Chapter 409: Entering the Ridge
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Guan Zhengyuan was livid when he left the Ridge Council meeting. A middle aged man drew up to his side from behind and spoke with regret, "Zhengyuan, I tried!" This middle aged man was the super alchemist that Ye Chong encountered earlier.
Guang Zhengyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Yan, please. The kid's life would've been forfeit if it wasn't for you. I haven't even thanked you for that."
The middle aged man's cold face mimicked his bitter expression. "Don't worry about that. We've grown up together, and I've always thought of Ling as a sister. I feel so guilty, now that I failed to ensure her student's safe passage into the Ridge."
Guan Yuanzheng seemed to remember his sister's mean antics, and could not help but smile on his face. "My dear sister, I wonder how she's doing these days. If it wasn't for the Shi Family this time …" The thought of the Shi Family brought down his mood once again, and his eyes burned with the fire of anger.
The Shi Family had interfered, causing the unexpected outcome from the Council meeting.
"The Shi Family!" The middle aged man humped coldly. The atmosphere turned tense as the man looked into the distance and said calmly, "It's been a long time since I was in the field, people seemed to have forgotten about me!" As a close friend of his, Guan Zhengyuan could sense that the man was having the urge to kill.
Guan Zhengyuan knew exactly how powerful his good friend was. Before Guan Ling [1] became famous, Yan was the unchallenged number one alchemist amongst his peers of the younger generation. Guan Leng's entrance into the scene had robbed him of his glory. Later on, the Ridge Council had given him the position of Head Envoy, and so he was often away from the Ridge. With that, his fame within the Ridge fell. Nonetheless, Guan Zhengyuan knew that his good friend had grew to be extraordinarily capable during his many years away.
Besides that, Yan had the backing of the Hua Family, an aristocratic family that had a long history like the Guan Family. All these years, Yan and the Hua Family had assisted the Guan Family, or the Guan Family would have been pushed out of the Ridge by the newer residents of the place, led by the Shi Family.
Older aristocratic alchemy families such as the Guan Hua Families were more moderate in their actions, unlike the more arrogant and bombastic younger families. The Shi Family's actions had really offended his good friend this time. Guan Zhengyuan was not particularly talented in alchemy, but he was always better at grasping the bigger picture. That was why the last head of the family had entrusted the position to him, and not the then most talented alchemist in the family, Guan Ling.
Guan Zhengyuan understood that, once Yan made his move, it will ignite the war between the old and new forces within the Ridge. This war would be waged on an unprecedented scale.
However, that was not on the top of his priority list at the moment. He was now thinking about his sister's student, now staying at the Ridge Lodgings.
"Yan, do you think that the boy can enter the Ridge?" Guan Zhengyuan asked with concern.
Hua Yan's expression was odd when he replied, "I don't know, but Ling's student is definitely not someone mediocre!"
Back in the Lodgings.
Guan Qingheng looked terrible. He never expected the Council's decision to be this.
"So?" On the contrary, Ye Chong was calm. He was used to all kinds of trouble. To him, there will always be a solution to the decision of the Council, no matter what it was.
"The Ridge Council wants you to enter the Ridge alone, without any guides," Guan Qingheng forced the words out of his mouth.
"Oh," Ye Chong still looked as composed as ever, without any emotional response.
"What do you think of the security around the Lodgings?" Seeing Ye Chong's response, Guan Qingheng asked him.
"It's excellent," Ye Chong answered truthfully. In fact, it was the most powerful alchemy based defense system he had ever seen. Each trap was all well designed, packed with a mean punch, and the traps worked together in good combinations. Even with Ye Chong's smoke pearl, he would not even try to breach the Lodgings' walls by himself. Ye Chong believed it to be out of his league.
Guan Qingheng looked positively hopeless. "Compared to the route that leads to the Ridge's entrance, these are child's play. The road to the Ridge is a hundred times more dangerous! You may not know it, but every new technique invented would be first tested on the route. Anyone who left the Ridge for a substantial amount of time would not dare to enter the Ridge by themselves. Ever since the day May's Night Ridge was founded, people have never stopped improving the security along that route." In fact, Guan Qingheng himself had always took extra care when he made his way in or out of the Ridge, for fear of triggering any traps.
Wasn't this clearly meant to kill him? Looking at Ye Chong's indifferent behaviour, Guan Qingheng cursed inwardly at the people in the Ridge Council.
"I see." Ye Chong thought about the situation for a moment.
"Alright, I accept." With his evenly delivered announcement, Guan Qingheng could hardly believe his own ears.
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"What? He accepted?" Shi Mingbei laughed coldly. Her face was unnaturally pale, and her shoulder was wrapped up in thick layers of bandages. Her voice was filled with deep hatred as she said, "What a stupid idiot, let's see you escape this!"
The Shi Family's head watched Shi Mingbei with an aching heart, and consoled her, "Don't worry, he'll die for sure. No one can travel the route themselves and survive. There is no person alive on this world that has of that kind of strength."
Just then, someone stumbled in panickedly and said, "Bad news! Bad news! My Lord, the Hua Family is here for trouble!"
The head of the Shi Family's lifted a single brow with deliberate indifference, and asked, "How dare the old fools come to challenge us! How many are there?"
"Only - only one of them!" The person stuttered, obviously shakened.
"Humph, for shame! It's just one person, and already you're panicking, a disgrace to the Shi Family!" Shi Wuwei felt humiliated by his subordinate's lack of composure, and scolded him out loud. He turned to Shi Mingbei and said gently, "Rest here for now, I'll go and take a look." Shi Mingbei nodded meedly.
Hua Yan stood before the door of the Shi Family's house calmly. Already there were five people lying unconscious by the door. Hua Yan was in his typical rigid self, but his lone form was like a towering figure in the eyes of the Shi Family. Everyone in the Shi Family looked at him with deep respect and fear.
"Is this what the Shi Family's capable of?" Hua Yan asked coldly, with a killing intent radiating off him. The Ridge Council had never been against challenges between families, but in fact encouraged them. That was why challenges like these were common.
This was a time of turmoil for May's Night Ridge. This was the day the long forgotten member of the Ridge, the elite of the younger generation of his time, Hua Yan, challenged the Shi Family by himself, defeated nine of his opponents and left with ease!
The Ridge was in an uproar! Hua Yan's former glory was restored once again. The Hua Family's fame rose because of the incident. This incident also marked the beginning of the war between the old and new factions in the Ridge.
After many years of peace, May's Night Ridge was once again troubled by challenges between families and tribes. The Ridge was plunged into disorder. Despite the escalating situation, the Ridge Council remained silent on the matter. The most peaceful families were the Hua Family and Guan Family. The Hua Family, with the Grandmaster level Hua Yan as their protector, was unchallenged. The Guan Family was also left in peace, since Hua Yan had warned against any hostility towards the Guan Family.
Unlike the Hua and Guan Families, the other 12 families were all involved in the mess that followed. As the situation worsened, Guan Zhengyuan was also affected. He knew that the peace at the Guan Family was only temporary. If things continue as they were, sooner or later someone would come and break the peace. In the end, Hua Yan was of the Hua Family, and the Hua Family had their own status to protect.
Guan Zhengyuan understood his situation clearly. The time for a reshuffling of the Ridge's power hierarchy was upon them. Unfortunately, the Guan Family was the weakest of all the contenders.
Ye Chong knew nothing of the situation in the Ridge. However, even if he was aware, he would have been unmoved by it all.
Guan Qingheng led Ye Chong to the route that would bring him to the Ridge's entrance. Along the way, Guan Qingheng continued to impress upon Ye Chong a rough overview of the route, about where the traps were and ways to avoid them. He even drew a sketch of the place for Ye Chong. However, he knew that despite his efforts, the traps were well designed, and one who had never travelled the route would find it hard to imagine the treacherous place.
"So I just need to make my way there?" Ye Chong pointed at the destination marked on the Guan Qingheng's sketch.
Guan Qingheng nodded. "Yes, once you reach that point, you'll be safe. There will be someone waiting for you there. Aside from the territories of each family residing in the Ridge, there are no other traps within. If you can travel this route and survive, the other traps will not be a problem for you."
After a good round of warnings, Guan Qingheng took a last, worried glance at Ye Chong and took his leave.
On this very day, the Ridge was unusually silent. No challenges were issued anywhere in the Ridge. Everyone was focused on the event that was Ye Chong's attempt to enter the Ridge. The reason for Hua Yan's challenge against the Shi Family was well known. Almost everyone believed that the young man would never survive the journey. What worried them was Hua Yan's response once the young man died along the route to the Ridge.
To them, the young man was already dead the moment the Council made its decision!
Ye Chong looked at the time, and sat down, doing nothing else.
He sat, and waited for five hours straight. Night came, and the route towards the Ridge was enveloped in darkness. Soon, the place was pitch black, impenetrable to sight.
In the darkness, Ye Chong stood up, his eyes shining as bright as the stars. Before him, Moon King stood silently , with its half lidded bionic eyes looking into the distance. The two crescent blades on its wrists gleamed coldly in the night.