Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Countless people were fascinated as they watched this heroic figure with the impressive sword.
Someone had come from Emperor Li’s Realm to provoke them by giving a command to their Princess. In Emperor Xia’s Realm, many people looked at Princess Xia Qingyuan as a goddess that should not be profaned.
However, in the provoking battle with Emperor Li’s Realm, the cultivators of Emperor Xia’s Realm were suppressed. Tian Ji and Gongsun Zhong had gotten involved, and thus they were able to defeat their opponents, but their foes had been so many that it seemed the only way they were able to win was due to the intervention of these two great figures. One of the two people beside Li Yao had even managed to fight Tian Ji to a standstill.
Because of this, Wang Chuan of Lihen Heaven had flown over on a sword. He was such a powerful figure that as his sword struck the ground, all the cultivators besides the two people beside Li Yao who had a bit of Divine Path power were killed.
Moreover, his sword had clearly already reached the extremes of the Sage plane. It had elements of the Divine Path. It seemed that Wang Chuan was much more than halfway on his path to Sainthood. One more step and he would be there.
Before Princess Xia Qingyuan had reached the peak of her powers, even she would have had difficulty beating Wang Chuan, who was at the peak of what was possible below the Saint level.
It was highly likely that Wang Chuan, who had come from the Thirty-Third Heaven could inherit the ceremonial robes of the leader of Lihen Heaven.
At Old Man Xiao’s feast, Ye Futian had suppressed the cultivators of Lihen Heaven and had boasted that there was no one there of note below the Saint level. Was that really true?
It was just that Wang Chuan had not wanted to come down for a single battle.
At that moment he stood there majestically and independently in a white robe with sword wills flowing around his body as he stared at Li Yao.
Li Yao stared back at him, then smiled and said, “Marvelous! I am grateful for this opportunity to see you in action. If we have a chance we should do it again.”
He waved his hand and suddenly eighteen sacred golden dragons streaked through the air, pulling the carriage into the sky. And so he left.
Xia Qingyuan did not order for him to be stopped. Although he had provoked her, she still followed the rules. Emperor Xia was the host here, and could not detain his opponent.
“Princess Xia Qingyuan, I’ll see you on the battlefield,” came a voice from the sky along with the dragons roaring. Xia Qingyuan knew what he meant by this.
Li Yao sat upon the dragon with eyes flashing. Today he had tested the combat prowess of the cultivators below the Saint level of Emperor Xia’s Realm. It seemed that more preparations needed to be made. Even though those dead soldiers had been strong enough, they still could not resist someone of Wang Chuan’s level.
And they would be even more useless against actual Saints.
Ye Futian looked up at Li Yao riding away on the dragons. His white hair flew in the wind, but his heart was cold.
His enemy was right before him, but he didn’t have the power to kill him. He could not get revenge for Jieyu.
Moreover, Li Yao had never looked at him seriously. He probably had never cared about what he had done at Zhisheng Cliffs. Who had died there had nothing to do with him. All that he cared about was whether or not Saint Zhi had completed his service. As for everything else, it meant nothing to Emperor Li’s son.
And as a mere Sage, why would Li Yao ever care about him?
Xia Qingyuan glanced at Ye Futian. Besides the people from the palace, she was probably the only one who knew the hatred that he felt for Li Yao.
As for the others, they were all looking at Wang Chuan. The figure who had come down from the Thirty-third Heaven turned slowly and nodded slightly to Xia Qingyuan. He was elegant beyond compare.
He turned to look at Ye Futian. This was his first time seeing him. They had not known each other before, but upon seeing him he instantly knew who he was.
Ye Futian felt him looking at him, and he turned away from the fleeing Li Yao, looking back at Wang Chuan. In that moment their gazes crossed over each other.
Everything was silent across that vast space. It all seemed a little bizarre.
This silence was all because the two of them were looking at each other.
One was Ye Futian, who had swept away the swordsmen of Lihen Heaven and said there was no one there of note below the Saint level.
The other was the best cultivator of Lihen Heaven, Wang Chuan, who had come down from the Thirty-Third Heaven and killed the cultivators of Emperor Li’s Realm.
The two of them finally stood face to face.
So, would they have a real exchange today to solve the enmity that had grown between them?
Everyone was trembling on the inside as they watched with great expectation.
Could Wang Chuan defeat Ye Futian in a single sword stroke as he had done to the cultivators from Emperor Li’s Realm?
“The Sword Way of Lihen Heaven has thirty three levels, and countless cultivators follow it. I don’t even know how many powerful cultivators there are below the Saint level. Many of the swordsmen have never revealed their true strength, and have not come down off the mountain. This does not mean that there is no one of note,” said Wang Chuan, seemingly in response to Ye Futian.
“If there are people of note, then why did a Saint have to get involved?” asked Ye Futian.
“Uncle-master Li Yang made a mistake, but if it had been me I would have done the same. After all, I could not watch the cultivators of Lihen Heaven being killed, and I’m sure you would have done the same as well. They had really done wrong in Pei Qianying’s battle, but it was still unfair. Lu Cheng had gone to fight for Pei Qianying, but was still defeated.” Wang Chuan’s voice was calm as his sword will wrapped around him.
To put it bluntly, Li Yang had done something wrong. Many people sighed inwardly. It was probably only someone as heroic as Wang Chuan who could call out their elder like that.
But he had said he would have done the same in that situation.
Indeed, there were some things that from a certain standpoint should be done even if they were wrong. Could he have really watched his disciples die?
In the end, he was his own person, and nobody could shield him from his own faults.
“Even so, I have not heard a single apology, nor will I acknowledge your so-called standpoint. In the end, our strengths were not equal,” said Ye Futian. If their strengths had been equal the outcome would have been very different.
“Is the world of cultivation not always like this?” Wang Chuan looked at Ye Futian.
Ye Futian did not dispute this, but nodded seriously. “You’re right. Such is the world of cultivation.”
Whether it was Lihen Heaven or Li Yao, it was all the same. Would Li Yao not think the same way? He only pursued his own goals. Why would he care about the deaths of others?
“I heard that the enmity between you and Pei Qianying stemmed from Ye Wuchen, and that was why you fought your way up the Sky Stairwell and to the Ninth Layer of Heaven. If you cannot calm yourself today, then come up to the Thirty-Third Layer of Heaven. I will wait for you there. If you can fight your way through thirty three layers of heaven that will prove that you are right.” When Wang Chuan was finished speaking the sword will flowed around him and he turned into a brilliant light sword and sped away.
But the words he left behind made everyone’s hearts beat faster.
He had not fought Ye Futian, but would wait for him on the Thirty-Third Layer of Heaven.
Ye Futian had said there was no one of note below the Saint Level in Lihen Heaven. If he could fight his way to the Thirty-Third Layer of Heaven, that would prove his words.
But that was Lihen Heaven, not Jiutian Temple. Would Ye Futian dare to go?
Ye Futian looked up into that figure that had turned into a sword and said, “In seven days it will be the new year. I will see you then, Lihen Heaven.”
Now, the 10,020th year of the Divine Prefecture Calendar was coming to an end.
In seven days, it would be the first day of the 10,021st year, and on that day he would go to Lihen Heaven.
He had agreed to do so, so he would go.
“I will wait for you,” came Wang Chuan’s voice from the sky, making everyone’s hearts beat wildly.
Ye Futian really wanted to go to Lihen Heaven. He was truly insane.
Gu Mu was also there that day, watching Ye Futian. In the past, Ye Futian had fought his way to the Ninth Layer of Heaven, and he had personally witnessed him crush Pei Qianying.
But no matter how powerful those at Jiutian Temple had been, the people on the thirty three layers of Lihen Heaven were stronger. Many of the top figures from Jiutian Temple were there.
As for Wang Chuan, he was at the limits of what could be achieved below the Saint level. He did not need to go to Jiutian Temple to prove his power.
It would be nearly impossible for Ye Futian to fight his way to the Thirty-Third Layer of Heaven. And even if he could, judging by Wang Chuan’s performance with his sword here today, he was only a half step away from Sainthood. Could Ye Futian really defeat him?
Everyone had a feeling of great anticipation. Emperor Xia’s Realm had proposed a marriage alliance with the Princess, Wang Chuan had killed his foes with a single sword stroke, and Ye Futian had declared his attention to go to Lihen Heaven.
The end of that year could truly be called shocking.
Xia Qingyuan looked at Ye Futian as well. His answer had been firm; he really was going to Lihen Heaven.
She swept her gaze over everyone and said, “In seven days, I will go as a witness.”
On saying this, she turned and left, returning to Emperor Xia’s Palace.
But her words left everybody stunned.
This…
Xia Qingyuan would personally go to witness the battle.
Was this also for the purpose of protecting Ye Futian?
After all, they were going to Lihen Heaven.
If Xia Qingyuan was there, no one would dare do anything underhanded.
Of course, since Wang Chuan had made a promise, and invited Ye Futian to Lihen Heaven, it was not likely that anyone would try anything underhanded.
“Phew…” many people sighed. On the first day of the next year there would be a great performance by some magnificent actors.
The crowd dispersed, including Ye Futian. The news spread with frightening speed. After all, the people from Emperor Li’s Realm coming had already caused a huge sensation and so many people were gathered together. That had been followed by the agreement between Ye Futian and Wang Chuan. How could this not ignite everyone’s emotions instantly?
This was the first time that a great stir had been caused in Emperor Xia’s Realm by two juniors.
There had never been so many people paying so much attention to two junior Sages before.
And moreover, Xia Qingyuan was going to watch.
This was destined to be a year of unsettlement. Everyone felt that the seven days passed very slowly, and they could not wait for them to pass by. But the more they wished for this, the slower they seemed to go.
Finally, under great anticipation from everyone in Emperor Xia’s Realm, the 10,021st year of the Divine Prefecture Calendar came. Many people gathered together under Lihen Heaven, coming from all directions.
On that day, Ye Futian came riding on a sword. He stood beneath Lihen Heaven, preparing to ascend the thirty-three layers!
