Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Futian watched as the old man disappeared and the people in the square closed in on him. However, none of them dared to try to take the flames from him by force.
Ye Futian, the lord of Qianye City, was backed by Renhuang forces, making him a difficult person to take on. Furthermore, it appeared that the princess of Emperor Xia’s Realm was with him.
“Do you mind if I have a look at those Flames of the Way?” Zhuo Xu of the Black Flame clan asked.
Ye Futian took a look at him and said nothing in reply. Those flames would cause quite a commotion if they were exposed. It would be a bad idea to take them out so casually.
While there was no doubt that they would be something difficult to hold onto, the flames were in his hands and he had no intention of letting them go.
“Let’s go,” Ye Futian said with a low voice, getting ready to leave the area. They had attracted way too much attention.
However, a powerful aura seemed to be sweeping from in faraway at that moment. One figure after another streaked over Heavenly Flames Avenue, locking their eyes onto Ye Futian.
An elder took one step and sent scorching will all over the place. He grabbed at the space before him and will of the great path of flames roared, transforming into a great fiery dragon that lashed out at Ye Futian’s party.
Yaya stepped out and appeared right before everyone in the party. She waved her hands and sword will shrouded the entire area. Terrifying ringing sounds were heard as a screen of swords appeared before Yaya. The dragon was blocked by the screen, yet it remained adamant in breaking through them as it roared.
The people around retreated and scattered in a hurry. The elder continued moving forward, his robes billowing. He waved his arms, conjuring one dragon after another in the air. All of them roared as they charged at Ye Futian and his party, trying to engulf everything within the vicinity in the flames.
Yaya took to the air and was immediately surrounded by sword will. It turned into streams of flowing light in an instant, heading straight for the dragon as she placed the area on lockdown.
Terrifying clashing sounds rang through the air. The great path shuddered as more and more mighty beings showed up, all trying to surround Ye Futian’s party. Several people acted at the same time, manipulating flames of greater magnitude to attack Yaya.
The screen of swords blocked out the sky as it shrouded everyone within. Yaya was forced one step back. She scanned the people around her with eyes as cold and sharp as swords.
The space above them was completely taken over by swords and flames. Ye Futian and his party were trapped.
A group of people approached them. All of them looked rather young, especially the person taking the lead. Their leader was a woman dressed in fiery-red clothing. She looked to only be 25 or 26 years of age, yet the aura emanating from her was unmistakably that of a saint. She was elegant and stunning.
Her fiery-red robes billowed as she turned to look at Ye Futian and the others. All eyes turned towards her. Many immediately recognized who she was and where her group came from.
She was a member of the Xi clan, a top-notch clan that was an early founder in the establishment of Crimson Dragon City.
The Xi clan had been in Jianmu City for many generations and was incredibly powerful. They owned many properties and controlled many industries in Jianmu City. The leader of the Xi clan was known as the Saint Lord of Jiuyang, one of the figures at the pinnacle of Crimson Dragon City. His powers were unfathomably profound.
Her group consisted of mighty members of the Xi clan. The woman who was leading them was none other than a direct descendant of the founder of the clan, Xi Chan.
Xi Chan looked at Ye Futian’s party with a cold expression and said, “Hand over the flames.”
Ye Futian frowned. He hadn’t expected to get into real trouble so quickly, but there was no denying how forceful these people were.
They were forcing him to hand over the flames right away.
At that moment, Yaya, who was still in the air, sent sword auras to tear the dragons apart. The fires of the great path roared and then disappeared with the sword will.
Their opponents did not continue attacking. They instead surrounded Ye Futian’s party. Many of the people on Heavenly Flames Avenue retreated quite a distance away to watch what was happening from safety.
“What do you mean?” Ye Futian took a look at them. “You want to take my things without even bothering to talk first? Man, you guys are harsh.”
“Hand over the flames and then we’ll talk,” Xi Chan said.
“Xi Chan, I heard that the Flames of the Way were stolen. Are these the people behind the theft?” a member of Xi Chan’s party asked. The young person took a look at Ye Futian’s party and said, “What is there to talk about with the thieves? We should take them down right now.”
“Thieves?” Ye Futian frowned. From what this young person said, these flames had been stolen from the woman before them. The old man must have stolen them and given them away immediately after.
“Head back to the clan with us. If you’re able to explain yourselves adequately, you might be able to leave with your lives intact,” an old man standing beside Xi Chan said. His eyes seemed to be imbued with fire as he looked at Ye Futian’s party. His words were extremely forceful.
That Flames of the Way were of the Renhuang level, so they were very precious to them.
In truth, those flames were more trouble than they were worth. All the most powerful forces in the Crimson Dragon Realm were after them.
“I’m afraid that there is some misunderstanding happening here,” Ye Futian said. “If you’re talking about the flames that caused all that ruckus earlier, they were given to me by an old man just moments ago. Many people on the avenue saw it happen and will be able to serve as witnesses. You should consider that before you call us thieves.”
Xi Chan’s eyes sparkled as she turned to look at the crowd on the avenue behind them. Someone called out, “It happened just like he said.”
Xi Chan’s expression changed after that. She locked her gaze onto Ye Futian and asked, “Why would the Star Plucking Hand just hand over the flames to you? What is your relationship with him?”
Many gasped at Xi Chan’s words. Whispered gossip broke out all along the avenue.
That old man who had gifted the flames to Ye Futian was the Star Plucking Saint?
Shen Jun’s expression shifted as well. He telepathically explained to Ye Futian, “That woman is a member of the Xi clan, the most powerful force in Jianmu City. The Star Plucking Hand is the nickname of the Star Plucking Saint, an extremely powerful figure. He has reached the Holiness of Nirvana and is capable of reaching unparalleled speed, making many great transformations, and wielding formidable combat abilities in battle. He is one of those few people who even the most powerful figures in Crimson Dragon Realm would hesitate to mess with. Anyone who dares to mess with him will find themselves down on their luck. Furthermore, the Star Plucking Saint is a weird guy who keeps to himself. He has stolen some of the most precious treasures from the most powerful clans in Crimson Dragon City. No one to date has been capable of capturing him.”
He felt that the case was very weird. The Star Plucking Saint could have simply taken what he’d stolen from the Xi clan away without making a fuss. The Saint Lord of Jiuyang of the Xi clan, despite being extremely powerful, was utterly incapable of capturing the Star Plucking Saint. The two men were probably more or less equal in power. No one could tell who between them was the stronger one.
Even if the Star Plucking Saint simply took the goods by force, there was nothing the Xi clan could do about it. The saint was a loner and there was no way the clan could get their hands on him. He’d handed the flames to others right in front of everyone on Heavenly Flames Avenue and no one had recognized him. That in itself was a testament to his frightening ability in the art of transformations.
It was apparent that the Star Plucking Saint had masked his aura and changed his appearance.
Shen Jun didn’t understand why he had given the flames to Ye Futian.
“How should I know why he gave the flames to me? However, since he gave them to me, the flames are mine. All of you showed up and attacked us right away, accused me of being a thief, and even declared that I would only live if I explained myself adequately. I’m afraid you are not much better than thieves yourselves,” Ye Futian said coldly.
Xi Chan frowned slightly and said, “If things happened as you say, then it is indeed a misunderstanding. However, the Flames of the Way were indeed stolen from my clan by the Star Plucking Hand. If you’re willing to return them, then we shall call it a day.”
“Return it and call it a day?” Xia Qingyuan’s expression turned extremely cold after hearing what the other party said. She then responded, “You people attacked us and accused us of being thieves. Do you think we can just let that slide?”
Whether the other party was telling the truth or not, the flames had nonetheless been given to them by that old man. The other party should have been thankful if they were willing to return the flames instead of demanding them back.
Furthermore, they said that they would call it a day after the flames were returned. It was as if they were saying that they were doing Ye Futian’s party a great service by not bothering with his people anymore after that.
“Furthermore, what is the nature of the flames and how can you prove that the flames are yours in the first place?” Ye Futian retorted. If the other party didn’t want to bother with being courteous, he saw no need to be polite with them.
Although the flames had indeed proven difficult to hold onto, they would not simply let go of them just because of what the other party had said. Worse still, the other party had demanded the flames back instead of asking for them politely.
Boom!
Raging fires burst out everywhere. The elder from Xi Chan’s clan hovered toward Ye Futian’s party, getting ready to strike.
So, they were going to take the flames by force?
“If you think you can take the goods by force, I can guarantee that you all will pay a greater price,” Xia Qingyuan said, eyeing the people right in front of her.
“Xi Chan, they are from Qianye City,” Zhuo Xu reminded her. All those who had been preparing to attack the group frowned.
The Xi clan had paid attention to the Battle of the Crimson River at the Regional Palace. Even though the battle between the two imperial realms had taken place outside of Crimson Dragon City, they had nonetheless caught wind of the news.
These people were from Emperor Xia’s Realm?
That meant that the powerful woman must be the princess of Emperor Xia’s Realm.
Xi Chan’s eyes landed on Xia Qingyuan. She had great renown in the Crimson Dragon Realm and was considered quite a legend on her own for her extremely exceptional talents. Xi Chan’s eyes seemed to have been imbued with scorching flames as she glared at Xia Qingyuan, unfazed by the princess’s identity.
Even the Renhuang forces of other realms commanded limited power in Crimson Dragon City, especially where top forces like the Xi clan were concerned.
But then again, they would not go out of their way to severely offend those of other imperial realms. Doing so would pose a grave threat to the native forces of Crimson Dragon City.
“Those flames belong to the Xi clan. You all might be of other imperial realms, but it will still be impossible for you to take the flames away.” Xi Chan glared at Xia Qingyuan and appeared extremely powerful.
While foreign imperial realm forces were extremely powerful, the majority of their forces were not in the Crimson Dragon Realm. If the Xi clan insisted on keeping these people around, there was no way they could simply leave.
It was impossible to simply walk away with those flames.
Even if those of the Xi clan refrained from taking the flames by force, there was still no way Ye Futian and the others could call for help from Emperor Xia’s Realm.
If that course of action was possible, conflicts like these would be settled in such a manner from then on.
The number cultivators who had reached the Holiness of Nirvana level from imperial realms were far fewer than those in the Crimson Dragon Realm. Mobilizing those saints was more difficult than it seemed to be.
Furthermore, even if such saints were mobilized, the forces of foreign imperial realms could not simply act against the native forces without ample reason.
