I Am Overlord c1-962
Page 85
"The 5,000 mid-grade spirit crystals are totally worth it," Xiang Shaoyun muttered gleefully. At the same time, he started wondering why he possessed a Nether Soul Domain. The Nether Soul Domain was something that had grown naturally within him, which could only prove that he had the bloodline of the Imperial Nether Clan coursing in his veins.
As for what clan or race the Imperial Nether Clan was, Xiang Shaoyun was completely clueless. If the white tiger's soul had not mentioned the term at the Golden River Valley, he wouldn't even know that there was such a clan.
"I know my family tree clearly. My father's side is unlikely to have any relationship with the Imperial Nether Clan. Perhaps the bloodline came from my mother's side?" Xiang Shaoyun guessed. After a slight pause, he sighed and muttered, "Since my birth, Father has been telling me that Mother passed away. This will be a puzzle I can't solve. Forget it. It doesn't matter."
Right this moment, Mo Mo's voice rang out from outside the room, "Young master, Miss Qinyin is here."
"Good timing." Xiang Shaoyun stood up and smiled. When he opened the door, he saw Gong Qinyin standing there in a martial outfit. Her eyes were as beautiful as the moon, her face as graceful as a blooming flower, her body as tantalizing as an exotic snake. Her entire person was radiating allure. She had not changed physically. Rather, this was a change in her temperament brought about by an increase in her strength.
"You've reached the Transformation Realm!" Xiang Shaoyun cried out in astonishment when he saw her. Before he gave Gong Qinyin the Earth Star Spring liquid, she was only an eighth-stage Astral Realm cultivator. In a short few days, she had entered the Transformation Realm, breaking through one minor realm and one major realm. That was a very fast speed.
Gong Qinyin smiled, something she rarely did, and said, "It is all thanks to you. Without your Earth Star Spring liquid, it would have been impossible for me to grow so fast, and without you, my father would have never allocated me resources to help me grow."
The current Gong Qinyin was no longer prejudiced against Xiang Shaoyun. In fact, an odd feeling toward Xiang Shaoyun was starting to grow in her heart.
"That's good to hear. With your growth, our search will be much easier," said Xiang Shaoyun. He preferred to go search for the earthcore fire alone. After all, he saw Gong Qinyin as a burden rather than help.
But she was the one who told him the millennium earthcore fire's location. If he went alone, it would feel like he was abandoning her after making use of her. He would not do something like that. Now that she was a first-stage Transformation Realm cultivator, she would be able to protect herself better. He would not have to worry as much anymore.
"I heard what happened at the auction. I did not expect that you would have actually grown so strong. You won't think that I'm a burden, right?" Gong Qinyin asked, seemingly able to see through Xiang Shaoyun's mind.
She stared straight into Xiang Shaoyun's eyes with her pretty eyes, and facing that pair of eyes, Xiang Shaoyun was too embarrassed to even lie anymore. He rubbed his nose and said awkwardly, "A bit. But don't worry. I won't dump you."
"Who cares about being dumped by you? Hmph!" Gong Qinyin replied with a slight blush.
"What are you thinking about? I was talking about dumping you so that you wouldn't be a burden," Xiang Shaoyun said.
Gong Qinyin rolled her eyes. After rearranging her thoughts, she said solemnly, "Xiang Shaoyun, I need you to promise me one thing. No matter what, you have to promise me."
"Say it," Xiang Shaoyun said.
"If you do manage to obtain the earthcore fire, please help me with one thing. If you help me with that, I will be eternally grateful, and the Gong Clan will give you a generous reward for it as well," Gong Qinyin said in an extremely serious manner.
"What help do you need? Make it clear," Xiang Shaoyun asked.
Gong Qinyin pursed her lips and said, "The old man of my clan needs it to heal himself."
"Got it. I will help you if I do get it." Xiang Shaoyun nodded without any hesitation.
"I'll be thanking you in advance, then!" Gong Qinyin was overjoyed.
"Don't be in a rush to thank me. So many people are hunting for the earthcore fire. I am not confident I can get it either," Xiang Shaoyun said. He paused for a bit and added, "But if I do succeed, can you make me one promise after I help your clan's old man?"
"What do you need? If it is something I can do, I will do it without as much as a frown!" Gong Qinyin said unhesitatingly.
"Be my bed warming maid," Xiang Shaoyun said directly.
The moment he said those words, Gong Qinyin's face was covered by a layer of frost, and she clenched her fists tightly.
"Haha, it's a joke. Just pretend you heard none of it," Xiang Shaoyun laughed before quickly fleeing.
But as he fled, he heard a soft response, "If you can meet my requirement, I...I can agree to become your dual cultivation partner."
Huh? Did she misunderstand something? I wanted a bed warming maid, not a dual cultivation partner, Xiang Shaoyun muttered inwardly. But he was too embarrassed to correct her as he was worried that he would hurt her feelings instead.
But unknown to him, Gong Qinyin took his silence as a tacit agreement. And thus the seed for a future trouble was planted.
Chapter 190: Arriving at the Flame Mountain
Cloud Margin City, Wen Clan.
"Clan leader, Cloud Dragon Town has canceled our partnership and is going to stop buying weapons from us."
"Clan leader, the Tang Clan has canceled the purchasing contract with us. They are even demanding that we refund their deposit."
"Clan leader, the weapon sale in the city has stopped completely. Even after dropping the price, nobody is buying from us."
...
Wen Dongyou listened to the reports streaming in with an ashen face.
He smashed a cup on the ground before roaring furiously, "Scram! All of you, scram! I don't want to hear any reports for now!"
The servants quickly retreated while the Wen Clan brothers arrived silently.
"Father," Wen Jinrui and Wen Jinnuo greeted their father.
When Wen Dongyou saw his sons, he became even angrier. "You useless bastards! You still have the guts to show your face here? Get your ass back to the Cloud Margin Pavilion and focus on cultivation. Don't come see me before reaching the King Realm."
Each time Wen Dongyou recalled how his two sons were detained at the auction house, he felt extremely embarrassed. The event had turned the Wen Clan into the city's laughing stock.
More importantly, the Wen Clan had also become a target of the Cloud Margin Forging Pavilion's suppression. They had to wait until their ancestor left his secluded cultivation before they could start negotiating with the pavilion and try reversing the situation.
"Father, please calm your anger. It is not worth harming your body from anger because of something like this," Wen Jinrui advised. He continued, "That fellow has just left the restaurant. He is probably heading out to search for the earthcore fire."
Wen Dongyou narrowed his eyes. "That Overlord Xiang bastard?"
"That's right. Father, we can immediately send some people to capture him. Everything he has will be ours, and we can also vent our anger on him," Wen Jinrui said.
Wen Jinnuo also spoke with murderous intent, "That's right. We can't let him continue living. Him living is a symbol of disgrace for our Wen Clan."
Wen Dongyou pondered for a bit before a ruthless glint surfaced on his eyes. "You two will stay out of this. Return to the Cloud Margin Pavilion immediately. That bastard won't live to see the sun tomorrow."
...
Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun, Gong Qinyin, Mo Mo, and a few Transformation Realm experts of the Gong Clan were heading outside Cloud Margin City. They were heading toward an area bordering the Cloud Tiger Town and Cloud Dragon Town. That was where the millennium earthcore fire was located.
Both Cloud Tiger Town and Cloud Dragon Town were among the top towns under Cloud Margin City. As for the Cl
oud Tiger Palace and Cloud Dragon Pavilion, both had numerous experts as well.
The millennium earthcore fire was initially something the two academies fought for, but after the Cloud Margin Pavilion found out about it, the earthcore fire no longer had anything to do with them.
Fortunately, Cloud Margin Pavilion had ultimately decreed that anyone below the King Realm would be allowed to hunt for the earthcore fire. They called it giving the youngsters a chance, but in truth, it was merely an act of turning the place into a training ground for their disciples.
Xiang Shaoyun only found out that five Transformation Realm experts had been sent by Gong Lianda to help with the millennium earthcore fire when he was leaving the city. Gong Qinyin was apologetic as she said, "The millennium earthcore fire is too important. Our Gong Clan will give our all to get it."
"Um, I guess that's good as well. Only the capable will be able to get it anyway," Xiang Shaoyun said.
It did not matter how many Transformation Realm experts the Gong Clan sent. After all, even without them, there would still be other Transformation Realm experts fighting over the earthcore fire with him. In any case, all he had to do was try his best. About half a day after they set off, someone suddenly flew toward them from the sky.
"Overlord Xiang, die!" the newcomer was already shouting when he was up in the air. Like a hawk, he dove straight down at Xiang Shaoyun.
"A King!" Xiang Shaoyun immediately felt a great sense of crisis. But it was impossible for him to dodge a sudden attack of a King. Numerous escape plans surfaced in his mind, but he ultimately found that before absolute strength, all his tricks were nothing.
Even so, he wouldn't stand there and wait for his death. His nine stars, lightning bone, and Nether Soul Domain all fully activated as he braced himself to face the incoming attack with his full strength. Right this moment, a figure suddenly flew over from a different direction and sent an attack at the King Realm cultivator.
Rumble!
The King Realm cultivator wasn't even able to react before he was struck and sent flying far away. It was unknown if he had survived the attack. Xiang Shaoyun, Gong Qinyin, and the others were all stunned to see the sudden change.
The King was instantly beaten away with only a single move. That was something none of them had expected. Xiang Shaoyun could not understand who that person was. Was it someone from the Cloud Margin Forging Pavilion? Or was it someone from the Gong Clan?
Both seemed unlikely. He wasn't that close with the Cloud Margin Forging Pavilion yet. As for the Gong Clan, it wouldn't be easy for them to send an expert capable of instantly killing a King Realm cultivator.
When Xiang Shaoyun looked over, he only saw a figure streaking toward the King Realm cultivator who had been sent flying. That person did not return.
Who could it be? Xiang Shaoyun wondered inwardly. He thought about Duo Ji, who used to protect him in the dark, but from the person's outline, it was definitely not Duo Ji.
"Sure enough, you have an extraordinary background," Gong Qinyin whispered into Xiang Shaoyun's ear.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled bitterly. "If I tell you I have no idea who that is, would you believe me?"
Gong Qinyin rolled her eyes.
Xiang Shaoyun couldn't be bothered to explain himself. He said, "Let's speed up. After arriving, it is better for us to go separate ways. I will only bring you more trouble if we stay together."
"Do you think I would be afraid of trouble? Are you looking down on me?" Gong Qinyin asked.
Xiang Shaoyun was speechless. He found that Gong Qinyin was quite a loyal girl. They increased their speed, and the Gong Clan people no longer dared to be rude toward Xiang Shaoyun. In fact, when they looked at him now, admiration could be seen in their eyes.
When they were sent by the clan, Gong Lianda had already told them to take care of Xiang Shaoyun whenever possible. At first, they had found it unacceptable. After all, in their eyes, Xiang Shaoyun was someone unrelated to them.
But now, they found that Xiang Shaoyun did not even need them. They should be the ones hoping that Xiang Shayun would take care of them. After two and a half days, they finally arrived near the Flame Mountain. Nobody else had gotten in their way. Thus, they were able to arrive smoothly.
The so-called Flame Mountain was merely a dormant volcano that had suddenly erupted, turning the area surrounding the volcano into a burning wasteland. From far away, the only thing one could see was a sea of flame. It was quite a breathtaking scene. Just as they were about to proceed, a group suddenly blocked their way.
Chapter 191: Chen Clan's Chen Zilong
"Halt! This place is off limits!" said the leader of the group. The group looked powerful, and there were about 40 or 50 people. The leader was a peak Transformation Realm cultivator, and there were a lot of other Transformation Realm cultivators among their ranks as well. As for the other members of the group, they were regular Astral Realm cultivators.
"Impudent! What gives you the qualification to block this path?" berated a late-stage Transformation Realm cultivator from the Gong Clan.
"Qualification? Because we are from the Chen Clan!" said the leader haughtily.
The moment the Gong Clan people heard that, they grew wary. The Chen Clan was most certainly the number one clan of Cloud Margin City. Their ancestor was one of the 10 Emperors, and they had an extremely close relationship with the Cloud Margin Pavilion.
The likes of the Gong Clan and Wen Clan were completely incomparable to the Chen Clan, not even if the two clans merged. With only one Emperor, the entire clan would enjoy glory; that was the pride of a clan with an Emperor. Only those from the Chen Clan would dare seal the path to the Flame Mountain. Any other person trying the same would have been chased off long ago.
"The Chen Clan is the strongest clan in Cloud Margin City, and they also have an Emperor. Looks like we have no choice but to leave," whispered Gong Qinyin.
"Alright." Xiang Shaoyun made the decision to retreat without a second thought. It wasn't that he was giving up on the earthcore fire, but presently, he couldn't afford to act rashly. He had to plan his moves carefully.
Right as Xiang Shaoyun's group was retreating, a different group arrived. Xiang Shaoyun glanced over and saw that Li Yaxuan was among the group. She also looked to be one of the group's leaders.
Li Yaxuan was also looking over at Xiang Shaoyun, and their gazes met. An elegant smile formed on her face as she said, "What a coincidence. We meet again."
"Yes, what a coincidence." Xiang Shaoyun nodded.
"Sister Xuan, who is this?" asked a young man beside Li Yaxuan.
Like Xie Sanqian, that young man was about 17 or 18 years old. At such a young age, he was already a seventh-stage Transformation Realm cultivator, two stages higher than Xie Sanqian. Even at a place like Cloud Margin City, he definitely qualified as a genius among geniuses.
Even Xiang Shaoyun was astonished when he saw the young man. He thought, It is quite a surprise to see such a remarkable genius at a tiny city like Cloud Margin City. This young genius is already comparable to the geniuses of tier-5 organizations.
The young man wasn't breathtakingly handsome, but he looked decent and had a face that one would never get tired of looking at. He was dressed in a thin outfit, showcasing his robust body. It was obvious he was also a hardworking cultivator.
"Overlord Xiang," Li Yaxuan gave a short introduction.
"The one who defeated Xie Sanqian and killed Ye Xuan?" the young man cried out in astonishment.
"That's right." Li Yaxuan nodded.
The young man stared at Xiang Shaoyun with a burning gaze, like a predator that had laid his eyes on a delicious prey. The gaze caused Xiang Shaoyun to have goosebumps.
"I challenge you to a fight!" the young man challenged with a surging battle intent.
Xiang Shaoyun blanked out momentarily before saying, "Why should I fight you?"
"Because I am the only one who can help you get through this blockade, allowing you to go search for the
earthcore fire," said the young man confidently.
A doubtful expression surfaced on Xiang Shaoyun's face. Seeing that, Li Yaxuan explained, "He is Chen Zilong of Chen Clan."
Right after she said that, the group that had blocked Xiang Shaoyun's path walked over and bowed to Chen Zilong. "Greetings, young master."
The people in the group moved in a uniformed manner. It was obvious they were all well-trained.
"Rise," Chen Zilong said. He then looked at Xiang Shaoyun and said, "So long as you can defeat me, I will tell them to allow you passage. What do you think?"
"I am not interested in fighting you." Xiang Shaoyun shook his head.
Still mounted on his qilin lion, Chen Zilong said unhappily, "What? Do you look down on this young master?"
"Of course not. But your cultivation level is higher than mine. It is obvious you are bullying someone with a lower cultivation level than you. That is not a fair fight," Xiang Shaoyun said calmly.
"My cultivation level is higher than yours? I thought you have been hiding your cultivation level?" Chen Zilong asked in astonishment.
He was clear on the strength of both Xie Sanqian and Ye Xuan. If Xiang Shaoyun had defeated both of them, it was only understandable that Xiang Shaoyun's cultivation level wouldn't be too low.
He could sense that Xiang Shaoyun only had a cultivation level of second-stage Transformation Realm, but he was also aware that some treasures could help one hide one's real cultivation level. That was why he was so sure Xiang Shaoyun had been hiding his cultivation level. But since Xiang Shaoyun was not admitting to it, he started wondering if Xiang Shaoyun was lying to his face.
Xiang Shaoyun merely released all his aura, revealing his peak second-stage Transformation Realm aura to everyone. To the side, Li Yaxuan clarified, "I can confirm that he is definitely a second-stage Transformation Realm cultivator. He is not hiding anything."
"With a cultivation level of second-stage Transformation Realm, you defeated Xie Sanqian and Ye Xuan. You are a genius capable of punching many levels above your weight!" Chen Zilong immediately grew excited. He paused for a bit before adding, "Too bad you are a tad bit too old. But that doesn't matter. This young master shall allow you an opportunity to become my follower. What do you think about that?"