This time, the various forces of the Nine Realms truly showed him due respect. So many cultivators had gathered to take his life.
There were the huge figures of Shen clan, the sovereign of Golden Divine Nation, the hierophant of Sky Reaching School, and so on. On any normal day, it was hard to catch a glimpse of them. Now, they had all gathered for his sake. Ye Futian did not know whether he should feel honored or sorrowful.
Since the situation was such, there was no stopping it.
He was ‘certain to die.’
With such a lineup, no one in the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path could save him.
Moreover, the Dark Court and the Empty Divine Realm also had their eyes on him. Of this, Ye Futian knew clearly.
He was currently known as the number one Proud Son of Heaven in the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path. Yet, the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path no longer welcomed him.
He had used the last month to arrange various matters. He also established a large cultivation matrix in the Heavenly Mandate Academy. After he left, the core figures of the Heavenly Mandate Academy could use it to train. This way, they could make up the shortcomings of his absence.
Next to Ye Futian stood many silhouettes. Each one of them was similarly a major figure of the Nine Realms. The weakest among them were ninth tier Renhuangs. They were the leaders of the forces of the Heavenly Mandate Realm. Eight tier Renhuangs were not allowed to participate in the battle. Their presence would be meaningless.
On such a battlefield, eighth-tier Renhuangs were already of no use in determining how the battle swayed.
Moreover, this was a battle that they were certain to lose.
They clearly knew the disparity in strength between the two sides. They did not have any notion of luck.
Beside Ye Futian were Lord Taixuan, Divine Palace Palace Lord, Emperor Nan, Xiao Dingtian, the Dou tribe clan lord, Dragon Master Demon Lord of the Heavenly Mandate Realm, as well as other top cultivators. They were all looking up at the sky. They had decided to join this perilous fight.
They also did not know what the future would look like. The worst-case scenario was that this might be the last time they joined forces.
They were in this fight for a junior who only had a second-tier Divine Wheel. However, Ye Futian was recognized by them as a figure who would affect the future of the Original Realm. Unfortunately, the cultivators of the Original Realm did not wish to see such a figure reach the top of the Realms. Before he had fully developed, they wanted to eliminate him.
“They are all here,” Lord Taixuan whispered as he looked at the silhouettes in the sky. No one was left out of this. All the people that they had considered were all here.
Since Lord Taixuan and the rest had decided to participate, they would certainly do so and would not hold back at the slightest.
In this battle, Ye Futian would surely die.
Under such a murderous atmosphere, the disciples of the Heavenly Mandate Academy were extremely dissatisfied with the situation. Yet, they could not do anything.
Right then, Ye Futian’s figure rose up into the sky. The cultivators beside him followed suit. Ye Futian swept a glance towards the various cultivators in the sky. He suddenly laughed out loud. He originally looked somewhat effeminate and handsome. Now, he revealed a smile that appeared somewhat sinister. This caused the top figures to frown.
What was Ye Futian laughing about?
“You all truly think highly of me, Ye Futian. You have arranged such a lineup to kill me. You must really be afraid of me being alive,” Ye Futian said. His tone was very calm and did not contain a hint of terror or despair. It was as though he was talking about a very common occurrence.
“You will not get out alive,” Gai Cang said. Many of his juniors had perished at the hands of Ye Futian. He initially thought that Ye Futian was very easy to kill. He had never imagined that, to this day, they would actually require such a powerful force to kill him.
However, it was clear that Ye Futian had run out of chances now.
“A mere lower-level Renhuang like myself has drawn such a lineup over to kill me. My life has not been in vain,” Ye Futian said as he smiled. “I hope that you all may have your wish and slay me here today. Otherwise, if, by chance, I do not die, I am afraid that you all will not be able to eat and sleep in peace.”
The crowd laughed coldly.
By chance?
Where would such a chance emerge from?
Ye Futian had to die. No other possibility was allowed.
“Today, we have come here to settle the dispute of the Original Realm. To not involve the Heavenly Mandate Realm cultivators, Ye Futian shall choose the location of the battlefield,” said Jian Ao, the College Chief of Tianshen Academy. He made it seem as though they were killing Ye Futian to enact justice and quell the conflict between the various forces of the Original Realm.
The dispute in the Original Realm stemmed from Ye Futian.
Ye Futian glanced over at Jian Ao. This College Chief of Tianshen Academy was truly hypocritical.
To this day, Ye Futian still did not understand why Jian Ao wanted him dead.
If Jian Ao had merely wanted to leave him to die last time, Ye Futian could still understand everything that occurred afterward. Yet, Jian Ao had not merely done so and had instead wanted to kill him.
Jian Ao had never revealed this desire so openly as others had. He had always done it so obscurely. They also did not have any grudges or clashes between them. Hence, many people easily overlooked this point: Jian Ao had no reason to desire Ye Futian’s death.
“Let us fight in the sky,” Ye Futian suggested.
In this battle, only those who participated in it would fight each other. Those who did not take part would not be involved in it. No one else could meddle in this battle without authorization. To maintain order in the Original Realm, Princess Donghuang had laid down such rules. No one dared to defy these rules easily.
The various forces all did not mind. Today, they had come primarily to kill Ye Futian. As for the others who took part, if they could kill them, they would. If they couldn’t, it did not matter.
Of course, in battle, they did not hesitate to be ruthless. By killing more people, they could also eliminate future troubles.
At that moment, another resplendent divine light shone down from the heavens above. The space seemed to split apart, and beams of brilliant light rained down. Many people looked up at the light and saw a group of silhouettes appearing high in the sky.
In the spot where the light was most dazzling, a stunning silhouette appeared there. She did not seem like a person from the mortal plane but instead appeared as though she was an unattainable goddess from Heaven itself. It was the first time many of the Heavenly Mandate Realm members saw her, yet they instantly knew who she was.
Only Princess Donghuang had such elegance and talent. Many people felt their hearts waver. This was their first time seeing the daughter of Donghuang the Great, ruler of the Divine Prefecture.
For this battle, Princess Donghuang had come in person.
“Your Highness,” the various cultivators in mid-air bowed slightly in respect towards the silhouette, who had appeared. Ye Futian similarly looked over there. To this day, he still could not grasp the intentions of the daughter of the Great Emperor. He did not know what she was thinking of.
“Ye Futian welcomes Your Highness,” Ye Futian bowed and said, “After the battle today, Ye Futian has a request for Your Highness.”
“What sort of request?” Princess Donghuang asked.
“During the war for the Original Realm, regardless of whether or not I had kept anything hidden, I still helped the Original Realm win the battle,” Ye Futian said. “I dare not take credit for this alone. However, now the various forces want to kill me because I apparently did not give it my all and resulted in their members dying. Since the forces of the Original Realm are so united and righteous, after I die, I hope the dispute in the Original Realm can truly be quelled. I hope the various forces will not try to use this opportunity to retaliate and eradicate the Heavenly Mandate Academy and the forces allied to it. I hope that the conflict of the Heavenly Mandate Realm does not continue.”
Just because he had not given his all, the other forces had used this excuse to press charges against him and wanted to kill him. If so, what reason would they find to eradicate the Heavenly Mandate Academy and the forces allied to it?
“I have said that your death will be the end of this war,” Princess Donghuang assured him.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Ye Futian bowed slightly. He then looked at the others and said, “You all have come to kill me in the name of justice. I hope that in the future, you will not betray that principle. If you all go against the Heavenly Mandate Academy, then everything that you are doing now will be considered for personal gain, and you all will have deceived the Princess into convicting and killing me.”
The members of the other forces frowned. This Ye Futian was relentless. Before he died, he actually wanted to restrict them. Was he trying to settle his affairs?
Was he trying to do one last thing for the Heavenly Mandate Academy and the forces allied to it?
In the Heavenly Mandate Academy, the various cultivators all looked at Ye Futian. Up until this moment, he was still looking out for them?
They felt saddened. Many of them looked at Ye Futian with more respect in their eyes than when they looked at Princess Donghuang.
They seemed to harbor some resentment towards her.
As the daughter of the Great Emperor, Princess Donghuang absolutely had the ability to prevent this battle. However, she had not done so. Although she had rewarded Ye Futian, what meaning did it have? It seemed more like a vain formality. For her to not stop this battle was the same as silently acknowledging all of this.
A hero who had turned the tide during the war for the Original Realm had been abandoned. Hence, many people harbored resentment toward her.
In the distant tavern, Mei Ting looked up into the sky above the Heavenly Mandate Academy. He looked at the princess. She was the most beloved person in the Divine Prefectures of the East. Donghuang the Great doted on her excessively.
If she knew that the youth below was related to Emperor Ye Qing, would she kill him herself?
Or should it be said that she already knew of this and was making use of others to kill him?
However, this was unimportant. Mei Ting continued to drink and watch the proceedings quietly.
Today, he was merely an observer.
Right then, Ye Futian’s group continued forward, heading up high into the sky. The surrounding cultivators also joined them merrily, especially the members of Heavenly Mandate Academy. Their silhouettes rose high into the sky.
“Do not approach,” Lord Taixuan ordered as he lowered his head and looked at them below. His tone was stern as he warned the Heavenly Mandate Academy’s cultivators not to approach the battlefield.
Those who were below the upper-level Renhuang Plane could not survive this battle at all. They would perish if they were caught in the aftermath. Hence, Lord Taixuan did not allow them to get near.
Only then did the cultivators of the Heavenly Mandate Academy stop their advance. Yu Sheng clenched his fists as demonic will circled around him. He looked at the silhouettes in the sky with a cold and furious look. He would remember the people who participated in today’s battle. In the future, the Heavenly Mandate Academy would eventually pay this debt back.
Xia Qingyuan looked at the white-haired silhouette. There was a look of pain in her eyes. Although Ye Futian had driven her away, she still did not leave. She wanted both of them to make it through this crisis together. Yet, it seemed impossible. Even Ye Futian and the others believed that there was no hope.
Hua Fengliu, Dou Zhao, Qi Xuangang, and many others looked up into the sky. They clearly remembered the conversations that they had with Ye Futian these past few days. It was just that they had a lot of questions regarding what Ye Futian had said to them. They did not understand his words fully.
The silhouettes rose higher and higher into the sky and gradually became blurry. High up in the sky, Ye Futian and the others ascended. Very soon, they had left the ground far behind until they reached the edge of the sky. Only then did they stop.
Ye Futian looked around at the crowd, at the familiar figures around him. He felt a warmth inside as he said, “Thank you, everyone.”
“Let me send you off,” Lord Taixuan said.
Ye Futian nodded his head solemnly!
