The Great Sage’s valor was infectious. This was despite the fact that whoever was hidden in that rift was an existence they had no way to contend with.
In the face of such an expert, all of them, including the Great Sage, were as paltry and insignificant as ants.
However, when the Great Sage straightened his back and announced his name, even going so far as to call himself ‘Equal of Heaven,’ then gazed fearlessly into the rift….
Anyone would have been moved.
“Are you connected to Patriarch Subhuti?” The voice from without the rift reverberated in every direction.
Back on the ship, Ye Zichen was stunned.
Patriarch Subhuti? Wasn’t that the Great Sage’s master?
Why would this mighty demon expert ask that all of a sudden? Was this a subtle show of fear for the patriarch? Did it mean that he wouldn’t recklessly attack the Great Sage?
It seemed that the patriarch was a remarkable figure even in the three Upper Realms.
When the demon brought up Patriarch Subhuti, shock flashed across the Great Sage’s face. However, in the blink of an eye, he wiped the emotion off his face.
“I don’t know him.”
Ye Zichen wasn’t all surprised that the Great Sage would say that. The Patriarch had insisted that, in the outside world, his disciples did not say his name. For the Great Sage to deny their relationship was a sign of respect.
“Then who taught you the Buddha’s Palm technique you used just now?”
“I, Ol’ Sun, was born of Heaven and Nourished in Earth. I can master anything on my own. Are you just going to sit around asking questions? Why not come out and meet me face to face?” the Great Sage roared into the torn sky and straightened his back.
“This is the God Realm. It’s inconvenient for me to make an appearance. But since you want to see me so much, I suppose there’s no harm in it.”
Everyone on board the flying vessel immediately looked into the rift. The rift, which was only around a hundred feet wide, spread and tear until it was around a thousand feet across. Inside, they saw an endless sea of pitch-black. However, upon closer inspection, beams of purple light shone through, and they saw the vague outline of a continent below.
A graceful middle-aged man in purple robes stepped out into the air.
He wasn’t as ugly as most demons. In fact, he was handsome and elegant. His eyes were pure black, and his pupils glinted purple. He had long eye-lashes and ink dark eyebrows which almost connected in the middle. His long, dark hair reached his waist. His arms were pale white, and his fingers were long and slender. In his hand, he clenched a black crystal.
However, the instant he appeared, corrosive demonic miasma filled the skies. In the blink of an eye, everything within ten million feet was enshrouded in dense purple smog.
“Where dares cause trouble in Skyspan Territory?!” Practically the instant the demon appeared, a roar emerged from the distant Skyspan City, so mighty, it shook the nine heavens themselves.
There was a flash of light and a middle-aged man clad entirely in golden armor appeared before them.
His eyes were as sharp as a tiger’s, and he had the air of a mighty general. Righteous and upright energy radiated from him, in stark contrast with the demon expert.
When the two of them faced each other, it was like a direct collision between righteousness and wickedness.
“See? I was just saying it was inconvenient for me to come out.” When the golden-armored man appeared, the demon standing in the rift couldn’t help but sigh.
“Emperor You, how dare you enter Skyspan Territory so flagrantly? What, can you demons no longer bear your loneliness?” The gold-armed man said softly.
“Don’t misunderstand, Wei Di. I had no intentions of occupying your Skyspan City. Even if I really wanted to seize territory on the Divine Mountains, I’d have to pick an easier target, right?” The man in the rift laughed calmly. His smile was pleasant and amiable. “I’m here because some worthless little guys from my clan needed me to clean up their mess. Since even you’re here, I won’t stay and disturb you any longer for fear of you doubting my intentions.”
The demon smiled at the golden-armored man, then retreated back into the rift. However, before he disappeared, he shot one last indeterminate glance at the Great Sage.
The rift sealed up, and the vast clouds of miasma dissipated like smoke.
The golden-armored man still stood there in the sky. He couldn’t help but sigh. He clearly hadn’t been watching his territory close enough!
Emperor You had definitely been in Skyspan Territory for a while now, yet he’d only just discovered the demons’ presence. The relationship between the Upper Three Realms was extremely tense and unclear right now. He absolutely couldn’t afford to let anything slip now.
“You’re Skyspan Academy students, aren’t you? Hurry back to the academy.” Wei Di glanced at the ship and shouted. Then he activated his divine power and shot into the distance.
The rift the demons had entered through had undoubtedly been placed there in advance. Otherwise, there was no way he wouldn’t have noticed them opening it. Furthermore, the rift couldn’t be the only one like it. He had to hurry and destroy the others as fast as possible.
Otherwise, once the two realms truly crossed blows, the demons could go through the rifts and right through their front gates.
“Let’s go back too.” Ye Zichen watched the armored man fade into the distance, then turned back to his friends.
The confrontation between two such experts made it difficult for the atmosphere aboard to return to normal. Even Murong Xue seemed to have lost her enthusiasm for gossip. She stood in a corner of the ship with the Dai Sisters as the three of them muttered amongst themselves.
Pan Sheng sat sprawled beside Jiang Yong, who was piloting the ship. It was as if the formations master had taken too great a shock.
Xue Mo’s expression was unsightly too.
At that moment, though, the Great Sage approached them and asked, “Who was that man in the golden armor? And that man in the rift? Do you guys know?”
That question was obviously directed at Xue Mo and Ye Zichen, asking Ye Zichen was pointless. He hadn’t been here long; he was like an empty sheet of paper, completely ignorant.
Xue Mo snorted. “The man in gold was Wei Di, the general responsible for defending Skyspan City, as well as Skyspan City’s top expert. As for that demon expert, Emperor You….”
She sighed again, her expression utterly grave, “Assuming I’m remembering correctly, Emperor You is ninth of the twelve Emperors subordinate to the Demon Emperor. Any one of his subordinate emperors is comparable to the Emperors of the nine Divine Mountains. Just now, I was sweating like a pig for fear he’d fight Wei Di. If they really went at it, Wei Di wouldn’t necessarily be his match.”
“He’s that strong!” The Great Sage scratched his head. “Fortunately I didn’t fight him head-on.”
“That’s right! It’s good you didn’t fight him, otherwise, Ye Zichen would already be on his way to fish you out of the River Styx.” Xue Mo seemed like she was joking around, but given her heavy heart, even her joke came out incredibly intense.
Murong Xue and the others walked over as well. Judging from the looks on their faces, they knew Emperor You’s identity too. As such, their expressions were unsightly. “It’s far too easy for the demons to enter the Divine Mountains.”
Everyone nodded. Xue Mo couldn’t help but gnash her teeth and curse. “More importantly, they took back all of our captives. If we don’t figure out how they’re hiding their presence and true bodies, we’ll be put in an even more passive position.”
“That….” Ye Zichen scratched his head and smiled, then, with a thud, several demons landed on deck. “I actually still have a few of them.”
