The thunder roared—
Rolling thunder crackled through the remnants of the silver moon and clouds, and deafening roars echoed from the distant Imperial Palace. It was as if the earth was turning upside down, shaking the entire Tian’an City, causing houses to collapse one after another.
Fox Mu, holding his obedient disciple by the back of her collar, watched the spiritual energy erupt from the Imperial Palace and stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing slightly. Si Xuanji had asked him to assist her in killing Nangong City, but he hadn’t expected Si Xuanji to make a move on Nangong City directly within the Tian’an City Imperial Palace.
Tian’an City was the confluence of the Central Domain’s spiritual脉, and also Nangong City’s territory. As long as Nangong City still possessed the “Nine Dragon Heaven Seal,” he would remain the master of the Central Domain, capable of manipulating the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the Central Domain without restraint. In such a situation, no matter how much spiritual energy Si Xuanji depleted from him with her Dao techniques, he could instantly replenish himself by absorbing spiritual energy from the heaven and earth of the Central Domain. Under these circumstances, eliminating Nangong City’s Void Spirit was almost impossible. Even if he unleashed all his divine abilities at this moment to aid in the battle, he might not be able to defeat Nangong City who had the advantage of geography.
Boom—
Suddenly, five streams of spiritual light shot up from Tian’an City, converging into a golden sphere in the sky, resembling a Golden Crow. This instantly illuminated the darkened streets. Fox Mu gazed solemnly, and his already deeply furrowed brows tightened by another three points. This was the guardian formation of the Imperial Sect, capable of shattering the Protective Spirit Shield of a Void Realm cultivator. If Si Xuanji were to be entangled by this formation while facing Nangong City head-on, it would be an almost certain defeat.
After a moment of hesitation, Fox Mu immediately waved his tail, releasing spiritual energy, preparing to help Si Xuanji deal with the Imperial Sect’s city-protecting formation. However, just as he was about to act, Liang Zhu, who was accompanying him, cupped his hands and interrupted, “Venerable One, this city-protecting formation does not require your intervention.”
Fox Mu narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, but before he could ask why, a loud noise erupted from the west of the city.
Boom—
One of the five streams of spiritual light rising from Tian’an City instantly disappeared. The golden sphere formed by the formation exploded in mid-air, and the spiritual light dissipated.
“…”
Someone had broken the formation core of this city-protecting formation? That old woman had actually figured out the core of the Imperial Sect’s grand formation? She truly lived up to her reputation; her centuries of seed-cracking were not in vain. Fox Mu maintained his fierce expression, mentally giving her a thumbs-up. He then glanced at Liang Zhu, seeing that he had something more to say, and nodded slightly, ordering, “Speak.”
“Yes, Venerable One.” Liang Zhu took a deep breath and cupped his hands again, saying, “Venerable One, please use your fox might to protect the millions of ordinary cultivators in the city, to prevent them from being affected by the battle between Void Realm cultivators.”
Protect the human cultivators in the city? Fox Mu sized up Liang Zhu and asked, “Is this your request, or hers?”
“Junior only conveys the message.”
“So, you do not need this seat to go to the Imperial Palace to assist in the battle?”
“Yes, Venerable One only needs to protect the ordinary cultivators in the city during the battle between Dan Yue Shang Xian and the Central Domain Emperor. Nothing else requires Venerable One’s intervention.”
Upon hearing this, a flicker of anger flashed across Fox Mu’s face. The Demon Race and the Human Race had an ancient feud, as deep as a sea of blood. On the journey from Jade Pass to Tian’an, he had not allowed his demon subordinates to slaughter the cultivators in the cities along the way, only out of respect for elders and the young, and because he disdained to bicker with that old woman Dan Yue. And now, that old woman was actually asking him to protect human cultivators? This request was as unpalatable to him as eating cilantro, which he detested the most.
“Human cultivators are killing each other, yet you want this seat to protect them? What if this seat refuses?”
“…”
Faced with this rhetorical question, Liang Zhu couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. It was Ye Anping who had asked him to convey the request to the Demon Emperor to protect the cultivators in the city. In fact, when he first heard Ye Anping mention this, he had also retorted, “The Demon Race hates human cultivators to the bone; how could that old fox possibly agree to protect them?” Ye Anping’s response was, “Brother Liang, you just need to convey it to him; he will definitely agree.”
…
Now, Fox Mu’s expression clearly indicated that he was unwilling to agree. Had that sixth brother miscalculated? Liang Zhu grumbled inwardly, carefully choosing his words for the next sentence.
However, at this moment, Xue Tianqiao, whom Fox Mu was holding by the back of her collar, looked at her master’s expression and said with a smile, “Master, if you don’t agree, will I get another fox fur blanket?”
“…”
Fox Mu’s eye twitched incessantly. He couldn’t help but regret bringing his beloved disciple along. He immediately pinched her mouth and glared fiercely, “If you dare mention that fox fur blanket again, your master will…”
Xue Tianqiao, her face full of curiosity, blurted out, “This time it’s skinning or pulling teeth?”
“…”
Fox Mu was speechless, but he took a deep breath, his expression gradually softening. He placed Xue Tianqiao, whom he was holding, on the ground, turned to look at Liang Zhu, and glared warningly, “Keep an eye on her. If she loses even a single hair by the time I return…”
“My master will skin you alive!” Xue Tianqiao looked at Liang Zhu, interjected, and then turned back to her master with a mischievous grin, “You agree, right?”
“…”
Fox Mu’s teeth clenched slightly. He took a deep breath, swept his long tail, and his figure instantly transformed into a mass of black mist, soaring to a height of a hundred feet, overlooking the entire Tian’an City. Then, he closed his eyes, formed hand seals, and a fox head, as large as a mountain, appeared behind him.
The next moment, a fierce roar echoed throughout Tian’an City:
“Ying—!!”
Ominous black demonic energy instantly covered the sky above Tian’an City, finally condensing into a circular spiritual shield that enveloped the Imperial Palace, as if separating the palace from the city. In an instant, the earth-shattering battle that had been occurring above the Imperial Palace ceased. The entire Tian’an City was plunged into silence.
…
—
Meanwhile, within the secret vault beneath the Tianhe Hall.
Swish—
Ice-blue sword qi instantly swept across the back of an Imperial Guard’s neck. Pei Lianxue flicked the residual blood from the Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword in her hand and approached Ye Anping, who had been meditating in front of a sculpture since earlier.
“Senior Brother, it’s done.”
“Mm…”
Boom—
The earth shook, and the entire secret vault trembled for a moment, with large amounts of dust falling from the ceiling above. Ye Anping took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and looked at the miniature coiled dragon sculpture in front of him, which was about the same size as his own body. He made one last mental preparation. This coiled dragon sculpture before him was the coffin used to seal and hide the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal by Nangong City. According to the game’s plot, Feng Yu Die was supposed to use her Saint Emperor bloodline to open the seal and obtain the Heaven Seal. However, Si Xuanji had acted a bit too quickly. He couldn’t possibly bring Feng Yu Die down now to have her use her destined fate to transfer the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal to her name. Since he was now considered half-destined himself, obtaining the seal from Nangong City shouldn’t be too great a problem. As for opening the coffin, that would be left to the sword of Yun Jian Shang Xian.
“Junior Sister, let’s begin.”
Ye Anping took a deep breath, formed a sword finger, and released his spiritual power, enveloping the entire coiled dragon sculpture in it. Pei Lianxue also closed her eyes for a moment of concentration and raised the Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword in her hand.
Clang—
A flash of ice-blue sword light appeared and then vanished.
Crack—
With a crisp sound, a branch-like crack appeared on the top of the coiled dragon sculpture, extending all the way to the dragon’s tail. Ye Anping frowned, channeling his spiritual power, and shouted, “Open!”
The dragon body, cast from metal and stone, instantly shattered into countless fragments that shot out in all directions. A jade seal, about the size of a palm, with the inscription of the Nine Dragon Ascending Peace talisman diagram, suddenly appeared. The nine dragons on it seemed alive, and after being freed from the stone coffin, they all turned their dragon heads towards Ye Anping, who was meditating before them. Ye Anping gritted his teeth, holding his breath, and commanded, “Come!”
The next moment, nine small dragons, like snakes, poked their heads out from the top of the jade seal, opening their mouths and biting directly onto Ye Anping’s neck and arms. Their sharp teeth dug into his bones, and blood seeped from the wounds, but it seemed to be absorbed by the dragon heads, gradually dyeing the originally pure jade seal a shade of red. Pei Lianxue, seeing this, turned pale with fright and quickly raised her sword to strike the dragon heads, but Ye Anping quickly shouted, “Junior Sister!”
“…”
Pei Lianxue’s long sword hung in mid-air. Seeing her senior brother bleeding felt like she was hurting, and her heart ached. After a few breaths, the nine dragon heads finally let go and retracted back onto the jade seal. The words “Nangong City” originally inscribed below the jade seal gradually disappeared, replaced by the words “Ye Anping.”
Seeing this, Ye Anping let out a long sigh, and without minding the wounds inflicted by the golden dragons on his body, he sent his spiritual sense into the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal. Almost instantly, a golden light from the Heaven Seal broke through the ceiling and shot straight into the sky.
…
—
Boom—
Beneath the Tianhe Hall, which had already turned into rubble and debris, a beam of spiritual light suddenly erupted, momentarily halting the battle between the two figures fighting above. Si Xuanji, floating in mid-air with immortal ribbons draped over her shoulders, looked at the golden pillar of light shooting up from below. A playful smile touched her lips as she looked at Nangong City, who was holding a long spear opposite her, and said, “Nangong brat, are you still not conceding?”
“…”
Nangong City had initially dismissed it when Si Xuanji mentioned his Nine Dragon Heaven Seal had been stolen. That was a sacred artifact that protected the realm. Even if it were stolen, as long as the thief couldn’t make it recognize them as its master, it would merely be a valuable piece of jade to them. But this golden pillar of light now indicated that the Heaven Seal no longer recognized him as the ruler of the Central Domain. In an instant, Nangong City felt as if his Golden Core had turned into a pebble. A searing pain shot through his abdomen. He gritted his teeth and glared at Si Xuanji, “Dan Yue!! You are courting death!! Even if the Heavenly Pivot Destiny Star obtains the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal, do you think the Heavenly Pivot will hand it over to you?”
Si Xuanji shrugged slightly and smiled, “What do you think?”
Nangong City gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain in his abdomen, and amplified his voice with spiritual energy to resound for a thousand li, “People of the Heavenly Pivot!!! The Nine Dragon Heaven Seal is a treasure of the realm, a token granted to me by the Yellow Dragon a thousand years ago. Whoever is recognized by the Heaven Seal becomes the ruler of the Central Domain!! Remember this well…”
As he spoke, a hint of anger flashed in Si Xuanji’s Yin-yang heteromorphic eyes. With a wave of her small hand, a lightning spear shot out from beside her.
Swish—
The lightning spear pierced through his chest, striking directly at the virtual spirit’s chest, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.
“Cough… cough—”
“You’re so annoying!”
Nangong City, holding his long spear, quickly fled downwards. The sect’s grand formation had been broken, and the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal had also changed masters. Tian’an City and the Central Domain were no longer within his grasp. The Demon Emperor was also nearby, and Si Xuanji had murderous intent towards him. No matter how much he struggled, he had no chance of winning. Unless the Sect Masters of Taibai Sect or Wunian Sect appeared in person, but since Si Xuanji dared to act, Taibai Sect and Wunian Sect had likely not received any news yet. That old woman surnamed Si wanted to monopolize the Four Domains…
The change of masters for the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal meant that the Yellow Dragon deemed the person who obtained it more suitable to be the ruler of the Central Domain. Since the Yellow Dragon had made such a judgment, he would only feel slightly unresigned to lose to someone from the Heavenly Pivot, but that was the Heavenly Pivot after all; if he couldn’t compare, he just couldn’t. However, losing to that old woman Si Xuanji was unbearable. Even if it was just to annoy the old woman before his death.
Swish swish swish—
Several sounds of flesh being pierced echoed. Nangong City, rapidly fleeing downwards, was instantly turned into a porcupine by countless lightning spears. He twisted and turned in mid-air, crashing towards the ground. Si Xuanji floated above, her arms crossed, watching him with unpitying eyes, and laughed, “Nangong brat…”
Swish—
Nangong City used the force to hurl his golden spear towards Si Xuanji. A golden thread streaked across Si Xuanji’s face and flew towards the moon behind her.
Rumble—
A bloodstain appeared on Si Xuanji’s fair face. She turned to look behind her, only to see a cloud of dust explode on the moon’s surface, shifting it an inch to the side.
“So stubborn…”
Si Xuanji shrugged slightly, raised her hand, and purple spiritual energy condensed into a somewhat chubby baby-like hand, which slammed directly onto Nangong City, who was suspended in mid-air. Like a dragon plunging into the sea, he crashed through the air, leaving a golden trail, and plunged vertically downwards into the ruins of the Tianhe Hall.
…
—
Boom—
“Senior Brother, be careful!!”
The moment Pei Lianxue heard the noise, she rushed in front of Ye Anping, who was meditating before the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal. At the same time, the ceiling of the secret vault crashed down. Ice-blue sword qi flashed above Ye Anping’s head, scattering and slicing apart all the falling debris. Simultaneously, a figure in dragon robes followed the falling ceiling and crashed into a dissipating formation made of spirit stones in the center of the secret vault.
Ye Anping withdrew his spiritual power and squinted at the person who fell. Seeing that it was Nangong City, he took a deep breath:
“Hiss—”
Why did Si Xuanji send Nangong City right in front of him?
Good heavens…
To be honest, Ye Anping flinched for a moment. He had been adapting to the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal, preparing to use it to draw all the spiritual energy from beneath Tian’an City to Si Xuanji, and then have Si Xuanji blast Nangong City’s virtual spirit body into oblivion with a single blow. But before he could finish, Si Xuanji sent Nangong City directly to him. From Nangong City’s current state, he was half-dead. However, a cultivator of the Middle Void Realm, even half-dead, could casually kill cultivators like him and his junior sister, who were only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, as easily as crushing ants.
Pei Lianxue frowned slightly and immediately shielded Ye Anping, gripping the Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword tightly in her hand. “Senior Brother…”
“Don’t.”
Ye Anping quickly calmed down, forced himself to stand up, leaned on Pei Lianxue’s shoulder, and took the spirit sword from her. “Junior Sister, stand behind me.”
At this moment, Nangong City also struggled to get up from the ground and looked towards him. Upon seeing the nine bite marks on Ye Anping’s body, he said, “Person of the Heavenly Pivot, cough— remember this… the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal recognizes you as its master, so the Central Domain will be yours from now on. With the Central Domain and your Heavenly Pivot destiny, you will surely return to the Void and ascend to immortality. But be careful… the old man from Xuan Xing Sect…”
However, before he could finish speaking, a figure suddenly appeared behind Nangong City and kicked him in the backside, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
“Nangong brat, these two are my disciples! Stop trying to corrupt my disciples.”
Upon hearing this voice, Nangong City’s eyes widened. He turned his head to look behind him in disbelief, only to see a phantom image of a young man in golden robes.
“Yun Tian Mi?!”
Seeing Yun Jian Shang Xian suddenly appear, Ye Anping was also stunned for a moment. It seemed he had inadvertently triggered a plot point that wasn’t in the game. Yun Jian Shang Xian crossed his arms, looked at the wounds on Ye Anping’s body, and said, “Hmph, Ye brat, the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal recognizes you as its master? That’s impressive. As expected of the person I chose, hahaha— I chose the right person to give my sword to!”
Ye Anping was truly unprepared for this turn of events. After a pause, he quickly cupped his hands and said, “Greetings, Shang Xian.”
“Greetings for what? Call me Master!! I gave you my sword, and you’re just going to forget your master after pulling up your pants?”
“Master…”
Yun Jian Shang Xian nodded with satisfaction, his arms crossed. Then he looked at Pei Lianxue and said, “Pei girl is also getting more and more capable. She’s already at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.”
“…Mm,” Pei Lianxue replied softly, tucking her chin slightly.
“Why are you still so shy? How can my disciple be so timid? Ye brat, buy Pei girl more wine to drink later. After drinking enough, she’ll naturally become more spirited… ahaha—”
Nangong City, lying on the ground, looked at Ye Anping incredulously. If he was Yun Tian Mi’s inheritor, why was he following that old woman surnamed Si? Nangong City took a deep breath and shouted, “Tian Shu! Cough cough— That old woman surnamed Si… cough cough— she wants to…”
Seeing that Nangong City was struggling to speak, and with Yun Tian Mi present, he gained some confidence. He blurted out what he wanted to say: “She wants to use the person of the Heavenly Pivot to eliminate all Void Realm cultivators except herself, and establish herself as the sole immortal of the Four Domains. Senior Nangong, are you trying to say this?”
Nangong City’s eyes widened, “You know…”
“After the Saint Emperor, no one has had the ability to unify the Four Domains. Now that the Heavenly Pivot has appeared, the Sect Master of Xuan Xing Sect wants to use the Heavenly Pivot to fulfill his ambition and dominate the Four Domains. Void Realm cultivators are all semi-immortals, and naturally, they harbor ambitions to monopolize the Four Domains. Aren’t you the same? The Sect Masters of Wunian Sect, Taibai Sect, Xuan Xing Sect, Imperial Sect, and Hantian Kingdom—each views the others as thorns in their side, wishing to eliminate them. This is not difficult to understand. But do you think someone who usually enjoys stargazing and seed-cracking would do anything heinous after unifying the Four Domains? If I had to choose one person among the five sect masters to rule the Four Domains, the Sect Master of Xuan Xing Sect would undoubtedly be the best candidate.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Jian Shang Xian raised an eyebrow and retorted, “What? Ye brat, am I not the best candidate, Master?”
“Aren’t you already dead for many years?”
“Hiss— Forget it.” Yun Jian Shang Xian frowned and took a deep breath. Then he looked down at Nangong City, who was lying in front of him, and said, “So, you were beaten into this state by that old woman? Nangong brat, you’re really pathetic. You couldn’t even defeat that old woman… Did you forget how to use your spear after being the Emperor of the Central Domain for so long? You used to be able to last ten moves against me.”
“…”
Nangong City was now unable to speak. He looked at Ye Anping, who was holding the Xuan Bing Spirit Sword and standing in front of him, with disbelief. He had already understood from his words. This young man was free from desires and seemed to have no great ambitions. Yet, it was precisely this kind of person who was recognized by the Yellow Dragon and entrusted with the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal.
“…”
Ye Anping, holding the Snow Jade Heaven Spirit Sword, slowly walked up to Nangong City and said, “Senior Nangong, you cannot speak now, but I know what you are thinking. You are thinking why someone like me, who looks like mere cannon fodder, is qualified to snatch the Nine Dragon Heaven Seal from your hands. And the truth is… I was forced to become a person of the Heavenly Pivot. I’m currently eating roasted chicken up there.”
“…”
He raised the Xuan Bing Spirit Sword in his hand and reversed its grip, holding it vertically downwards. Yun Jian Shang Xian watched coldly, then stepped forward and took his hand, “Ye brat, with your cultivation, even with my sword, you can’t destroy his virtual spirit. Let me help you, and Pei girl too.”
“Oh…”
Pei Lianxue nodded like a pecking chicken and stepped forward, asking, “How do we do it?”
“Like this…”
Yun Tian Mi pulled Pei Lianxue’s hand over and had her hold the sword hilt with Ye Anping. Then, he looked down at Nangong City below and said coldly, “Heh heh, Nangong brat, you still owe me a debt of alcohol from back then. Consider it repaid today…”
“…”
He formed his right hand into a palm and pressed down on the hilt of the Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword.
Swish—
The ice-blue sword light plunged vertically downwards, entering directly from Nangong City’s back and pinning him to the ground. Nangong City’s eyes widened slightly. He struggled to look behind him, but soon, his outline began to glow with spiritual light resembling the starry sky, gradually transforming into points of light and dissipating. Yun Jian Shang Xian removed his palm from the sword hilt, and his originally transparent figure also began to fade. “Ye brat, Pei girl, don’t disappoint me. You must pass down the name of my Yun Jian!”
“Understood, Master.”
Ye Anping sighed slightly and replied, watching Yun Jian Shang Xian fade away. Immediately after, as if he had become too tired, he collapsed to the side. Pei Lianxue quickly caught him, slowly knelt down, and let him lean on her chest, her face full of worry, asking, “Senior Brother, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing… The Nine Dragon Heaven Seal drained my vital blood, I’m a bit tired. Junior Sister, carry me out, I need to rest for a bit. Senior Sister Feng and the Demon Emperor’s matter is still not resolved.”
After saying this, Ye Anping closed his eyes and fell asleep. Pei Lianxue, seeing her senior brother fall asleep, quickly knelt down, lifted him into a princess carry, and retrieved the spiritual sword from Nangong City’s still partially dissipated body. She looked around and found that the previous collapse had blocked the path back. The hole above was at least a hundred zhang deep. Just as Pei Lianxue was about to summon her flying sword, a small figure suddenly jumped down from the hole in the ceiling. She lost her balance and landed on her backside.
“Ouch, ouch…”
Si Xuanji rubbed her backside and stood up. She looked around and said, “Are you Junior Sister Pei?”
This was the first time Pei Lianxue had seen Si Xuanji. She was unnerved by her Yin-yang heteromorphic eyes and took a step back. However, upon realizing Si Xuanji’s cultivation was only at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, she felt puzzled. “Who are you?”
Si Xuanji narrowed her eyes, smiled, and pointed to her face, saying, “Little lady is Senior Sister Xiao Yunluo’s sister. Little lady’s mother was fighting just now, and little lady was hiding in the Imperial Palace the whole time. My mother has already returned. She sent me down to pick you up, come, come…”
Saying this, she flicked her finger, took out a Divine Swift Boat from her Storage Bag, jumped onto it, and gestured for Pei Lianxue to bring Ye Anping up. Hearing “little lady” used four times in one sentence, Pei Lianxue felt she was trying to emphasize something and asked with suspicion, “You are Senior Sister Xiao’s sister?”
“Yes.”
“How tall is Senior Sister Xiao?”
Si Xuanji blinked and replied, “Four feet four inches and twelve li.”
“Is she that short?”
“My sister usually puts a three-inch heel in her shoes. Alright~ This place is about to collapse, hurry up and get on, little lady will take you out.”
Pei Lianxue was still somewhat suspicious, but at this moment, Ye Anping opened his eyes slightly and said, “Junior Sister, let’s go up, it’s fine.”
“Mm… Senior Brother, you rest well.”
…
