Cult of the Sacred Runes

Chapter 192 - Helian

The hand belonged to an elderly man dressed in a purple robe. He was three steps away from Ye Wei. His hair was shoulder-length; his white beard was as long as his arm. The skinny old man greeted Ye Wei with a friendly smile and a nod.

Just like Ye Wei, the old man had no Qi presence. His grip was firm, but his figure seemed weightless.

Ye Wei’s heart sank, and his pupils dilated, ‘this is madness!’ Although clueless about the old man’s cultivation level, everything he could see indicated that the bearded man would have killed him without even Ye Wei knowing of it. If that was his intention all along.

‘He is stronger than even Master Yi!’

“Excuse my forwardness, but may I ask who you are?” Ye Wei rightfully assumed the old man was friendly. The old man solemnly kneeled down and spoke.

“Hahaha! I like your humbleness, Ye Wei.” The old man stroked his beard and said, “I am Helian Jieyuan. I have been watching you since you dove down into that pond and found the Drakehead. I am impressed by how quick you learned to control the Supreme blood in your veins!”

“Huh!?” Ye Wei startled. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. ‘Sir, do you happen to be related to Green Moon City’s Ye family?!’

Judging by how well the old man’s stealthiness and knowledge was, Ye Wei knew he was standing next to a man stronger than any wild beast or demon he had encountered in the wilderness of North Barren Mountain so far.

Helian Jieyuan’s curious gaze fell upon the jade trinket in Ye Wei’s hand. Seeing him trying to teleport was the reason why he decided reveal himself. “So you are it! You live on the feisty side but you seem to live by a principal! Not bad!”

By now Ye Wei had understood that if the old man stood in front of him. he was probably related to the Glacial Emperor, ‘if the old man wanted me dead, I would already be dead.’

“Sir, could I help you with anything?” Ye Wei bowed.

“I am from one of the royal families if you have not yet worked that out. We are currently recruiting cultivators from all across the dynasty. The officials are more interested in fighting each other than eradicating wild beasts and demons nowadays. Thus, we’ve decided to take the matter into our own hands.” Helian Jieyuan’s smile never faded. His look was as soft as his voice.

“Royal?” Ye Wei murmured to himself, feeling nostalgic as he thought about his old crush who was also from one of the three families.

“You heard right. With your level of talent, I wouldn’t be surprised if you get recruited by any one of the three royal families. We might not be as influential, but I can promise you we treat our cultivators better than the other two families” Helian Jieyuan said with pride. “What I want in return, is your permission for me to use the Drakehead. I meant to ask your patriarch but decided against it as the information might go public. I’d much rather have it peaceful as it is now.”

“I know for a fact that among the living no more than three people know about the Drakehead’s location,” the old man continued, “ I have been training here for more than ten years, and I still need a few more years until I will be able to breakthrough my current cultivation level.”

“In truth, I would really like you to keep this place a secret. In return, I will watch over the underwater palace!” Helian Jieyuan gravely said. His look suddenly intensified. “I would never go there out of respect for valuables left in the palace. They are treasures that should only be inherited by whom who has the Ye’s blood flowing in their veins!”

Ye Wei widened his eyes again; he was surprised by this great offer. He couldn’tt think of any downsides at all.

“Okay you got me, who am I lying to?” The old man chuckled and said, “I will watch over your family even if you don’t join us. For old time’s sake.”

After having calmed down, Ye Wei reasoned with himself. First he was scared; then he was happy and relieved. ‘A person like him has no reason to lie!’

“We would like you to join us; we don't have many rules for non familial members. Of course, call of duty must be answered. In return, we will provide members with resources and protection.” Helian Jieyuan was not trying to lure Ye Wei into becoming a member. He just wanted to show the real world to the Glacial Emperor’s inheritor.

“This will get me closer to her.” Ye Wei mumbled. His mind wandered, and his eyes glowed bright. It had been his dream to get out of Green Moon City, and when he became strong enough to visit the capital since the day Li Ziyan left him.

Ye Wei did not need to think for long. He kneeled down and bowed, “thank you for giving me the chance. I would like to join the Helian family!”

“Haha! Good! That’s great news!” The old man’s laugh was playful. It sounded as if it came from someone half his age, “with the talent you have, you will see greatness in a few years and maybe even achieve it if you cultivate hard! One more thing, you will be up for a review that decides if you are qualified enough to gain the privileges of a familial member.”

“I will not let you down!” Ye Wei nodded.

“I don’t have the most catchy name, but I need you to remember it. Within two years, when you feel comfortable, you should head to our palace at the capital. Show the guards this sigil plate and tell them I sent you there.” The old man kept babbling.

Ye Wei suddenly felt a heavy weight on his hand. A piece of metal appeared in the middle of his palm out of nowhere. He quickly grabbed onto the cold object.

“Thank you for looking after us!” Ye Wei made a greeting hand gesture and said.

“Don’t mention it. I will send word back home. The Lu’s are already in big trouble for harassing a Seven New Rune. Now that you are associated with us, I have hundreds of ways to make them pay for the deeds they’ve done. I will make sure that nobody touches the Ye’s.” Helian Jieyuan said with great authority.

‘He is not only the strongest cultivator I’ve ever met he is definitely one of the more selfless ones too.’ Ye Wei thought to himself, realizing the old man was looking at the bigger picture and thinking of the mankind. ‘This is personal but not completely personal. The more talent I show, the more important the Ye family would be to him.’

“Sir, about a week ago I encountered an alliance of demons and wild beasts not far from here. They were fighting the Huyan’s. Were they all looking for the Drakehead as well?” Ye Wei asked concernedly.

“Not sure, but they won’t be able to beat me even if they are to join forces! Haha!” Helian Jieyuan smiled at Ye Wei. “Kid, the sigil is a runic array. You can contact me with it! But you need to figure out how yourself!” The old man’s figure faded into the background right after he said the last word.

When Ye Wei had digested what he just heard, the mysterious royal had already disappeared. There was no trace of the two meeting each other apart from the sigil plate in Ye Wei’s palm.

“One less thing to worry about.” Ye Wei muttered to himself, “I am not going to rely on him though. I have to do what I can such as get more combat experience, so I will become stronger!” Ye Wei knew that Helian Jieyuan would be watching him, excited about the possibility of experimenting more now he had a seemingly reliable safety net.

Ye Wei took a few deep breathes and injected his Qi into the jade trinket; he resumed what he was doing before the strange encounter.

The jade trinket lit up. Sequences of runes burst out and circulated around Ye Wei while he injected more Qi into it. He felt a little nauseous as he emptied his dantian.

“Swoosh!” A crisp noise briefly sounded. Ye Wei had disappeared into the wormhole created by the runic array.

Lu Qianhuan was oblivious, struggling to recuperate. He held a scroll in each of his hand in case if he ran into Ye Wei again. “You little bastard, I will find you and kill you even if that means I have to turn this area upside down.” He exclaimed as he paced frustratedly around.

***

The Glacial Temple.

“Mister Pu! It’s been awhile!” Ye Wei waved at the large spectral figure in the center of the great hall.

“Seven-star condensed prime level!?” Pu Yuan turned to Ye Wei, surprised, “it’s only been three months since I last saw you! What the hell happened to you since then?”

The Glacial Emperor’s previous servant had an exceptional standard; but even so, he did not foresee Ye Wei’s swift cultivation improvement.

“It’s a long long story!” Ye Wei laughed and shook his head. He was open to talk about his many near death experiences, but he had something else in mind. “Mister, I have recently learned the Selenic Reveal, and I wish to polish it in the runic chamber. Do you have any tips for me?”

Ye Wei wished to deal with the Lu’s publically to clean his family’s reputation.

“The Seventh… Well done!” Pu Yuan could see a slight bitterness in Ye Wei’s smile. Deep down he could guess the young Runemaster had learned combat knowledge the hard way. He smiled and continued, “ the seven stances were created by my master. There are little space for improvement; however, it is possible merge the seven stances into one.”

“Seven into one? That is genius! So these seven stances are only puzzle pieces!” Ye Wei’s heart fell. Earlier on when he used the seven stances to fight Lu Qianhuan, he could feel a strange connection between the seven stances. ‘I have been wondering why the creator of this realm and temple was only capable of composing low grade stances.

“That’s just what master did. If you are inspired by anything inside the chamber, you should follow your heart!” Pu Yuan nodded, recognizing Ye Wei’s capabilities. “Follow me!”

Ye Wei kept up with the guardian. He headed towards one of the biggest collection of runes in the dynasty.

“Cultivation is not easy. You will face dangerous people and things. Relax yourself as much as you can and avoid getting stressed. I should have told you this earlier, but if you are going through a hard time, seek help from the Helian’s. Their patriarch studied under my master.” Pu Yuan said calmly. He was proud of what Ye Wei accomplished but also worried for his safety.

“I know.” Ye Wei smiled, amused that his theory of Helian Jieyuan was not too far off.

“Here you go!” Pu Yuan opened the gate to the runic chamber and patted Ye Wei’s back with his gigantic finger.”