by Mars Gravity
“That person… has an incredible aura! Despite the fact that he is still so far away, I’m actually finding it hard to breathe.” Xia Yuanba exclaimed as he sucked in some air. He continued in a low voice, “It seems like he is even stronger than my master!”
As they drew closer to that person, his figure grew clearer in their vision. The man was wearing simple green robes, his body was lithe and limber, his long black hair bound into a simple ponytail which reached his waist. He was floating more than thirty meters above the surface of the ocean and despite the howling of the seabreeze around him, neither his clothes nor his hair moved a centimeter. Even the surface of the ocean beneath his feet was completely calm and still, not a single ripple that could be seen.
It seemed as if the space that existed around him had been completely frozen and sealed.
The man did not move a muscle and his body did not release any profound energy. As Yun Che’s party approached him, a soundless pressure descended upon them and it felt as if a metal plate that was growing thicker and thicker was being pressed against their chests.
“Senior Zi, who is that person?” Yun Che asked in a soft voice. The soundless might and pressure that this man was exuding definitely exceeded the might and pressure that Duke Ming had displayed at the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley!
Zi Ji did not reply, striding forward to address the man that stood in front of them, “Sword Master Xuanyuan, what brings you here? To think that we would find you surveying this part of the ocean by yourself. Could it be that you have attained some form of enlightenment in recent days?”
Sword Master Xuanyuan!
These four words caused the hearts of Yun Che and his two companions to tremble.
“So he is the Sword Master of Mighty Heavenly Sword Region… Xuanyuan Wentian!?” Xia Yuanba said in a low whisper.
“…” Yun Che’s hand curled inwards as it began to tighten into a fist. It was only after a good amount of time had passed that it finally relaxed a little.
Mighty Heavenly Sword Region… the ones who had caused the crippling of his parents and the death of his grandfather! It was also Mighty Heavenly Sword Region who killed Xiao Yun’s birth father, causing his birth mother to die of sorrow, and thus plunging Xiao Lie into despair and agony for more than twenty years….
The tragedies that stuck both his and Xiao Yun’s families all those years ago could be said to have been orchestrated by Duke Ming, but if Duke Ming had schemed up the whole thing, then Mighty Heavenly Sword Region had been the ones who had wielded the executioner’s blade!!
The green-robed man slowly turned around. His face was thin and sunken, his features were completely ordinary. His gaze raked across all four of them before he gave a weak smile and spoke, “Ah, so it was Mister Zi.”
After he had muttered those words, his gaze directly fell on Yun Che.
“If my guess isn’t wrong, the person to the right of Mister Zi should be the Yun Che who has sent shockwaves through the Profound Sky Continent in recent months.”
Yun Che, “…”
“Hoho, it is so. But who would have thought a supreme existence like Sword Master Xuanyuan would take such great notice of a junior.” Zi Ji replied in an even tone.
“That is only natural.” A bland smile that was filled with deep meaning spread across Xuanyuan Wentian’s placid face, but his eyes remained fixed on Yun Che, “As the most outstanding youngster of his generation, I would hope that you, Asgard Master Yun, will make it a point to come for the Devil Sword Conference that is being held in three days. The Devil Sword Conference would lose much of its luster if you choose not to grace us with your presence.”
Yun Che, “…?”
“It looks like Mister Zi and Asgard Master Yun still have some important things to attend to, so I won’t inconvenience you any further. Please.”
A mysterious smile was draped across Xuanyuan Wentian’s face as he slowly ascended into the sky. After that, his body blurred as he flew towards Supreme Ocean Palace. He had not asked them where they were heading to… as if that held no interest whatsoever.
“That was the Sword Master of Mighty Heavenly Sword Region—Xuanyuan Wentian. I never thought we would meet him in such a place.”
Zi Ji said this rather casually, but once he had finished speaking, he took to the air once more as he continued to travel south.
Yun Che’s brows sank and his spirit suddenly felt a lot heavier. After a period of silence, he spoke out in the recesses of his mind, “Jasmine, during the period that we are staying in Supreme Ocean Palace, it is highly likely that I will have need of your strength… because I can’t shake the feeling that something just isn’t right.”
“Hmph!” Jasmine gave a bland and cold snort, “If I do not want you to die, ten thousand Xuanyuan Wentians would not be enough to kill you. But I am rather curious about one thing, why did you make such a bad bargain with Supreme Ocean Palace?”
“Because I have been having this inexplicable feeling of uneasiness ever since I arrived at Supreme Ocean Palace.” Yun Che said as his voice grew solemn, “I am afraid that some variables will appear during the Devil Sword Conference, so it would be best if I settled all my business first. Moreover, the gaze of that Xuanyuan Wentian… makes me feel as if I am completely naked before him.”
“I just hope that it’s just my overactive imagination… but no matter what, I definitely need to proceed with extreme caution now.”
……………………
“Father, the Toxin Immortal has arrived.”
The one who spoke was blue-robed young man with a thin and sunken face. His features and his figure resembled Xuanyuan Wentian very much.
The man who stood in front of him was the Xuanyuan Wentian who had just returned to Supreme Ocean Palace.
“Very good.” Xuanyuan Wentian said with a curt nod of his head, “I hope that his venomous insect poison works just like it does in the legends. If all he has is an empty reputation and he is of no use to us whatsoever, then there is no need for him to remain on this earth.”
“Is Father going to see him now?” The young man asked.
Xuanyuan Wentian did not give the go-ahead. Instead he spoke in a slow and deliberate tone, “That Yun Che didn’t disappoint me after all. He is already within Supreme Ocean Palace. I actually just met him.”
The young man threw his head back in delight as a dangerous smile played across his face, “That’s just wonderful news.”
“During the past hundred years, I have been obsessed with my preparations regarding the Devil Sword. I had originally planned to pay a visit to the Illusory Demon Realm again after I unsealed the Devil Sword so I could seize the Mirror of Samsara. But who would have thought that it would actually deliver itself up to me just as the Devil Sword is about to be unsealed. Truly even the heavens are on my side!” Xuanyuan Wentian said as he soundlessly laughed, his face raised to the heavens.
“Does that Mirror of Samsara really hide the ‘secrets of the Divine Profound’?” The young man asked.
“The secrets of the Divine Profound?” Xuanyuan Wentian said as his eyes faintly narrowed, “That was only a lie that the Illusory Demon Realm’s Duke Ming invented so he could make use of us. Hoho, that Duke Ming probably still naively believes that his intelligence and cunning was truly so peerless and unmatched that he managed to use the invented secret of the Mirror of Samsara to manipulate us into helping him achieve his ambition. Little does he knew that without my intervention and exhortation all those years ago, the other three Sacred Grounds would not have so easily bent to his will and commenced the invasion of the Illusory Demon Realm.”
“Since the so-called secrets of the Divine Profound are fake, then why does Father still have such a strong desire for the Mirror of Samsara? The young man asked very sincerely.
“I asked the Devil Sword about the Mirror of Samsara at that time, and it told me that the Mirror of Samsara was one of the ‘Heavenly Profound Treasures’, an item that even the gods of the Primordia
l Era desired to obtain. So even though I do not know exactly what it can do, something that even the gods themselves desired definitely is a hundred thousand times more valuable than those so-called ‘secrets of the Divine Profound’!”
“It was something that I definitely had to obtain once I unsealed the Devil Sword. And now that it has delivered itself to my doorstep, then how could I miss this opportunity to gladly receive it!!”
“Wendao, this matter is a secret that is to be kept solely between us, father and son.” Xuanyuan Wentian said as he cast a sidelong glance at his own son, “Furthermore, this is Supreme Ocean Palace, not the Sword Region, so do not mention even a single word of this again.”
“This son understands!”
Chapter 772: Moon Slaughter Devil Nest
“What caused me the most concern was that Xuanyuan Wentian did not ask me where we were going just now. He also did not ask him anything regarding the ‘master’ that I had invented, yet he still gave me a very weird look.” Yun Che said to Jasmine in a low voice, “Moreover, when I visited Heavenly Sword Villa, that Xuanyuan Jiuding also gave me a very strange look as well.”
The strongest attributes Yun Che possessed were his powers of perception, insight and an intuition that was so strong that it bordered on terrifying.
“I’m just thinking that it’s extremely possible that Mighty Heavenly Sword Region may have uncovered some information. For example, for some reason, they already know that the ‘Old Man Duotian’ I invented is fake.” Yun Che said as his brows sank.
“Hmph, with me around, are you still actually afraid that you’ll die?” Jasmine scoffed. In the eyes of the profound practitioners of the Profound Sky Continent, Xuanyuan Wentian was someone that was akin to a god, a peerless individual. But in her eyes, he was just an ant that was slightly bigger than the rest.
“…So that is to say that for the duration that we are staying in Supreme Ocean Palace, I will need to rely on your power.” Yun Che said helplessly and reluctantly. He was not a person who was used to relying on others because he was extremely clear that relying on this sort of thing would for a major impediment to his growth—Jasmine knew this too, so for the past few years, she had kept up the pretense that she had sealed her own powers away.
This time, in order to grasp the slim chance that he might be able to obtain the Netherworld Udumbara Flower, he had no choice but to face the exceedingly powerful Four Sacred Grounds in advance. Therefore, he had no choice but to rely on Jasmine’s power… Otherwise, if Jasmine was still the state where “her power was sealed,” he would definitely not choose come to Supreme Ocean Palace at this point of time.
“Yun Che, you need to be exceedingly cautious about Xuanyuan Wentian.” Zi Ji suddenly said when he saw Yun Che’s solemn expression, “Xuanyuan Wentian is someone who is truly a sword maniac, and he has an insatiable desire for strength. Even though Mighty Heavenly Sword Region is the weakest of all the Four Sacred Grounds when it comes to aggregate power, Xuanyuan Wentian himself is slightly stronger than the Sovereign of the Seas, Qu Fengyi, and the Heavenly Monarch, Ye Meixie. Even when you compare him with the Saint Emperor, Huangji Wuyu, there is scarcely any difference in their power.”
“But if he was just a simple sword maniac, then that would be fine. Even though he seems like a refined, courteous gentleman and a respectable elder, the truth of the matter is that he is an extremely prejudiced and shrewd person, someone who is willing to do anything for the sake of attaining power. One thousand years ago, the Eternal Night Royal Family were destroyed for the sake of his insane ambition and even the rest of us became his accomplices during that sordid affair. In the end, we had no choice but to commit one wrong after another in order to protect the reputation of the Sacred Grounds.”
“Furthermore, your innate talent is extremely unusual and there are far too many unexplainable mysteries about you. If not for that inscrutably powerful teacher of yours, he might have already made his move against you… Just now he behaved in a rather odd manner, so it is something that you best pay attention to.”
Zi Ji’s voice was soft, but the warning in his eyes was clear for all to see. Yun Che and Xuanyuan Wentian had just met for this first time today, and someone who was at Zi Ji’s level would definitely know far more about Xuanyuan Wentian than Yun Che himself.
Yun Che nodded his head, “I understand. Thank you for your warning, Senior Zi… Senior Zi, this junior is also curious about one thing, but I’m not sure if it is a question that I should ask.”
Qu Fengyi… That was the name identified by Senior Zi as belonging to the Sovereign of the Seas. As one of the four Holy Masters of the Profound Sky Continent, her name was not domineering, but neither was it feminine or soft. Instead, it was a name that seemed to have weathered many storms.
The Saint Emperor, the ruler of the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary, the head of the four Holy Masters, and the person who reigned supreme in the Profound Sky Continent. His name was Huangji Wuyu…
Wuyu? (No desires?)
It was said that the Saint Emperor was unable to produce a heir, and he only had a few foster children. Could it be anything to do with the words “no desire”?
…If a man had no desires, then how was he different from a salted fish?!
“Ah, do you want to ask what kind of relationship I have with the Sovereign of the Seas?” Zi Hi asked with a faint smile.
Yun Che replied with a laugh, “Senior Zi’s perceptiveness is indeed illuminating. When we were at the Black Moon Merchant Guild and Senior Zi was able to move a whole ten kilograms of Purple Veined Divine Crystal in one transaction, this junior was very sure that Senior Zi definitely had an exalted position within Supreme Ocean Palace. And just now, when we were in the Ocean Imperial Palace, the Purple Veined Divine Crystals that had been held in reserve were also on Senior Zi’s person. Furthermore, the Sovereign of the Seas is an extremely imposing person, but when she treated Senior Zi entirely differently from how she treated her own great elder. So this junior cannot help but be extremely curious in regards to Senior Zi’s identity.”
Zi Ji have a faint smile as he said, “Then why don’t you try guessing it.”
Yun Che had already made a rather enlightened guess in his heart so he replied in a very frank manner, “This junior has heard Yuanba mention that there are seven existences that are above the great elder within Supreme Ocean Palace, these seven people are extremely powerful profound practitioners known as the Seven Venerable Ones, and they have the colors red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and purple in their names. The weakest of the seven is Venerable Red and the strongest is Venerable Purple, whose power is inferior to only the Sovereign of the Seas herself. Furthermore, Senior Zi just happens to have the color purple as a surname. So Senior Zi being the number two person within Supreme Ocean Palace may just pass muster as an explanation.”
“It is just that even though Senior Zi’s profound strength is extremely high, the pressure it gives this junior is less than that of Great Elder Mo Chenfeng. So it is definitely impossible for Senior Zi to be one of the Seven Venerable Ones… and because of this, the only answer that this junior can think of is that the both of you are…”
“Husband and wife!”
“…” Zi Ji gave a startled jolt before throwing his head back and laughing loudly.
“You are far worthier of the words ‘perceptiveness is illuminating’.” Zi Ji said with a great laugh, but his words did not confirm Yun Che’s guess, “If you are talking about status alone, I am indeed the husband of the Sovereign of the Seas. But the relationship of husband and wife that I have with her is utterly alien to your concept of what a husband and wife are.”
“…What does Senior Zi mean?”
“I have been married to her for a very, very long time. It was according to the wishes of our parents and the sect. However, when I married her, I had never dreamed that she would become the next Sovereign of the Seas. Her entire heart and soul was consumed by the profound way. This couple
d with her extremely high innate talent paved the path for her to become the number one person in Supreme Ocean Palace. However, I have always been fascinated with commerce and I spent most of my time either at the Black Moon Merchant Guild headquarters or visiting the branches scattered around the Profound Sky Continent. I rarely ever return to Supreme Ocean Palace. I will normally only see the Sovereign of the Seas once every ten years on average and even though we are husband and wife, we don’t have many feelings for each other. Our union was ultimately meant to signify that the Black Moon Merchant Guild and Supreme Ocean Palace were one entity and not two powers that stood independent of one another.”
When he was relating his tale, Zi Ji’s tone was even and it was not melancholic in the least.
“Ah, so that’s how it is.” Yun Che nodded his head slowly, “This junior does not dare speculate on whether the husband and wife relationship Senior Zi and the Sovereign of the Seas shares is shallow or not, but there is one thing this junior is very convinced of. The Sovereign of the Seas places a lot of trust in Senior Zi. And it may just be that Senior Zi is the one person in this entire world that the Sovereign of the Seas truly trusts.”
“Hoho.” Zi Ji gave a brief laugh before pointing ahead, “We are here. This is where the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest is located.”
There was a gloomy blue light that was intermittently flickering about five kilometers ahead of them. There was a small island that was nearly perfectly round and on top of the island lay a dome-shaped barrier which fully engulfed it. The gloomy blue radiance was coming from the barrier that engulfed the small island.
The ocean surrounding the small island had sunk so low that it formed a trench around it. It was almost as if the seawater was being pushed away by some unimaginable power.
“This is the barrier that is used to seal the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest.” Zi Ji said as he slowed down, “The Moon Slaughter Devil Nest is inside this barrier.”
“This place is located in the ocean and it is more than one thousand five hundred kilometers away from the mainland. Normally, no one will approach this place because there are always disciples of Supreme Ocean Palace keeping watch. Even if someone manages to enter by accident, the Sovereign of the Seas will be alerted immediately once that person comes into contact with the barrier.”