I Am Overlord c1-962

by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu

  She had countless pursuers. Often, Emperors of other towns would come from far away just to see her. However, she was fiercely devoted to the Saber Emperor Du Xuanhao and had rejected all her admirers.

  The love story of these two Emperor Realm cultivators was one that captured the imagination of all Cloud Margin City residents. Xiang Shaoyun did not stand up to offer his greeting. Rather, he sat there staring at her. It wasn't that he had been charmed by her beauty. It was because she was simply too graceful.

  Just by looking at her, one would feel calm and comfortable. She seemed to be innately amiable and approachable, and anyone who laid eyes on her would not be able to resist approaching her. Hua Cheng was not angered by Xiang Shaoyun's rude staring. She was very clear on how fatally charming she was to the opposite gender, much less a little kid like this.

  She said, "You are decent at the zither. Who is your master?"

  She rarely paid attention to the younger generation of the Cloud Margin Pavilion, but she could still guess that Xiang Shaoyun had just joined the Cloud Margin Pavilion not long ago. After all, she knew everyone who could play the zither in the pavilion, and this young man was obviously not one of them.

  Xiang Shaoyun finally recovered from his reverie as well. He stood up and saluted Hua Cheng before saying, "Greetings, Zither Empress. I have no master. I have merely played the zither for fun during my free time."

  Hua Cheng stared at Xiang Shaoyun in astonishment. She then smiled and said, "That's right. Playing the zither should be something fun. I have been too stubborn about it."

  Hua Cheng was incredibly attractive, to the point she completely overshadowed Gong Qinyin and Li Yaxuan. It was not that the two weren't as beautiful as her, but that she was much stronger than them and thus possessed a grace far beyond them. If one day they reached the same cultivation level as her, neither of them would be inferior to the other in terms of charm.

  Xiang Shaoyun met Hua Cheng's gaze and said, "Music is capable of influencing one's mood,improving one's temperament, and sharing one's emotions. Unfortunately, not many people truly understand music. Big sister, since you are called the Zither Empress, you are definitely a master at the dao of zither. I wonder if you would mind playing this young one a song?"

  Gong Qinyin and Li Yaxuan were completely stunned. Even Hua Cheng was staring at Xiang Shaoyun in astonishment. She was obviously shocked by the "big sister" Xiang Shaoyun used to address her.

  But she was no ordinary person. She immediately recovered and smiled. "You are quite the gutsy one, aren’t you? You dare to call me big sister? Are you not afraid that I will kill you right where you stand?"

  As she spoke, her aura transformed and became sharp and suffocating.

  It frightened Gong Qinyin, and she quickly pleaded for leniency on behalf of Xiang Shaoyun, "Master, please spa—"

  Before she could finish her sentence, Hua Cheng sealed her, and she could no longer speak. Xiang Shaoyun could sense the terrifying aura around him, but he showed no fear. With a smile, he said, "For others, you are a mighty Empress. For me, you are an amiable and beautiful big sister. If you really think that a nobody like me has offended you, feel free to kill me right now."

  Xiang Shaoyun showed no fear, as if he did not care about his life at all.

  But in truth, he was extremely nervous as he prayed, You better not attack for real.

  Hua Cheng stared at Xiang Shaoyun for a bit before the aura vanished. A gentle smile hung on her face as she said, "Hehe, you have excellent willpower and decent aptitude. More importantly, you are well versed with the zither. But that is not enough to have me as your big sister. Why don't you do the same as Qinyin and be my disciple? I will guide you on how to enter the dao through the zither."

  Both Gong Qinyin and Li Yaxuan had different reactions to her words.

  Gong Qinyin was overjoyed, hoping that Xiang Shaoyun would agree immediately. As for Li Yaxuan, she was completely shocked, and envy filled her eyes. She was very clear on just how illustrious the Zither Empress was. Before this, Gong Qinyin was the only person she had personally offered to accept as a disciple. Now, a second person had appeared. It was inconceivable.

  But Xiang Shaoyun's reply shocked her even more. He actually shook his head and said, "Thank you for the offer, big sister. Although I know a bit about the zither, I have never treated it as a tool to kill."

  "Shaoyun, how can you say that? The tune of a zither is capable of expressing one's emotions, able to make people experience joy and sorrow. Even after entering the dao through the zither, so long as you maintain the just in your heart, you won't defile the elegance of the zither. Just say yes! This is a rare chance!" Gong Qinyin quickly persuaded him.

  Back then, the only reason she had attracted Hua Cheng's attention was because her name meant "zither's melody". Her master was of the opinion that fate had brought them together and had thus decided to accept her as a disciple. That was how Gong Qinyin came to enjoy the status she now had.

  But of course, she was also talented enough in the dao of zither to be worthy of her master's teachings. Xiang Shaoyun was completely different from her. His accomplishments in the dao of zither was sufficiently high, and he was much more proficient than her in playing the zither. Perhaps he was even more talented than her. If he could obtain the teachings of her master, he would have a bright future.

  Chapter 229: Let Us Be Brother and Sister

  Xiang Shaoyun noticed that he was currently the focus of the three beauties, but he still had a calm smile on his face as he said, "Thank you for the favor you show me, big sister. However, the dao of zither is not my dao."

  "Oh, but all dao lead to the same destination. With your outstanding talent in the dao of zither, relying on this dao will make it easier for you to gain martial prowess as well. Moreover, the zither is graceful and refined. Won't you look much more carefree practicing the dao of zither rather than the likes of sabers and spears?" Hua Cheng said after a slight astonishment.

  She couldn't even imagine that a Transformation Realm young man would actually reject her offer. Even a King would wish to be her disciple. She even wondered if this kid was actually a nutcase or if he truly was someone who did not think much of Emperor Realm cultivators.

  A solemn look covered Xiang Shaoyun's face as he declared, "The dao I pursue is the dao of saber."

  "You are a saber user as well?" Hua Cheng asked curiously.

  Her relationship with the Saber Emperor was common knowledge. He was a supreme expert in the saber. And when she heard that Xiang Shaoyun practiced the saber as well, her interest was piqued.

  "If big sister is willing to play me a song, I won't mind demonstrating how my dao of saber is even better than my dao of zither," said Xiang Shaoyun, full of confidence.

  Xiang Shaoyun was a person who had met numerous experts since young. Thus, his calmness before experts such as this Zither Empress was something not many people could compare with. That was how he had been able to speak so calmly with Hua Cheng.

  Hua Cheng did not say anything. She merely gripped at the empty air. Immediately, the zither not far away flew toward her. She required no warm-ups before playing the zither. She propped it up with one hand while her other hand rested gently on the zither, as if she was stroking the face of her lover.

  A battle song started resounding in the courtyard. The melody sounded like it was played by gods and demons. The moment it started playing, the courtyard seemed to have turned into a battlefield. Countless armored soldiers charged each other, and severed limbs and blood filled the battlefield. It was an extremely shocking scene.

  Xiang Shaoyun felt like he himself had appeared on the battlefield with countless armored soldiers rushing toward him. Initially, he was still aware that he was currently in an illusion. But soon, he was completely drawn in.

  He could clearly feel the pain from the wounds inflicted on him. He could also clearly sense the fierce murderous intent of the soldiers. If he did not strike back, he would die.

/>   Kill!

  He erupted with his own murderous intent while his Overlord Skyslaying Saber appeared in his hand. He then started wildly attacking with his Berserk Lightning Blade. The soldiers weren't particularly strong and were quickly killed off. But there were just too many of them. Wave after wave arrived, as if there was an unending amount.

  Xiang Shaoyun was forced to unleash his full power. He utilized his human saber unity and attacked with saber intent, unleashing a breathtaking slash that instantly severed numerous heads from their bodies. He was unstoppable!

  "Come! Let this young master send you to the afterlife!" shouted Xiang Shaoyun, whose eyes had turned bloodshot from all the killing.

  Not only was he using his saber technique, he was also using Yun Flame's power. The torrential 1,000 years old flame poured out and burned everything, turning the battlefield into a sea of flame.

  Just as Xiang Shaoyun was happily slaying his opponents, the melody suddenly stopped. The soldiers and the battlefield vanished like they had never appeared in the first place.

  Xiang Shaoyun froze.

  Staring at the Overlord Skyslaying Saber in his hand and sensing the power of flame around him, he cried out inwardly, Shit, I fell for it!

  After taking a deep breath, he withdrew all his power and raised his head to look at the elegant woman sullenly. He had completely fallen under the control of her melody. If she had wanted to kill him, she could have done it easily.

  Xiang Shaoyun hated this feeling of being controlled the most. He increasingly felt that he was too weak.

  "Not bad at all. You have actually comprehended saber intent. No wonder you care so little for the dao of zither," said Hua Cheng with an approving look. She added, "You even have the millennium earthcore fire on you. I suppose that is the new flame that had appeared at the Flame Mountain not too long ago? Kid, you are blessed with both talent and luck!"

  "Since you already know everything about me, just do whatever you want with me," said Xiang Shaoyun with a shrug. As far as he was concerned, all his secrets had been exposed. The only thing he could do was accept what was coming to him.

  The millennium earthcore fire was something that had caught the attention of the Cloud Margin Pavilion. If they decided to take it from him, he would be completely helpless. He even started regretting his act of showing off his zither skills. If it wasn't for that, he wouldn't have attracted this woman's attention.

  With a faint smile on her face, Hua Cheng looked at Xiang Shaoyun and asked calmly, "What is your name?"

  "Xiang Shaoyun," came the reply.

  "Alright. I will address you as Little Brother Shaoyun in the future. You can call me Big Sister Hua Cheng as well. We shall treat each other as brother and sister!" said Hua Cheng sincerely while winking her large eyes.

  The mouths of Gong Qinyin and Li Yaxuan were wide agape when they heard that. They stared at Hua Cheng in disbelief, wondering if they were hearing things. An Emperor Realm cultivator was actually telling a Transformation Realm kid to be her little brother? What was going on with the world?

  Xiang Shaoyun was naturally happy to oblige as he flashed a happy smile and said, "Big sister, those are your own words. I have always wanted a beautiful big sister like you. I've never expected that my wish would actually be fulfilled. This is great!"

  A crafty smile surfaced on Hua Cheng's face as she said, "Since you have acknowledged me as your big sister, you will have to listen to me in the future. Otherwise, you will suffer for your disobedience."

  "Oh? But shouldn't an elder sister be pampering her little brother?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

  "Hmph. I have no intention to pamper you into a spoiled child. In the future, focus on cultivating the saber. If there is anything you don't understand, feel free to come ask your big sister. Although I don't cultivate the saber, I still know enough to guide you," said Hua Cheng, now looking like a regular nagging elder sister.

  "Don't worry, big sister. I won't embarrass you," declared Xiang Shaoyun as he slapped his chest. He then rubbed his hands and said, "Big sister, after getting such a handsome, heroic, smart, and insanely talented little brother, shouldn't you be giving him a gift? It will be an embarrassment for a person of your stature if you don't, right?"

  His words caused Hua Cheng to giggle as she said, "I am suddenly regretting my decision. You are too narcissistic, little brother. Will you be the ruin of the reputation I have painstakingly built?"

  But after saying that, a jade plate appeared in her hand, and she tossed it over to him.

  "You can have this star congregation jade. Never ever use it to create trouble in the pavilion. Or else, I won't spare you!" said Hua Cheng. She added, "I will tell Granny Mei to prepare an estate for you. In the future, you can stay there and focus on your cultivation. I will introduce a remarkable saber master to be your master later. Don't disappoint me, ok?"

  Chapter 230: Join the Red House

  The star congregation jade Hua Cheng had given him was of a quality the jade plate Xiang Shaoyun had gotten at the Martial Hall Palace couldn’t compare with. It was carved into a command token with a symbol of a zither on it. Strands of energy constantly swirled around the plate, making it look incomparably precious. Anyone who got their hands on one of these plates would never want to part with it.

  This was most certainly a proper star congregation jade that could increase a person's speed of astral energy absorption by a few times. A star congregation jade of this quality was comparable to king medicines. Even King Realm cultivators would be envious of a person with this jade.

  Hua Cheng had so casually gifted Xiang Shaoyun such a big gift. Her sincerity in accepting Xiang Shaoyun as her little brother could be clearly seen. Of course, the feeling she had toward Xiang Shaoyun was not the romantic sort. Rather, she simply had a good opinion of him.

  The source of that good opinion was Xiang Shaoyun's fearlessness when facing her, his talent in the dao of zither, and his comprehension of saber intent. All that combined caused her to sincerely admire his talent, and she found it amusing to have a little brother like him.

  "Thank you, big sister. Your little brother will not disappoint you," said Xiang Shaoyun with a solemn nod.

  Hua Cheng then looked at Gong Qinyin and said, "Qinyin, if there is anything you don't understand in the dao of zither, feel free to reach out to Little Brother Shaoyun. Although he knows nothing of the way to achieve martial mastery through the zither, his accomplishments in the art of zither is far beyond yours."

  "Yes master. I will definitely seek guidance from Xia—Martial Uncle Xiang!" said Gong Qinyin. She didn't even know how she was supposed to address Xiang Shaoyun now. Even "martial uncle" was something she had to force herself to say. She was definitely unwilling to call him that.

  Hua Cheng laughed and said, "The two of you already know each other before this so you can address him as you did before. There is no need to make the hierarchy overly complicated."

  "Thank you, master!" Gong Qinyin heaved a breath of relief and thanked her master.

  Hua Cheng then looked at Li Yaxuan and said, "You are Guardian Li's granddaughter? Not bad, but you still need to work harder."

  She then gave Xiang Shaoyun one final look before vanishing from the courtyard.

  The moment the Zither Empress left, Li Yaxuan heaved a breath of relief. "Has the Zither Empress finally left?"

  It was obvious how nervous this vice house leader of Red House was before the Zither Empress.

  "Senior Sister Li, my master is a very friendly person," said Gong Qinyin.

  Li Yaxuan looked at Gong Qinyin and asked, "Is that so? But why do I remember you being just as nervous earlier?"

  Gong Qinyin replied awkwardly, "N-no, that's not true at all! I was only worried that my master would beat him up!"

  In truth, although Hua Cheng had accepted her as a disciple, Gong Qingyin didn't really get to see her a lot. Most of the time, Granny Mei was the one guiding her in cultivation. Therefore, she was very nervous eac
h time she saw her master.

  Xiang Shaoyun smiled as he played with the star congregation jade and said, "Although big sister is an Emperor Realm cultivator, she is a friendly and kind person. The two of you fear her because you think too much."

  "You think everyone is as fearless as you? If it was any other Emperor, you would have been slapped into mincemeat by now," said Li Yaxuan as she rolled her eyes.

  Beside her, Gong Qinyin also nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Shaoyun, just watch your mouth and actions in the future."

  Xiang Shaoyun smiled and did not say anything. He hung the star congregation jade on himself and started walking around.

  "With this thing, my cultivation will be much faster!" Xiang Shaoyun muttered in satisfaction.

  When the two women looked at the star congregation jade, envy could be seen in their eyes.

  With the same envious look in her eyes, Li Yaxuan said, "Xiang Shaoyun, the Zither Empress sure treats you well. Not even Junior Sister Gong is treated as well as you!"

  Gong Qinyin did not mind it too much. "Shaoyun is a much more outstanding cultivator than me. It is only natural that my master is showing him favor. In any case, I am already happy with what I have."

  "Haha, you don't need to be envious. In the future, I will be able to easily give you a couple of these jades as well," Xiang Shaoyun declared with a hearty laugh.

  "You think a top-quality star congregation jade like this is the same as some common vegetables?" Li Yaxuan grumbled.

  "Oh, this is still not a top-quality star congregation jade. Great quality, yes. But not top quality yet," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  Li Yaxuan rolled her eyes, thinking that Xiang Shaoyun was bluffing too much. If even this star congregation jade was not top quality, wouldn't the star congregation jade of the King Realm elders all be trashy jades?

  She was naturally unaware of how much higher Xiang Shaoyun's standards were. But Xiang Shaoyun wasn't really bothered to explain himself to her. He was here to have a talk about something with Gong Qinyin, but with Li Yaxuan around, it wouldn't be convenient to talk about it. Thus, he excused himself not long after.