The elder was crouching to pull weeds out of the ground. He was not working slowly, but it did not look like he was working in haste as well; he simply looked laid back.
Ou Yangming pondered and crouched to help clean up the field too.
They worked without interacting with each other.
It lasted for an hour before the elder finally stopped. He stretched his body and stood up, then he looked at Ou Yangming curiously.
The look in his eyes was contradictory because it seemed playful and pure like a newborn’s, but it was also filled with the vicissitudes of life as if he had seen much of life and no longer desired anything.
It was Ou Yangming’s first time seeing such a complicated and odd look, hence he was slightly startled.
The elder asked with a smile. “Are you Ou Yangming?” “Yes,” Ou Yangming curbed his thought and answered. “Do you know what this place is?” “This is probably a secret realm.”
“Have you seen one before?”
“I’ve been to one once.” Ou Yangming did not try to hide anything, so he added, “I’ve been to Changlong County’s Ni family’s secret realm.”
“You’re a genius from Changlong County, so it’s not strange that the Ni family noticed you.” The elder nodded and was not surprised at all. “Hehe, I’ll only be disappointed if Ni Jingshen, the little child, didn’t notice you.” Ou Yangming wondered, ‘What? A little child? He actually called Ni Jingshen a little child… Exactly how old is this elder?’
However, before Ou Yangming could raise the question, the elder questioned, “What do you think about this courtyard?”.
“Courtyard?” Ou Yangming was struck dumb. When he looked where the elder was looking, he suddenly realized that the elder was referring to the field. ‘Isn’t this courtyard too huge?’ He thought.
Ou Yangming smiled bitterly and remarked, “Senior, this courtyard is huge enough.”
If a secret realm was used as a courtyard, the courtyard was at least a few times bigger than the Ni family’s secret realm, and it was also many times more abundant with Heaven and Earth’s energy.
This was every martial art cultivator’s desired shrine.
“Huge?” The elder laughed out loud. “Is that all you can think of?”
Ou Yangming was dazed and confused.
The elder asked softly, “I heard you fought a child from the Lin family and learned their Air-striking Fist Technique?” Ou Yangming chuckled embarrassedly, but his smile instantly froze as he had a weird thought. “Space. Senior, your secret realm’s space…” Ou Yangming uttered in shock. “Hehe, you’re quite smart indeed.” The elder laughed again. “This secret realm is an interspatial secret realm, and the space inside is much larger than what you see on the outside.” Ou Yangming took a deep breath and nodded. “I learned something new.”
In actual fact, the Ni family’s secret realm in the Chaos Cave was also a small interspatial secret realm. That said, there was a huge disparity between both spaces, and only the elder’s space could give him a visual comparison.
The elder looked at Ou Yangming and noted, “Your mental power is great enough, and you have fine control over the power, so you’re considered the best inheritor of the Illusion Art.”
Ou Yangming was taken aback. “The Illusion Art?”
“The Simulated Spiritual Fist that you learned from Wu Haohan is a superficial part of the Illusion Art.” The elder nodded and added after a short pause, “Once you leave, ask the little girl to bring you to the library. Whether or not you’re able to fully execute the Illusion Art will be up to your fate and comprehension.”
Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows but quickly thanked the elder, “Thank you, senior.”
‘A superficial part of the Illusion Art was able to create 26 Supreme Great Ancestors. How powerful is the knowledge’s core going to be?’
The elder curled his lips into a smile as though he perceived Ou Yangming’s thought. “Do you want to know where the Illusion Art’s peak is at?”
Ou Yangming became highly spirited. “Please enlighten me.” The elder chuckled and walked far away.
Ou Yangming was bewildered as he watched the elder.
It was then when he heard the elder’s voice.
“I want the wind.”
A light breeze drifted in the air at that instant and immediately grew. It only took a few breaths for the field to be filled with whistles of strong wind, which could blow everything away.
“I want the rain.”
A water droplet landed on Ou Yangming’s face. Just as he was going to wipe it away, there was a downpour, causing him to be drenched.
“I want a clear sky after the rain.”
The wind stopped.
The rain disappeared.
When Ou Yangming looked up at the sky, there was not a trace of the wind or the rain in the blue sky.
His body trembled due to the excitement, and his face reddened as a result of the shock.
This power, this power, this… Power!’
Chapter 321 - Advanced To Yang Grade
Ou Yangming walked out of the field blankly as though his legs were filled with lead water. He went past the seemingly non-existent barrier and returned to the front of the flowerbed.
He looked straight ahead, but his consciousness was in a world of its own.
All of a sudden, a soft voice was calling out to him, “Brother Ou, Brother Ou…”
The voice sounded like it came from far beyond the sky, but it pierced his ear like a sharp needle and entered his sea of consciousness to affect him.
Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched, and he instantly awoke from the muddled state.
Wu Hanning looked worried as she asked, “Brother Ou, how do you feel?”
Ou Yangming showed a bitter smile, which carried an extremely complicated meaning.
In the ring at the Myriad Treasure Meet, Ou Yangming showed off his martial prowess by using the Simulated Spiritual Fist, which he had just learned, to guide 26 powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade to become Supreme Great Ancestors. The great occasion was unprecedented, so the powerhouses from different clans treated him with respect, and the Five Imperial Elders arrived at the scene together. Although they showed up for the Myriad Treasure Meet, everyone knew their real objective was Ou Yangming, who was in the spotlight.
After experiencing the matter, as much as Ou Yangming tried to keep a low profile, he would become incredibly confident. After all, while a Supreme Great Ancestor was noble and mighty, being someone who could produce a batch of Supreme Great Ancestors, why would he revere one?
Ou Yangming seemed respectful toward the Five Imperial Elders, but he probably was not aware that deep down he did not attach much attention to those elders.
Nonetheless, he met the elder from the secret realm at this moment.
“I want the wind.
“I want the rain.
“I want a clear sky after the rain.”
The three sentences were like three gigantic axes, and Ou Yangming’s body was ruthlessly chopped by them.
Before he became overly presumptuous, his arrogance was slashed and no longer existed.
“Brother Ou, how do you feel?” Wu Hanning asked again.
Ou Yangming took a deep breath and nodded as he replied to her, “Great-never been better.”
“Is that so?” Wu Hanning asked in confusion because judging from Ou Yangming’s expression, he did not look great.
“Your Royal Highness, that’s…” Ou Yangming asked with a bitter smile.
“That’s the Wu family’s ancestor,” Wu Hanning answered after a moment of hesitation, and she added meaningfully, “He’s the most powerful ancestor.”
Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up as he recalled something. He asked softly, “I heard that a powerhouse from the imperial family has broken through a great ancestor’s boundary. Could it be…”
Wu Hanning smiled mysteriously and asked the young fellow in return, “Take a guess?”
The
muscles on Ou Yangming’s face twitched as he thought, ‘Do I still need to guess?’
He recalled every detail about the mysterious elder and was suddenly moved. Following that, he slowly sat with his legs crossed, and his essential Qi began to surge crazily.
Ou Yangming had been performing the Spiritual First non-stop for 10 days, which allowed him to temper and steel himself while he helped the other people. Moreover, the young fellow was the nearest person to the powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade when they advanced to Extreme Grade.
It was a rare experience for him to sense their enormous auras when they broke through. It was as if countless ends of threads were straightened out, and his aura was naturally steered to the path of advancement.
Tremendous streams of energy were released from his body, then his stagnant essential Qi undulated and gushed out like tidal waves.
Wu Hanning had a strange look on her face because she knew at once what Ou Yangming was doing
Ou Yangming’s martial art boundary was improving, and he was about to enter Yang Grade in the palace.
Far away, several figures appeared; they were imperial guards. After sensing the energy wave around Ou Yangming, they hurried over and surrounded him.
This was not an ordinary place as it was an important place in the palace, and the imperial family’s honor must not be offended.
Nevertheless, the guards were dumbfounded when they saw what was going on, and they did not know how to handle the situation.
They noticed Her Royal Highness right away, but a stranger was undergoing a cultivation base advancement beside her.
What was the palace? It was the most important territory in a dynasty.
Those who came to the palace would shudder with fear because they were afraid of causing unmanageable accidents due to their neglect.
Even though a martial art advancement was important, the imperial guards had never heard throughout their years of service anyone who carried out the process in the palace.
They did not know how to handle the situation.
In actuality, if Wu Hanning was not present, the guards would not have cared who Ou Yangming was and would not consider the consequences of interrupting a cultivation base advancement. They would have taken Ou Yangming away without hesitation, and the young fellow would be thrown into prison or left to perish on his own.
Since Wu Hanning was present, none of the guards had the guts to make any decisions.
After 15 minutes, a fully armored man arrived hastily. His eyes were as threatening as bolts of lightning
“Younger sister, this is…” He furrowed his eyebrows and asked in a deep voice when he saw Wu Hanning, then he reprimanded, “How dare he try to break through a martial art boundary in the palace? Doesn’t he know it’s forbidden? Hmph, he’ll be chopped into pieces, and his whole clan will be eliminated!”
The palace was not only a dignified place, but most importantly, the imperial family was provided with everything in the world. Many tricks were set up in the palace, and it was more abundant in Heaven and Earth’s energy than anywhere else. Therefore, apart from the imperial family’s disciples, outsiders were prohibited from even cultivating martial arts in the palace, let alone upgrading one’s cultivation base. One would be bold and was simply courting death if one did that.
Wu Hanning answered with a faint smile, “He’s a martial artist who’s here to have an audience with Father.”
“He’s here to present himself before Father?” An odd look was seen on the man’s face. “Since he’s here to meet His Majesty, why is he at Forefather’s place?”
“Because Forefather wanted to meet him!” Wu Hanning asked with a straight face, “If you have a problem with that, why don’t you ask Forefather about it?”
The man was stunned, and his face twitched. ‘Ask Forefather? If I had the guts, I probably wouldn’t have stayed alive for so long.’
That said, he became less vigilant after hearing that the young fellow was summoned by his ancestor.
On the spur of the moment, he recalled something, so he asked, “Younger Sister, what’s this fella’s name?”
“Oh, he’s Ou Yangming. You can take him down and punish him if you want to,” Wu Hanning spoke steadily. “Ou Yangming,” the man uttered the name word by word, then his face took on a ghastly expression. He looked deeply at Ou Yangming and lowered his voice as though he was afraid of alarming the young fellow. “Younger Sister, is he the Extreme Grade Master?”
Wu Hanning smiled brightly and asked the man in return, “Oh, you’ve heard of him too?”
The man was displeased. “Master Ou made himself known recently, so how can anyone in the capital not know of him?”
“Ah, I see. Are you still going to take him down?” Wu Hanning nodded.
“Younger sister, stop joking around!” The man glared at Wu Hanning snappily. He was Wu Hanfeng, the fourth son of His Majesty the Emperor, and his martial art cultivation base was of Yang Grade. The man was quite reputable in the capital and was publicly acknowledged as one of the princes who had the most promising future. After realizing Ou Yangming’s identity, Wu Hanfeng was glad that he did not act rashly or he would deeply regret his actions.
Wu Hanfeng was more well-informed than normal people, thus he naturally knew Ou Yangming, who gained a lot of fame from the past few days. Besides, as a prince, Wu Hanfeng knew everything about the different forces.
Ou Yangming caused the birth of 26 Supreme Great Ancestors among the Humans by using his Simulated Spiritual Fist. His contribution was unprecedented, and it shook the entire race, hence he deserved to be regarded as a national treasure.
As long as he was alive, the Humans would have more Supreme Great Ancestors in the future.
Wu Hanfeng broke out in a cold sweat, and he trembled when he thought about the 26 newborn Supreme Great Ancestors.
He was a prince, but while his life would not be harmed if he offended many Supreme Great Ancestors at once, that would not be the case for his future.
Wu Hanfeng’s eyes wandered about, then he waved his hand and ordered, “Delivery my order to everyone else that this place is now guarded, and nobody is allowed to enter!”
“Your Highness, are we not going to arrest him?” One of the imperial guards was struck dumb, and he asked carefully. He was reminding the prince out of good intention because they would all be involved if an accident happened.
However, Wu Hanfeng glared at the guard and yelled furiously, “Nonsense! Quickly deliver my order and set up a protective barrier for him!” “Yes,”
This time, Wu Hanfeng’s order was immediately executed. None of the guards knew the audacious man, who was upgrading his martial art cultivation base in the palace, but they knew they could not offend the young fellow given that the princess and the prince were so protective toward him.
Ou Yangming was naturally clueless about the happenings around him as he was fully immersed in his world.
After some time, Ou Yangming’s surging aura stabilized, and he inhaled deeply. He seemed to be in turbulence just a while ago, but he was now in smooth water.
The abrupt change in his aura was somehow similar to the elder’s strict order.
Ou Yangming became a real Yang Grade powerhouse at this moment.
When he slowly opened his eyes, he was greeted with smiling faces.
Chapter 322 - His Majesty The Emperor
“Master Ou, I’ve heard a lot about you.” Wu Hanfeng cupped his hands and smiled brightly. Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up. “This general is…” “Master Ou, this is Wu Hanfeng, my fourth older brother.” Wu Hanning beat Wu Hanfeng to it. “He’s in charge of patrolling the palace at night and was alarmed when you suddenly tried to advance to the next grade, so he brought some men to take… Set up a protective barrier for you.”
When Wu Hanning mentioned the word “take”, Wu Hanning had a ghastly look on his face, but the princess suddenly changed her choice of words and said something completely different.
/> Wu Hanfeng glanced at her gratefully and thought, ‘She normally speaks bluntly to me and her other brothers, but we’re related by blood, after all, so she still protected the imperial family’s image.’ Ou Yangming was stunned. When he looked at the guards, who were either standing in the open or hiding covertly, he smiled bitterly and said, “I was in a trance after I left senior’s place, so I broke through to my next martial art boundary in the palace. Please forgive me, Your Highness.” Wu Hanfeng quickly responded with a smile, “Master Ou, you’re being too polite. Not to mention the Martial Arts Battle this time, based on your identity as an Advanced Blacksmith, you deserve to do that in the palace.” Wu Hanning twitched his mouth and smiled strangely. His Highness the fourth prince was right, but not every Advanced Blacksmith was qualified. Besides, even if one was permitted, one could only break through a martial art boundary in a specially arranged courtyard at a special time.
Ou Yangming was the first person who regarded the palace as nothing and did it without any permission.
Although they knew the young fellow acted so recklessly because of their ancestor, it was not something they could say out loud.
“Master Ou, your clothes are wet, so let me ask someone to get you a change of clothes.” Wu Hanfeng looked at Ou Yangming and cleared his throat before he added softly, “So you won’t be discourteous when you meet Father later.”
Ou Yangming immediately thanked him, “That’ll be great. Thank you, Your Highness.”
Wu Hanfeng gave an order, then someone brought brocade clothes for Ou Yangming.
Once the young fellow changed his clothes, he looked like he took on a new outlook.
The pressure from the elder at the secret realm was so intense that Ou Yangming almost felt like he was going to be suppressed.
After Ou Yangming witnessed the elder summon the wind and the rain without any effort, he felt like time flowed in reverse. He felt as powerless as when he was still in Force Grade and was hunted down by Zhang Yinli, who was a Yang Grade powerhouse.
He had not had the feeling for a long time.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 192