unhindered anywhere in this world, and with that saber, you can traverse all locations with no fear. With so many fearsome abilities all congregated in one person, who would be willing to have an enemy as you?" Qin Wentian sighed, feeling as though he met a kindred spirit.
"This has concluded," Gu Liufeng sighed in a faint voice.
"Indeed," Hua Taixu agreed as well. The two of them didn't have any thoughts of continuing to battle any longer. Everything was already pointless, since Qin Wentian was obviously ranked first, there was no longer any meaning to compete on who was ranked second or third.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The ancient stone monument vibrated intensely, landing back on the ground as Qin Wentian and the other two both landed back on the ground as well. After which, the light radiating from the stone monuments dimmed away.
Gu Liufeng, Hua Taixu and Qin Wentian, all of them opened their eyes at the same instant as a bright glow glimmered within them.
At this moment, the hearts of those spectators in the Immortal Martial Realm couldn't help but tremble. Their fists were tightly clenched as they stared ahead with anticipation.
Had the deciding battle finally ended?
But...what was the result?
In this ultimate ranking battle in the Immortal Martial Realm, who was the one that stood at the peak?
Chapter 596: I Really Feel Like Kissing You
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
In the Immortal Martial Realm, silence descended. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Countless gazes landed on the three of them. Although right now everyone wanted to ask aloud who was the victor of the battle, all of them strangely maintained their silence, hoping they would be able to guess the answer from the expressions of Qin Wentian and the two others.
However, they were all disappointed. Qin Wentian, Gu Liufeng, and Hua Taixu were all so quiet that it was scary. Their countenances had no fluctuations and all three were exceedingly calm. They didn't interact with each other, and simply stood there silently as though they were still digesting the battle they had fought against each other in that space within the stone monuments.
An instant, yet it seemed like an eternity. Finally, the spectators saw the three of them move. They mutually glanced at each other as a smile lit up their faces, nodding to each other in respect. However, this scene made the crowd even more frantic as they cursed silently, hoping for any one of this three to speak. Who was number one and number two exactly?
Gu Liufeng had always been a lone wolf, he wasn't acquainted with many people and so nobody dared to ask him. Even if they asked, Gu Liufeng most likely wouldn't reply. As for Hua Taixu, he was exceedingly mysterious, no one was really familiar with him. In that case, only Qin Wentian remained. Although he had many friends, right now, Fan Le and the others also suppressed their excitement. Although they wanted nothing more than to know the answer, they told themselves to be patient, there was no hurry. Qin Wentian would divulge the information to them sooner or later.
Even so, the itch in their heart grew increasingly unbearable. But at such an occasion, if the answer was that Qin Wentian didn't obtain first, wouldn't it be extremely awkward? It would be better to endure a little while more.
At that moment, a row of silhouettes walked out from the glimmering bronze gate in front of the stone monuments. These people were all clad in white, they were none other than the Immortal Martial Realm envoys. They stood below the stairway and one among them spoke, "The Realmlord of the Immortal Martial Realm invites all the participants that have fought on the path of the stone monuments."
"Realmlord of the Immortal Martial Realm?" The hearts of the spectators pounded violently. They only saw the envoys waving their hands as the path of the monuments parted before them, revealing a pathway that led to the stairway of the bronze gate.
"Senior, is the Realmlord also the master of the Immortal Martial Realm?" Gu Liufeng asked. After all, he had personally seen the master of the Immortal Realm earlier. That was a true immortal, and by right, he shouldn't be in the Royal Sacred Region.
"No, he is not. After the master created the Immortal Martial Realm, he appointed Realmlords throughout the generations to be the administrator of it," an envoy answered. Gu Liufeng nodded, that made sense. The master of the Immortal Martial Realm was a legendary immortal, how could he have the time? He left it all to the Realmlords and envoys to manage.
Among the crowd, Di Shi as well as the core disciples of the other major powers were all frowning. They had never heard of a thing such as the Monument Realm Gate from their elders, neither did they know of an existence like the Realmlord. It seemed the expedition here this time around was different than those before.
There were a total of seventy-five people who had the suppression effect on their cultivation bases lifted, gaining the qualification to participate in the trial of the path of monuments. Right now, all of them moved forwards, heading towards the bronze gate.
Qin Wentian, Hua Taixu and Gu Liufeng were in the lead. They walked towards the stairway before advancing upwards, entering through the bronze gate.
Within was an ancient palace shining with dazzling radiance. Resplendent astral light shimmered all about in this dimension and right now, there was a person sitting cross-legged on a stone platform built in the middle of a lake filled with astral water. His eyes slowly opened, containing an extremely bright glow within as he nodded his head to the participants.
"That is our Realmlord," one of the envoys introduced. Instantly, Qin Wentian and the others dared not hesitate, they bowed low and greeted, "Junior greets the Realmlord."
"Since this is such a rare occasion that the Monument Realm Gate opened, I, Wu, am exceptionally honored to be able to meet with so many talented heroes of the younger generation. Is there anyone from the War Country among you?" The Realmlord stared at the participants with a smile on his face. The group of participants glanced around, but there wasn't a single person from the War Country among those qualified to take the trial of the stone monuments.
Seeing that no one responded, the Realmlord of the Immortal Martial Realm couldn't help but to sigh as disappointment flashed on his countenance.
"Is Senior the son of the Martial Emperor of War Country from three hundred years ago?" At this moment, a voice rang out. The person who spoke was none other than Li Tian of the Barbarian Tribe, from the Southern Domain. He stared at the Realmlord as his eyes gleamed with sharpness.
"To think that there would still be people who remembered me." The Realmlord muttered to himself before he recovered with a smile, his words causing the hearts of everyone present to pound violently.
The Realmlord was actually someone from the War Country three hundred years ago; he was also a Heaven Chosen of the Royal Sacred Region.
"Wu Mu, the son of the Martial Emperor. He had outstanding talent and was one of the era-suppressing geniuses of the Heavenly Dipper Realm previously. He was ranked number one on the Immortal Martial Realm ranking monument three hundred years ago and three years after that, he broke through to Celestial Phenomenon, before completely vanishing from the Royal Sacred Region." Several stories flitted through the minds of many in the crowd, and when they recalled the history recorded in the books their clans or sects had kept, their hearts pounded even more violently.
The crown prince of War Country who disappeared without a trace back then had actually became the Realmlord of the Immortal Martial Realm now. The dawning realization caused many to draw in a deep breath. They had all heard rumors, but it seemed that the tales they heard were all true. The Immortal Martial Realm really was recruiting talents.
In that case, would the top three of this batch, Qin Wentian, Gu Liufeng, and Hua Taixu, also be invited?
Right now, the gazes of everyone turned towards Qin Wentian and the two others, feeling envy in their hearts. Wu Mu gave off a feeling of immeasurable depth, nobody could sense how strong he was. Perhaps he was already at the very peak of Celestial Phenomenon and was preparing to break through to that legendary realm.
"Today, I, Wu Mu am exceptionally joyful to be able to meet with the talented geniuses of the latter generations. I will prepare a banquet that will last seven days, and by the time this journey into the Immortal Martial Realm ends, I will tour around the Royal Sacred Region to see what changes have occurred since my departure," Wu Mu laughed. He then waved his hands and commanded, "Prepare the banquet."
As the sound of his voice faded, the Immortal Martial Realm envoys quickly prepared a banquet. The seventy-plus participants sat in the hall and right in front of them, on the tables made from Yuan Meteor Stones, were beautiful wines and plates of delicacies.
"Duan Han, junior brother Qin, junior sister Lou, let's sit together." Ji Feixue called out, as Qin Wentian nodded in agreement.
"May I join as well...?" Lin Xian'er smiled as she walked over, her beautiful eyes staring at Qin Wentian. She also really wanted to know, of the battle between Qin Wentian, Hua Taixu, and Gu Liufeng, who among them stood at the peak.
"If Fairy Lin is willing to, it would naturally be our honor," Ji Feixue laughed. The five of them sat together, Princess Jiao Yang cast a glance at them, and also chose to sit at a spot not far away from them.
Di Shi's murderous gaze filled with sharpness shifted onto Qin Wentian. His killing intent permeated the air; he wanted nothing more than to rush up right now and slay Qin Wentian.
"Everyone, don't stand on ceremony with me, and don't be a stickler for formalities. Just sit wherever you want to. This banquet shall last for seven days and nights, eat and drink as much as you want to," Realmlord Wu Mu laughed. The others all nodded, there were already people enjoying the delicacies and tasting the beautiful wine.
"This wine..." An exclamation of shock rang out. The others turned their gazes over only to see Li Tian who had drained the cup of wine in a single gulp. Right now, his face had turned beet-red as the astral energy within his body seethed and surged.
"How strong." After these two words echoed out, Li Tian felt as though his body was burning with fire.
"The food here are all treasured ingredients, even worth more compared to high-grade pills, it actually boosted my affinity towards astral energy so much in such a short time," someone exclaimed in wonder. The faces of the others all stiffened slightly as they stared at the delicacies laid out on the tables. Only now did they understand the meaning behind Realmlord Wu Mu's words.
Seven days, the banquet wouldn't end. Just eat and drink as much as they can.
"HAHA, enjoy yourselves to the utmost. These ingredients can be considered great sources of nourishment to all of you." Wu Mu laughed uproariously. Lou Bingyu also sipped a mouthful of wine as her face instantly flushed red. The ice cold beauty was now glistening with allure. Lou Bingyu right now was so beautiful that it caused Ji Feixue and Duan Han to lose their senses for a moment.
Lin Xian'er also sipped a mouthful, and the color of red clouds painted her cheeks. These two absolute beauties instantly caused the gazes of others to be shifted to them.
"Sir Qin," Lin Xian'er gently called out. Qin Wentian turned his gaze onto Lin Xian'er. The flawless countenance that caused one to drown in her beauty made Qin Wentian's heart stir slightly. Luckily, Qin Wentian was already accustomed to beautiful women by his side. This woman known as the number one beauty under the heavens now had a face flushed with redness, tinged with shyness and eyes contained traces of a warmth so gentle that it could melt the hearts of others. The killing power of her beauty was no joke at all, it was tyrannically strong.
"Can you secretly tell Xian'er the result of the battle?" Lin Xian'er gently asked, blinking her eyes innocently at Qin Wentian. Immediately, her words caused the vast majority of the spectators to shift their attentions onto Qin Wentian. This was also something they wished to know. And given how beautiful Lin Xian'er was, surely no man would reject her request right?
Qin Wentian was stunned for a moment. Earlier, he had also lightly tasted the wine. The astral energy in his body was surging, his entire body felt burning hot and now that he glanced at Lin Xian'er, he was dazzled by her beauty for an instant.
Lou Bingyu also turned her gaze onto him, her eyes filled with a scorching heat. She too, wanted to know the result.
Shaking his head in consternation, Qin Wentian bitterly smiled, silently scolding himself for not having enough willpower.
"Don't need to be curious, the one ranked first in this batch of participants is Qin Wentian," a voice drifted over, causing the hearts of the crowd to violently tremble. If it was another who spoke, these people would surely doubt their words. But now that this person made a statement, not one of the spectators questioned the veracity of his statement. Because the person who spoke was none other than Gu Liufeng.
Qin Wentian would be ranked as the number one on the ranking monument of the Immortal Martial Realm!
The weight of Gu Liufeng's sentence was understood by many. Qin Wentian wasn't number three, nor number two. He was number one!
A character who wasn't one of the eight era-suppressing geniuses, a character who was deemed as an up-and-coming young man was actually strong enough to defeat Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu.
The crowd only felt various emotions rocking their hearts, they were unable to remain calm. From now onwards, Qin Wentian's name would resound throughout the Royal Sacred Region and would be of the same standing as the eight era-suppressing geniuses, everyone would know who he was.
Ji Feixue's heart violently pounded as he drew in a deep breath and stared at the young man before him. He didn't know what he should feel.
Lou Bingyu gazed intently at Qin Wentian. In her normally calm heart, there were now huge tidal waves rumbling that caused it to pound incessantly.
Lin Xian'er's eyes glimmered like torches, fixated on Qin Wentian. Her ruby red lips curled up in a soul-mesmerizing smile. Her charming eyes were like silk, staring at the calm-looking young man as she whispered coquettishly, "I really feel like giving you a kiss!"
Chapter 597: Engraved Names
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
Lin Xian'er's voice was light and melodious, her reddened face because of the wine she drank seemed to heighten her shyness even more. Her emotions were plain, and the killing power her gentle soul-stirring countenance contained blasted full force onto Qin Wentian. In comparison, it wasn't any weaker than the threat Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu posed to him. Normally, Lin Xian'er could already mesmerize the crowd even without doing anything. Right now, when she was intentionally being charming, she could cause the population of the world to destroy itself fighting for her favor. People were simply unable to extricate themselves from her beauty.
Lou Bingyu cast a glance at Lin Xian'er. Although this woman gave her a sense of inappropriateness, she could sense that Lin Xian'er's character wasn't bad. If not, she wouldn't have blocked Di Shi's strike for Ye Lingshuang and the others earlier. And also right now, Lin Xian'er didn't seem to have any intention of mentioning what she'd done to Qin Wentian. Although her 'reputation' wasn't good, Lou Bingyu could tell that Lin Xian'er had a good heart.
Naturally, the 'reputation' issue was merely Lou Bingyu's impression from the rumors she had heard. Her experience in the world was shallow, hence all she heard regarding disciples of the Celestial Maiden Sect caused her to form such conclusions. However in actual fact, Lin Xian'er's behavior was completely different from what was rumored. Right now, speaking in such a coquettish manner was in fact, actually Lin Xian'er's limit.
"Cough cough..." Qin Wentian coughed, he didn't dare to meet Lin Xian'er's eyes. The emotions in her eyes that were mixed with desire and shyness, could steal away the souls of people. No wonder people of the Royal Sacred Region termed the Holy Maiden of the Celestial Maiden Sect Lin Xian'er as the number one beauty under the heavens, a true femme fatale. If Lin Xian'er really wanted to charm someone, most probably, only a rare few would be able to resist her charms.
"Teehee, Junior brother Qin obtained the number one ranking and now, even the favor of Fairy Lin. Truly, this will make the people around you die of envy and admiration." As Ji Feixue laughed, he also lowered his head, not daring to glance at Lin Xian'er. His heart was trembling slightly, silently cursing in his heart that Lin Xian'er was truly a demoness. That sentence of hers earlier already caused his passion to ignite despite not being said to him. One could only wonder what Qin Wentian was feeling now.
"Fairy Lin, don't tease me already, please." Qin Wentian stabilised his heart and mind as he bitterly smiled while shaking his head.
"Xian'er is speaking my heartfelt words," Lin Xian'er giggled. That shyness in her eyes caused everyone to stare at her in rapture. If only Lin Xian'er would treat them like that, they would definitely have some licentious fun with this demoness.
Qin Wentian had no way to counter her words, and as she stared at him, a strange glow blazed in Lin Xian'er eyes. After which, she lifted her wine cup as she whispered, "Okay, I shan't joke around with you any longer. This is a cause of celebration since Sir Qin managed to obtained the top rank of this batch of participants in the Immortal Martial Realm. Please allow Xian'er to toast you."
"Right." Qin Wentian finally steeled his resolve enough to look at Lin Xian'er. Right now, Lin Xian'er's face was still flushed red, but her eyes only contained serenity within them, as though she wasn't interested in him the slightest. The two of them toasted with their wine cups and drained it in a single gulp. The fiery feeling set their bodies ablaze once more as the astral energy in their Yuanfu brimmed to the max, circulating frenziedly within their bodies and causing rumbling sounds to echo out.
BOOM!
Just when the crowd was still pondering on the shocking fact that Qin Wentian was ranked first, a wave of intense killing intent permeated the air.
"So what even if you are ranked first in the Immortal Martial Realm? This only represents your latent potential. But no matter how much latent potential someone has, if he died, he is ultimately only a dead man in the end." A cold voice echoed out, the gazes of the crowd turned over as they stared at Di Shi. They instantly understood what was going on.
Everyone was clear on the grudge between Qin Wentian and Di Shi. The most unhappy person here was undoubtedly Di Shi when he learned that Qin Wentian was the person ranked first in this batch that ventured into the Immortal Martial Realm. Not only did he have debt to settle with Qin Wentian over Qin Wentian killing his younger brother, he was similarly the only one out of the eight era-suppressing geniuses who didn't manage to get into the top ten. And just so coincidentally, Qin Wentian was the one who ousted him, stripping him of any chance. Di Shi naturally didn't want to admit to the fact that Qin Wentian was ranked number one.
Ji Feixue, Duan Han, Lou Bingyu, and Lin Xian'er all frowned. Before this, Di Shi had clashed against them. He had broken through to the eighth level of Heavenly Dipper and was exceedingly dangerous. If they didn't intervene, Ye Lingshuang and the others would have surely died. This matter wasn't known to Qin Wentian yet.
The sounds of the participants enjoying themselves with food and wine instantly came to an abrupt halt because of what Di Shi had said.
"How can he be compared to you, Di Shi? Number #11 in the Immortal Martial Realm, being defeated by junior brother Qin under absolutely fair conditions. After that, you even chose to take out your anger on Wentian's friends whose cultivation bases were suppressed. You are only so capable after all, and the things you've done and words you've said will all be circulated to the outside world. As to the reputation you have as part of the eight-era suppressing geniuses, from today onwards, everyone would know that in fact, you completely failed to live up to that name. Junior brother Qin would definitely be the one replacing your position,"Ji Feixue coldly spoke.
Qin Wentian's countenance stiffened as he asked, "Senior brother, did you say that he made a move against my friends?"
"I wanted to find an opportunity to tell you about this. Di Shi broke through to the eighth level of Heavenly Dipper and after he was ousted by you from the path of the stone monuments, he immediately moved against Ye Lingshuang and your other friends. If it wasn't for Fairy Lin's making a move to block him, the consequences would surely have been disastrous. For this, Fairy Lin was even injured. You should take the opportunity to thank her for her kindness."
Ji Feixue told Qin Wentian because he wanted to remind Qin Wentian to be careful of Di Shi, revealing Di Shi's level of cultivation base so Qin Wentian would be more prepared. If not, who knew if Di Shi might spring another sneak attack in the future.
An intense coldness instantly erupted forth from Qin Wentian, gushing towards Di Shi. Di Shi regarded him icily, murder apparent in his eyes. He gulp down a cup of wine as he pointed his finger straight at Qin Wentian, the meaning of his provocation extremely clear.
Qin Wentian disregarded Di Shi's provocation, yet there was already a torrential wave of killing intent in his heart. Di Shi has already entered the list of people he would definitely kill.
Harshly gulping down a mouth of wine, Qin Wentian ignored the burning sensation. He turned his gaze back onto Lin Xian'er. Although Ji Feixue only casually spoke of it, he knew that if it wasn't for Lin Xian'er acting on his behalf, with Di Shi's strength it was as easy as flipping a palm if he wanted to kill Ye Lingshuang and the others. Lin Xian'er disregarded injuries to herself, blocking Di Shi's attack to buy time for Ji Feixue and the others.
And in addition, if Ji Feixue had not revealed this, Lin Xian'er would never have mentioned it and Qin Wentian would have been kept in the dark forever. This made Qin Wentian feel an indescribable sense of gratitude.
"Xian'er only acted because I disapproved his actions. Sir Qin, there's no need to overthink things. Since Xian'er is already friends with Sir Qin, there's no need to thank me," Lin Xian'er gently smiled.
Qin Wentian nodded his head. "Xian'er don't call me Sir Qin any longer, just refer to me as Wentian in the future."
Lin Xian'er stared at Qin Wentian with a smile that was not a smile on her face. She gently stated, "Wentian, this indeed sounds much more smoother to pronounce> I shall call you Wentian then."
Right now, Wu Mu who was on the stone platform in the middle of the astral lake gazed at the participants with a smile. He then added, "I believe you all want to see how the situation is on the outside right? Since the banquet is already prepared, let's add something more to heighten the atmosphere. Prepare the engraving of names on the ranking monument."
Wu Mu's words caused many to freeze. The participants then turned their sights back behind Wu Mu. Over there was a huge astral monument, and right now on the front of it, all their names were already engraved.
"Could this be the ranking monument situated at the entrance of the Immortal Martial Realm? The rankings can be carved on it?" Someone exclaimed in shock.
"In that case, the dimension we are in now, is in the space within the ranking monument situated at the entrance itself?" Somebody speculated.
"Haha you are right. This astral monument is precisely the one situated at the entrance. Do you all think that your names would appear there magically? Of course it's engraved by us." Wu Mu laughed, he didn't put on any airs at all and his words allowed comprehension to dawn on everyone.
"In that case, this place is the entrance and also the exit? We went through so many things only to come a full circle, returning back to our original location. The only thing that has changed is the situation outside," Li Tian spoke.
"Yes," Wu Mu nodded, as everyone finally understood.
At this moment, the back of the astral monument suddenly turned transparent, allowing the participants inside to clearly see the situation on the outside. Countless numbers of people from various powers had arrived, all waiting for the results of the ranking.
Staring at these people, the participants all felt a deep shock in their hearts. Only by personally witnessing it did they realize how many people outside were waiting for the results in great anticipation.
"Master has arrived." Lou Bingyu's beautiful eyes stiffened as she stared at an extraordinary-looking silhouette standing atop a stone pillar. It was none other than the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness.
As though she suddenly thought of something, Lou Bingyu stealthily cast another glance at Qin Wentian, complicated traces of emotion within her eyes. If her master knew that not only had she failed to surpass Ji Feixue, she even became friends with Qin Wentian, and the fact that Qin Wentian was ranked number one in the Immortal Martial Realm, what would the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness think?
Di Shi's eyes narrowed, his countenance grew increasingly unsightly. He saw that outside the Immortal Martial Realm there were many experts from his supreme Di Clan waiting to see the results.
Qin Wentian only had one person in his eyes, that exquisite and peerless, empire-toppling beautiful silhouette standing there with nervousness in her eyes. Mo Qingcheng's flawless countenance was filled with anticipation as her dainty hands were clenched tightly into fists. Staring at her expression, Qin Wentian felt a bout of warmth warming his heart. He knew that only matters regarding him would cause Mo Qingcheng to react in such a manner.
"Hmm, who's that?" Qin Wentian cast another glance at the old man standing next to Mo Qingcheng. This old man projected an extraordinary aura, and the experts from the Medicine Sovereign Valley all respectfully stood behind him. Occasionally, Mo Qingcheng would even sneak a glance filled with nervousness at the old man. All this involuntarily caused Qin Wentian to guess that could it be...that old man was none other than the Medicine Sovereign?
Many powerful characters had already arrived outside the Immortal Martial Realm. It wasn't impossible for the Medicine Sovereign to personally drop by.
Separated by the ancient monument, the people inside all had various thoughts, while the crowds outside were all exceedingly nervous. The floating names on the ranking monument all disappeared, they knew that the time for the reveal of the rankings had arrived.
A bright light flashed as the first name was engraved on the ranking monument. Naturally, this was the name of the participant ranked last. It was none other than an expert from the Divine Dragon Castle. The fact that his name appeared first, caused those from the Divine Dragon Castle to feel waves of disappointment rock their hearts.
Following which, the second, the third name appeared, starting from the bottom and rising to the top.
"Princess Jiao Yang's name has also appeared. To think that she actually didn't even rank within the top twenty?" Many people exclaimed in shock. Those floating names belonged to many exceptionally famous characters in the Royal Sacred Region, yet how many of them would be able to enter the top ten?
"Bingyu's name hadn't appeared yet." The Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness actually felt traces of nervousness in her heart. She hoped that Lou Bingyu's name would appear as late as possible.
"Di Shi, it's all up to you now," Those from the supreme Di Clan were watching with expectation. They wished to see Di Shi's name being ranked among the top three.
Every time a name was engraved on the stone monument, the hearts of the crowd would pound with nervousness. This continued all the way until the top twenty names were revealed.
"Not one of the names of the eight era-suppressing geniuses has appeared yet. It seems that they are all ranked within the top ten." The crowd speculated. Although Qin Wentian's name hadn't appeared yet, the crowd had already forgotten about him. However there was one person that could never forget him, and that person was naturally Mo Qingcheng. Her countenance was flushed slightly red, racked with nervousness. Qin Wentian's name hadn't appeared yet, he must be ranked ahead.
When the name of the participant ranked #12 finally appeared, many people drew in a deep breath. The moment was coming. It seemed like all eight of the era-suppressing geniuses really did rank within the top ten.
"Di Shi wouldn't let our supreme Di Clan down." Those from the Di Clan stated with confidence and excitement.
And at this moment, the name of the participant obtaining #11 was engraved onto the stone monument. Two gigantic characters - 'Di Shi,' imprinted themselves into the eyes of the countless spectators.
Instantly, huge tsunami waves of shock violently rocked the minds of the crowd, stunning those from the supreme Di Clan.
Di Shi. Di Shi of the eight era-suppressing geniuses was actually ranked #11. He didn't even manage to get into the top ten!!
Chapter 598: Immortal Martial Realm Ranking
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
"Di Shi." The experts from the supreme Di Clan almost coughed out blood, their faces were thoroughly red from the emotional impact.
Why had so many of them come here? Undoubtedly, they were all here because they wanted to personally witness the Heaven Chosen of their clan, Di Shi, getting a good ranking. However today, they discovered that not only did Di Shi fail to get a good ranking, he was even ousted from the top ten. Upon feeling the countless gazes riveted on them, as well as the whispers from the surroundings, the amount of despair and disappointment in their hearts could very well be imagined.
Yet they didn't know that at this very moment, Di Shi who was within the Immortal Martial Realm could clearly see the expressions on their faces, as well as their reactions. He was similarly in incomparable misery, the killing intent he had towards Qin Wentian thickened even further.
"Di Shi was actually ousted from the top ten and got ranked #11? That means other than the other seven era-suppressing geniuses, there should still be three more that got into the top ten. But who are they?"
The crowd started to run through the names in their minds. Seven were left out of the eight era-suppressing geniuses, there were three more participants.
The lips of the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness curved up in a proud smile as she stated in a low voice, "Bingyu, you truly didn't disappoint me."
Right now it was already obvious that Lou Bingyu was part of the top ten rankings.
"Oh ya, the disciple of the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness Lou Bingyu must have entered the top ten." The Sword Sovereigness's words instantly caused an uproar. Who would have thought that Lou Bingyu was so powerful.
"HAHAHA, my disciple Si Ling, you are truly your master's darling disciple." Not far away, an expert from the Violet Thunder Sect laughed uproariously, causing the spectators to start a little. This fellow was truly overly exuberant, actually using the term 'darling disciple' which caused goosebumps to appear on the skin of the spectators. However, his reaction was understandable, how much glory was this? Being able to enter within the top ten ranks of the Immortal Martial Realm.
That's right, Si Ling's name was on the ranking monument before, but still hadn't appeared yet. Evidently, he too was part of the top ten rankers.
Lou Bingyu and Si Ling, were both ranked above Di Shi.
"Si Ling, the chosen of our Si Clan." The experts from the Si Clan had also arrived. They drew in deep breaths, inclined their heads and stared at the sky. This was something the crown prince of Grand Shang, Shang Tong, hadn't achieved, yet the number one genius of their Si Clan accomplished it.
On Mo Qingcheng's face, other than nervousness, there was now also traces of excitement. The vast majority had already forgotten that Qin Wentian's name hadn't appeared yet, but how could Mo Qingcheng forget? The name of the person she was paying attention to was none other than Qin Wentian.
The Medicine Sovereign turned his gaze over to Mo Qingcheng, staring at his disciple with a smile that was not a smile. He then whispered, "What's the matter? Are you happy that your little boyfriend managed to wriggle his way into the top ten?"
Mo Qingcheng stared at her master, her clenched fists gripped even tighter as she nodded her head seriously. That appearance of hers made her appear wise and virtuous, and there was also a streak of determination mixed within. Naturally, she was happy.
Those from the Medicine Sovereign Valley were instantly thunderstruck. Oh yeah, Qin Wentian's name hadn't appeared yet.
"Next, the top ten names should appear soon." The hearts of the crowd were filled with anxiety, yet for some reason the names of the top ten rankers still hadn't appeared yet.
They didn't know that right now in the space within the ranking monument, the Realmlord Wu Mu was laughing uproariously when he stared at the agitated and excited faces of the crowd. Were they really filled with so much anticipation for names of the top ten rankers?
"Engrave the names of the top ten rankers at this time tomorrow." Wu Mu grinned craftily, as though he felt some sort of vindictive pleasure at making the crowd outside wait. He was intentionally whetting their appetite; he wanted these people to understand the weight and importance of the Immortal Martial Realm ranking, he wanted them to be filled with even more anticipation.
Those in the banquet hall were all speechless when they heard that. But since Wu Mu has already spoken, they could only smile wryly and continue with their feast. Their physiques were constantly improving, and Qin Wentian placed himself in a semi-dream state as he sensed that his perception and affinity to the constellations were growing increasingly formidable. Right now, the words on the astral stone walls in the space within the ranking monument seemed to be a little clearer than before.
"This banquet is truly a great nourishment to us," Qin Wentian silently mused. He had a feeling that even if he were to do nothing but enjoy himself with the food and wine for seven days and nights here, his cultivation base had a very high probability of breaking through to the seventh level. Unfortunately, merely half a day later he soon discovered that he could eat and drink no more. His entire person was intoxicated. Not only him, all of the others were under the same effect as well. Wu Mu's earlier words, "Eat and drink as much as you want to," caused their understanding to deepen further. They had to work hard and push themselves to eat and drink even more.
And so the participants continued stuffing themselves, eating even if they could eat no more, drinking even when they were filled to their max capacity. When they woke up on the second day, they had actually all fallen asleep strewn across the banquet tables or on the floor.
What made Qin Wentian feel awkward was that when he woke up, he discovered Lin Xian'er's sleeping face was inches away from him as she faced him directly. The fragrance from her permeated the air, causing one to be mesmerized within so deeply that they had no way to extricate themselves. She was undoubtedly the ultimate temptation. And not only that, Lou Bingyu was lying beside him with her arms cradled around his neck. Qin Wentian then carefully shifted the jade-like arms of Lou Bingyu away before drawing a deep breath, trying to stabilize his mind. After standing up, he noticed Wu Mu was currently staring at him with a smile that was not a smile.
"Senior, that wine is too intense," Qin Wentian awkwardly replied.
"Yeah, too intense. If it's me, I wouldn't choose to wake up so early." Wu Mu continued to stare at him with that strange smile, causing Qin Wentian to feel incredibly awkward to the point where his face turned red. Such a scene caused Wu Mu to involuntarily laugh uproariously.
At this moment, Qin Wentian didn't notice that on the beautiful eye-lids on the ice-cold face of Lou Bingyu fluttered a little. Her entire body was incredibly hot, she even felt her face burning. Earlier she had already awakened when Qin Wentian shifted her arms away. Right now she could only feign sleep, she felt so embarrassed that she wanted to die.
She actually used her arms and cradled a man's neck?! Lou Bingyu's heart thumped rapidly, she didn't know what she had done after she was drunk. And upon thinking of all the possibilities, her heartbeat started to beat violently as she squirmed a little. She mustn't drink any more wine from this place any longer.
"Hu..." Qin Wentian drew in a deep breath as he cast his gaze towards Mo Qingcheng's flawlessly beautiful countenance. Right now, he only saw Mo Qingcheng staring at the ranking monument with anxiety and worry apparent in her eyes. Qin Wentian silently scolded himself. Qingcheng was still waiting for him outside. Most probably ever since he entered, Mo Qingcheng had always been passing her days in a state of anxiety and worry. Upon thinking of this, a gentleness flickered in Qin Wentian's eyes as a radiant smile lit up his face.
When Lin Xian'er opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the radiant smile on Qin Wentian's face. That prideful young man who was unrivalled in the Immortal Martial Realm actually had such a gentle side to him? Lin Xian'er sat up as she too glanced in the direction Qin Wentian was looking at. Just a single glance was sufficient for her to see that exquisite young woman whose beauty wasn't a whit inferior to her own. Such a female like Mo Qingcheng would attract attention anywhere she went.
The other participants woke up one by one; they now fully understood the might of last night's banquet. After their sleep, they all felt that their cultivation bases had all advanced a little bit forward, bringing them closer to the next level. An immortal was after all, an immortal. The participants all hailed from major powers, yet how could they be able to afford such ingredients to throw a banquet like this everyday? If they could have such efficacious delicacies for food daily, the speed of their cultivation would undoubtedly skyrocket.
"Prepare to engrave the names," Wu Mu casually stated.
Those outside the Immortal Martial Realm had long been in a frenzy. Everyone was speculating on who the top ten rankers would be.
Right now, they were already clear on the ten names that had yet to appear. Even Qin Wentian's name was brought out by people, causing many to sigh. Who would have thought that Di Shi would be ranked #11, while Qin Wentian actually stepped into the top ten. How could this be not shocking?
"Qin Wentian should be #10 right?" Many were silently speculating.
At this moment, a blinding light shot out from the ranking monument, and a few characters shimmered with golden light as they appeared. This was the preferential treatment for the top ten rankers.
"Si Ling, it's Si Ling! The #10 of the Immortal Martial Realm, Si Ling." The crowd was a little taken aback, they all initially thought that Qin Wentian had a higher possibility of being ranked as number ten.
The countenances of those from the Violet Thunder Sect grew incredibly unsightly to behold. Just ranked #10? One must know that meant the Battle Sword Sect had three Chosen that were ranked within the top ten.
"The #9 ranking should be Qin Wentian, right?"
At this moment, another radiant light radiated as the second name appeared.
Lou Bingyu.
Lou Bingyu of the Battle Sword Sect was the ninth ranker of the Immortal Martial Realm.
"The Battle Sword Sect actually has three members that entered the top ten ranks. How strong are they? Since Lou Bingyu is #9, Qin Wentian should be #8, right? I wonder what the rank of Ji Feixue is, as he is the strongest among them."
The Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness's eyes flashed with a gleam of sharpness. At the end, could Lou Bingyu ultimately still have failed to surpass Ji Feixue?
Not only that, the name of that young man who 'threatened' her back when in ancient Ye hadn't even appeared yet.
"Chi Lian, Chi Lian is #8!" The crowd exclaimed in shock. Chi Lian was a disciple of the Blood Devil Palace, as well as a descendent of the Chi Clan of the Western Domain. He was extremely powerful, yet was he only strong enough to be ranked eighth?
"Fan Miaoyu, #7." Yet another name appeared. The only female among the eight era-suppressing geniuses. Yet this outstanding character was only ranked seventh? This caused several experts from the Forgotten Immortal Tower to feel more than a little disappointed. From their perspective, Fan Miaoyu obtaining #7 wasn't a very good ranking at all.
"Ji Feixue. Ji Feixue of the Battle Sword Sect is #6"
"How can this be? Among the three of the Battle Sword Sect, Lou Bingyu and Ji Feixue had both appeared, but where was Qin Wentian? Was there a mistake somewhere? Or could it be that Qin Wentian had already been eliminated, but there was an error somewhere?"
When the #5 ranking, Dongyue Hanjiang's name appeared, these voices of suspicion grew increasingly intense. There must be an unexpected situation within the realm that caused Qin Wentian to be eliminated. If not, how could Qin Wentian enter the top four?
"Li Tian! #4 is Li Tian!" The spectators exclaimed when they stared at the ranking monument. After this, the top three rankers would soon be revealed.
"Indeed, Gu Liufeng didn't cause people to be disappointed, he is as dazzling as ever. And also to think that the mysterious Hua Taixu would be so powerful to this extent, able to be part of the top three with Gu Liufeng. But with regards to the last person, who exactly is it? Were the names of some participants accidentally omitted?"
Although Qin Wentian was slightly famous, his status was simply too insignificant when compared to the eight era-suppressing geniuses. The spectators would rather believe that there was an error than to think that he was part of the top three. It was simply too inconceivable.
The beautiful face of Mo Qingcheng was tinged red, her heart beating so fast that it felt as though it was about to leap out of her chest.
"The top three are all exceedingly outstanding individuals of our generation." Mo Qingcheng was initially worried on how to face her master. But now, upon seeing the high probability that Qin Wentian would be ranked within the top three, Mo Qingcheng was much more relaxed. Her master shouldn't have any issues with Qin Wentian now, right?
At this moment, an incomparably resplendent light emanated forth from the ranking monument. At the second row of the ranking monument, two names abruptly appeared.
Gu Liufeng, Hua Taixu.
For the battle to decide the top three, Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu were ranked side by side?
"Who exactly is the number one ranker?" The hearts of the spectators almost leapt out of their chests. Gu Liufeng actually wasn't ranked first.
The Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness also furrowed her brow. She too didn't feel it was likely that Qin Wentian would be able to obtain the top ranking.
However right now as the brightest, most intense ray of light radiated out from the ranking monument. At the topmost row, three gigantic characters shimmering with golden light appeared there. This iron-clad proof created a rush of impact that violently rumbled the hearts of the spectators on an incomprehensible scale!
The number one in the Immortal Martial Realm was none other than Qin Wentian!
Chapter 599: Glimmering Tears
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
On the ranking monument of the Immortal Martial Realm, golden light sparkled as the name on the top row exuded an extremely intense radiance.
Qin Wentian, it was actually really Qin Wentian.
At this moment outside the Immortal Martial Realm, there was no uproar nor any commotion. The silence of this brief pause was even somewhat terrifying. Countless pairs of eyes stared at the three characters as huge waves began to rise in their hearts.
They had imagined many possibilities, that maybe Qin Wentian was already eliminated for some unknown reason, or maybe the number one would be some Heaven Chosen they had accidentally forgotten. But the truth was simply as such, rumbling the hearts of people. Yeah, obviously, how could there be any accidents? The only one remaining was obviously Qin Wentian.
The young man who slew Ye Kongfan in ancient Ye, the young man who killed the Little Ancestor of the supreme Di Clan in front of his older brother Di Shi; Qin Wentian had made full use of this opportunity in the Immortal Martial Realm and completed an amazing transformation. His name was ranked above the eight era-suppressing geniuses.
In this journey, Qin Wentian had forcefully suppressed these world-shaking era-suppressing geniuses. After today, Qin Wentian's name would definitely circulate to all parts of the Royal Sacred Region. Maybe, there would be a newcomer with the title 'era-suppressing genius.' The ninth era-suppressing genius in the Heavenly Dipper Realm rose up today, but it was also possible for one of the other eight to be replaced.
"When was I blinded? Is this an illusion?" A voice broke the silence. After which a terrifying rumbling sound exploded forth as an uproar of insane scale completely erupted.
The experts from the supreme Di Clan once again felt an incomparably intense impact to their hearts. Di Shi was #11 while the #1 was actually their enemy, Qin Wentian; that very same Qin Wentian who killed Di Yu.
"I really want to know how he defeated Gu Liufeng and the other era-suppressing geniuses. Sadly, I didn't get to witness it, missing out on that battle might be my life's greatest regret. I truly envy those in the Immortal Martial Realm who had the chance to witness that battle, they personally watched the rise of a legendary character." Someone exclaimed.
No matter what doubts they had towards Qin Wentian in the past, when his name appeared on the top row of the ranking monument, every past sentiment they had regarding Qin Wentian disappeared like smoke into thin air. The ranking monument of the Immortal Martial Realm would never lie. For the one ranked at the very top, maybe his combat prowess wasn't the strongest, but there was no need to doubt that his talent was top-notch. Since Qin Wentian was ranked first, this indicated that at least as of now, his latent talent surpassed the eight era-suppressing geniuses.
The ranking monument of the Immortal Martial Realm had a history measuring over tens of thousands of years. Everyone in the Royal Sacred Region respected and had faith in it.
This ranking was a ranking of true authority. No matter how you doubted Qin Wentian before this, the instant his name was engraved onto the top position, everything was concluded.
"Qin Wentian." The experts from the Qinghua Mountains stood together. One among them stared at those three characters as he felt an indescribable emotion assailing his heart. Back then in Xuan King City, he had the opportunity to recruit Qin Wentian into their Qinghua Mountain Sect. Sadly, he didn't grab it.
"Why would this name be so familiar?" An expert muttered in a low voice from the direction where the Si Clan was standing.
Behind him, a middle-aged man suddenly shifted his eyes onto a young man standing to the side. A gleam of sharpness flashed through his eyes as the middle-aged man stated, "Si Qiong. Is this the young man which you once fought against for the top position of the Heavenly Fate Ranking? I remember that you said it before, that you would definitely kill him to cleanse the humiliation that you received back then."
Si Qiong's body involuntarily trembled as his face turned red from the suppression of his emotions. Currently, his cultivation was at the peak of the fourth level of Heavenly Dipper, infinitesimally close to the fifth level of Heavenly Dipper. He had once participated in the Heavenly Fate Rankings of Grand Xia and he originally planned to enter the Immortal Martial Realm ten years from now, hoping that his name would be one of those on the ranking monument.
But right now, the young man who once defeated him back in Grand Xia, his name had already appeared at the most resplendent top row of the ranking monument. This made Si Qiong incomparably ashamed, unable to show his face to anyone.
"Relay my order, completely recall the members of our Si Clan in Grand Xia. From today onwards, none of our clan members must have anything to do with Grand Xia. The hatred and grudges from before, discard them all," the middle-aged man faintly spoke. His Si Clan had suffered a disadvantage in Grand Xia. Si Qiong's original plan was to accumulate more strength before blasting through the Royal Tomb of Grand Xia to gain access. But now, this plan was no longer feasible.
Their Si Clan had no wish to offend a Heaven Chosen that had unlimited latent potential.
Right now, as long as Qin Wentian agreed, he could instantly enter the Royal Sacred Sect and become a core disciple there. This was the weight of the Immortal Martial Realm ranking, any names on it didn't need to take a test before they joined the Royal Sacred Sect, they would be admitted directly as long as they wished it.
Not only that, Qin Wentian was a disciple of the Battle Sword Sect. Now that his ranking was revealed, one could very well imagine the status he would have in his sect.
Right now over here, there were many disciples from the Battle Sword Sect. Before this they were already celebrating because out of this batch of participants, there were three from the Battle Sword Sect that were ranked within the top ten. Of the Nine Great Sects Seven Supreme Clans and twin empires, as well as the other major powers of the Royal Sacred Region, there were so many contenders for the top ten rankings. Their Battle Sword Sect single-handedly occupied one-third of them, one could very well imagine the weight the Battle Sword Sect held.
Not only that, the name ranked right at the top was also the name of a disciple from the Battle Sword Sect.
However, there was a member of the Battle Sword Sect whose heart was completely tangled up with complications. That person was none other than the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness.
She stared at the ranking monument before her. Even with her discipline of heart, it was extremely difficult for her to calm down. It had been so many years since she had felt such intense waves rocking her heart. Right now, she didn't even know how to describe her emotions.
The Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness remembered that when she first met Qin Wentian, she didn't even personally appear. When Qin Wentian comprehended the fourteen sword strikes, she sent out a voice asking if he was willing to be her personal disciple. Back then Qin Wentian rejected her, and her response to him was that he didn't know how tall the heavens and how vast the earth was.
The second time they met, her impression of him further deepened.
He became the foster son of Ye Qingyun, and in the royal palace of Ye, he actually dared to threaten her with words? Back then, how lofty was she? Disdainfully staring down at Qin Wentian, only feeling how inconsequential he was, completely powerless compared to her, yet daring to speak such bold words of arrogance, showing blatant disrespect. Her reply then was that in the Immortal Martial Realm, her disciple Lou Bingyu would teach him a lesson on her behalf.
However now, she didn't know if her disciple Lou Bingyu had clashed directly against Qin Wentian or not in the Immortal Realm. But at the very least, the truth was out. The hope she placed on Lou Bingyu, granting her the treasure she plundered from Ye Qingyun...for all her efforts, Lou Bingyu was only ranked #9 while Qin Wentian was number one.
At this moment, the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness recalled the scenes in the ancient palace of Ye. Back then, Qin Wentian's gaze gleamed with sharpness when riveted on her who stood in the air, not masking the brazenness of youth in the slightest.
She had no choice but to admit that Qin Wentian succeeded in teaching her a lesson.
It had been a very very long time that a junior could give rise to such intense waves in her heart. Although Ji Feixue was one of the eight era-suppressing geniuses, he hadn't managed to do so.
The Sword Sovereigness soon discovered many gazes landing on her. Amidst the crowd, there were many whispers and mutterings regarding her.
"I heard that Qin Wentian is the foster son of the Human Emperor of Ye. Back then in the ancient palace of Ye, the Violet Thunder Sect, the War Country, Spirit Luan Country, and those of the supreme Li Clan were all there for the treasure of the Human Emperor. The Human Emperor warred one against all, standing arrogantly upright in the skies, even injuring a Supremacy from the Violet Thunder Sect. After that, the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness personally appeared in front of Ye Qingyun who was in a perilous situation, facing enemies on all sides, using a silent threat to force him to dig into his own flesh for his treasure. An extremely cruel act."
"At that time, although Qin Wentian was a Battle Sword Sect disciple, a junior of the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness, he spoke out for justice, confronting the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness. And right now Qin Wentian has obtained the position of the top ranker, everyone in the Battle Sword Sect is celebrating, but the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness shouldn't be feeling too good, right?"
"Hehe, it was still fine in the past. But now since the reality is such, the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness no longer has any face left."
"However, right now the happiest person was undoubtedly Mo Qingcheng of the Medicine Sovereign Valley. Back when Qin Wentian slew Ye Kongfan in ancient Ye, the weak triumphing over the strong, and the reason was none other then because Ye Kongfan humiliated Mo Qingcheng. Ye Kongfan wanted to obtain the love of the Holy Maiden Mo Qingcheng, yet he failed to do so. He created vile rumors and circulated them all about, succeeding in truly enraging Qin Wentian. At that time when Qin Wentian slew Ye Kongfan, I already knew that he would definitely be an extraordinary character in the future."
"I don't need to hear your crap. Being able to jump two levels to defeat Ye Kongfan and even daring to rebut the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness, who didn't know that Qin Wentian would surely become one of the Heaven Chosen of this era?" Someone sneered, as though they had already forgotten the shock Qin Wentian wrought when his name appeared.
"How outstanding is Qin Wentian? The number one beauty in the Royal Sacred Region, Holy Maiden of the Medicine Sovereign Valley Mo Qingcheng is a fifth-ranked alchemist. The two of them are basically a match made in heaven. I heard that they have been lovebirds ever since they were young and were already engaged."
"Cough, when did the Holy Maiden of the Medicine Sovereign Valley became the number one beauty in the Royal Sacred Region?"
"Are you stupid? Would the beauty of the Holy Maiden of the Medicine Sovereign Valley lose out to Lin Xian'er? It's only because previously not many knew of her. Now that she has appeared here, word of her beauty will soon spread around the world. Not only that, she's the wife of the top ranker of the Immortal Martial Realm, Qin Wentian. Isn't it only a matter of time before she would be known as the number one beauty in the Royal Sacred Realm?"
Discussions like these soon rang out through the crowd. Qin Wentian who was looked down upon earlier suddenly became 'it's only expected,' 'he had the mandate of heaven,' and 'totally within expectations.'
As for the love between Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng, the story of this immortal couple spread like wildfire, with many different editions being circulated simultaneously.
Qin Wentian hadn't exited the Immortal Martial Realm yet, but stories regarding him were already spreading around the Royal Sacred Region!
Naturally, Mo Qingcheng would also be mentioned along with him. The her right now had a countenance filled with happiness and excitement. When she stared at the three dazzling golden characters on the top row of the ranking monument, her eyes turned slightly red as though she wanted to say something. But because he hadn't exited the realm yet, she didn't know who to say the words she wanted to say to.
The maidens from the Medicine Sovereign Valley behind her were completely speechless. They still remembered that during the first time they met Qin Wentian, the Holy Maiden rushed straight into his embrace, completely breaking down and was in an inconsolable state. At that time, they all felt tremendously unhappy in their hearts. This unhappiness intensified further when Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng shared a single room. To them, Qin Wentian wasn't worthy of Mo Qingcheng.
But now, they couldn't help but sigh that nothing in this word was predictable. Maybe right from the start, this couple was already destined to be focused upon by all, worshipped by people.
"Number one?" The long beard of the Medicine Sovereign fluttered in the wind as his lips curled up in a deep smile. "Is this the fellow you like?"
"Mhm," Mo Qingcheng nodded heavily, turning her gaze onto the Medicine Sovereign, her eyes were red with emotion.
The sight of her looking like this caused the heart of the Medicine Sovereign to involuntarily tremble. He tousled her hair and stated in a doting tone, "Silly girl..."
"Master, will you like him?" Mo Qingcheng's beautiful eyes were filled with an intense unyieldingness, and as she spoke she could no longer control her emotions, her tears streaking unbidden down her flawless features.
"Daring to make my darling disciple cry? How could I like someone like him?" The Medicine Sovereign intentionally made his tone angry, and opened his eyes wide glaring at her. His actions caused Mo Qingcheng to smile involuntarily, as she choked back her tears. That smile on her face was as soul-stirring as ever, causing the Medicine Sovereign to helplessly sigh in his heart... how deep was this lass's love for Qin Wentian?
The old man beside the Medicine Sovereign didn't say a word from the start until the end. His gaze was also fixated on the name at the top row of the ranking monument. The vicissitudes of time reflected from within his eyes, glimmering with tears full of emotions. How bright and resplendent was Qin Wentian's performance!
Chapter 600: Seventh Level of Heavenly Dipper
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor:
Within the space of the ranking monument, the seventy-plus Heaven Chosen could all clearly see the reactions of the crowd outside.
Especially when the three characters of 'Qin Wentian,' was being engraved, tsunami-like waves rose up rocking their hearts, as countless silhouettes were all numb with shock.
Di Shi saw the looks of disappointment of the elders from his clan. Lou Bingyu noticed the complicated expressions that flashed on the Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness' countenance. Si Ling witnessed the joy and surprise on the faces of those from the Violet Thunder Sect and Si Clan.
As for Qin Wentian, he saw the tears of Mo Qingcheng.
Staring at the tears falling down from the eyes of that beautiful face, Qin Wentian felt currents of warmth rise up in his heart. Her anxiety, her agitation, her happiness; all were imprinted in the depths of Qin Wentian's heart, and further engraved into his mind - all for this woman, whom he fell in love with back in Chu.
Back then she was Chu's number one beauty, while he was just an unknown. Now, she was the Holy Maiden of the Medicine Sovereign Valley, while he was a disciple of the Battle Sword Sect, the foster son of Human Emperor of Ye, and the number one of the Immortal Martial Realm.
They were both trying their hardest. Ever since destiny allowed them to meet, he knew he would definitely grab hold of this opportunity, and never let this pure and flawless maiden disappear from his life.
Lin Xian'er and Lou Bingyu also noticed Mo Qingcheng's tears. Lin Xian'er's eyes had a gentle smile in them as she gazed at the young man beside her, consoling him in a low voice, "You better treat the Holy Maiden well."
Qin Wentian returned her gaze, smiling as he nodded his head.
"Let me toast you one more cup, when are you preparing to tie the knot with the Holy Maiden?" Lin Xian'er lifted her wine cup and touched it to Qin Wentian's, draining her cup in a single gulp, ignoring the burning sensation of that strong wine.
Seeing the traces of contemplation in Qin Wentian's eyes, Lin Xian'er involuntarily blinked and snorted in a playful manner, "Don't tell me you hadn't even thought of it?"
Qin Wentian ashamedly nodded as he sighed, "On the path to now, there were simply too many things, I didn't even have a chance to stop for a breather. I really owe her way too much."
"Well, you are still not too late if you start thinking about it now. A woman like the Holy Maiden, if you don't hurry up and tie the knot with her, there are countless men who can't wait to pursue her," Lin Xian'er giggled, those eyes which like limpid water as soul-stirring as ever. A mild fragrance rose from her, permeating the air and causing the surrounding people to be mesmerised. Qin Wentian stared at her bright and beautiful eyes, but discovered that he could not see through her.
"Mhm," Qin Wentian nodded heavily. He was thinking that maybe not long from now, it would finally be time for him to make a return trip back to Grand Xia. When he returned to Chu and if Mo Qingcheng is willing, he will hold a marriage ceremony back in his hometown. If he did it that way, Qingcheng would definitely be very happy. In addition, there's still his foster father Qin Chuan, Sister Qin Yao, and Teacher Mustang. They would all be very happy.
Truly, he missed home a lot. He wondered if Qin Chuan and the others were still doing well.
"Junior brother Qin, I really envy you. With a woman like the Holy Maiden so deeply in love with you, if both of you got married, you definitely have to invite all the seniors in our sect to the wedding banquet." Ji Feixue raised his wine cup and laughed, his gaze inadvertently glanced over to Lou Bingyu who was standing beside Qin Wentian, only to see that she kept her head lowered, her raven-black hair flowing down like a waterfall, and he was unable to see her eyes.
"I will do so for sure. At that time, senior brother Ji and senior brother Duan Han and Bingyu, all of you must definitely come." Qin Wentian laughed joyfully as he lifted his wine cup as well.
Lou Bingyu inclined her head, her cool eyes shimmered with slight confusion as she turned and stared at Qin Wentian. Just so coincidently, Qin Wentian was also looking right at her. That handsome countenance exuded a faint warmth and gentleness, his clear eyes sparkled with radiant laughter. At this moment, he didn't exude the slightest bit of arrogance nor loftiness, resembling a ray of the purest sun light. His eyes and bearing were all extremely nice to look at, causing one to feel very comfortable when interacting with him.
"What's wrong?" Qin Wentian noticed Lou Bingyu slipped into a daze while looking at him, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
"Nothing." A strange expression appeared on Lou Bingyu's face as she hurriedly turned her gaze away. She lowered her head once more and didn't speak.
"With good food and beautiful women, this is pure happiness," Ji Feixue laughed, everyone else continued enjoying the banquet as their bodies underwent transformation. Occasionally, their gazes would shift to the scene outside. Although the rankings were already out, strangely enough not many have left. It seemed as though the crowd outside was waiting for the participants to step out.
As for the topic of the Immortal Martial Realm Rankings, discussion about it still continued on and on, the rumors and stories of Qin Wentian circulated more and more.
With regard to all of that, Qin Wentian naturally didn't know anything, and even if he did, he wouldn't show any interest. Other than eating and drinking, his eyes would constantly be trained on that flawless countenance standing outside waiting for him. Although they were separated by a dimension, she was always by his side, staring at him, waiting for him.
Throughout these few days, Qin Wentian could feel his strength improving bit by bit. There were many Heaven Chosen here who got drunk and fell asleep, and continued drinking the instant they awoke.
What made Qin Wentian taken aback was that a woman like Lou Bingyu also didn't inhibit herself, allowing herself to get drunk. Ji Feixue stood protectively by her side, not allowing anyone to take advantage of her. Such a brief interlude caused a deep and meaningful smile to appear on Qin Wentian's face.
The Plum Mountain Sword Sovereigness had always wished for her disciple Lou Bingyu to surpass Ji Feixue, and hence Lou Bingyu's target had always been Ji Feixue. Ji Feixue, the personal disciple under Sword Sovereign Ling Tian, might be her greatest competitor, but maybe, he was also her idol. She paid attention to Ji Feixue far more than anyone else.
An outstanding maiden like Lou Bingyu, young and beautiful. And although Ji Feixue was one of the eight-era suppressing geniuses, it was difficult that there wouldn't be sparks of love flying between them.
"The two of them really look like a perfect match for each other." At this moment Qin Wentian sat with his back to a stone wall in the interior of the ranking monument, he murmured as he turned his head back to stare at the runic lights flashing on the stone wall.
"Is that so?" Lin Xian'er who sat beside Qin Wentian, declined to comment and simply laughed. Her ruby red lips curled up in a enigmatic smile as she added, "Maybe, maybe not."
"Can you see the runes inscribed on the stone walls?" Qin Wentian asked.
Lin Xian'er shook her head as a puzzled expression appeared in her eyes, "You can see them?"
"Mhm, I couldn't see at the start. After that, I could see blurry outlines and now, they are getting clearer and clearer," Qin Wentian nodded. A bright glow flashed in Lin Xian'er's eyes in response.
She turned to Qin Wentian and spoke, "I really don't know where you, such a demon-level talent, came from. However, there should be no mistake that there are some runes inscribed here. I've felt that this particular inner space of the ranking monument is unique and special. The Realmlord organized a banquet for us, and the food and wine here can even improve our cultivation, as well as augmenting our affinity to the constellations and boosting our perception. I suspect all he has done is simply to build up our foundation to prepare us to see the runes here. What did you see, exactly?" Lin Xian'er curiously inquired.
"Too profound, I don't even understand it." A smile appeared on Qin Wentian's face, causing Lin Xian'er to pout as she glared at him. That pout on her face...one could well imagine how attractive such an expression was on her face.
"However, let's give it a try." Qin Wentian sat cross-legged as he closed his eyes, entering into a state of self-immersion. His actions caused Lin Xian'er to blink rapidly. Was this fellow really so strong-willed? Or could it be that she wasn't charming at all?
As she thought of this, Lin Xian'er moved towards Qin Wentian, playfully punching out with her fist, yet stopping before it hit him. That beautiful countenance was only an inch away from Qin Wentian, so close that she could even feel his breathing.
"Oh, yes." At this moment, Qin Wentian abruptly spoke as he opened his eyes. Giving Lin Xian'er a huge scare. She hurriedly retreated in panic as a red blush of shyness flushed her face red. Her heart was pounding incessantly, but she saw that Qin Wentian had no fluctuations to his countenance. He acted as usual and smiled, "Xian'er, could you help to bring me some of the food and wine and lay it around me as I cultivate? I may need them."
After which, Qin Wentian's smile grew wider as he closed his eyes once more, his actions causing Lin Xian'er to feel as though she was being deceived. She blinked; why did she feel as though she had just been teased?
"Consider yourself ruthless," Lin Xian'er was speechless. Qin Wentian actually commanded her to bring food and wine over, how despicable. But still, she went and carried some of the food and wine back to him. Her actions caused the gazes of many of the Heaven Chosen to shift onto Lin Xian'er, filled with envy for Qin Wentian. Some of these gazes even made Lin Xian'er feel so shy that she didn't wish to look at them.
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Of the seven days of the banquet, in the blink of an eye already five days passed. Within the Monument Realm, the gazes of everyone were completely focused on Qin Wentian. He was still sitting cross-legged, yet there were scintillating astral lights emanating from him. The astral runes engraved in the interior of the ranking monument's stone walls shimmered as astral light made up of countless motes of thrumming runes also cascaded down from them, landing on Qin Wentian.
"The interior stone walls of the ranking monument actually have such an effect?" The participants all had thunderstruck expressions on their faces, nobody knew what was happening to Qin Wentian. Only Realmlord Wu Mu was smiling. Qin Wentian becoming number one in the Immortal Martial Realm competition was definitely not due to luck.
Under the increasingly brilliant astral light enveloping him, ,the Yuanfu in Qin Wentian's body thrummed in response. Even his astral novas were humming; all the energy channels within his body were brimming with energy, transforming into tides of a great ocean, seething and boiling in anger.
Qin Wentian himself was like a bottomless pit, freely guiding and absorbing the astral light into his body. Within the short span of a day, a terrifying humming sound echoed from him as a powerful aura permeated the air. Qin Wentian's aura was transforming, all four of his astral novas erupted out from the void as they grew increasingly radiant.
"Only a single day to break through?" The hearts of the participants all pounded violently. Qin Wentian's cultivation base had broken through to the seventh level of Heavenly Dipper. They still remembered that he was only at the fifth level when he stepped into the Immortal Martial Realm.
Now, not only was he the top ranker in the Immortal Martial Realm, acquiring many powerful innate techniques and even immortal arts, even his cultivation level had broken through. Everyone understood that right now, even in the outside world, in terms of pure combat prowess, Qin Wentian already had the ability to threaten the current eight era-suppressing geniuses.
Right now Qin Wentian felt as though he was sitting in the midst of a vast starry sky. The constellations here were the ground, he sat there immersed in endless astral light, the runic glow intensified as the boundless star light cascading downwards was channeled all around his body, yet he had no way to absorb them all. What a terrible waste.
As though he suddenly recalled something, Qin Wentian's perception drifted into that tiny astral-being locked deep within his sea of consciousness. The tendrils of his will probed incessantly into the deepest parts of the astral-being, bringing along with him that endless amount of astral energy.
Qin Wentian had entered the inner space of the tiny astral-being, many times before. He continued exploring it, going deeper and deeper until he stood before some gigantic memory fragments. These large shattered fragments were only found in the deeper levels of the astral-being's inner space, and clearly contained much more complete memories. Before this, he had no way to 'open' these due to lack of astral energy, but now, there was no better time for him to try.
Maybe, he would be able to see some of the deeper memories of his father through unlocking of these large astral memory fragments.
Boundless amounts of astral light flooded in, rushing straight at a gigantic memory fragment like endless tidal waves hitting the shore of a beach. The light radiating from the astral memory fragment grew increasingly brilliant. As the astral energy from the light unceasingly drilled into it, the fragment finally completely shattered apart, and a wave of memories rushed into Qin Wentian's sea of consciousness.