Why did I suddenly breathe a sigh of relief?
It seems like I’ve been holding my breath all this time?
Why?
He suddenly thought of that strange-looking young man he had encountered in the passageway.
But as he relaxed his guard in this instant, he couldn’t help but think of that man.
That man’s appearance suddenly became clearer than before in his mind.
Could it be that I’ve been holding my breath because I was guarding against him?
Could… that man have actually given me such a dangerous feeling?
Ning Tianya couldn’t help but sink into deep thought under the sun. He raised his face toward the sky, bright sun rays shining upon his face. He could feel the faint warmth of the sun.
But this faint warmth instead made Ning Tianya’s heart tremble violently for a moment, as if something had just occurred to him.
Yet when Ning Tianya frantically tried to think about it in detail, he realized that he couldn’t remember anything at all. Shaking his head, he muttered, “That man is definitely not simple… When I return to the Upper Three Heavens, I’ll have to look into it properly.”
“But for now, I’d better hurry to the Lower Three Heavens, lest that young fellow flies into a panic.”
Setting off on his journey, he flew off.
After he reached the Lower Three Heavens, it took only a morning before he arrived at Iron Cloud Citadel.
At present, to the Lower Three Heavens, Ning Tianya’s arrival, if put unceremoniously, was no different from the arrival of a deity! And the kind that ruled over the gods at that.
After circling one round, other than two relatively stronger presences in the palace, he didn’t discover anything else.
Ning Tianya’s heart settled somewhat and he found a random inn to stay in.
His divine consciousness was enough to cover the entire Lower Three Heavens, so it went without saying that he wasn’t worried about missing out anything.
It made no difference whether or not he was in the palace. Even though there was a great distance between the palace and himself, it was as though he was looking right at it.
However, on this day, when Ning Tianya was sipping some tea, he suddenly sensed a vague energy fluctuation in the atmosphere coming from the direction of the palace. This fluctuation was very peculiar. Even with Ning Tianya’s broad knowledge, he had never come across it before.
He couldn’t help but be greatly surprised!
Could… an ultimate expert actually be in the palace? There’s actually a skill technique energy fluctuation in this world that I’m not familiar with? In addition, this energy fluctuation is actually capable of inciting change in the purest form of spiritual energy of the universe?
Right away, his curiosity was piqued and he floated out quietly. The next moment, with just a shift, he was already high above the palace. After searching meticulously, he finally discovered something.
It was coming from the direction of the imperial garden.
Leaving no trace of his presence, he floated over and got onto a tree and looked down.
In a spot in the imperial garden where winding paths led to, there was a clear little pond. Inside the pond was a peculiar little tree with layers of leaves and branches, just like layers of… pagoda levels?
Yes, this little tree was in the shape of a pagoda. There were layer after layer of leaves, thick and dense but separated clearly.
At the side of the pond was a toddler with delicate and fine features. He wore split pants[1] and stumbled about as he frolicked happily.
What puzzled Ning Tianya was that even though this was the palace, judging from the toddler’s dressing, he should be a prince. Perhaps he was the son whom Chu Yang had mentioned?
But why weren’t there any imperial maids looking after him?
Allowing a young toddler like him to play by himself? Weren’t they afraid of accidents happening?
Ning Tianya’s divine consciousness swept through the area. Even the nearest imperial maids seemed to be more than a hundred feet away. This distance was sufficient when it came to adults, but in the case of such a young toddler, it was clearly too far away.
The next moment, Ning Tianya suddenly became so astonished that his eyes widened. He involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath of air.
All because this one-year-old little fellow had done a certain action.
The little fellow looked around him furtively. After ascertaining that no one was around, he sat on his bottom on the ground. Then, his squishy little legs parted and he lowered his head to stare at the open crotch area of his split pants.
And he actually even fiddled with the tiny little snail in his crotch. Following which, he raised his head and heaved a sigh, a troubled expression on his face.
Ning Tianya found his mind in a mess at once.
What was he doing?
At such a young age, he was actually behaving like an adult and even sighing?
Sighing while staring at his little chicky? What was he sighing about?
Then, he heard the little fellow muttering to himself. “I’m already the crown prince now… but this… it’s so tiny… Oh, my imperial harem of beauties…”
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Ning Tianya!
The great Supremacy Ning almost fell off the tree. He lost control of his breathing at once. Just a little more and his cultivation would have run amok…
What have I heard? Imperial harem of beauties? Oh my goodness… Are kids this mature at such a young age these days?
Already fantasizing about his imperial harem when he’s still wearing split pants… As goddamn expected of Chu Yang’s son…
Ning Tianya was flabbergasted.
The next moment, he saw the little fellow fiddling with it for a while more before he got up and stumbled forward. Judging from his stance, he was about to walk into the pond.
Ning Tianya scratched his head.
Is this little kiddo intending to jump into the water?
Just as he was wondering, a splash rang out. The little fellow had indeed jumped in. Water splashed everywhere!
Ning Tianya hurriedly held his breath and concealed himself even further, thinking to himself that since the little fellow had fallen into the pond, the imperial maids would definitely hurry over at once.
But after waiting for a moment, nobody actually came. Only a eunuch glanced over from afar and then immediately looked away.
Ning Tianya felt like his brain wasn’t functioning enough anymore.
Is this still the palace? Is he still the crown prince? Is there any other palace as bizarre and strange as this?
Not even caring one bit that the crown prince had fallen into the pond?
As he looked over, he noticed that the little fellow in the pond was tinkering with something. He seemed completely fine.
Looks like they must be used to these things happening all the time?
But what happened next made even Ning Tianya astounded beyond belief… and also made him sink into a fascinating state along with him…
The little fellow took a strange object from the shore and sprinkled something on top of it…
Then, he attached the object onto the trunk of the little tree.
The water in the pond suddenly started to bubble.
The next moment, a change which made even Ning Tianya flabbergasted took place…
Ning Tianya dared to guarantee that what he saw today was definitely something which no one else had ever seen. In fact, even the supreme ruler of the Nine Heavens Imperial Court… might not have seen it before!
……
Right at this moment, a battle was underway at full momentum in the Upper Three Heavens!
A certain incident was documented in the most ancient records of the Nine Heavens.
When light from the sun, moon and stars come together as one, he shall become invincible!
The legend went that a hundred thousand years ago, during a certain stage of the continent, humans weren’t the ones dominating the place but the Three Stars Divine Clan instead. During that time, the Demon King of the Three Stars Divine Clan had completed his cultivation of the Great Three Stars Technique. He actually became capable of even resisting divine punishment and rejecting entry into the Nine Heavens Imperial Court!
This Demon King had subjugated all the ninth-grade Supreme Martial Artists in the Nine Heavens at that time. The moment he struck, the ninth-grade Supreme Martial Artists were powerless to even retaliate.
Should he activate the Great Three Stars Technique, he could even kill ninth-grade Supreme Martial Artists instantly!
The Three Stars Demon King was universally acknowledged to be invincible in the Nine Heavens!
It was only when the universe was upturned and thrown into chaos that the Three Stars Demon King suddenly vanished without a trace. In the 90,000 years that followed, all the way until now, no one dared profess to be invincible in this world!
Even Ning Tianya could only claim to be the number one expert! And did not dare to profess to be invincible!
Now, as light from the sun, moon and stars shone at the same time after ‘Rise of the golden sun’, ‘Shine of the silver moon’ and ‘Twinkle of the stars’ were called out, a burst of inspiration entered Lan Buhui’s mind and he came up with this answer!
At once, he was frightened out of his wits!
“How can that be? How could the Three Stars Demon King have resurfaced in the world?” Lan Buhui yelled as he broke down. “It has been a hundred thousand years! It has already been a hundred thousand years…”
Within the black fog, the star symbol on Tan Tan’s forehead glittered and shone. Sunlight shone one moment, chilly moonlight from a crescent moon shone the next, followed by starlight twinkling brightly. The light became increasingly bedazzling as time passed.
From the initial frivolousness, his eyes gradually turned into pitch-black abysses, deep and endless. Waves of murderous intent were abound in the black fog. Slowly, they permeated the entire sky.
An icy laugh that sounded as if it had come from the depths of hell suddenly echoed bizarrely.
The voice was still the same, but the chilly sinisterness within was as though the gates of hell had opened and released countless spirits into the world all at once!
“Why isn’t it possible? This king hasn’t surfaced for a hundred thousand years. To think the continent is filled with clowns prancing around these days! Even people like you dare to claim to be invincible and stand against this king!” Tan Tan’s voice was emotionless as he spoke, the black aura around him fluctuating.
“So it really is the Demon King resurfacing!” Lan Buhui’s complexion was pale and ashen. Without any warning, he suddenly extracted himself from the battlefield and fell back rapidly, fleeing backwards at lightning speed.
When the three stars come together, he shall be invincible!
No matter how full of confidence Lan Buhui might be, he would never be so presumptuous as to think that he would be a match for the Demon King who had resurfaced after a hundred thousand years!
Under such circumstances, his only choice was to run for his life.
He was already aware of the secret of the Nine Tribulations. Should he leave now, as long as he could get away, it would instead become a situation where he could freely attack or take a defensive stance.
“Thinking of escaping? Hahaha…” Tan Tan burst into laughter. Suddenly, he let out a long howl. “When the three lights of the sun, moon and stars merge, murderous intent emerges and slaughters ten thousand cities! Ninth-grade Supreme Martial Artists are no different from lowly ants; I shall be the mighty one to slaughter the entire world!”
Amidst the black aura which filled the entire sky, Tan Tan took a huge step forward in mid-air and dived downwards, bringing clouds of black aura down with him. “Face your death!”
He struck out with his palm!
A ray of dazzling tricolored light suddenly emitted from his palm and shot toward Lan Buhui’s back.
When this ray of tricolored light was released, even the sunlight in the sky seemed to darken!
Lan Buhui let out a fierce roar, turning around to block the hit while escaping. With a loud smack, the ray of tricolored light hit his palm, causing Lan Buhui to let out a ferocious cry! His body suddenly emitted a strange light all of a sudden as well!
“Since that’s the case! Then let’s perish together!” Lan Buhui howled into the sky loud and long, his voice sad and shrill. Flipping over, he charged toward Tan Tan, who let out a chilly laugh and replied sinisterly, “Perish together? Just by the likes of you? You’re not qualified yet!”
“Three lights coming together!” Tan Tan’s hands pressed together and separated. Three rays of light shot out of his palms simultaneously!
In this instant, the area of radius 30 miles of where they were was filled with bleak desolation!
All plants in the area actually withered the very moment Tan Tan’s three lights came together!
Three rays of light shot with great force and momentum toward Lan Buhui. They disregarded his desperate palm strikes and actually shot right into his chest just like that!
[1] Also known as open-crotch pants, worn by toddlers in China
