by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun was completely unaware of what was going on outside. He was still focused on reading. He was currently on the third floor, with the majority of the books there being battle techniques. There were also some handwritten notes left behind by some Sovereigns, which were invaluable experiences from past experts.
Xiang Shaoyun was greedily absorbing the knowledge from the first book he found on the third floor. He was searching for a way to form the strongest soul foundation. He was also looking for battle techniques suited for all nine of his powers. Overall, he had gained a lot from his stay at the Book Pavilion.
During the final three days, he picked up an alchemy book. He wasn't trying to be an alchemist, but he only wanted to learn some simple concoctions that might be useful in the future.
After all, he was someone who had been soaked in medicinal liquid growing up. He knew very well how beneficial proper usage of herbs would be for a cultivator. After finishing the alchemy book, he selected a crafting book. Similarly, he memorized everything in it, his sole goal being to restore the Overlord Skyslaying Saber.
The Overlord Skyslaying Saber was his weapon from his previous life. Not only did it hold a special meaning in his heart, but it was also the weapon he was most familiar with. Unfortunately, with its current quality, it was unable to keep up with his growth. Reforging was necessary.
In a flash, three days passed. When he saw the elder lying lazily on the rocking chair before the pavilion, he bowed slightly before proceeding to leave. But at this time, the elder suddenly asked, "Are you really unwilling to be my disciple?"
"Elder, this kid really does not have the good fortune to be your disciple," Xiang Shaoyun rejected tactfully.
"Then you need to take care of yourself," said the elder.
Xiang Shaoyun was confused, and he quickly headed for 1 Dragon Villa. But before he could go far, someone blocked his path and demanded, "Xiang Shaoyun, take a walk with us."
Four overseers in total had come for him. Each was a Soul Foundation Realm cultivator. From how aggressive they seemed, something bad must be waiting for him.
He asked with confusion, "I wonder what is the intention of this, lords?"
"We are arresting you under Elder Shadowflash's order," replied one of them coldly.
He then grabbed for Xiang Shaoyun, not giving Xiang Shaoyun the chance to flee.
Xiang Shaoyun frowned and dodged backward before saying, "You are trying to arrest me without a justified reason? Audacious! You are overseers, but I am an overseer as well. The only way you can arrest me is with the written order of an enforcement elder. Otherwise, there is no way I will go with you."
"Impudent! You dare disobey Elder Shadowflash?" berated one of them.
"What's the point of saying this much to an evil devil like him? Just capture him," said a different person.
One of them reached for Xiang Shaoyun again, sending a golden dragon claw forward. This person was a second-stage Soul Foundation Realm expert. With his strength, capturing a seventh-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator should be an extremely simple affair.
Relying on his gift of instincts, Xiang Shaoyun saw through the attack before it even came. Once again, he avoided the attack. He warned, "If you continue being disrespectful, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Although he was just an ordinary overseer, other elders could only challenge him on a ring if they really wanted to do something to him without breaking any rules. Private battles outside the ring were prohibited. This was the academy's rule. The rules were much stricter for overseers than disicples. Thus, Xiang Shaoyun naturally wouldn't sit still while the overseers were trying to capture him without a justifiable reason.
"You dare resist arrest? The first thing I will do after capturing you is break your legs," roared the Sovereign unhappily. He attacked with both hands, sending a pair of fast and sharp hands clawing at Xiang Shaoyun. At the same time, his presence also surged outward, not giving Xiang Shaoyun any chance to keep dodging.
Finally, Xiang Shaoyun realized that they had no intention to let this end amicably. His anger surged as he roared, "Breaking my legs? Let me break your arms first!"
Using the gift of instincts, he found an opening and dashed through it before slamming his palm forward. A powerful Raging Skyburn Palm was launched out, and the profundity of flame greatly enhanced the might of his attack.
Chapter 889: I'm Breaking All Your Arms Today
The academy's overseers were all one-in-ten-thousand experts. They were not all disciples from previous batches, as some were actually the followers the elders had recruited during their trips outside.
These four were recruited as followers by Elder Shadowflash and were able to enter the academy as overseers. But like Xiang Shaoyun, they were merely regular overseers. Sure, they still had above-average strength, but they definitely weren't as strong as the geniuses that could actually fight people several stages above them.
The second-stage Sovereign facing Xiang Shaoyun was a mid second-stage Sovereign, but he could display the strength of a peak second-stage. That was actually quite impressive among cultivators.
Earlier, he had failed to capture Xiang Shaoyun, so he was using 80 percent of his strength now. He vowed to take Xiang Shaoyun down this time. He knew well that a genius like Xiang Shaoyun definitely had the strength to contend against a Sovereign. But he was still confident he could easily capture this Emperor.
Alas, he overestimated himself and underestimated Xiang Shaoyun. Rather than capturing Xiang Shaoyun, he gave Xiang Shaoyun a chance to counterattack. The moment Xiang Shaoyun attacked, he used his full strength, sending out numerous terrifying flaming palms. A sea of flame crashed forth toward the second-stage Sovereign.
The flaming palms were powered by the profundity of flame. Thus, the barrage was extremely scary, and even a mountain would turn into a pile of ash once hit. The second-stage Sovereign was no weakling. He reacted quickly and sent out several palms himself, trying to stop Xiang Shaoyun's attacks.
The second-stage Sovereign wasn't to be underestimated. Although Xiang Shaoyun had an impressive technique, his attacks were blocked.
"So what if you're a genius? So long as you're not a Sovereign, you're nothing!" said the Sovereign smugly. He unleashed a series of attacks toward Xiang Shaoyun, aiming to capture Xiang Shaoyun before doing anything else.
Xiang Shaoyun's eyes gleamed with a sharp glint. Instantly, his figure vanished, causing the Sovereign's attacks to hit only his afterimage.
"Shit!" the Sovereign immediately sensed that things were getting bad for him.
He immediately entered a defensive mode, but Xiang Shaoyun had already appeared beside him and attacked mercilessly.
Dragonscale Arm!
Both his arms lashed out like a pair of dragons. The arms shone with a brilliant gold radiance, exuding thick vicious energy. Dragon roars rumbled on and on as his arms smashed into the Sovereign's waist.
The Sovereign was able to put up his defenses quick enough, but his defensive barrier was smashed apart by the Dragonscale Arm technique. He himself was sent flying away, blood spewing out of his mouth.
"Impudent!" the other three Sovereigns shouted in alarm. They were now attacking together.
The three Sovereigns weren't to be underestimated either. One of them was even at the fourth stage, while the other two were at the second and third stages respectively. If they worked together against Xiang Shaoyun, he would only stand a chance if he used the Nether Soul Domain.
However, Xiang Shaoyun was not ready to use the Nether Soul Domain yet. He wanted to defeat his opponents fair and square in order to establish some dominance and deter some of those who kept setting their sights on him.
The Radiant Saint Sword appeared in his hand, and a sinister look covered his face as he roared, "Whoever your master is, since you dare to make a move against me, I'm breaking all your arms today. Otherwise, you will all think I'm a pushover!"
Not waiting for th
e Sovereigns to use their soul foundations, Xiang Shaoyun pushed his speed to the maximum. A white flash streaked over as he swung his sword repeatedly.
Dazzling Sky Sword Technique, third stance, Sword Light and Blood Shadow!
Xiang Shaoyun fully unleashed his light star, sending out a torrent of bright radiance with each swing of his sword as he slashed at the Sovereigns. Instantly, the torrential light streaked past them.
They had not expected Xiang Shaoyun to have a saint weapon, and they also hadn't expected him to use full power at the get-go. His speed was so fast they couldn't even react. Only the fourth-stage Sovereign was able to quickly move aside. As for the other Sovereigns, a sharp pain assaulted their arms as two bloody arms flew into the sky.
"Ahhhh!"
Their wails reverberated throughout the area, attracting even more attention.
"How is this possible?" the fourth-stage Sovereign paled from fright. He was filled with disbelief. The second-stage Sovereign who was facing Xiang Shaoyun earlier also felt a chill creep up his spine. He was feeling lucky that Xiang Shaoyun had not used such a scary technique on him earlier, or he would have definitely been killed on the spot.
"Quick, quick, suppress him with your soul foundation!" shouted one of the injured Sovereign to the fourth-stage Sovereign.
Xiang Shaoyun looked at the one-armed Sovereign and said, "Keep talking and I'll behead you." He pointed at the fourth-stage Sovereign and said, "Go back and tell your master to feel free to inform the academy of whatever crime I have committed. The academy can punish me. As for your master, he is not qualified to capture me as he wishes."
This whole incident had come out of nowhere for Xiang Shaoyun. He didn't even know who Elder Shadowflash was, but this person had actually come after him out of the blue. He couldn't just take it lying.
"Kid, you have devil blood in you. You're not a human, so you can't cultivate in the academy. Come with me to see Elder Shadowflash and await your punishment, or today is the day you die!" shouted the fourth-stage Sovereign as he released all four of his soul foundations, sending a crushing pressure toward Xiang Shaoyun.
"Hmph. Even if I really have devil blood, the likes of you are unqualified to judge me. If you want my life, come get it. Let's see who will die first," replied Xiang Shaoyun unyieldingly, exuding a thick killing intent.
Just as they were about to clash, the enforcers arrived. The group's leader was none other than Chu Yuan, a disciple of Xiao Wei. There were five behind him, and each was a late-stage Soul Foundation Realm cultivator. They were far stronger than the group of four overseers.
"You dare use force within the academy? Impudent!" berated Chu Yuan as he pointed at the four Sovereigns.
Chu Yuan was a high-level overseer, and his status in the academy was far above the four Sovereigns. Furthermore, as the captain of the enforcers, he had the strength to back his arrogance.
The four Sovereigns quickly replied, "We are here on orders of Elder Shadowflash. We need to arrest Xiang Shaoyun. He is a devil from the Imperial Nether Clan!"
"That's the truth just because Elder Shadowflash says so? The academy has yet to give the enforcers any orders, yet you people are already acting in private? You are simply looking down on the enforcers! All of you, come with me! Let's talk about this in front of the principal. Let's see who's at fault here!" said Chu Yuan. He was obviously siding with Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun hurriedly added, "Lord enforcer, you have arrived just in time! They are obviously trying to assassinate me! If it wasn't for the fact that I have a tiny bit of strength I can use to protect myself, I would be dead by now. They are simply disregarding the academy's rules! Lord, please uphold justice!"
One ought to admit that Xiang Shaoyun was truly shameless. He had obviously gotten the upper hand in the clash, but he was not satisfied and was even adding salt to the wound.
Chapter 890: Xiang Shaoyun Taken
"That's right. Assassinating a disciple is a major crime. Even if we bring this to the principal, he will judge this crime punishable with death," said Chu Yuan coldly.
He was once a disciple of the academy. Now that he was a high-level overseer, his status was naturally higher than the overseers who got in as followers. Thus, he did not need to show them any courtesy.
The two Sovereigns with one arm paled. They had not imagined that this would be the result. They had thought that they would be able to easily capture Xiang Shaoyun and complete the mission, but things weren't looking very good for them right now.
"We were only acting on orders!" the fourth-stage Sovereign answered with a frown.
"Do you have an elder token with you?" asked Chu Yuan.
Generally, when an elder summoned a disciple, only a verbal command was required. But since the overseers were actually arresting someone, they needed an elder token. After all, each disciple of the academy was a genius. A super genius like Xiang Shaoyun was a big deal. How could someone like him be arrested casually?
The four overseers were out of words. They were here on a verbal command and had no elder token with them. It was also at this moment that they realized something. It seemed like they were being used as cannon fodder.
In any case, Xiang Shaoyun having devil blood flowing in him was still a rumor. Even with Gui Mochou standing witness, not many people believed the rumor. On the other hand, what they did here was definitely something that the academy would pay attention to if Xiang Shaoyun blew it out of proportion.
Although they were nominally Elder Shadowflash's subordinates, they did not have an elder token for this operation. In other words, this was an unsanctioned operation. What else could they be if not cannon fodder? At that realization, their expressions turned ghastly. They were completely out of words.
When Chu Yuan saw that they had nothing to say, he sneered and said, "Now you know your mistakes? Come with me to the Enforcement Hall and await your verdict."
He waved his hand, and the people behind him arrested the four overseers before taking them away. Chu Yuan did not leave afterward. Rather, he said to Xiang Shaoyun, "Young Master Xiang, you need to look for my master immediately. Elder Shadowflash has his sights set on you, so we won't be able to protect you for long. You need my master's shelter."
After giving Xiang Shaoyun an address, he left in a rush.
Xiang Shaoyun frowned and muttered, "Who is that Elder Shadowflash? Why is he acting against me? Di Lin's master is Elder Situ, while Mo Xiaoqing is backed by the Mo Clan. Is Elder Shadowflash someone from one of the two factions?"
He went through all whom he had offended, but he failed to guess that this was actually the work of Gui Mochou's backer. In fact, he never knew why Gui Mochou had moved against him in the first place. But if he knew that Gui Mochou was Feng Xiaosha's senior brother, he would understand everything.
Xiang Shaoyun did not go looking for Xiao Wei straight away. He knew Xiao Wei would protect him, but he wanted to see how far this matter would go. His master was the gravekeeper elder. Even the grand elders had to show his master respect. Anyone daring to go overboard against him would suffer.
He went straight back to 1 Dragon Villa. Along the way, many people looked at him with odd gazes, evidently suspecting his identity. He did not care. So what if he had devil blood flowing in him? Not even the angels were able to purify him, and he had instead earned their acknowledgment. Just that alone was enough for him to be fearless about his devil blood. But before he could return to his villa, he was stopped by another group.
This group came with an elder token. Brandishing the token, they said, "We are here under Elder Mo Luo's order. You need to come with us for questioning."
The moment Xiang Shaoyun heard the surname Mo, he knew that someone from Mo Xiaoqing's side was making a move against him. This time, he couldn't disobey. Otherwise, he would get himself expelled from the academy.
He hesitated for a bit but eventually decided to go with them. He wanted to see just what they were going to do to him, and he also
wanted to see how the academy would react.
Instantly, news of Xiang Shaoyun being brought away spread throughout the academy. He was one of the top three geniuses on the Dragon Phoenix List and was soon going to represent the academy in the competition of the four academies. If he was punished due to his questionable origin, the academy's strength during that competition would drop sharply. After all, he was a freak comparable with Zhan Wushuang.
Had the academy confirmed that Xiang Shaoyun was a devil? Everyone was talking about it.
"Xiang Shaoyun is truly ballsy. He actually broke the arms of several overseers. After offending the elders, he has been arrested for questioning."
"Even if he has devil blood in him, that does not necessarily mean he is a devil. After all, he is someone who had entered the Devil Domain. Isn't it normal for him to have absorbed some devil blood before?"
"I feel like he has merely offended someone by being too arrogant."
"After killing Di Lin, he went ahead to wreak havoc at the villa of Squall's leader. He has also killed some disciples of the local faction at the battleground. He has way too many enemies. I reckon an elder has decided to make a move against him."
"We will soon know if Xiang Shaoyun actually has a backer."
...
"You're telling me Xiang Shaoyun was taken by Elder Mo Luo's overseers?" asked Xiao Wei. He was alarmed after hearing Chu Yuan's report.
Chu Yuan nodded. "Yes, master. Not long after I arrested Elder Shadowflash's overseers, a different group arrested Xiang Shaoyun with Elder Shadowflash's token.
"What did Xiang Shaoyun do to provoke even Mo Luo? Things are getting troublesome now," said Xiao Wei as he rubbed the space between his eyebrows in frustration. "No, I need to personally ask about this. I can't allow anything to happen to that kid. Take my token to the principal and report this to him as well."
He handed his token to Chu Yuan before flying away in a certain direction. Soon, Xiao Wei arrived at Mo Luo's villa. This villa was much more expansive and luxurious than Xiao Wei's, proof that Mo Luo's status was also higher than his.