Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294

by Flying Alone 孤单地飞

  After all, that Beast King from before was similarly in the early stage of consummate level, and it hadn’t even been trapped by the net, yet wasn’t it still almost killed with one arrow from him?

  However, could the only son of Great General Zhao be killed?

  It was not possible even in a mortal duel. Was Ling Han not afraid that this Great General’s killing intent would soar, and he’d murder him with no care for the law?

  The greater one’s abilities, the less power rules would have over him. In the first place, rules were something the strong imposed on the weak, and whether the strong themselves obeyed them or otherwise depended completely on their mood.

  … Unless Ling Han could duck into the Black Tower after he had killed him. However, he was not a solitary entity—there was still the Great Ling Empire!

  Ling Han shook his head. If he could not be killed, he could only give him a heavy thrashing to give the latter a deeply ingrained lesson. He was sure that as long as Zhao Lun was neither killed nor crippled, Great General Zhao would not be so shameless that he would act personally.

  The problem was, could he subdue Zhao Lun even with the Crimson Ground Locking Net?

  The other party was a four-star genius, and even if he was weakened by a minor level, his battle prowess could still reach the early stage of consummate level. As for Ling Han? He was now in the early stage of the medium extreme, and was behind by a whole minor level. Furthermore, he could only exhibit battle prowess surpassing five stars at most. If not… he did not know what would happen.

  One had to know that he had ascended the Crimson Lake’s island thrice, and shown potential that exceeded four stars—close to five stars—which was enough to make two Great Majestic Empires want to kill him while he had not yet matured to his maximum potential. Then, battle prowess of six stars would definitely make others uneasy!

  “What nice dreams you have!” Li Weiwei shook her head, and said, “You still don’t know yet, right? After Zhao Lun broke through, he had been bestowed with the rank of a seventh-rank military officer by the empress, with his name engraved on the totem, so he can draw on power of the nation. He would be able to increase his battle prowess by another star at least!

  Ling Han’s brow furrowed. Then, going by that calculation, it was practically impossible to defeat Zhao Lun.

  … Unless everything progressed as he expected. First, he’d use the Crimson Ground Locking Net to trap his opponent, then use the Annihilating Dragon Star Arrow to deal a heavy injury… he could avoid vital points like the head and heart, and he would only have that one chance. If he missed, then he could only admit defeat.

  Ling Han pondered for a moment, and then said, “If I and Zhao Lun battle, there would definitely be new bets. I am sure that practically all bankers would not be so stupid as to directly open betting for whether it would be I or Zhao Lun that emerges victorious, but rather how many moves Zhao Lun would take to defeat and make me surrender.”

  “En, en, en!” Li Weiwei quickly nodded. Otherwise, the banker would definitely lose money to death.

  Ling Han cracked a smile, and said, “Then we’ll just make use of Zhao Lun to earn a great sum first, and step on him in the future!”

  Li Weiwei was stunned. Why was this damn blockhead always pumped so full of confidence? ‘Don’t you know that you come from a small world, and don’t have much backing? On what basis do you think that Zhao Lun would not kill you!?’ However, it had to be admitted that this kind of confidence gave him an alluring temperament.

  “Then hand over your money quickly. I will go now to place our bet!” Her mind was soon so crammed with the words ‘earn a great sum’ that even her pretty face was glowing.

  After Ling Han entered into the Heavenly Sea Mystery Realm, he had earned some money—all from looting others. Then, he began cultivating, and spent a little to attain medium extreme, but added with the sum accumulated previously, there were still 4,000 True Origin Stones. He handed the whole sum over to Li Weiwei.

  Li Weiwei left impatiently, and returned only after a day. She told him that everything was settled, and the only thing they were waiting for now was for him to issue the challenge.

  Ling Han immediately wrote a challenge for duel, and stuck it on the main doors of the Northern Institution. It was naturally a challenge issued to Zhao Lun.

  The news seemed to have sprouted wings, and instantly spread throughout the whole Northern Institution, the Scarlet Heaven Academy, and the entire Imperial Capital. Everyone were discussing spiritedly. They had not thought that this genius that had been in silence for over half a year would finally reappear. Furthermore, he was being so high-profile from the moment he appeared, actually issuing a challenge to Zhao Lun.

  Who was Zhao Lun?

  The only son of the Great General Zhao, the strongest genius in the last thousand years, and someone who was strongly expected to perhaps reach the Heavenly Body Tier!

  All of a sudden, everyone in the Imperial Capital was guessing whether Zhao Lun would accept the challenge or not.

  ***

  “Hoho, this junior brother disciple is quite interesting. He has just advanced into the Low Extreme Division, and has already issued a challenge to Zhao Lun.” In a courtyard of the Western Institution, there was presently a blue-robed young man, sitting peacefully and sipping tea.

  Behind him was a woman dressed in a tight-fitting outfit. She had a tall and slender figure, the leather of her outfit completely accentuating all the curves of her voluptuous figure; it was practically enough to make one salivate.

  Additionally, her appearance was no disappointment to such a fine figure. Her looks were filled with a wild kind of temptation. Her black hair was done in a large braid, falling straight down to her hips, making that rounded, erect bottom appear even more impressive.

  When the woman saw that the blue-robed young man’s teacup was almost empty, she hurriedly refilled his cup. She said, “Young Master, in your opinion, will Zhao Lun accept the challenge?”

  Chapter 983 - Astonishing Stakes

  Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

  “Of course not.” The blue-robed young man shook his head. “His cultivation level is so much higher than Ling Han’s, so even if he won, it would be an embarrassment. So, why would he accept?”

  Yet the bodysuited beauty said, “Young Master may not know, but Zhao Lun still has a personal grudge with Ling Han.”

  “Oh?” An expression of surprise appeared on the blue-robed young man’s face. How could this be? What kind of abilities and background did Zhao Lun have? To be blunt, even if Ling Han wanted to offend Zhao Lun, he shouldn’t have a chance to.

  This blue-robed young man’s name was Sha Yuan, and he was the third son of the Great General Sha Jing of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire. He was also his youngest son. His talent in martial arts was similarly amazing, and he had long since advanced into consummate level of the Mountain River Tier 1,000 years ago, and by now, had reached the peak stage.

  Ordinarily, he should have left the Academy, but if the son of the Great General Sha was determined to remain at the Academy, how could they dare to chase him out?

  To the rich and noble, the Scarlet Heaven Academy was not just a place for cultivation. In truth, the conditions in their own homes were considerably better. The reason why they came to the Academy was for making connections, and to accumulate their own power!

  Among those that could enroll in the Academy, who was not a genius? For example, Zhao Lun himself had three great followers, and each of them was a two-star genius, and according to rumors, they might even be three-star geniuses. Who did not want to gain the support of this kind of talent?

  Part of the reason why the Academy was divided into four Institutions, with each on poor terms with the others, was because they did not want some descendant of nobility to stretch his arms too far. This was an active restriction so they could only go crazy in a single Institution.

  The bodysu
it beauty was naturally not going to wait for Sha Yuan to voice the question, and hurriedly continued, “It is because of Shui Yanyu. Apparently, she has already pledged herself in marriage to Ling Han.”

  Her name was Liu Ying—she was a child that Great General Sha had chosen from the orphanage. She had extraordinary talent in martial arts, and was both Sha Yuan’s childhood playmate and sparring partner. She was also his death guard 1 . There were a total of four death guards like her, and they were collectively called “Four Panthers”.

  Sha Yuan was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly erupted into loud laughter. He was laughing so hard that he was practically tearing up.

  “Zhao Lun, Zhao Lun, aren’t you extremely proud? Why is it that you can’t even keep your own woman?”

  Even though the Seven Generals were of equal rank, the relations between them could definitely not be considered amicable in any sense of the word. Furthermore, he and Zhao Lun were both pampered, wealthy young masters of the Imperial Capital, so there was no lack of grudges between them, as they both wanted to snatch the esteemed title of the Greatest Young Master of the Imperial Capital.

  Hence, knowing that Zhao Lun had actually experienced such a great loss, Sha Yuan was naturally going to laugh loudly.

  “Liu Ying, you will not betray me, right?” Sha Yuan abruptly asked.

  Liu Ying’s heart shook, and she quickly knelt down, and replied, “I will definitely not betray Young Master!”

  Sha Yuan swept a look over her, and said, “Go and investigate this person well; I am very intrigued by him.”

  “Yes!” Liu Ying stood up, and left through the doors.

  “Is it that you won’t or you dare not?” An unfathomable smile appeared on Sha Yuan’s face.

  ***

  Tang Feng almost went mad in fury. Ling Han ignored his challenge, so he looked down on him as a coward, and claimed that Ling Han was as brave as a mouse, yet the latter still completely ignored him. But now, he was directly issuing a challenge to Zhao Lun; wasn’t this completely overlooking him?

  He wanted nothing more than to tear Ling Han to pieces—this challenge from Ling Han had instantly suppressed his fame once more.

  ***

  Zhao Lun did not respond to Ling Han’s challenge. Instead, it was a follower under him, Bai Yuansi, that responded, expressing his disdain for Ling Han’s challenge. He said that Ling Han was an ugly person, and hence always up to no good. What qualified him to battle Zhao Lun?

  If Ling Han wanted a battle, Bai Yuansi would keep him company, but the condition was that it had to be a duel to the death.

  All of a sudden, everyone turned their attention to Ling Han, wanting to see how he would respond.

  One had to know that though Bai Yuansi was not as dazzling as Zhao Lun, he was also a great elite of the high extreme of the Mountain River Tier, and furthermore a genius that was above two stars—close to three stars. In a duel to the death with him, the chances that Ling Han would be instantly killed was close to 90%, no?

  Did he dare to accept or not?

  Ling Han immediately gave a positive response—he was going to battle!

  The whole Imperial Capital was in an uproar over this. Ling Han was the hottest rookie now, while Bai Yuansi—whether it was due to his personal abilities or the fact that he was a follower of Zhao Lun—received great attention as well.

  These two people were going to be in a mortal duel, which was definitely going to attract attention from all sides.

  As expected, there was naturally a new betting pool for the outcome of the battle between the two of them.

  “How is it? What are the stakes?” Ling Han appeared quite excited.

  Li Weiwei giggled, and said, “If you win, it’s 1:100!”

  A muscle twitched in Ling Han’s cheek. Although he knew that the higher the betting stakes were, the more he would earn, he had never imagined that it would be as exaggeratedly high as 1:100. How pessimistic a view did the masses actually have of him?

  “There are no stakes for Bai Yuansi winning, only stakes for how many moves he will take to beat you. Defeated with one move, 10:11, two moves, 10:12, three moves, 10:13…” Li Weiwei began introducing the stakes again.

  It was apparent that even the banker did not have an optimistic view of Ling Han. Ling Han being able to withstand 100 moves actually reached the exaggerated extent of 1:10.

  “Blockhead, how are we going to bet next?” Li Weiwei’s eyes lit up. Previously, she had really made a great sum.

  “How much have you earned exactly?” Ling Han couldn’t help but ask.

  “Your bet was 4,000, and I and Big Sister Yun placed a bet of 3,000 each, so we earned a total of 100,000!” Li Weiwei exclaimed excitedly.

  Together, the two women actually earned more than he did!

  Ling Han sighed, and said, “Of course, the bet is on my win.”

  “Hey, hey, hey. It can’t be that you are envious that Big Sister Yun and I earn more than you, so you want to scam us, right?” Li Weiwei looked at Ling Han suspiciously.

  “Am I that kind of person?” Ling Han shook his head. “Don’t worry, if you bet on my win, the stakes are 1:100, and I guarantee that you two will win so much you’ll be flying! Moreover, isn’t my own capital of 4,000 also included in the bet?”

  “True!” Li Weiwei finally nodded at this, and then asked curiously, “What gives you that kind of confidence?”

  “My own abilities, naturally.” Ling Han laughed.

  Zhao Lun did not accept the challenge. This was within Ling Han’s expectations. In any case, he had only issued the challenge to win some money. Still, he had not foreseen that Bai Yuansi would respond, and actually allow him to earn another sum.

  “I’ll trust you this once! However, if you cause me and Big Sister Yun to lose money, we will not spare you!” Li Weiwei threatened fiercely.

  “Don’t worry. Just think of this as the dowry I present to the both of you; there is no way you two are going to lose money!” Ling Han said with a grin.

  Now, their capital of 10,000 had increased tenfold, and reached the large sum of 100,000. If he won with the stakes being 1:100, it would then become an astronomical sum of a million!

  This was even more profitable than alchemy.

  Unfortunately, this was also because the data on both sides was unequal. If they could know Ling Han as well as he knew himself, then they would only place the stakes at 1:10 at most.

  Ling Han was filled with anticipation. After he had obtained the money, it would be just in time to participate in the large-scale auction. He really wanted to see what kind of good stuff would be sold at the auction.

  There was a three-day buffer period until the day of the battle, but Shui Yanyu did not appear, which made Ling Han feel slightly regretful.

  In these three days, he refined the final Flame Mountain River Stone, completely stabilizing his cultivation level at the medium extreme. At the same time, the might of the divine patterns of flame progressed another step further. After all, there was a total of seven divine patterns of flame, which was far more than the divine patterns of gravity.

  Chapter 984 - The Unfortunate Tang Feng

  Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

  Three days went by, and Ling Han headed toward Thousand Peak Mountain. This was the location of their duel.

  This duel had attracted a huge amount of attention, and thus many people turned up to spectate the battle. Not only did students from the academy come, but all kinds of people from the Imperial Capital also appeared. They all went to great lengths to enter the Academy so they could personally witness the duel.

  Even Zhao Lun turned up to spectate the battle. He stood atop a mountain peak with his hands clasped behind his back, and there were another four people standing beside him.

  They were Sha Yuan, Liu Huilan, Jing Wuxue, and Shangguan Yuanji. Each of them was renowned in the Academy. Originally, Zhao Lun had been slightly weaker than these four individuals. Ho
wever, after he advanced into the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier, his standing became equal with the four of them.

  Sha Yuan chuckled, and asked, “How many exchanges do you guys think that brat can last?”

  “He’s only at the low extreme, let’s say at the peak stage,” Liu Huilan said. “Even if he’s a four-star genius, that’s only equivalent to a battle prowess on par with the peak stage of the medium extreme. Bai Yuansi would easily suppress him even if he was only an ordinary cultivator at the high extreme. Not to mention, Bai Yuansi is already at the middle stage of the medium extreme, and is even close to a three-star genius.”

  The Liu Clan had many members who were loyal subordinates to Great General Zhao; thus, Liu Huilan was naturally inclined to fully support Zhao Lun. However, she had spoken the truth, and both Jing Wuxue and Shangguan Yuanji nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Zhao Lun wore a look of contempt and disdain.

  “Then let’s make a bet,” Sha Yuan said with a chuckle.

  “How so? What are the stakes?” Zhao Lun asked. He and Sha Yuan were both sons of Great Generals, and often clashed to determine who was the superior one among the two. As such, Zhao Lun naturally wasn’t willing to back down.

  “I wager that the brat can last for over 500 exchanges.” Sha Yuan smiled, and said, “In fact, he might even win!”

  Zhao Lun and the others were all astonished.

  ‘How is that possible?’

  The difference in power between Ling Han and Bai Yuansi was as clear as day. No matter what he did, there was not a single shred of chance that Ling Han could win. In fact, it was hard to say if he could even last for more than 10 exchanges. So, how could he last for 500 exchanges, much less win?

  “Brother Sha, are you really going to persist with your wager?” Jing Wuxue asked in a frosty voice. He was naturally cold and indifferent; it wasn’t as if he held a strong animosity for everyone else.

  A smile stretched across Sha Yuan’s face, and he said, “I’ll just make a bet with you guys.”

  “Since you’re insistent on giving us a gift, count me in,” Zhao Lun said. “I’ll wager White Cloud Star Metal!”