History's Strongest Senior Brother c1-1474

by 八月飞鹰, Ba Yue Fei Ying, August Eagle

  Hearing this, Gao Qing replied without hesitation, “We do have some! There are Little Aunt and Nine Heavens He who is acclaimed alongside her.”

  “Don’t they say in the World beyond Worlds ‘Kunlun God Shocking Dragon, Youth Enlightening Eight Sects’? In our Roving Jade Heavens, we also have, “Nine Heavens Soaring Solo Crane, Fragrant Splendour Fills Divine Lands.”

  Gao Qing sounded rather regretful as she said, “Still, you may not be able to see either of them this time, little apprentice-uncle. I heard that Nine Heavens He is in secluded cultivation, whereas Little Aunt departed the Roving Jade Heavens a year ago for adventuring in the outside world.”

  “If you call her Little Aunt, she must be…” Yan Zhaoge felt rather curious.

  Gao Qing’s cheerful mood fell somewhat, “She’s second grandaunt’s daughter! Of course I would address her as Little Aunt. Sadly, second grandaunt has already passed away…”

  History's Strongest Senior Brother Chapter 1117: Titles cannot be randomly assumed

  HSSB1117: Titles cannot be randomly assumed

  Seeing Gao Qing in rather low spirits, Yan Zhaoge too could not help but sigh.

  Gao Qing’s second grandaunt was the second daughter of the Profound Sovereign Gao Qingxuan and the Dragon Spring Emperor Long Xingquan.

  She was ranked second in seniority as a sibling of Gao Xuebo and Long Xueji.

  As compared to Gao Xuebo who was constantly handling affairs on behalf of his parents who were in secluded cultivation and Long Xueji with his great reputation, this second grandaunt of Gao Qing’s was much more low key in comparison.

  Yan Zhaoge had virtually never heard anything about her before in the World beyond Worlds.

  On the one hand, she had kept a low profile. On the other, she was deceased. Thus, little information on her was available.

  “Nine Heavens Soaring Solo Crane, Fragrant Splendour Fills Divine Lands…” Yan Zhaoge deliberately changed the topic, asking, “Are they the rumoured twin supreme heaven’s favoured from the Roving Jade Heaven in recent years?”

  Gao Qing composed herself and nodded, “Right. Have you heard of them too, little apprentice-uncle?”

  Yan Zhaoge replied, “There are some rumours regarding the Roving Jade Heavens in the World beyond Worlds. Still, these are mostly very brief.”

  “The two of them are the most outstanding figures to appear in our Roving Jade Heavens after little apprentice-granduncle,” Gao Qing nodded and explained, “The latter half, ‘Fragrant Splendour Fills Divine Lands’, refers to little aunt, while the first half, ‘Nine Heavens Soaring Solo Crane’, refers to that disciple of Ashen Spirit Valley’s Cloud Emperor, Sword Shaking Nine Heavens He Mian. He has the title of Sacred Court Exalt as some also refer to him as the ‘Eight Heavens Exalt’.”

  Yan Zhaoge burst out laughing, “Eight Heavens Exalt? What does that count for? Shouldn’t it be Nine Heavens Exalt?”

  “Either be a bit more arrogant and be called Nine Heavens Exalt, or simply don’t. Now, he daren’t be called Nine Heavens Exalt and calls himself Eight Heavens Exalt instead. Isn’t it too much of a joke?”

  The term ‘nine heavens’ was used to refer to the vast, endless skies.

  Nine Heavens Exalt was virtually equivalent to being hailed as Heavenly Exalt.

  This was a weighty title indeed.

  The legendary bigwig, the Primordial Suppressing Immortal, had coexisted with the world, only paying respects to the heavens and the earth as he did not worship the three Purities.

  While it was said that he only paid respects to the heavens and the earth, it was actually only the heavenly dao that he worshipped. ‘Earth’ was simply added on here for a symmetry and harmony.

  Therein could be seen the difference between the heavens and the earth.

  The number one Martial Saint of the World beyond Worlds, Chen Qianhua who was able to battle True Immortals head-on as a mere mortal, had once been hailed the Heavenly Young Master. Yet, even he was only known as the Upper Exalt now as opposed to the Heavenly Exalt.

  Although this was partly due to the naming tradition of the World beyond Worlds’ Ten Exalts, underlying this was also the fact that the title of Heavenly Exalt was too weighty. It was not something someone in the human realm could bear.

  Of course, this was just what other people called him. Chen Qianhua himself cared nothing about it.

  In the Eight Extremities World back then, the Chiefs of Broad Creed Mountain would all have the ‘heavenly’ character in their titles as per their tradition.

  It was fine in such a lower world. Even if others learnt about it, they would simply laugh it off.

  Still, it was different in the World beyond Worlds.

  In fact, the higher one’s cultivation realm, the more the improper usage of titles was taboo.

  Considering Chen Qianhua’s personality, he was not much interested in things like this at all.

  Still, if any other Upper Exalt of the World beyond Worlds were to run into other Martial Saints styling themselves as ‘Heavenly Exalt’, they would probably take the initiative to measure the true abilities of the other party.

  When a title was too lofty and precious, it was not anybody who could bear its weight.

  This was just like how anyone who had yet to attain the Immortal realm styling themselves as Emperor or Sovereign was no mere laughing matter and cause for amusement.

  If actual experts of the Immortal realm who were more serious or had bad tempers learnt of it, they would probably come furiously knocking on their doorstep.

  Also, no one would care even if such a person was offed by an actual Emperor. They would only feel that the person deserved it.

  An incident like this had actually occurred before in pre-Great Calamity times. The fool who dared to call himself Emperor had had his entire lineage exterminated by an actual True Immortal.

  “It was not Nine Heavens He himself who proposed this. Instead, he was indeed once hailed as the Nine Heavens Exalt back when he first attained the Human Exalt stage,” Gao Qing laughed too, “It was indeed adopted directly from his earlier title of ‘Sword Shaking Nine Heavens’, but the subtle change still drew much doubt from many people nevertheless.”

  “Other things aside, little granduncle was still in the Human Exalt stage back then.”

  Gao Qing said, “Although it was bestowed by others, Senior He himself did not firmly refuse to accept going by this title. Therefore, little granduncle went to look for him.”

  “Ahem…” Yan Zhaoge stroked his lower chin, “So this is how nine heavens ended up becoming eight heavens, huh?”

  “That’s right! Little granduncle won in a competition of the sword,” Gao Qing first nodded, but then shook her head, “Still, this title of ‘Eight Heavens Exalt’ is not totally a joke and a deprecating name.”

  While Long Xueji had won that battle, he had only won it by a narrow margin.

  Afterwards, Long Xueji had been full of praise for He Mian as he had once admitted candidly that it had been his most difficult battle against another Martial Saint in recent years.

  Although the nine heavens had become eight, there was still glory to be had for He Mian.

  Considering how He Mian was younger than Long Xueji and had only newly ascended the Human Exalt stage at the time, he really possessed extraordinary strength.

  “Ah…” Yan Zhaoge laughed lightly, “The Roving Jade Heavens too has many crouching tigers and hidden dragons.”

  It looked like this He Mian was a proud person too. He had kept the title of Eight Heavens Exalt definitely not to be reminded of the shame of defeat. He had surely wanted to challenge Long Xueji again and defeat him this time before finally changing his title back to nine heavens.

  This person’s resolve and confidence was self-evident here.

  “Right! After little apprentice-granduncle opened the door to Immortality, the Sacred Court Exalt is probably the top expert amongst the Roving Jade Heavens’ Martial Saints,” Gao Qing said, “
Though little aunt’s talent is acclaimed alongside him, due to her young age, she is currently still just a ninth level Martial Saint as she would naturally be unable to defeat the Sacred Court Exalt.”

  “Little aunt aside, even my grandfather would not be confident enough of beating the Sacred Court Exalt for sure.”

  Gao Qing had been carried away in speaking as only now did she realise that her words were a little improper. She unconsciously shrunk her neck, as though her grandfather, Gao Xuebo, was standing just beside her.

  She looked ingratiatingly towards Yan Zhaoge, “Little apprentice-uncle, can you pretend that you never heard that last bit?”

  “That’s hard to say. I have a very poor memory sometimes, but sometimes my memory is great,” Yan Zhaoge teased as Gao Qing’s face instantly fell in regret.

  The two conversed happily as they headed north, traversing countless mountains and water bodies while travelling in the direction of the You Region.

  As they stood at the border of the Yu Region, Yan Zhaoge glanced back in the direction of Green Duckweed Mountain seemingly nonchalantly.

  After leaving Green Duckweed Mountain, that sharp, piercing aura which shook one to their very core had eased greatly, no longer emanating the feeling of one being very close to a sword’s blade.

  Having completely exited the Yu Region, that domineering air could virtually no longer be felt at all.

  Yan Zhaoge had a thoughtful look on his face. Still, he returned his attention to travelling alongside Gao Qing as they headed towards the You Region’s Heavenly Contours Mountain’s Dynasty Vessel Valley.

  They did not run into any trouble along the way or a random challenger suddenly appearing like Wen Daihong.

  While they had simply asked Gao Qing to lead him over, Long Xueji and Gao Xuebo had surely additionally ensured a smooth journey for him too.

  After quite a long time, the destination of their travels finally appeared in Yan Zhaoge’s field of vision.

  This place was icy cold yet had no snow. With the sunlight illuminating the area, the icy water would not reach the extent of freezing.

  Still, what they were seeing was a gorge that was sealed in ice, being frozen entirely within a glacier.

  As Yan Zhaoge and Gao Qing approached, without having to announce their presence, a crevice simply opened soundlessly in the glacier, resembling the opening of a door to welcome them.

  History's Strongest Senior Brother Chapter 1118: The Emperor who is not like an Emperor

  HSSB1118: The Emperor who is not like an Emperor

  Looking at the glacier and sensing the spiritual qi fluctuations within, Yan Zhaoge looked thoughtful, “It really is from the same source as the Female Emperor Jie Mingkong, just that the specifics differ somewhat…”

  “Let’s go in, little apprentice-uncle,” Gao Qing looked at him and said.

  Yan Zhaoge nodded, “Alright.”

  They entered the icy gorge together. After traversing numerous layers of icy cold, they were greeted by an aura of warmth.

  Sunlight was actually emanating from the otherwise dark valley, the radiance contrasting with the cold and dark walls of ice.

  Gazing over, Yan Zhaoge saw a world of spring before him where grass grew and birds flew.

  The sunlight here was not natural sunlight as it was agglomerated of the essence of the sun’s rays. It was akin to being man-made.

  “The owner of this place likely has a different temperament from the Female Emperor,” Such a thought flashed through Yan Zhaoge’s mind.

  The world outside the valley was sealed in ice as a form of concealment. This warm environment hidden within was the true ideal living environment of the owner of this place.

  Entering the depths of the valley, they did not encounter any manservants or attendants coming to greet the guests.

  “Granny Li stays here alone. She also has no disciples. She only has a demonic beast by her side, the Feifei,” Gao Qing said as if it was only natural.

  Yan Zhaoge nodded in understanding. At the centre of the valley, they saw a small courtyard amidst the lush greenery.

  Outside the entrance of the courtyard, Gao Qing raised her voice, calling, “We’re here, Granny Li!”

  Laughter resounded from within, “Yes, I know! Come on in yourself, you know the way.”

  “Yes, Granny,” Gao Qing cheerily opened the door before turning to look at Yan Zhaoge, “Come, little apprentice-uncle. I’m super familiar with Granny’s place.”

  Yan Zhaoge shrugged and followed along.

  A mild white qi surfaced as soon as they entered, bringing an icy chill that affected even Yan Zhaoge with his Immortal Bridge stage cultivation base.

  Yet, this white qi did not affect the environment of the valley that was warm as spring as the two formed a clear contrast.

  While Gao Qing had already long since broken through space to see True Divinity, she would likely be frozen in an instant if she were to walk unguarded amidst the icy white mist.

  However, there was a jade pendant around her neck that emitted a red glow, keeping the icy white mist at bay while ensuring that she would not be harmed by the icy coldness.

  “Granny Li gave it to me,” Gao Qing said as she walked, “This way, little apprentice-uncle.”

  The icy mist was dense to the point that one would not even be able to see the fingers of their outstretched hand before them.

  Even Martial Saints would not be able to clearly distinguish anything.

  This was a restrictive mechanism established by the owner of this place. It was formed of her own Immortal qi and also had the abstruse profundities of formations integrated within.

  With Yan Zhaoge’s discernment abilities, he was able to sense that time seemed to have stopped in the general vicinity. That said, he was only able to do so because he was proficient in the Immortal Trapping Sword and Aeon Light Heavenly Scripture, thus having a better understanding of the profundities of time.

  Were it anyone else, they would probably end up in a state similar to those afflicted by the Thunder of Eternal Night, unable to even notice the passage of time around them.

  After losing their consciousness, even if they did not freeze to death, they would remain amidst the icy mist forever. As time passed, they would gradually run out of energy and life, ending up as lifeless ice sculptures.

  Still, the person who had set up these restrictions had intentionally left a method to pass through the mist, a method that was currently being used with practiced familiarity by Gao Qing.

  Only after passing through the mist could one be considered to have truly entered the courtyard.

  Just after having entered, a piercing shriek resounded by their ears, “No! Let go of me, Lili! I won’t…”

  The words were broken off before they could be finished as only an indistinct noise could be heard.

  Gazing over, Yan Zhaoge saw a woman pressing down a demonic beast which resembled a little fox headfirst into a basin of water with both hands.

  The little beast struggled non-stop, “I’m telling you, Lili! I will have my revenge! I…glug, gargle, ah…”

  The voice was shockingly coming from that small beast in the form of a fox. It’s voice was high-pitched and piercing like a child’s. It was snowy white in colour and had four short, stout limbs. It was none other than the demonic beast of legend, the Feifei.

  These beasts were rare and good stress relievers, not being very combat-oriented.

  Still, Yan Zhaoge could tell with a single glance that despite the small size of this Feifei, the vigour of the demonic qi hidden within its body was much more powerful than most other demonic beasts he had seen before.

  Yet, this Feifei who would be able to rival any under the Human Exalt stage was currently being pressed into the basin like a cat, being rubbed unceasingly as it was forced to take a bath.

  The woman who was pressing it down looked like a teenager, with no outward indication that there was any difference in age between her and Gao Qing at a
ll.

  “Come on! How long has it been since you last took a bath? It’s okay if you don’t like being clean usually, but we’re meeting guests now,” The woman rubbed the Feifei as she looked towards the entrance of the courtyard, smiling, “You’re here, Qing’er? Go inside and find a place to sit! I will be right there after bathing Pingping.”

  Gao Qing called happily, “Granny Li.”

  Looking at that Feifei, she smilingly said, “Pingping, you’re running away from baths again.”

  “Don’t just watch, Little Gao Qing! Hurry up and save me…nooooo…” As the Feifei struggled to speak, it was doused with water yet again.

  On seeing this, Yan Zhaoge stroked his lower chin, “Hmm, that lazy lump of fat I have at home-have I usually been too doting on it?”

  Looking at him, the woman smiled, asking, “You are Big Boss Yue’s junior apprentice-nephew?”

  Hearing this, Yan Zhaoge was dazed momentarily before he realised that she was referring to the Sword Sovereign Yue Zhenbei…

  “Yan Zhaoge greets you, senior,” Yan Zhaoge’s mind was whirling at top speed even as he answered.

  It seemed that the Sword Sovereign Yue Zhenbei also knew that the Female Emperor was not the Astro Sovereign’s only disciple.

  Still, this remained a tightly guarded secret as he had not even told it to Wang Pu, Nie Jingshen, Bai Tao, and the rest.

  “I wonder how I should address senior?” Yan Zhaoge enquired.

  While Gao Qing was addressing the other party as Granny Li, Yan Zhaoge would definitely not do so.

  “My name is Chu Lili. My Master was a close friend of your grandfather’s. Unfortunately, I was born too late and never witnessed the flair of your late grandfather,” The woman smiled, “If we consider it from Big Boss Yue’s side, you can call me aunt. Otherwise, I don’t mind if we go about it by other relationships too.”

  While her words were casual, Yan Zhaoge could vaguely sense the majestic power contained within her.

  Although she might not really fit one’s impressions of an Emperor, this was an actual True Immortal just like the Brocade Emperor, the Encompassing Emperor and Long Xueji!