“………….” Ye Shuye chose to respond with silence as, the Dark Sky Pavilion Leader, along with the Blood Rose Union, Rain Sword Sect, and Seven Blade Mercenaries nodded their heads in acceptance.
As they saw the scene before them, both Old Zhu and Tang Lie reigned in on their conflict while looking away from each other at the same time as they snorted. “Hmph!”
Xun Yanshan seeing that the scene had once more became orderly finally looked towards each of the leaders before nodding at Nei Sinian, as he saw this, Nei Sinian snapped his fingers causing the Ancient Dragon Battlefield Chart to appear before everyone.
Tap! With the sound of his finger tapping on a specific location of the chart, Nei Sinan began addressing the leaders of the current situation. “North folks… we are currently at this position within the Ancient Dragon Battlefield, which is the foremost region to the mythical Dragon Palace. Usually, we would most probably have had a difficult time in these regions as we would have been forced to battle against the hordes of fiendish armies from the different regions. Hence, we should at least thank the Chosen One for giving us the opportunity due to their fortunate encounter.”
As he said this, the leaders looked on with a curious light in their eyes as a few of them began to whisper amongst themselves.
“Which one of those brats managed to activate such an ancient quest? How could they achieve what so many geniuses found so difficult to accomplish even within those fabled glorious past eras?” The leader of the Dark Sky Pavilion’s Group asked the female group leader of the Rain Sword Sect.
The woman from the Rain Sword Sect hearing his words shook her head and replied, “Maybe they got lucky… it could be that the one who invoked such a secret command was actually sent to the location where command resided, as such, they most likely didn’t have to worry about any major obstacles preventing them.” The Rain Sword Sect female replied.
As they went on with their discussion, Nei Sinian once again continued with his demonstration. He slid his finger across the chart pointing to a different section which wasn’t too far away from their current location of floating landmasses, there, a massive central landmass stood with the outline of a rectangular construct on its surface.
It was surrounded by a unique network of large pillars which seemed to be connected; a few illustrations of chains could be seen drawn across these pillars which circled around the massive castle on the strange landmass.
“This, my fellow practitioners, is the fabled Dragon Palace, as seen on the chart shown before you as it is surrounded by a few unusual pillars. Our task is to make our way to the pillar to activate the trigger which will break the spell on the palace allowing it to come into being once more. This may sound like a straightforward task, but I can assure you that it is the most dangerous task we could have ever been given for you see, our enemies are fiends… and not the usual fiends but the dreadful mid-class and high-class fiends.” Nei Sinian said while gazing at the leaders with a deep look in his eyes.
Xun Yanshan who sat not too far away from him spoke, “Hmm, this will prove to be quite the troublesome ordeal… if they truly are mid-class and high-class fiends as the chart suggests and their cultivations are at the 1st Cycle of True Soul realm, then no matter how hard we try to face them we will be the ones to fail in the long no, short term…”
The man from the Dark Sky Pavilion and the female from Rain Sword Sect along with the rest of the influences leaders each frowned as they too began to feel the pressure from their enemies. They knew full well the might of those belonging to the realms that transcended the mundane, in fact, they had not too long ago escaped from the terrible aftermath of the Ghost Master and Chu Kongling.
“If this is the case, then what do we do? Do we give up on this once in a lifetime chance to enter such a mystical place?” One of the leaders asked in a tone of unwillingness.
Xun Yanshan and Nei Sinian hearing his words looked at each other for a moment before nodding their heads.
Nei Sinian then replied with a smile hidden behind the thick layers of clothing covering his face, “We are not alone…”
“What do you mean by that? Eh? Hmm, you don’t possibly mean---?” The Seven Blade Mercenary elder exclaimed as he quickly remembered something.
“Indeed, only they can help us out in these circumstances. We lack the strength to properly battle even those among the ranks of elite and elder low-class fiends that are at the peak of the Warrior realm. Therefore, we can only rely on their miracles once again, who knows? Maybe if we pool our human resources together with theirs, we might be able to strike victory in this seemingly hopeless battle.” Nei Sinian replied as he swept his gaze across the individuals.
A warm wind blew across this region brushing the clothes and hairs of the nearby influential leaders. This warmness seeped into their very being causing their once cold mood to slowly rise to its peak as a layer of hope of expectation arose along with a hint of excitement which lay buried at the depths of their eyes.
As this mood had finally reached its peak, one of the leaders couldn’t help but ask, “Then, what do we do now? Do we rush to the palace to set up a war formation?”
“Have lost your marbles? That would be no different suicide! The enemy would have long since arrived at the palace seeing as they have been in this realm for a long time, thus given them a full compressive advantage over our forces.” The Blood Rose Union female said snappily.
“Then, do you have a better idea Miss ‘Red Witch’?” The Dark Sky Pavilion elder asked sarcastically. The Blood Rose Union female snorted in response, not bothering to reply as she moved her eyes back to Nei Sinian.
Nei Sinian seeing this scene smiled and calmly replied, “It’s simple, we wait…” His voice echoing within the now silent area as a few of the leaders began to feel their skin crawl with excitement.
However, this scene didn’t last very long as there was a sudden change of events.
Buzzzz! Following an odd sound that shook the world itself, multiple blue rifts appeared within the central-most location of this congregation of gathered allies causing them to look towards it in surprise.
Their surprise soon after becoming joy as a few familiar silhouettes slowly started to materialize from the rifts. After a short moment, the spatial rifts vanished, and the silhouettes that were shrouded by its light were revealed to the world.
“Its… its…” one individual became tongue-tied unable to speak his thoughts clearly, as a few others also had similar reactions. Still, despite each of the individual’s shock, there were those who managed to recover their wits as one of the leaders shouted at the top of his voice. “The juniors are back!!!”
His words resounding throughout the region as the atmosphere began to usher a new change…
Chapter 147
The Geniuses Return!
The misty wind of the Center of All Zones gently blew across the vast open fields of floating landmasses, as it rustled the tall hedges and leaves from the trees within the region, a few ‘flapping’ noises could also be heard coming from the clothing of a large group of youths in the area.
These youths were special as each of them seemed to be carrying an unusual type of air as if they had undergone a metamorphic change, for their previous youthful innocence now displayed a more steadfast and firmer aura.
Among these youths stood a few mightier looking individuals, a domineering looking young man with a head of full silver hair, and sharp eyebrows as he shouldered a long silver spear on his back, his forehead now carrying a strange marking of a full moon.
Nearby, this youth was a beautiful female who now wore a broad magic hat on her head with long hair falling to her sides as a strange tome was within her palms, she wore a beautiful but somewhat worn out magic robe with a few tears on its hems as she gazed around with a set of firm looking eyes.
Beside her was a bulky looking youth whose body seemed to radiate the power of stars, filled with an endless might that seemed no different from t
he universe.
Accompanied by another youth whose entire body was covered by cloth also, he stood nearby with an immense amount of mental power shrouding his being.
After a great deal of these youths made an appearance, there were two final distinct individuals who stood out much farther from the rest, they each wore a similar type of qi gong robe with tweaks made to suit their own tastes.
If we looked from left to right, the small group consisted of a handsome blue haired youth man who wore a conical hat, with one strange looking golden arm wrapped with unusual chains. Not far from his side was a beautiful female whose body was like the essence of jade, with flawing jade-like skin, jade-like long flowing hair and bright jade-colored eyes. Her forehead carried one usual marking being that of a flood dragon that wrapped around itself as her charming eyes showed a trace of sadness but determination.
These youths were Zang Xu, Xia Rou, Ye Wang, Nei Dongyuan, Dai Lin, and Miren Fei who by some strange workings of fate had each entered their respected transportation portals to the Center of All Zones at the same time. Thus, creating this scene, around them were the figures of Tang Wu, Ji Weng, Ni Wen, along with the remaining others from the not so long past Chosen Battle Royal, each seeming to have transformed in some way as they now each carried a different type of strength.
As Miren Fei looked around her at the various geniuses, she couldn’t help but frown as she noticed that two individuals were missing, she muttered in a soft voice, “Where is Young Master Yu and that brute Lang Kuang?”
Dai Lin who was close by easily heard her words; he glanced around for a bit before replying with an unusual calmness. “While I’m not certain about Lang Kuang, I’m confident that Young Master Yu was the one who invoked the War Command, as such, he should be undergoing a trial of some sort…”
His eyes carried a somewhat desolate look, unlike his usual playful self as although they hadn’t been together for a long time Miren Fei who was a woman felt a slight feeling of distance from Dai Lin. Still, she didn’t pay his current mood any major attention as she nodded her head and replied, “Hmm, now that you say it, I think that it should be that way as well. As for that brute, humph! Who cares about what he does?”
Dai Lin smiled as he heard her words, his smile becoming somewhat forced as his previous melodramatic experience still haunted his mind.
Zang Xu also noticed Feng Yu’s non-arrival, his sharp eyebrows narrowed for a moment before becoming even brighter, the corner of his lips rising into that of an expectant smile as he spoke in a voice only he could hear. “Oh, truly an astounding rival you are, it seems that you’ve taken a major step, but in the end, will it be enough for you to face the current me…”
As the Chosen, each had their own thoughts regarding the missing members among them, the leaders of the various influences who saw their sudden appearance became momentarily stunned soon after transitioning their moods to one of joy.
A few of them rushed towards their clans and influenced juniors quickly asking them of their circumstances, as this happened, Tang Lie from the Tang Clan couldn’t help but rise to his feet before turning into a blur soon after appearing before Tang Wu, he slapped his poor unsuspecting shoulder with great force before shouting in joy. “My Wu’er! You’ve returned. Where have you been all this time?”
Tang Wu now had an expression of pain on his face as he rubbed his sore shoulder while replying, “Uncle Tang, I’ve been stranded in a strange region for a while and forced to hide away from those dreadful fiends to survive. I still don’t know where I was for after struggling in this area for this long while. It was only after countless struggles that I stumbled upon an unusual portal which somehow led me here…”
Tang Lie hearing his nephews’ words became solemn as a gentle look came in his eyes, he tapped his sore shoulder once more as she consoled, “It must have been hard, you did well Wu’er…”
As he heard these words, Tang Wu couldn’t help but feel better, but this mood didn’t last long, like a blazing bolt an old figure soon after appeared using even more force to hit Tang Yu’s free shoulder before speaking. “Wu brat! Did you see my Qing’er?”
After biting his teeth to endure the searing pain on his shoulder, Tang Wu looked at Old Zhu’s face and replied, “Elder Zhu, I didn’t manage to encounter her while I was in that strange place…”
Old Zhu hearing his words frowned, he was about to ask again but decided not to as it would only serve to be futile, his mind currently in a state of disarray as he had no idea where his goddaughter had gone.
Dai Lin who overheard their conversation couldn’t help but grow dark; he looked at Old Zhu’s pale countenance and decided to speak the truth. He walked towards their location pausing his steps a few meters away as he waited for them to notice his presence.
As expected, after arriving near them, Tang Lie, Tang Wu, and Old Zhu reached and fixed their attention to Dai Lin with a trace of surprise before looking at him in silence. The scene remained a quiet one for a short while before Old Zhu finally spoke, “Junior Dai, do you have something you wish to say?”
Dai Lin hearing his words nodded his head and his face grew a bit darker as he struggled to open his mouth, he gripped his fist tightly before swallowing a deep breath of air and speaking, “I know where Qin’e—I mean, Xin Qing was…”
Both Old Zhu and Tang Wu hearing his words became stunned as they looked towards him in surprise.
Old Zhu hearing him finally became excited once again, but after pondering Dai Lin’s words his face sunk as his mood became cold, he yelled, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY WAS?!! WHERE IS MY QING’ER?!!”
Dai Lin hearing his words shook his head as a sad look came across his face, he looked at Old Zhu with his eyes gazing directly into his for a short while. Old Zhu seeing the distressed look in his eyes began to grow nervous, his heart rate rapidly rising as a feeling of anxiousness rose within him, nearby Tang Wu also had similar reactions as despite his usually failing distance and non-interest only he knew of his feelings for Xin Qing.
“She is gone…” Dai Lin said in a soft tone, his words seeming to carry a similar effect much like that of an atomic bomb, as both Tang Wu and Old Wu quickly reacting similarly.
“What do you mean by this?!!” They shouted simultaneously as they walked directly before Dai Lin, as he saw their current states Dai Lin didn’t react in any unique way; rather he paused for a moment before speaking once more.
“We were traveling together in the same zone, a place filled with many dangers, as we journeyed to find our way out, we met with a dangerous situation, to save me, Xin Qing managed to manipulate her shadow realm to hide both of us, but as this happened, there was an unexpected change…”
Old Zhu and Tang Wu remained silence as they heard Dai Lin’s words, looking at the sad look on his face while he spoke to them.
“A man, no… a strange entity that I have never before seen or heard of in my entire life materialized in her shadow realm claiming to know of her past. He questioned her about some strange things and upon realizing things weren’t right, he threatened her by using my life as the bait, so that he could her take her away to a strange place, after they both vanished, I was left behind, it’s my fault that she was taken for I was too weak to do anything….”
Old Zhu hearing his words became still, his body slumped to the floor, and his elderly figure seemed to grow older. He lifted his head and spoke while tears fell from his eyes, “Is this how the heavens treat me? First, you take away my blood daughter. Then you snatch away my godchild? Why must you treat me so?!”
Tang Wu hearing his words gripped his fists tightly, he bit his lips, and a murderous light shone in his eyes as he walked directly before the sad-looking Dai Lin.
After lifting his fist high into the air, his muscles bulged seeming to be carrying endless might as he punched Dai Lin across his face.
Whap! The punch was so hard that it caused an echo to travel across the region; Dai Lin who was not prepared for such an
attack was hurled into the air flipping about a few times before falling lifelessly on the ground. Tang Wu seeing this jumped for a series of blurs before appearing before the fallen Dai Lin and brutally stepping onto his chest causing him to spit up a mouth full of blood.
Miren Fei seeing this became mad, she was about to rush out to put an end to Tang Wu, but suddenly realized that she couldn’t move as Zang Xu looked at her and spoke, “Conflicts between men are best of solved by men…”
Miren Fei hearing this finally calmed her battle intent and looked at the fallen Dai Lin with a deep look in her eyes.
Tang Wu who had now given Dai Lin two heavy blows finally stepped down his chest and looked at Dai Lin deeply before speaking, “Blue Thunder Dai Lin… I didn’t think you were this type of person, what do you mean by it’s your fault you were too weak to do anything? If Qing’er had heard your words, what do you think that she, who has such feelings for you, will think? You’ve stolen her heart from me, so you should be responsible for her to the end of your life! A man should never dwell on what if’s and what could, he should only focus on one thing, and that is the will to never give up on what matters the most to him! She gave up her freedom for your safety, so what do you owe her? You owe her the will to use the rest of your damn life to get her back from that son of a b*tch!”
Dai Lin hearing Tang Wu’s words became stunned, as only now did he realize that his mood was affected by Xin Qing's circumstances, he subconsciously grabbed his chains wrapped around his golden arm and muttered to himself, “It seems that while my determination was firm, my mood was affected by these matters… it’s a good thing I faced Tang Wu now, as I have no idea what would happen if I were to continue cultivating with such a state of mind…”
After muttering, he looked at Tang Wu with an even firmer light in his eyes which now seemed to have rekindled with a bright flame, “Tang Wu… you are right. It seems that previously my mind was a bit cluttered. I can promise you this fact, that no matter what happens in this world or the next, I will definitely save my Qing’er!”
The Conqueror of Zones Page 21