AGM 525 – Glistening Teardrops
Qin Wentian stood among those from the Battle Sword Sect. He silently surveyed the place, taking in the majesty of this ancient country. A country with a history of over ten thousand years would naturally be extremely fearsome, and while on the road Liu Yun had already explained to him that the elimination rate of the major powers was exceedingly high in the Royal Sacred Region. The disputes were all of a much greater scale and there was also the occasional appearance of a heaven-defying genius—those who were capable of toppling major powers once they had matured.
Hence, there would be many powers vanishing from the Royal Sacred Region as they were unable to withstand the tests of time. But of course, that also meant that there would be just as many new powers rising up in prominence. Ultimately, only those truly strong powers would be able to consistently solidify their foundations and grow stronger and stronger. There were powers whose history/heritage hadn’t even reached the ten thousand year mark, yet they were still considered indomitable. But even they couldn’t begin to compare to Ye Country, with its own history of over ten thousand years.
Staring at the group of young cultivators from the Violet Thunder Sect, those from the Battle Sword Sect found that they too, were staring back at them. The person in the lead should be none other than the son of the Qi King—Ye Kongfan—a demon-level genius from the Violet Thunder Sect. This person’s innate talent was frightfully high and possessed the Calamity Lightning Bloodline with an innate Heavenly Lightning Physique. He was exceptionally suitable to cultivate the ultimate arts from the Violet Thunder Sect and now his cultivation base was at the seventh level of Heavenly Dipper, possessing an astonishing level of combat strength.
Ye Kongfan was clad in golden imperial robes and exuded the aura of a king. His resplendent eyes shone with a fearsome aura that threatened to erupt forth at any moment.
At this moment, Ye Kongfan’s eyes had landed onto Duan Han. He then emotionlessly stated, “The ninth personal disciple under Sword Sovereign Ling Tian, Duan Han.”
“Ye Kongfan.” Duan Han’s pitch-black eyes shone with a bright glow as he stared at him.
Ye Kongfan’s eyes contained a sharp smile within as it swept over the other members from the Battle Sword Sect. “To think that the Battle Sword Sect would be so free to visit my Ye Country, I really have to give you a grand welcome. However, I thought that members from the Battle Sword Sect only pursued the martial path and had no interest towards secular things? Coincidently, I’ve already invited the Holy Maiden to our Ye Country’s battle arena so she can admire our Ye Country’s strength. Since the members of the Battle Sword Sect have also arrived, why don’t we visit the battle arena together after the Holy Maiden finishes the treatment?”
The competition in the Royal Sacred Region was extremely cruel, with everyone placing emphasis on the martial path. Naturally, the Ye Country was the same as well—this battle arena was the main arena in the Ye Country and it was built for the purpose of recruiting talents within their ranks.
“Since the prince has personally extended an invitation, how could they dare reject?” Ye Kongfan was the son of King Qi and was also a chosen from the Violet Thunder Sect. Of course, since they were now in the Ye Country, his status as the prince took more precedence.
“I heard that the personal disciples under Sword Sovereign Ling Tian all boasted of their overwhelming combat prowess. If brother Duan Han were to display his might on the battle arena, everyone in Ye will surely be filled with excitement,” a member from the Violet Thunder Sect added, his words causing the gazes of those from the Battle Sword Sect to turn sharp. This man was truly impolite.
How could members of the Battle Sword Sect display their combat prowess just because they were told to do so? And all for the Ye citizen’s entertainment? If they did so, wouldn’t their statuses be lowered from such a demeaning act?
“If the members from the Violet Thunder Sect are participating as well, we will definitely step up on the arena to seek your guidance,” Jiang Huai coldly replied, his words causing that young man from the Violet Thunder Sect to snicker coldly. Enmity radiated from the people of both sects, they were all in a state of mutual hostility. It was as if one wrong word could cause a fight to instantly break out.
The competition between the nine great sects were more intense than one could imagine. Members of the nine great sects would often enter into confrontations when they were roaming the Royal Sacred Region. This was especially true for members from the Battle Sword Sect. They had the least number of experts in the nine great sects, yet their individual combat prowess was the strongest. How could members of the other eight sects not provoke them whenever an opportunity was to be found?
During his time in the Xuan King City, Qin Wentian had already experienced for himself the competitiveness between the nine great sects. There was nothing strange about this situation today.
Right now, an old man from the Ye Country walked towards those from the Battle Sword Sect as he gratefully stated, “This old man thanks all of you for protecting the princess on her journey back home.”
The old man was a loyal subject of the Human Emperor of Ye Country. How could he fail to understand the good intentions of the Battle Sword Sect when he saw them escorting Ye Lingshuang back.
“Lingshuang is my junior sister, this is only something we should do. Old man, there’s no need for thanks,” Duan Han replied with courtesy.
The face of the old man was painted with gratitude as he spoke, “Currently, our Ye Country is in a state of chaos. I dare not be presumptuous, but if something really does happen, I hope that all of you heroes will be able to protect the princess. Stop her from doing anything foolish.”
“We will.” Duan Han nodded, “Old man, you don’t need to be so worried. Since the Holy Maiden of the Medicine Sovereign Sect is here personally, the Human Emperor will certainly be able to make a full recovery.”
The old man sighed as he shook his head, the worry on his face was still apparent. Evidently, he didn’t share his optimism on the situation.
“The Human Emperor has endured this illness for quite a long time.” The old man sighed again.
Duan Han and the rest exchanged glances with furrowed brows—it would seem as though the Human Emperor’s situation was extremely serious, to the extent that this old man wasn’t even confident that the Emperor would be cured, despite the Holy Maiden coming here personally.
Not only that, the Ye Country was an ancient country, so there was no need to doubt the power it wielded. When the Human Emperor’s illness had acted up, there should be many experienced healers and alchemists that had already attended to him, yet none had been able to do a thing in healing him. Now, there was no choice but to invite the Medicine Sovereign Valley to step in.
The Medicine Sovereign Valley have always taken a passive stance and their status was seen as extraordinary. It was extremely tough for ordinary people to invite them, and to have the Holy Maiden herself show up to provide treatment? The Ye Country must have paid a hefty price in order to do so.
After waiting awhile outside, Ye Lingshuang came out. The rims of her eyes were red, evidently she had just been crying not long ago. There were also a number of people beside her, a few palace maids as well as two young men who bore a striking resemblance to her. They were none other than the legitimate princes of the Ye Country.
“Ye Tan thanks the members of the Battle Sword Sect.” The crown prince Ye Tan walked towards the members of the Battle Sword Sect and dipped into a bow, showing his gratitude.
“You are welcome,” Duan Han lightly replied. He then turned his gaze onto Ye Lingshuang, “Lingshuang, how’s the situation?”
“My father has contracted a slow-acting poison, and apparently the poison has already been active for a long period of time. This poison hid itself deep in his body and once it erupts it can steal the life of the victim away. And since my father has just been through a deadly battle, the poison instantly circulated around his body and he’s now in imminent danger.” Ye Lingshuang’s voice was hoarse, and as she spoke, her eyes reddened once more.
“Do those from the Sovereign Medicine Sect have any methods to cure him?” Qiao Yu asked.
“The Holy Maiden said that she only has the ability to temporarily suppress the poison from acting up, but if we are talking about total recovery…” Ye Lingshuang broke off mid-sentence. The others understood her unspoken words, as their hearts silently shuddered. The poison was even enough to claim the life of such a powerhouse like the Human Emperor? One could see how fearsome this poison was exactly.
At this moment, a row of figures walked out from the Human Emperor Hall. These figures were all clad in white, and were all beautiful females with demeanors akin to fairies.
The gazes of everyone shifted in their direction. Ye Kongfan and his cronies took the lead, walking over with a smile on his face, “You’ve all worked hard.”
Qin Wentian similarly stared in the direction of the white-robed maidens. They should be the guards designated by the Medicine Sovereign Valley to protect the safety of the Holy Maiden.
And in the lead, there were three other maidens. The one standing on the left and right were extremely beautiful, yet their radiance and splendor were all overshadowed when seen together with the female standing in the center.
Because the maiden standing in the center was simply too dazzling, it was as though her appearance could cause everything around her to lose their color.
“So devastatingly beautiful that she can topple kingdoms.”
Liu Yun’s eyes brightened as he stared at that figure. Not just him, the others from the Battle Sword Sect were all looking at her with similar states of amazement. The radiance radiating from her was indescribable.
These were all experts from the Battle Sword Sect, and each had firm hearts and tenacious wills, but right now, all of them couldn’t help but be distracted.
However, Qin Wentian was the only one who felt an intense pain rumbling in his heart. In fact, he had even forgotten to breathe. Soon after the pain, a warmth slowly blossomed from within his chest, which was then followed by a radiant smile as that huge rock embedded in his heart was finally released.
“Qingcheng…”
Qin Wentian wanted nothing more than to throw his head back and howl to the heavens.Immediately, his silhouette flickered, moving as fast as a bolt of lightning as he dashed in the direction of the Holy Maiden. The Holy Maiden of the Medicine Sovereign Sect was actually Mo Qingcheng!
“Mhm?” Seeing Qin Wentian’s actions, the others from the Battle Sword Sect were shocked awake from their stunned states. Those from the Violet Thunder Sect were all glaring at Qin Wentian, their eyes filled with a dark grim look as though they wanted nothing more than to kill him. The audacity. How dare he?
“IMPUDENT!”
Ye Kongfan coldly shouted, blasting forth with a palm imprint. A terrifying bolt of calamitous lightning fired forth towards Qin Wentian. Qin Wentian raised his palm in response, causing a titanic boom to rumble out. His body was forced back a few steps from the impact as he felt an intense pain in his palm. The power of that bolt of lightning had actually numbed his entire arm.
The maidens from the Medicine Sovereign Sect coldly stared at Qin Wentian, radiating waves of coldness that enveloped Qin Wentian within. An overwhelming pressure descended onto Qin Wentian—if he moved a single step, they would kill him instantly with no hesitation.
“JUNIOR BROTHER!” Those from the Battle Sword Sect sensing the killing intent immediately rushed forward, standing around Qin Wentian protectively.
Yet from the start up till now, Qin Wentian’s eyes were solely on Mo Qingcheng. It was as though he had forgotten about everything else.
Mo Qingcheng was still alive, she didn’t die! Is there anything in this world that was more beautiful than her? His smile was as radiant as earlier, as though he couldn’t feel the numbness in his arm or the overwhelming pressure pressing down on him as he stared at that familiar figure he saw countless times every time he closed his eyes.
The Holy Maiden of the Medical Sovereign Valley turned her gaze onto Qin Wentian. The instant her eyes landed on his silhouette, she actually felt a swift stab of pain right in her heart. However, that pain soon faded as her eyes regained her earlier emotionless look. The aura she was projecting seemed so distant, as though no one would be able to get close to her. This guy in front of her right now seemed so familiar, yet looked like a stranger.
“How dare you? Seeing that you’re someone from the Battle Sword Sect, we will forget your transgression this time around. Should this happen again, don’t blame us for showing no mercy.” Ye Kongfan icily snorted. After which he shifted his gaze and stated, “Holy Maiden, should we proceed to the battle arena?”
Mo Qingcheng paused for a moment as the faintest trace of confusion flashed past her eyes. After which, she turned to move towards the Ye Country’s battle arena, escorted by a bevy of her guards. Those from the Violet Thunder Sect were all staring at Qin Wentian with cold smiles on their faces.
“You’d better control yourself, that’s the Holy Maiden of the Medicine Sovereign Valley.” The young man from the Violet Thunder Sect snorted. Although the members from the Battle Sword Sect were unhappy with his attitude, they didn’t say anything. After all, Qin Wentian had indeed acted a little too impulsively.
Qin Wentian stood dumbly in his original location, that radiant smile on his face fading away with the swiftness of a bolt from the blue. Mo Qingcheng hadn’t recognized him?
What was happening?
Mo Qingcheng was in the center of the crowd, yet the two females walking next to her could see that she wore a dazed expression on her face, as though she was beside herself with agony.
“Holy Maiden, what’s wrong?” one of the females asked in a low voice.
“Why is his face so familiar, my heart feels so pained…” Mo Qingcheng whispered, her words causing the expressions of the two females to falter. Back then, Mo Qingcheng was hovering on the edge of life and death and had been saved by the Medicine Sovereign. After she awoke, there were holes in her memories—she suffered from amnesia.
They didn’t say anything more, yet they had never seen such an expression on Mo Qingcheng’s face before. It was as though she had lost her soul, her face totally devoid of blood.
Mo Qingcheng felt the pain in her heart getting increasingly intense as beads of perspiration appeared on her forehead. So familiar, why was he so familiar? Right now, it felt as though there was a flood of memories wanting to break through a barrier in her mind, she felt as though she was about to remember something.
“My head feels so painful.” Mo Qingcheng closed her eyes and without realizing it, glistening teardrops suddenly began to flow down her cheeks, like thunder from a clear sky.
That day in winter, where snowflakes drifted all about. A handsome youth sat beneath a tree, yet he seemed so dumb at the same time, he wasn’t aware of the young girl’s intentions as she sat beside him.
The snowflakes were extremely beautiful, the two of them sat underneath the tree, sitting there with the sweet joy of innocence.
The young girl stretched her hand out, allowing the snowflakes to land on her palm. She then departed with a laugh, leaving after calling the youth a dumbo.
This scenario was so beautiful, so beautiful to the extent that it could melt the heart of anyone who saw it.
“Holy Maiden!” The two females beside her were completely taken aback. Mo Qingcheng’s face was completely covered with tears!