I Am Overlord c1-962
Page 25
Bang!
The two fists connected, creating a loud sound of collision. The impact directly sent Yan Tianming flying from his mount. An intense pain assailed his hand, as if lightning had struck him. Xiang Shaoyun seemed to have turned into a phantom as he immediately caught up to Yan Tianming and drew his sword. The sword sliced forward, and its energy ripped through the air like a rainbow.
“NO!” Yan Tianming stared at the incoming sword, his eyes wide. He couldn’t even protect himself in time. The sword whistled through the air. A head separated from its body. Just like that, a fourth-stage Astral Realm expert died.
When Yan Tianming’s companion saw this, he trembled in fear. And when Xiang Shaoyun glanced at him, he started stepping backward. He did not even have the courage to face Xiang Shaoyun.
“Y-you can’t kill me! I-I’m a member of the Mad Lion Hunting Group!” he stuttered as he retreated.
Chapter 46: You're Courting Death!
"Yes, exactly. I’m looking to kill some Mad Lion Hunting Group members!" Xiang Shaoyun yelled and started approaching the person. The person was already scared out of his wits, and he directly turned to flee. Unfortunately, his speed was incomparable to Xiang Shaoyun's. Xiang Shaoyun soon caught up with him and slashed with his Golden Wolf Sword.
The golden sword energy trailed across the air before landing on the person's back, killing him then and there. After killing him, Xiang Shaoyun glanced at Little White only to see that Little White had turned large again and that his opponent was already mauled to death. As for his opponent's mount, it had been scared off with its tail between its legs.
Little White turned back to his miniature form before he ran back to Xiang Shaoyun and started meowing flatteringly. Xiang Shaoyun rubbed Little White's head and said, "We can't stay here any longer. Let's gather our loot and leave."
Shortly after, Xiang Shaoyun was done gathering his spoils of war from all four corpses. Apart from some weapons, he had also gotten several parcels. These were the parcels containing the group’s harvest in the Hundred Beast Mountain Range.
Xiang Shaoyun opened a random parcel, and joy immediately filled his face. "These are all demonic beast materials and some old medicines of differing ages. Wow, there are quite a lot of them. When I return to the Martial Hall Palace, I will be able to get a lot of points from these."
However, Xiang Shaoyun was distressed to find that all these materials gathered would form a very large luggage. It would be very inconvenient to carry such a big luggage around. Moreover, he would look extremely eye-catching doing so. What should he do now?
After pondering for a bit, Xiang Shaoyun muttered, "Should I try stowing them into that single drop I formed and see how it goes?"
At that thought, Xiang Shaoyun sent his senses into the drop of astral liquid within him before glancing at the pile of materials before him. He said, "Come!"
The astral cosmos sea was able to store all things except living beings.
The drop of astral liquid within Xiang Shaoyun, which was smaller than a finger, started shining. Instantly, an odd power formed a connection with Xiang Shaoyun. He could vaguely sense the existence of a certain space, a space that was trying to absorb the pile of materials. Alas, the space failed in its task.
"Shit! The space is only the size of a fist? What the hell is this?" Xiang Shaoyun was madly furious when he sensed the storage space within that drop of astral liquid. To be precise, at its current form, the drop of liquid could already be called an astral cosmos sea.
Unfortunately, this astral cosmos sea only had the storage space the size of a fist. Even storing just a stalk of medicine would be somewhat difficult, let alone the large pile of materials before Xiang Shaoyun.
But no matter what, Xiang Shaoyun had still successfully created an early form of the astral cosmos sea. It was worth noting that even a Transformation Realm expert might not necessarily be able to create an astral cosmos sea with storage space as large as an entire world. Generally, only those at higher cultivation levels were capable of that.
Xiang Shaoyun was merely a first-stage Astral Realm cultivator. Forming an astral cosmos sea with the storage space the size of a fist was already an extraordinary achievement. As he grew in strength, the storage space would naturally expand.
At that thought, Xiang Shaoyun's mood improved. He directly poured out all the materials and picked out the old medicines and some healing pills from the pile. He also picked out the more valuable demonic beast materials, and finally, after keeping the tier-2 saber and the tier-2 spear, he discarded everything else.
Sure, Xiang Shaoyun could earn a considerable number of points or gold coins with these materials, but there were too many of them, and they would only slow him down. He was a great young master who did not care too much about these materials. When he grew stronger in the future, he could get as many of these materials as he wanted.
If someone else saw how little Xiang Shaoyun cared for all these materials and the two other weapons he had discarded, they would most likely curse Xiang Shaoyun for being a wastrel.
After Xiang Shaoyun was done dealing with his loot, he glanced at Little White and said, "Little White, don't keep staying on me like that. Come on, grow large and let me ride you around for a bit. I'm dead tired."
He had truly exhausted a lot of his energy from the battle earlier.
"Meow!"
Little White protested, but unfortunately, Xiang Shaoyun completely ignored the protest. Thus, Little White could only helplessly grow larger. His body was as tall as half a grown adult when standing on four limbs, giving him a rather heroic look, and the "King" written on his head gave off a tyrannical aura.
Xiang Shaoyun picked up his bag and hopped onto Little White. He said, "Let's go!"
At Xiang Shaoyun's command, Little White sped off in the direction of the Hundred Beast Mountain Range's outskirts. Three days later, they arrived outside the Hundred Beast Mountain Range.
"Finally, I'm out. Haha!" Xiang Shaoyun roared with laughter in his excitement. He had encountered many dangers during this trip, had learned about how cruel this world was, and had grown stronger in the process. If anyone dared to make a move against him, he would return the favor with ten times the ferocity.
Riding Little White, Xiang Shaoyun resumed his journey back to Wu Town.
"I wonder if the people from Wu Clan are still waiting for me. If they are, things will get rather troublesome," Xiang Shaoyun muttered to himself. But shortly after, he continued, "I believe they won't be there waiting anymore. It has been quite a while. I just need to keep a low profile and everything will be fine when I'm back at Martial Hall Palace."
With Little White acting as his mount, Wu Town was already within view before the sky turned dark. There, Xiang Shaoyun told Little White to turn small again. Carrying Little White, he carefully headed toward Wu Town.
The Wu Clan was the local tyrant of Wu Town. They had numerous informants everywhere, and Xiang Shaoyun had to tread carefully. However, right after he stepped foot in Wu Town, he sensed that someone was observing him. He thought to himself, Are they still waiting for me?
Sure enough, as he was heading toward the Martial Hall Palace, a group of people rushed out from several different directions and headed straight at him.
"Bastards!" Xiang Shaoyun cursed and immediately pulled back from them. However, the newcomers were very powerful, with late-stage Astral Realm cultivators among them. Xiang Shaoyun stood no chance of escaping.
"Surrender or you shall suffer," said the leader of the group as he sent a kick at Xiang Shaoyun. Before Xiang Shaoyun and Little White could even react, the kick sent them flying. Xiang Shaoyun was in quite a sorry state currently.
"Wu Clan, if you dare touch even a hair of mine, my Senior Brother Zi Changhe will spare none of you!" Xiang Shaoyun had no choice but to bring Zi Changhe's name out.
"Not even the palace master of Martial Hall Palace will be able to save you today!" the leader replied before sending
another kick at Xiang Shaoyun. He planned to kick Xiang Shaoyun unconscious then and there.
Swish!
The kick contained quite a strength behind it, directly causing Xiang Shaoyun to start coughing blood. The enemy was at least a sixth- or seventh-stage Astral Realm cultivator.
"Meow!"
Little White yelled before pouncing the person, trying to land a bite.
"Where did this little animal come from? Piss off!" the person bellowed and slapped Little White away.
"Take him with us," the person then commanded the people around him.
"You are courting death!" a voice suddenly rumbled like a thunderclap. From the intersection of the street, a person riding an elder wolf rushed over. At the same time, spear energy shot forth like a lightning bolt.
Swish!
Before the Astral Realm cultivator stepping on Xiang Shaoyun could react, the spear pierced his body. He died with his eyes wide open in indignation.
"You dare to lay hands on the junior brother of I, Purple Lightning Marquis? You are courting death!" bellowed the figure seated on the elder wolf with his back straight.
Chapter 47: I'm Still Hurting!
When Zi Changhe appeared, the masked men were greatly frightened and immediately tried to flee. Unfortunately for them, not a single one of them was able to leave. Zi Changhe was a late-stage Transformation Realm expert. He moved at a remarkable speed, and only flashes of his body could be seen before all the masked men were already dead.
After killing the masked men, Zi Changhe arrived before Xiang Shaoyun. He lifted Xiang Shaoyun and placed him on the elder wolf.
"Little White." Xiang Shaoyun was still awake and did not forget Little White even as Zi Changhe was taking him away. Little White wasn't injured too badly so he directly hopped onto the elder wolf as well.
"Where did this brat come from? Get off me!" the elder wolf scolded.
"Howl!"
Suddenly, a tiger's roar escaped Little White's mouth. At that instant, the elder wolf sensed a peculiar aura of kings. The aura caused him to tremble, and he quickly shut his mouth in fear. When Zi Changhe saw Little White, he was somewhat astonished. "Striped tiger cub?"
"Senior brother, s-stop bothering about Little White for now. Give me a healing pill. I'm hurting badly!" Xiang Shaoyun said. Zi Changhe did not hesitate and immediately fed Xiang Shaoyun a healing pill. Shortly after, they started their journey back to the Martial Hall Palace.
Zi Changhe brought Xiang Shaoyun straight toward his elder's estate. There, he allowed Xiang Shaoyun to sit down in meditation and heal. As for Zi Changhe, he stood guard nearby. Inwardly, he thought to himself, This kid sure is growing quickly. It has only been a month or so and he's already a first-stage Astral Realm cultivator. Looks like his trip to the Hundred Beast Mountain Range has been a bountiful one.
After about two hours, Xiang Shaoyun finally stopped meditating. He felt much better now.
"Thanks, senior brother, for your help!" Xiang Shaoyun thanked Zi Changhe gratefully.
"I'm your senior brother. Can I leave you there to die?" Zi Changhe said. He paused for a bit before continuing, "I also need to thank Lu Xiaoqing. If it wasn't for that girl, I wouldn't have known what the Wu Clan did to you."
"Lu Xiaoqing?" Xiang Shaoyun cried out in astonishment.
"Yeah, about a month ago, she told the eleventh elder about what had happened. Then, the eleventh elder managed to contact me. At that time, I paid the Wu Clan a visit, but they insisted that they hadn't done anything so there was nothing I could do. I eventually found out that all the people sent for you were dead. That was how I found out you had survived their hunt. Someone must have saved you, right?" Zi Changhe asked.
"Someone saved me? I don't think so?" Xiang Shaoyun muttered before proceeding to give Zi Changhe a rough description of what had happened that day. "And that was how this young master escaped—with my wits. Do I even need to be rescued?"
Zi Changhe sank into a short silence before saying, "No, someone must have helped you in secret. Otherwise, with the speed of those people, they would've been able to catch up with you."
Xiang Shaoyun found Zi Changhe's argument logical, and a figure surfaced in his mind as he thought to himself, Is it him?
"Looks like you must have guessed who that person is. But I won't ask too much about your private affairs. Just make sure to be careful in everything you do. The Wu Clan is quite influential within Wu Town. Even I wouldn’t dare to move casually against them. Try not to leave the Martial Hall Palace unless you have to," Zi Changhe warned.
"They are the ones provoking me, and I have to sit around idly? That is not the kind of person I am," Xiang Shaoyun grumbled unhappily.
"Sure, you can do something if you want. But first, you need the strength to do so. Although the Wu Clan does not have as many Transformation Realm cultivators as the Martial Hall Palace, they still have a considerable number of them," Zi Changhe said.
"Just you wait. If they dare try something against me again, I will definitely exterminate their entire clan in the future," Xiang Shaoyun declared with a ruthless glint in his eyes. Just because he had defeated Wu Mingliang, they were trying to kill him? That was too vicious! But since they were so vicious, they couldn't blame him for remembering this grudge.
"Talk after you deal with your present troubles," Zi Changhe said. He then continued, "After you defeated Wu Mingliang, his two elder brothers have been preparing to make a move against you. Unlike the outer court disciples, we don't prohibit private battles between inner court disciples. Furthermore, they are both personal disciple of elders, making their status similar to yours. It won't be proper for me to interfere in this conflict."
"Private battles between inner court disciples are not prohibited? Great!" Xiang Shaoyun exclaimed joyfully.
"You are too overconfident. Of the two elder brothers of Wu Mingliang, one is a second-stage Astral Realm cultivator on the cusps of reaching third stage. The other is one of the most remarkable personal disciples within the Martial Hall Palace," Zi Changhe reminded. He then continued, "I once told you that I would impart something to you when you reached the Astral Realm. Now, it's time for me to fulfill my promise."
"Wait, I'm still hurting!" Xiang Shaoyun cried out in alarm.
"I'm not starting immediately. We'll start tomorrow. And when you reach late-stage Astral Realm, I will take you to meet our master. At that time, not even the Wu Clan will dare to try anything against you anymore," Zi Changhe said. Then, he turned around and left Xiang Shaoyun.
As for Xiang Shaoyun, he sank into contemplation as he muttered, "So Wu Mingliang still has two elder brothers here? Looks like I won't have an easy time here for now. But that is also good for me. I can use them as my stepping stones!"
...
Wu Clan Estate.
Wu Hongxi was bellowing furiously at the main hall, "Damn that Zi Changhe! He dares to spoil our plan? Is he looking down on the Wu Clan?"
The few underlings Zi Changhe had killed were all Astral Realm experts. Coupled with those killed a month ago, the Wu Clan had suffered quite a bit of losses trying to capture Xiang Shaoyun. Wu Hongxi placed all the blame squarely on Zi Changhe.
"Father, it is pointless to be angry now. That Zi Changhe is clearly protecting Xiang Shaoyun. Should we give up?" said Wu Mingliang. His injuries had mostly healed by now. After a month, his injuries had healed and his strength had also increased, reaching first-stage Astral Realm.
"Forget? How can we forget about it! Who does that Zi Changhe think he is? He is merely relying on his identity as a disciple of a master already at the Cloud Margin City. He really thinks we are scared of that old fool? If he pushes us too far, we will kill him as well!" Wu Hongxi said with a ruthless light in his eyes. After a slight pause, he added, "Since Xiang Shaoyun is back, you should return to the Martial Hall Palace as well. Tell your two elder brothers to capture Xiang Shaoyun and bring him home at all cost!"
"Yes, Father. I will go right now," Wu Mingl
iang answered and left. Wu Mingliang had barely left when Wu Hongxi arrived at the rear court of their estate. This was where their patriarch resided.
Wu Hongxi entered the room, and with shame, he said to the old man seated on a praying mat, "Father, your child is useless for failing to capture Xiang Shaoyun two times in a row."
The old man looked to be about 80 years old, but in truth, he was over 100 years old. This was Wu Fuxiang, the head of Wu Town.
"I know your capabilities well. You have handled this poorly." Wu Fuxiang sighed with disappointment before adding, "Contact the thirteenth elder of Martial Hall Palace. Let me have a talk with him. There are things we definitely can't afford to wait for."
"Yes, Father," Wu Hongxi complied.
Chapter 48: My Senior Brother Sure Has an Attitude
The night passed quickly. By the time morning arrived, Xiang Shaoyun was already fully healed. Facing the rising sun, he absorbed the purple qi that came with the first ray of sunlight. His entire body felt cozy and snug while his internal energy became even thicker.
To increase one's astral energy, one needed to absorb the energy of the stars and moon. But due to recent weather, the moon and stars were rarely seen. In such a situation, the sun became the best source of energy.
In the legends, some experts could even cultivate right by the sun. There, one's cultivation would rise quickly, and one capable of cultivating there possessed the power to split worlds, as mighty as gods.
As Xiang Shaoyun had grown in strength, the number of purple qi strains he could absorb had increased too. Each one of these strains contained a seemingly boundless power within. When the energy he absorbed from the purple qi entered his stars, his stars grew even brighter. Some of the energy spilled out of the stars, and the spillage went on to wash over the 365 acupoints within his body, causing all the acupoints to shine resplendently as well.