Chapter 346: Senior Brother, Ye Pushes His Authority (7000)
On the fifth day of the seventh lunar month in the Immortal Calendar year 2112, obituary notices from Nancheng City were plastered across every alley and street of Tianan City.
This news caused a huge uproar among the cultivators in the city. Most of them hastily packed their bags the very next day and fled Tianan City as if their lives depended on it.
The once prosperous capital city of the Imperial Sect was now sparsely populated. Various wooden signs and fruits were scattered on the streets unattended, and the Imperial Sect disciples, who usually patrolled the city in groups for public order, were nowhere to be seen.
Autumn had arrived, and the temperature in Tianan City gradually dropped, accompanied by a rustling cold wind.
Ye Anping was walking alone on Changyu Street, the most bustling street in Tianan City. However, what greeted his eyes now was a street with very few people.
Most of the shops on both sides of the street had their doors open, but they were all empty inside.
He suddenly remembered what Ye Ao had said to him when he returned from the Moon Shadow Sword Sect – “Something happens wherever you go, kid?”
To be fair, it was indeed true that something would go wrong wherever he went.
When he returned to the Hundred Lotus Sect later, Ye Ao would probably look at him, his obedient and sensible son, with that strange look again.
After strolling along the street for a while, he suddenly smelled a rich, savory aroma from not far away.
Following the scent, he saw a shop specializing in roasted chicken.
The roasted chicken shops in the city had closed one after another. Feng Yu Die had been searching the city for shops selling roasted chicken for several days. Yesterday, she had even set up a grill in the backyard of the inn and roasted it herself.
Ye Anping hesitated for a moment, then decided to buy some to take back to Feng Yu Die, so she wouldn’t be constantly craving roasted chicken.
The owner of the roasted chicken shop was an old cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining. However, his temples were gray and his face was full of wrinkles, making him look almost sixty years old. At that moment, he was facing away from Ye Anping, marinating a plucked hen.
Ye Anping took out a few spirit stones from his storage bag and tapped on the wooden counter:
“Boss, roast two chickens.”
The old cultivator turned his head upon hearing the sound. He looked at Ye Anping with a hint of surprise, but after noticing his late Foundation Establishment cultivation, he quickly smiled and bowed:
“Senior, please wait a moment, it will take some time to roast them. Or, if you tell me your location, I can deliver them to you later?”
“It’s fine, I’ll wait.”
The old cultivator nimbly put two marinated chickens into the oven, wiped his hands with the apron tied around his waist, and collected the spirit stones Ye Anping had given him into his money bag. Then, he kindly reminded him:
“Senior, you should leave the city as soon as possible. I heard yesterday that the Demon Race is less than ten li away and will likely enter the city in a few days. A handsome young master like yourself will surely be captured by the Demon Race and forced into labor.”
“Aren’t you leaving too?”
“Alas! I’m old now, where else can I go if I leave? Alas—” The old cultivator sighed sadly and shook his head. “This Tianan City is my home. I’ve been selling roasted chicken here for most of my life. How can I just leave?”
“Aren’t you afraid that the Demon Race will enter the city and kill all the human cultivators?”
“If they kill, they kill. Living ten years longer is still living, and ten years less is also living.”
The old cultivator seemed to have accepted his fate, waving his hand indifferently, saying:
“It’s just that the Demon Emperor actually broke into Tianan City alone and killed the Emperor of the Central Domain. Who could have predicted this? One of the Five Saints of the Immortal Families is dead just like that. In my opinion, the Four Domains will be in chaos from now on.”
Ye Anping listened in silence for a moment and replied:
“That’s a bit too pessimistic. I actually think this might not be a bad thing.”
“Oh?” The old cultivator’s eyebrows raised slightly upon hearing this. “What is Senior’s opinion?”
“Throughout history, new kings replace old kings. This is nothing unusual. It’s just that cultivators’ longevity causes the cycles of change to be much longer.”
“Does Senior mean… the Demon Emperor will not kill the people in the city?”
“Although the Demon Race are beast transformations, their nature is mostly ferocious, they are not much different from humans. They still have six desires, seven emotions, eight sufferings, and nine difficulties. I believe that Tianan City will probably become an immortal city where both demons and humans coexist in the future.”
“Humans and demons have a blood feud. How can a millennium of grudges be resolved just like that?”
Ye Anping glanced in the direction of the west of the city and saw many Xing Tian Division disciples flying their swords towards the west gate. He said with a smile:
“Naturally, it won’t be resolved just like that, but it will be slowly resolved. Boss, you might as well prepare more roasted chicken. When the Demon Race enters the city, sell them to the demons. Roasted chicken is a hard currency among demons, second only to spirit stones.”
The old cultivator looked a little confused. He turned around, fished the roasted chickens out of the oven with an iron hook, wrapped them in oilcloth, and handed them to Ye Anping, asking:
“May I know Senior’s name?”
“Liang Xiaoliu.”
“Then I will remember Senior Liang’s words. If it truly turns out that way, any roasted chicken you eat at my humble shop in the future will be on me.”
Ye Anping smiled, took the two roasted chickens, and turned to leave.
After walking along the street for a short distance, the sound of war drums began to echo from the west gate of Tianan City.
Dong dong— dong—
The drumbeats shook the heavens and the earth, as if the entire city was trembling.
Ye Anping stopped and looked into the distance, seeing countless demonic soldiers with beast heads carrying “Fox” banners entering the city. He didn’t linger long and hurried back to the Liuyue Inn.
Yue Xuanming had also come to find him specifically to ask for his opinion. Ye Anping, following Si Xuanji’s script, had informed him about the Xing Tian Division:
—After the Demon Emperor entered the city with his demon race, Yue Xuanming would lead the Xing Tian Division to welcome them and use the Demon Emperor’s hand to integrate the remaining disciples of the Imperial Sect, bringing the eighteen branches of the original Imperial Sect, such as the Pill Division and the Yuanwu Division, under the Xing Tian Division. This would establish a human sect within the demon race to assist the Demon Emperor in governing the myriad territories of the Central Domain.
Although the script was short, there were many details to consider.
However, this had nothing to do with Ye Anping.
In any case, the future Central Domain would become the territory of the Demon Race, and the Demon Emperor Hu Mu would be the nominal ruler of the Central Domain.
As for why he was the “nominal” ruler of the Central Domain?
It was because the “Nine Dragon Celestial Seal” was in his hands.
Only those who possessed the “Nine Dragon Celestial Seal” could freely mobilize the spiritual energy of the mountains and earth in the Central Domain. In the game, the Celestial Seal was originally with Feng Yu Die, which was another great opportunity for her.
Ye Anping had wanted to send the Nine Dragon Celestial Seal to Si Xuanji a few days ago, but Si Xuanji said to keep it with him for the time being and come to borrow it when needed in the future.
Afterward, Ye Anping planned to give the “Nine Dragon Celestial Seal” to Feng Yu Die.
But after Feng Yu Die heard that transferring the Nine Dragon Celestial Seal required being bitten by nine dragons, she turned and ran away.
Helpless, he had no choice but to put the Celestial Seal in his storage bag, planning to bury it somewhere after returning to the Hundred Lotus Sect. After all, this item had too much spiritual power. Even with several layers of storage bags, he couldn’t completely hide the spiritual energy it naturally released.
After all, Nancheng City had used a special sealed coffin to suppress the spiritual power of the Celestial Seal.
Thus, carrying the Nine Dragon Celestial Seal was equivalent to holding a torch in a dark alley at night. Any cultivator with good eyesight could notice his presence from a hundred li away.
Lost in thought, Ye Anping returned to the street where the Liuyue Inn was located, carrying two roasted chickens.
The shopkeeper of the Liuyue Inn had also fled with the waiter a few days ago. Now, the entire street was desolate. At noon, only a few scattered cultivators could be seen wandering on the street.
Ye Anping pushed open the inn door and walked inside. Seeing no one, he called out:
“Senior Sister Feng, I’ve bought roasted chicken, come down and eat it while it’s hot.”
After Ye Anping finished speaking, after a moment, the sound of a door opening and footsteps came from the second floor.
Creak—
Tap tap tap…
Feng Yu Die, with a mess of hair, jumped down from the railing on the second floor. It seemed she had just taken a nap.
Upon seeing the roasted chicken in Ye Anping’s hands, she immediately snatched it without a word:
“Roasted chicken! Where did you buy it? I searched all day yesterday and didn’t find any in the city.”
“Just on Changyu Street next door, an old cultivator who has been selling roasted chicken for decades.”
“Oh! Thank you, Young Master Ye!”
Feng Yu Die grinned at Ye Anping, hugged the two roasted chickens, and jumped back upstairs, closed the door, and went to gnaw on them herself.
Ye Anping sighed, feeling a little tired. He went to pour himself a cup of tea and prepared to pack up and leave Tianan with his junior sisters and others.
Just as he sat down, the door of a room in the corner on the second floor was pushed open again.
Liang Zhu and Tong Zilan came down from the private room.
Liang Zhu was still wearing the golden Daoist robe of the Xing Tian Division, but Tong Zilan had now changed into a light blue silk dress.
However, even though the silk dress was in the style of rogue cultivators, and the material was not of the best quality, perhaps due to her centuries of experience as an Empress, she still exuded an indescribable “nobility.”
Tong Zilan smiled and nodded to Ye Anping, asking:
“Young Master Ye, good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon.” Ye Anping took out two new tea cups and poured them a cup of tea. “The demons have entered the city just now. I plan to leave Tianan in a few days. What do you think?”
“We’ll follow Young Master Ye’s arrangements.”
“Then we’ll leave when my junior sisters return. If we fly by sword, we should reach the town by nightfall.”
Ye Anping shrugged slightly, raised his tea cup, and took a sip. He suddenly noticed that his Big Brother Liang was looking at him with a pair of resentful eyes.
Ye Anping was stunned for a moment and asked:
“Big Brother Liang, what’s wrong?”
… …
Liang Zhu was silent for a moment, then took out a jar of Nu’er Hong wine and three porcelain bowls from his storage bag. He poured the wine, brought over a table, and lit red candles on it.
?
Ye Anping looked at these familiar items with some confusion.
When he, Liang Zhu, Second Brother, and Third Brother first became sworn brothers, Liang Zhu had also suddenly produced these items from his storage bag.
After Liang Zhu prepared the items, he turned around and said with a frown:
“Come over, let’s swear brotherhood.”
Ye Anping was stunned for a moment, then glanced at the three bowls filled with wine on the table.
Three…
He immediately turned to look at Tong Zilan.
Tong Zilan covered her mouth and chuckled, stood up, cupped her fists, and performed a standard bow, saying:
“From now on, I will be your sworn sister, Young Master Ye. I hope Sixth Brother will take care of me.”
… …
Six dots flashed above Ye Anping’s head. His eyes twitched, and he turned to look at Liang Zhu, only to receive a disdainful smile from Liang Zhu.
“That’s how it is, come on…”
“So… Big Brother Liang, you and Senior Tong were discussing this just now?”
Tong Zilan nodded and replied:
“Yes, Ating’s identity as the second princess will be buried with the fall of the Imperial Sect in this Tianan City. Originally, she had only met me once since birth. If I suddenly told her I was her mother, she would definitely find it strange. So… I thought this way. Although we are related by blood, it is not as important as the grace of upbringing. Moreover, it is not good for her to know that her biological father abandoned her for the sake of seeking the Dao.”
Ye Anping was silent for a moment, shrugged slightly, walked to the altar set up by Liang Zhu, picked up a bowl of wine:
“Since you and Big Brother Liang have discussed it, I have nothing more to say.”
The three of them lined up from tallest to shortest, from left to right, taking an oath of “dying in the same year, same month, same day,” drinking the wine, smashing their bowls, and bowing three times to the candle.
Crash—
As Ye Anping was about to return to his seat, Liang Zhu gently placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, saying:
“Old Sixth.”
“…?”
Liang Zhu closed his eyes, gathered his thoughts, then glared at him and reminded him:
“You are Ating’s Sixth Uncle, do you understand?!”
… …
Ye Anping blinked and nodded in confusion:
“Yes.”
“Only an uncle, understand?”
Ye Anping was speechless. He rolled his eyes at Liang Zhu, but suddenly thought, could Tong Zilan have said something to him? Like marrying Ating to him?
He pursed his lips speechlessly and looked at Tong Zilan beside him, quickly saying:
“Senior Tong, Ating is like a sworn daughter to me. I will definitely take good care of her in the future.”
“Sworn daughter…” Tong Zilan pouted as if slightly disappointed upon hearing this. “Yes… Then please also take good care of her, Sixth Brother.”
“Yes, my junior sister also likes her very much.”
Hearing this, Liang Zhu withdrew his displeased expression, removed his hand from Ye Anping’s shoulder, and walked back to the table to sit down, saying:
“Old Sixth, Miss Ye and I calculated that the items taken from the Imperial Sect’s secret treasury are worth approximately two million spirit stones, as well as some high-grade Heavenly Treasures needed for Core Formation. Shall I list them for you?”
“No need, I trust Big Brother Liang. Give Miss Ye 15% of it, take 15% yourself, and leave the rest for me. I’ll distribute it to Senior Sister Feng myself later.”
“Alright.”
Ye Anping returned to the table and sat down, pondering.
In the game, after the Imperial Sect incident ended, because Feng Yu Die was severely injured by the Demon Emperor in the end, the main storyline would have a long period of vacancy.
During this vacancy, many exclamation marks would suddenly appear on the map of the Central Domain, mostly side quests related to the conflicts between demons and human cultivators.
To put it in a nutshell, for the next few years, human cultivators in the Central Domain would form small factions similar to the Dragon Slaying Society, reclaiming scattered immortal cities on the borders from the demons.
Although these side quests offered quite a few rewards, he didn’t really need them since he had already plundered the Imperial Sect’s secret treasury.
Thus, he needed to start preparing for Core Formation now.
Unlike in the game, where players could form a core with a simple left-click, in this world, forming a core required enduring the Heavenly Tribulation.
Pei Lianxue would undoubtedly need to form a Heavenly Dao Golden Core, which involved forty-eight Heavenly Lightning Tribulations. With the Xue Qiong Heavenly Spirit Sword and her Water Spiritual Root, forty-eight Heavenly Lightning Tribulations should be manageable.
But Pei Lianxue’s issues were not his own.
Although he had a “Golden Finger,” his aptitude was merely that of a mediocre cannon fodder with dual Water and Wood spiritual roots. He needed to make more preparations to avoid being struck to death by the Heavenly Lightning.
“Big Brother Liang, have those pseudo-Golden Cores been sold yet?”
… …
Liang Zhu choked on his tea, glanced at Tong Zilan beside him, and asked with a slightly furrowed brow:
“No, there were a few buyers, but they weren’t very reliable.”
“Then there’s no rush.”
Ye Anping nodded, then flicked his hand into a sword finger, and took out a clump of “black cotton” in a glass bottle from his storage bag.
“Big Brother Liang, please help me sell this too. It should fetch a good price…”
Liang Zhu stared at the bottle in Ye Anping’s hand for a moment and asked:
“Fox fur?”
“Yes, hair from the Demon Emperor’s tail. It’s waterproof and fireproof. I tried burning it with a Fire Element talisman script earlier.”
… …
Liang Zhu seemed accustomed to it, opening his mouth but unable to speak. However, Tong Zilan beside him was filled with horror, as if she had seen a ghost.
“Sixth Brother… that, your sworn sister is curious and wants to ask if the pseudo-Golden Core you mentioned earlier is… I heard that the Sect Master of Moon Shadow Sword Sect, Yun Tianchong, did something before the New Year… Could it be?”
Ye Anping cupped his fists and laughed:
“Seventh Sister, though you lived in the inner palace, your ears are indeed quite sharp.”
“…Sixth Brother is too kind, gulp—”
Tong Zilan pursed her lips and swallowed, shifting her gaze. She finally realized that her young and promising Sixth Brother before her seemed to have a personality that was a little bit…
Liang Zhu raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, saying:
“Cannot be sold.”
“Cannot be sold? Pseudo-Golden Cores can be sold, but this cannot be sold?”
“The Four Domains’ largest black market is in the Central Domain. Now that the Central Domain has become the Demon Emperor’s territory, no vendor dares to take it.”
Ye Anping pursed his lips and turned to Tong Zilan, asking:
“What a pity… Seventh Sister, do you want it? I’ll give it to you as a meeting gift for our brotherhood.”
Tong Zilan quickly shook her head, her head recoiling: “Your Seventh Sister must politely decline.”
“…Forget it, I’ll make a felt mat for my junior sister later.”
Ye Anping sighed and put the bottle of fox fur back into his storage bag. Just then, a small hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed the glass bottle.
“I’ll buy it! I’ll buy it! How much?”
Ye Anping turned his head upon hearing the sound and saw Xue Tianqiao sitting on a chair with a bright smile, winking her sparkling eyes at him, flirting.
“Name your price, I’ll buy it!”
With Xue Tianqiao present, it was only natural that…
Ye Anping remained silent for a moment, then turned to look behind him. He saw a fox spirit dressed in a green robe, with a large tail sticking out of its mouth, looking at him with a “skinning” gaze.
… …
To be honest, Ye Anping was a little flustered. He didn’t expect Hu Mu to come looking for him alone.
But almost simultaneously, a “ding-a-ling” sound rang in his mind, which made him slightly relieved.
Ye Anping hesitated for a moment, released his fingers from the bottle’s opening, and handed the bottle in his hand to Xue Tianqiao.
After receiving the bottle, Xue Tianqiao ran back to Hu Mu, wagging her tail, and looked at him expectantly, saying:
“Master, quickly give me spirit stones, I want to buy this…”
… …
Hu Mu’s cheeks bulged, and he took a deep breath through his nose.
Ye Anping turned to look and added with a smile, cupping his fists:
“Greetings to Your Excellency. I’ll take five hundred thousand spirit stones for this. It’s not too much, is it?”
Upon hearing this, the two black ears on Hu Mu’s head immediately perked up, and a murderous aura flashed in his eyes, causing the temperature in the inn to drop by ten degrees.
Liang Zhu and Tong Zilan beside him looked at him with horrified eyes, as if asking: Are you crazy?!
However, Xue Tianqiao looked at Ye Anping with admiration, as if saying: Wow! You’re amazing, you actually dared to step on him in front of my master.
She pursed her lips into a smile and quickly added:
“Master, five hundred thousand spirit stones, it’s very worth it.”
… …
Just as Hu Mu was about to speak, he suddenly felt a small hand grasp the tip of his tail. He turned to see Si Xuanji, who had arrived behind him at some unknown time. She was twisting a tuft of new fur that had grown on the tip of his tail just a few days ago with her left hand, looking astonished, as if saying:
Wow! Your fur grew back so quickly?
… …
Hu Mu gritted his teeth slightly, accepting his fate, but still forced a dignified expression as he withdrew his tail from her small hand. He turned to look at Ye Anping.
Upon seeing Ye Anping’s spiritual root aptitude, he looked back at Si Xuanji: Why are you protecting this person?
Si Xuanji squinted her eyes and smiled, walked to the side, rubbed Xue Tianqiao’s head, then walked around her and came to Ye Anping’s side. She squeezed in and sat directly on his lap. Then, she grabbed his cheeks and reprimanded him:
“Young Master Ye, you are indeed fearless. If I hadn’t come and used my mother to intimidate this fox, you would have lost your life. My mother is not here right now.”
Ye Anping wore a wry smile and could only play along. He stood up, cupped his fists, and said:
“Greetings to Your Excellency the Demon Emperor. That was just a joke earlier. I hope Your Excellency will not take offense.”
Hu Mu looked at the two interacting and was somewhat confused. Was this old woman falling for someone so young?
However, he didn’t say anything. He walked forward and sat at the table. Tong Zilan and Liang Zhu on the opposite side quickly stood up and retreated to the side.
Si Xuanji looked at Hu Mu and said:
“So, five hundred thousand spirit stones, let’s settle it first.”
… …
Hu Mu silently glanced at Si Xuanji. Upholding the excellent virtue of respecting the old and loving the young, he waved his hand and took out a small spirit bead from his storage bag and placed it on the table, with the demeanor of “This Venerable One bestows it upon you.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
Ye Anping took the spirit bead and thanked him with a smile. Seeing that Si Xuanji was now acting as his shield, he stopped beating around the bush and directly asked:
“May I ask if Your Excellency’s arrival is regarding the matter of Hu Yu Lan?”
… …
Upon hearing this, Hu Mu’s fierce brow trembled, and he slowly turned his eyes towards Ye Anping’s eyes, a hint of suspicion flashing within them. His gaze then shifted to Si Xuanji, as if he thought Si Xuanji had told him.
Si Xuanji also looked confused. Leaning in Ye Anping’s embrace, she tilted her head up to look at his chin and asked:
“Young Master Ye, where did you hear this name?”
“Senior Sister Feng told me a few days ago. Doesn’t she have the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao? She looked up Your Excellency the Demon Emperor and found out about the death of this Hu Yu Lan. So I was wondering if it was because of this.”
Hu Mu’s brow twitched slightly and he asked: “So, who was it?”
“The Sect Master of the Tian Mo Sect.”
… …
“To buy time for Bai Yu Rou to escape, he faced the Sect Master of the Tian Mo Sect alone, not hesitating to be killed.”
A flicker of anger flashed in Hu Mu’s eyes:
“What?”
“As for Bai Yu Rou, she did not escape back from the Eastern Domain either and died from the poisonous蛊.”
“…Have that girl come out and speak to this Venerable One personally.”
“Your Excellency, you injured her so badly before that she is still bedridden now.”
… …
Hu Mu glared at Ye Anping, but found that Ye Anping seemed to show no fear at all. He became somewhat curious about him.
A cultivator with dual spiritual roots, yet favored by that old woman Dan Yue. And in front of him, he showed no fear at all…
He stared at Ye Anping for a while, then stood up, flicked his tail, picked up Xue Tianqiao, who was playing with the fox fur, by the scruff of her neck, and his figure turned into a black mist, disappearing from the inn.
Only then did Ye Anping heave a sigh of relief. He looked down at Si Xuanji, who was sitting on his lap, and said:
“Thank you, Miss Xuanji.”
“You are truly bold. You speak to the Demon Emperor without changing your expression. If there had been the slightest mistake in what you said just now, I couldn’t have saved you. My mother is also not here right now.”
Are you still pretending? Ye Anping didn’t know how to react, so he simply smiled foolishly like Feng Yu Die, “Ahaha…”
Si Xuanji shook her head dotingly, then reached out and tugged at his cheeks, saying:
“You’re still smiling. Why do you suddenly feel so silly? Sigh— Forget it… Hurry up and pack. Aren’t we returning to the Western Regions soon?”
… …
