“When you reach Tong Tian Tower’s sixth floor, if nobody is willing to be your Escort, then you can find me. Right, who was your Tong Tian Introducer?” The Night Empress’ sweet voice resounded, suddenly asking a question that Yue Yang could not figure out for a long time.
“I don’t know.” When Yue Yang entered Tong Tian Tower, the person who introduced him was a big-breasted oneesan that he had never seen before.
He had only seen her before once. From then on, there was no longer a trace of her.
It was said that Shang Wu Camp was normally managed by Elder Gui Wu and definitely not that big-breasted oneesan who had a lazy yet extremely enchanting face. Yue Yang could not understand how it would be that coincidental. He just happened to go to Tong Tian Tower to find Yue Bing and she was already there, prepared to receive him. What was even stranger was that when Yue Yang returned to Shang Wu Camp again. He even tried to obtain information secretly, but nobody knew who the big-breasted oneesan was. Not only that, nobody dared to bring her up in a conversation. It was as if that big-breasted oneesan was an extremely terrifying monster.
Yue Yang remembered that initially, when there was a middle-aged man who asked him this question at Tong Tian Tower’s gate, he was extremely terrified when he heard that it was her.
Normally, the warriors with sufficient ability to guard the gates of Tong Tian Tower wouldn’t be this timid.
Could it be that the big-breasted oneesan was an even more terrifying existence than a Demon King?
Towards what Yue Yang had said, the Night Empress expressed her disbelief.
Yue Yang’s heart moved. He described the looks of the big-breasted oneesan a little. Then, acting as if he did not mind, he said, “Certainly, I don’t know who introduced me to Tong Tian Tower. Listening to the fatty, it’s normally Elder Lu who receives warriors at Shang Wu Camp, however, I was an exception that day.”
When the Night Empress heard this, she was silent for some time.
As Yue Yang startet to have doubts in his mind whether he had said something wrong, the Night Empress suddenly groaned jealously, “I knew it was her! With her Inherent Skill, of course it would be more convenient for her to find people… Hmph, I hate her the most, she grabs everything before I do! What card did she give you? A crystal card? Hmph, she’s really generous… What kind of conditions did she asks from you? A Wisdom Fruit every year? That’s too easy, this is obviously grabbing a disciple before me! It’s not fair, she had really disregarded the agreement between rankers. You idiot, how could you agree to let her be your Tong Tian Tower Introducer? Having her as your Introducer wouldn’t give you any advantage at all, you’ve lost big now!”
(Shiro: refer to Chapter 41)
“It’s fine, as the wise men say, being disadvantaged is a blessing.” Yue Yang took this opportunity to make the situation worse.
“Yeah, right, a blessing!” The Night Empress was angry, and did not speak for a long while.
After a while, she suddenly continued. “I’ll give you a mission too. If you complete it, then I’ll consider teaching you stupid little kid who doesn’t know anything. It’s a simple mission. In the heart of the Despair Abyss, thousands of metres underground, there is a Black Turtle’s pond. There, a wounded Dragon Turtle resides. Cure it and get the Black Turtle Pearl then come back and find me.”
(Sephilia: Black Turtle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Symbols_(China))
What she said seemed to be easier than eating a bean. However, thinking about it again, this matter was probably ten times harder than giving the big-breasted oneesan, whom nobody knew where was, a Wisdom Fruit.
Who had ever gone to the heart of the Despair Abyss before?
Nobody!
Even if someone had gone there before, it would be rankers at the level of the Night Empress. They would all be the war gods that protected the countries. Normal warriors would never be able to imagine the level that they had attained.
Running to the heart of the Despair Abyss alone, first curing the Dragon Turtle, then obtaining the Black Turtle Pearl?
It seemed ridiculous enough!
Finding the Hard-Shelled Dragon Fruit at the bottom of the Ant Hole and meeting with the Marquis of Zi Jin almost cost him his life. If he met someone even more overpowered than the Marquis of Zi Jin while going into the heart of the Despair Abyss, then it would be over. He wasn’t a cat with nine lives after all, if he died, he would really die!
Furthermore, He still had the mission to collect Starlight Serene Indigo Grass from Grandma Wu Teng… If he had the ability to complete the mission to collect the Black Turtle Pearl, he believed that Grandma Wu Teng would not give him the mission to collect Starlight Serene Indigo Grass. Since Grandma Wu Teng did not give this mission to him, it would mean that he could not do it right now! Thinking along these lines, Yue Yang inquired. “What level of beast is that Dragon Turtle?”
“Platinum-ranked Level 6. Originally it was Platinum-ranked Level 10, but it was injured by someone.” The words of the Night Empress nearly made Yue Yang cramp and drown in the lake.
“Even a Platinum-ranked Level 10 beast can be injured?” Yue Yang could not imagine what kind of ranker could do this.
“You can do it too in the future.” The Night Empress giggled.
“Then, what’s the Black Turtle Pearl?” Yue Yang had heard of the White Dragon Pearl before. When the entire band of soldiers had been poisoned, Jun Wu You gave Floating Mist Sect a national treasure, the White Dragon Pearl. Only then did the Floating Mist Sect deploy Elder Tian Suo to heal them. However, in the end it had caused the Elder Tian Suo’s Impostor’s Case to happen instead.
“I’ll tell you what the Black Turtle Pearl’s uses are later on. However, it’s a necessity. Only when you collect the Azure Dragon Pearl, the White Tiger Pearl, the Vermillion Bird Pearl and the Black Turtle Pearl, will you truly be recognised as a ranker. Lad, don’t you know that at the highest floors of Tong Tian Tower are extremely vast? Any small island there is greater in size than the Soaring Dragon Continent, or even the Demonic Abyss. We come from the Soaring Dragon Continent, but there are also rankers who come from other places. Everyone is competing against each other, striving to climb even higher. The kind of competition there is something you can’t imagine right now. In comparison, the Soaring Dragon Continent is like a little village. With the Soaring Dragon as our starting point, we cultivate to ever greater heights. When you finally reach the extremely high realms and look back, the lives of normal people are really funny, just like seeing you being as busy as an ant right now… There are fewer rankers from the Soaring Dragon Continent, but we are also more united. Our standard is having the ability to gather the four pearls. Only then will you be recognised as a ranker and become a part of our team. As the Dragon Turtle is wounded right now, it’s the easiest to get. So, I recommend you to finish it first. Don’t let others finish it ahead of you, because once the Dragon Turtle is successfully cured by others, then it will recover its original battle ability and leave the Despair Abyss. It will then re-enter Tong Tian Tower. It can’t stay in the Despair Abyss forever!” The Night Empress’ words made Yue Yang feel anxious.
It was not a mission made solely for him if other people were able to cure it as well.
But, even if Yue Yang took it, he did not know how to cure beasts at all. This matter was probably ridiculous enough, only heavens knew how to cure the Dragon Turtle.
The Night Empress did not tell him how to either.
She did not give any hints.
It seemed like this secret could not be told to others. It was up to Yue Yang to find out himself.
With a glint of his [Divine Eyes], he asked, “What’s the relationship between the White Dragon Pearl and the four pearls of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird and Black Turtle? Are they the same level, or is it of a higher level?”
“The White Dragon Pearl is a kind of dragon pearl that is needed for a Level 7 [Overlord] to level up to a Level 8 [Emperor]. It is a little bit different from the other pearls. White Dragon Pearl is quite alright, but we don’t recognize the Soaring Dragon Continent’s standard of Level 8 [Emperor] as a truly strong Ranker.” The Night Empress’ words thoroughly shocked Yue Yang.
A Level 8 [Emperor] was still not considered a true strong Ranker.
Then wouldn’t a Level 7 [Overlord] and a Level 6 [Elder] be normal people? No wonder Innate Rankers saw any warriors below Level 5 as ants.
Yue Yang gulped his saliva down, then asked, “Then at what Level would you consider someone a true strong Ranker?”
Night Empress laughed gently.
After quite a while, she then answered, “I think it’s okay to tell you earlier, because you, foolish brat, has quite the high potential. In Soaring Dragon Continent, to be a true ranker, you have to be an Innate. A Level 7 [Overlord] has only started to touch the Innate Realm while a Level 8 [Emperor] has only started training officially to become Innate, however, we do not recognise them as a true Innate. Only a Level 9 [Sage] and above would be called an Innate Ranker. Furthermore, Innate Realm is divided into Nine Levels. A Level 9 Beginner [Sage] in Soaring Dragon Continent is equivalent to an Innate Level 1, while a Level 9 Intermediate [Sage] is Innate Level 2, and Advanced [Sage] is Innate Level 3……”
(Shiro: Decided to change Level 9 [Saint] to [Sage].)
“I’m gonna faint.” Yue Yang realized that he was only starting.
Yue Yang knew that although he had reached the Innate Realm, his power was still far behind.
He had only trained for half a year. In terms of skills and knowledge, he absolutely couldn’t compare to those Innate Rankers who had trained themselves for a few hundred years. He was even still far behind Level 7 [Overlords] and Level 8 [Emperors].
Right now, if he really tried his utmost, he would probably be at the level of Level 6 Advanced [Senior Elder] and would only be able to defeat a Level 6 Intermediate [Elder] with all of his efforts.
As for a Ranker with the power of a Level 6 Beginner [Junior Elder], after the fight outside the Ant Hole, Yue Yang realized that he could actually defeat them easily.
Level 5 and below were all ants to him, he could kill them all very easily.
As for the defeating the Marquis of Zi Jin, other than due to his own capabilities, it was also because that fellow had underestimated him and had battled with Grandma Chi before, losing a lot of his battle power. That was why he had gotten away so easily. If the Marquis of Zi Jin had known his true strength and attacked him with all of his strength from the beginning, Yue Yang would have a headache. Had Marquis of Zi Jin fought him in his peak condition, he would probably have emerged as the victor in the end.
Yue Yang felt that would he would only be able to fight against the Marquis of Zi Jin if he could understand his [Yin] power and master the ability to control water and ice, then master Level 4 of Innate Invisible Sword Qi.
The Marquis of Zi Jin still needed a year to recover before he could return to the Soaring Dragon Continent. Yue Yang, who had understood his [Yang] power and mastered the fire ability, was full of confidence right now.
When that fellow returned from the Demon Abyss, he would probably be able to completely defeat him.
This was because breaking through the Innate Invisible Sword Qi Level 4 was just a matter of time. Yue Yang reckoned that he would probably be able to breakthrough Level 4 in less than three months.
After his breakthrough, would he be able to open the Divine Grimoire?
Yue Yang was still hoping for this in his heart. If that was possible, then he would be able to turn the Marquis of Zi Jin into a miserable packed lunch, giving it to his Thorny Flower as a fertilizer!
“I have taken quite a liking to you and have thought to give you some pointers at first. But since you have already been snatched by her, based on the agreement between Rankers, it’s not convenient for me to get involved with you. If you want to learn from me, I must give you a mission first. Come and find me again when you have gotten that Black Turtle Pearl!” The Night Empress then suddenly thought of something and asked, “By the way, what did you originally set out to do in Despair Abyss?”
“I wanted to pick Starlight Serene Indigo Grass. It was a mission given to me by Grandma Wu Teng.” Yue Yang tried to test the Night Empress’ reaction to Grandma Wu Teng.
“Is Big Sister Wu Teng your teacher? She’s quite good, it’s a pity that she was unable to recover after she was heavily injured by someone in the past…” The Night Empress’ reaction made Yue Yang feel even more respect towards Grandma Wu Teng. Even such a strong ranker such as the Tian Luo Kingdom Heavenly Imperial Guardian, the Night Empress, had addressed Grandma Wu Teng so respectfully. It was obvious that she was one of the peak rankers, or at least, she was once one of them!
In the end, the Night Empress had kindly pointed out to Yue Yang, “Actually, you won’t be able to pick the Starlight Serene Indigo Grass. That is not something that a guy could touch. Only pure, virgin girls would be able to pick it. I can introduce you to a girl who is extremely knowledgeable in this area. However, I cannot guarantee if she would be willing to help you. Her name is Luo Hua, and she usually stays at the Hanging Gardens in the Luo Hua City in the Fourth Floor of Tong Tian Tower… You can go to the Warrior’s Guild in Tong Tian Tower and leave her a letter. Say that I referred you to her, then maybe she will agree to help you.”
“I know Luo Hua City Mistress. We had even fought against Demon Generals before when she wanted to pick Beautiful Demonic Flowers. This time, we had also planned to pick the Starlight Serene Indigo Grass together!” Yue Yang was pleasantly surprised and immediately tried to rely on his connections.
“You knew Luo Hua? Hahaha…” When the Night Empress heard him, she laughed out loud happily, even seeming like she was a little pleased with herself.
This made Yue Yang be at a loss. Was there something wrong with him knowing Luo Hua City Mistress?
Yue Yang’s mind started to spin quickly. Could it be that Luo Hua City Mistress wasn’t a Da Xia citizen, and was actually a Tian Luo Citizen? What kind of relationship did she have with the Night Empress?
“You can first pick the Starlight Serene Indigo Grass with Luo Hua and complete Big Sister Wu Teng’s mission. She is extremely knowledgeable, so you can learn a lot of medical related knowledge from her. Then, you can go to the Despair Abyss with Luo Hua to get that Black Turtle Pearl, she will definitely be of a great help to you. How about this, I’ll give you a year, no, half a year. When you have acquired that Black Turtle Pearl, I’ll tell you more secrets… It’s about time now, I shall give you some things before I send you out!” The Night Empress’ extremely soft and delicate voice resounded again.
In that moment, two things appeared on Yue Yang’s hands.
One was a map. Seemed like it was a map that leads to the heart of the Despair Abyss.
The other thing was a bottle.
It was made from white jade and decorated in extreme detail. The cork that was covering the bottle was made of a purple red wood. It felt warm to touch and emitted a nice, fragrant scent that seeped right into Yue Yang’s heart.
There must be some kind of liquid inside. Yue Yang could feel the liquid shaking inside when he shook the bottle lightly. It’s just that he didn’t know what was inside.
“What’s inside this bottle?” Yue Yang’s curiosity could probably kill a cat.
“It’s Eternal Youth Springwater. A normal person will look ten years younger when they drink this, while warriors will experience a huge increase in their spiritual qi. If you want to refine a Martial God Pill in the future, you will need this Eternal Youth Springwater. What? You have never heard of Martial God Pill? It’s an even better pill than Martial Spirit Pill. Martial Spirit Pill helps to awaken the potential capacity of a person, but Martial God Pill, on the other hand, helps to increase the potential capacity of a person… Forget it. I’ll tell you next time!” The Night Empress had not finished speaking when Yue Yang suddenly felt the sky spinning around. In an instant, he was flung out by an irresistible force.
(Shiro: Martial Spirit Pill was translated as Martial Arts Spirit Pill (Chapter 144) previously. Changing it to Martial Spirit Pill!)
When he returned to his senses, he was already standing in front of a gigantic Imperial Palace.
Underneath his feet was the Imperial Palace Teleportation Circle.
Yue Yang didn’t wait for the soldiers to start interrogating him and immediately opened a teleportation scroll to return back to the Ivy Academy. Of course, he first placed his Eternal Youth Springwater and the map to the heart of Despair Abyss inside his Lich Ring.
At the entrance of the Ivy Academy, the old cunning fox was waiting along with Yue Bing, Yi Nan, Ye Kong, Fatty Hai and Li Clan Brothers.
“Brother!” Yue Bing was the first to run towards him, throwing herself into his embrace.
“It’s good that you are okay…” Yi Nan also really wanted to hug Yue Yang, but she found it a little embarrassing to do it in front of others. Hence, she tried to stop herself.
“Bing-er, don’t cry. Tian Luo Kingdom had already sent two Heavenly Imperial Guardians over. Old General Ma and the others will be fine. I have promised Old General Ma that I will go back and greet him later.” Yue Yang caressed Yue Bing’s soft hair and smiled at Yi Nan before nodding towards Ye Kong and the others.
“Don’t be afraid, with me looking after them, there wouldn’t be any problem!” The old cunning fox immediately nodded when he saw Yue Yang looking towards him at the end.
“Vice Principal, I realized that we actually shared the same Inherent Skill…” Fatty Hai felt that the old cunning fox was as thick-skinned as he was. He even dared to say that he would protect them when he was only a mere Level 5 [Grandmaster]. Wasn’t he afraid of being struck by lightning? Let alone Fatty Hai, even Ye Kong and the others all felt the same way. If the old cunning fox was really as strong as how he had boasted he was, then why would he brought them to find the Eagle-eyed Xia Hou Wei Lie to seek for his protection just now?
“Fatty, seems like you need a spanking.” The old cunning fox was almost driven mad. Fortunately there was still Yue Yang, the brat, who knew about his true strength. He knew to find him immediately when they returned to seek for his protection. Otherwise, he would probably die of depression.
Yue Yang laughed at the old cunning fox. He then opened his teleportation scroll and teleported to the wilderness a few kilometers away from Hope Town once again, together with Hui Tai Lang.
What was the situation in Hope Town currently exactly?
With two Heavenly Imperial Guardians dispatched, no matter how aggressive the Demonic Palace was, they would probably exercise some restraint, right?
Teleporting back, Yue Yang actually didn’t hope for the Demonic Palace to escape and avoid to battle. Instead, he hoped that a huge battle had erupted between the two sides. Maybe he could even benefit as the third party and collect all the spoils of war… Even if he only managed to get a few Demonic Palace Rankers’ corpses, they would already be very good fertilizers for his Thorny Flower!
Fertilizers, I’m coming!
Yue Yang impatiently rushed into the Teleportation Gate…