Chapter 531: To Everyone’s Attention
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Yu Xintao, whose immortal soul was incarcerated by Lin Feng inside the Heavenly God-Sealing Banner, could only watch as the Xuanlin Holy Man and his partner were swept away by the white cloud energy. His expression gradually changed to hopelessness.
His last chance of survival had finally evaporated.
The other onlookers, Shi Zongyue and the Prince Xian of the Right were also slightly shocked that the outcome was the Great Void Sect stepping aside.
The Celestial Sword Elder and the Thunderclouds Holy Man exchanged another look as they thought to themselves, "All shall be concluded in a month’s time."
As thoughts rolled around in their heads, they turned to look at Lin Feng as he retrieved his Heavenly God-Sealing Banner, the Eternal Night Demonic Stele, along with the Flaming Dragon Celestial Armor. They could only force out a laugh. "Everybody thinks the foundations of the Celestial Sect of Wonders are weak, but this leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders actually has so many magic items in his possession."
Lin Feng retrieved his magic items and turned to look at the Celestial Sword Elder and the others. He flashed a faint smile and said, "I forged a couple of new magic items, please don’t laugh at me."
The Celestial Sword Elder and the others shook their heads at the concurrently. With their powers, they could tell that Lin Feng’s magic items – besides the Eternal Night Demonic Stele which was in the Metaplasia stage and was not forged by him – were all only in their Gestation stages. They were all newly forged.
Even so, they were extremely dominant and formidable and nobody could take them lightly.
Lin Feng looked towards the Thunderclouds Holy Man and the Celestial Sword Elder and said, "I cordially invite the both of you to our glorious ceremony one month afterwards – do come."
The two of them nodded with smiles on their faces. "Even though it’s just disciples showing down, it’s still considered a grand event. We will be there."
Lin Feng greeted Shi Zongyue and Prince Xian of the Right before he took Xiao Yan and Shi Tianhao and disappeared into the void.
The group of people watched Lin Feng vanish with his disciples and just stood there in silence as they contemplated a great many things.
Then they turned to look at the Yu Family ancestral ground, which was now but a pile of rubble, before they turned towards the direction where the Xuanlin Holy Man and company withdrew towards. They could all feel that the battle that just transpired had far-reaching consequences.
Everything else could be temporarily overlooked, but one point was clear.
Lin Feng and the Celestial Sect of Wonders now had a solid and undeniable status in the Divine Lands and could no longer be underestimated.
Anybody that wanted to plan something had to consider Lin Feng’s reaction and his opinions into their calculations.
A middle-aged man sat majestically on top of a dragon throne inside the royal palace within the capital of the Great Qin Empire, Xiling city. He wore a trailing dragon robe and carried himself like a king – it was Shi Yu, the current Qin Emperor.
In front of Shi Yu was a scholarly-looking male. He looked gentle but his eyes were deep, like an ocean that could absorb everything, but with a bottomless depth and felt completely unpredictable. It was the prime minister of the Great Qin Empire, Wu Qingrou.
Wu Qingrou sighed faintly. "Your majesty is confident that ‘Little Shi’ will emerge victorious against ‘Big Shi?’"
Shi Yu replied audibly, "Yes, I do favor Shi Tianhao’s chances."
Wu Qingrou said, "Neither Shi Tianyi nor Shi Tianhao can ascend to the throne of the Great Qin Empire by rightful way."
There were rumors going around the outside world that the crown prince, Shi Chongyun, was talented but had no morals. He was inadequate to succeed the throne as his personality was not suitable to be a king.
The only problem was that Shi Yu had very few sons. The only person who achieved a respectable measure of success was Shi Chongyun. There was a period of time when the legendary Man of Polycoria, Shi Tianyi was called to be adopted by the royal family and people clamored to tout him as the next successor to the throne.
However, this was not entirely just a rumor. There was indeed a period of time when Shi Yu did consider this possibility.
He was not worried that Shi Tianyi would find ways to expand the power and influence of the Shi Family as he was born into the Shi Family. If Shi Tianyi ascended to the throne, the people backing him would not be the Shi family. The levels that he would eventually attain with his potential and talent meant that he could never be a puppet of the Shi family.
If Shi Tianyi ascended to the throne, he would naturally perceive things from the perspective of the Qin Emperor. With particular respect to controlling the powers of big families within the empire, it was entirely possible that he would employ even more aggressive and brutal measures compared to Shi Yu.
The adoption process was ultimately a big deal and Shi Yu could not make up his mind. At the same time, the discussion regarding his adoption by the royal family was also garnering momentum and Shi Yu decided not to conclude the matter.
What made up Shi Yu’s mind was the fact that Shi Tianyi joined the Great Void Sect and became one of their core disciples.
He became a core disciple of the Great Void Sect. He could be said to be the core of the core, and the legend of the legends. The Great Qin Empire could never let someone like this become emperor – not even the position of crown prince.
Shi Yu watched Wu Qingrou as he said, "Shi Tianyi can’t do it, and neither can Shi Tianhao."
Wu Qingrou nodded in acknowledgement. "Now we shall wait and see what the Shi Family will do."
Shi Yu adjusted the crown on his head and continued, "I have already given them a chance."
Wu Qingrou smiled faintly as Shi Yu turned once again to look at him. "You should be rather happy with what is happening right now, eh?"
"To be honest, not really." Wu Qingrou’s expression was little complex and indecipherable. "It has already exceeded my predictions."
His eyes became ever so deep and enigmatic. "The mutability that the Celestial Sect of Wonders brought is indeed great."
........
Mount Tongtian, the home of the Heavenly Master Sword Sect. They were also the second most influential sword sect of the Nine Heavenly Sword Alliance.
The Celestial Sword Elder had already returned to the mountain and was now sitting inside the sword pavilion on the mountaintop. His legs were crossed and there a few human figures formed from sword Qi drifting about in front of him. The person at the front was a middle-aged man wearing a green robe with a sword aura that shot into the sky. He was the leader of the Heavenly Master Sword Sect, the Heavenly Master Swordmaster.
"Senior Uncle, thank you for your contribution."
The Celestial Sword Elder greeted the Heavenly Master Sword Sect. "You are too kind. I have seen much from this journey."
After returning the greeting, the Heavenly Master Swordmaster sat down and the other figures behind him greeted the Celestial Sword Elder respectively.
The Celestial Sword Elder was the first to speak. "From the looks of it, the rise of the Celestial Sect of Wonders is unstoppable."
The Heavenly Master Swordmaster replied, "In a month’s time, the cousins shall fight it out inside the Heavenly Dragon Ancient Land. If the Man of Polycoria emerges victorious, then the reputation of the Celestial Sect of Wonders will surely be affected adversely."
"If the Man of Polycoria is defeated, then we will have to wait and see what the Xuanlin Holy Man will do. Once chaos breaks out, then there will be a lot of mutable factors."
"The old enemies of the Celestial Sect of Wonders will swarm down upon them."
The Celestial Sword Elder nodded his head slowly. "The Radical Faction of the Great Void Sect will not accept defeat. If the Man of Polycoria wins the battle, then that’s still okay, but if he is defeated then things will surely turn nasty."
"If the Man of Polycoria wins the fight, things will turn nasty nonetheless," The Heavenly Master Swordmaster was a little drifty with his speech. "Previously, nobody believed that that the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders will antagonize the Great Void Sect for the sake of one of his disciples."
"However, after what just transpired today, he has showed his determination. Using his words, there are just some things that can’t be compromised."
The Celestial Sword Elder continued. "That is correct. People say that the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders protects the week and seeks justice – from the looks of it, every bit is true, and more."
The Heavenly Master Swordmaster’s gaze swept across the other people in the sword pavilion. These were all the immortal soul stage powerhouses of the Heavenly Master Sword Sect. "Today, we have also showed our position in the matter. We have also completed the task we have taken up. We will have to wait and see what happens next."
The Celestial Sword Elder and the others nodded their heads in consensus.
......….
Amongst the Western Shu mountain ranges, six tall mountains that resembled sharp swords rippled with sword auras and acted as pillars for a single mountain levitating in mid-air.
This was the home of the Mount Shu Sword Sect.
At this moment, of the six different peaks, several people sat facing each other within one of the great halls inside one of the mountains. Their expressions were gloomy and complicated.
"There is infighting within the Great Void Sect, and now the Celestial Sect of Wonders have gotten themselves involved. This is our chance to exact vengeance and take revenge for past humiliations," this person was the Shaoshang Swordmaster, and his face was as serious as ever. "We have to retrieve the Shaoyang and the Grand Moon sword."
The Shaoze Swordmaster and the Lixiong Swordmaster’s faces were both dark and gloomy. The Guanchong Swordmaster beside them was also cold like a statue.
His Virtual Entity was destroyed and he regressed into the immortal stage first level. He suffered the greatest loss at the Heavenly Cart Peak Sword Conference.
The middle-aged man sitting in the main seat had an immense and stable aura. He was the Shaoyang Swordmaster, and stayed back to anchor the Shu Mountains and was absent during the Heavenly Cart Peak Sword Conference.
"The leader of the sect and the other elders are still shutting themselves in. If they’re not going out, the bunch of you wish to humiliate yourselves even more?" The Shaoyang Swordmaster remarked plainly.
The Shaoshang Swordmaster started to frown. "Shaoyang, the heirloom of your branch has been lost!"
Behind the Shaoyang Swordmaster stood the Qingtian Swordmaster. He was present at the Heavenly Cart Peak Sword Conference on behalf of the Shaoyang Swordmaster, and his face was flushed with guilt.
On the other side, the Yingyue Swordmaster of the Grand Moon Sword also displayed expressions of guilt and embarrassment.
The Shaoyang Swordmaster continued quietly, "The leader of the sect and the other elders are not leaving the mountain. If the you guys seek out the Celestial Sect of Wonders by yourselves, you will definitely lose the other four swords as well."
The Shaoshang, Shaoze, Lixiong and Guanchong Swordmaster’s faces all changed.
"Yes, it is true that we lost to the Celestial Sword of Wonders at the Heavenly Cart Park Sword Conference, which can also be partially attributed to our inability to conjure the complete version of the Six Mountains Celestial Sword Formation. But now, how can we complete the sword formation?"
The Shaoyang Swordmaster continued with a steady pace. "I do not have my Shaoyang Sword. Even though Guanchong has his sword, his Virtual Entity is destroyed. As for the Grand Moon Sword branch, Yingyue has not even completed the Virtual Entity and the Grand Moon Sword has also been lost. If we seek out the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders now, we will just be going down the same path as what happened back during the Heavenly Cart Peak Sword Conference."
The Shaoze Swordmaster let out a heavy sigh. After a long pause, he said, "Yes, you are right. The current circumstance may be chaotic, but how can we be more hopeful of others rather than our confidence in our own ability?"
"It was my who erred," The Shaoshang Swordmaster said truthfully, "The Shu Mountains have been too prosperous and life has been too smooth. Even I have lost my way."
The Shaoyang Swordmaster said quietly, "We shall wait for the leader of the sect to leave the mountain before making a decision. After the battle at the Heavenly Cart Peak Sword Conference, similar to the expedition to the Cloud Forest World, he has reaped much benefits. His reclusion up in the mountain along with the other elders may lead to some important breakthrough."
He continued slowly. "Furthermore, we may still be able to catch the opportunity before the month is up…"
Upon hearing his words, the others’ eyes began to sparkle.
...…
On top of Mount Yujing, Lin Feng stood upright at the tip of the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree. Xiao Yan and company were standing in front of him.
Lin Feng was looking at Xiao Yan with a face of amusement. "It felt good just now, did it now? Are you feeling the consequences now?"
Xiao Yan forced out a laugh and replied, "The difficulty and danger of fusing three different primordial fires cannot be compared to that of fusing two together. I could feel that I was this close to failure, but I never gave up from the beginning till the end – I finished the job after all."
"Still, I have expended way too much energy. Even with the protection of your magic item, I could still feel the life being sucked and squeezed out of me. This was even more tiring than the trip to Xingyun Peak when I first fused the primordial fires together."